June 29, 2025 "When We Humble Ourselves"

ReNew Ames Messages

A little different kind of sermon for Sunday. I'm gonna talk a little bit about what Jesus said about the heart - the idea is that it's the controlling center of people. You can tell a lot about where a person's heart is by the things they do - especially when they're tested. So we'll walk through the story of Naaman and leprosy and see if we might discern some things about each character. We'll start with Naaman - he's a four-star general in the Aramean army. He's normally the one in control - he calls the shots. Then, he gets leprosy and finds out that his sworn enemies are the ones who can help him. When he gets there he's told to dunk himself in the Jordan - 7 times. It's humiliating. It's tough when we struggle with humility - it's hard to admit you can't control everything, you can't heal yourself - at times, we all need to ask for help. Maybe you're like the servant girl. She's the one in the story - a nobody - who has the guts to point someone in the direction of healing. Maybe you're with Gehazi - gee, I hope not! - but you're always looking for an edge, looking for a way to take advantage of situations and people in order to get what you want. Or, maybe you're with Elisha - you're the one of the ones who humbles themselves and works with the divine to bring healing into the lives of others - to help put things back together. Speaker: Aaron Vis Scripture: 2 Kings 5:1-27