God Makes New
Pastor Scott Uselman
2 Kings 5:1-19, Luke 4:16-30 · May 17, 2026
Scripture
Naaman Healed of Leprosy [1] Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. [2] Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. [3] She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” [4] Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. [5] “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. [6] The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” [7] As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” [8] When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” [9] So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. [10] Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” [11] But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. [12] Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. [13] Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” [14] So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. [15] Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.” [16] The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused. [17] “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. [18] But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.” [19] “Go in peace,” Elisha said. After Naaman had traveled some distance,
The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
[16] He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, [17] and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: [18] “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, [19] to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” [20] Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. [21] He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” [22] All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. [23] Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’ ” [24] “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. [25] I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. [26] Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. [27] And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” [28] All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. [29] They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. [30] But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
God makes new those who lay aside pride and respond to Him in faith, just as Naaman was cleansed and transformed.
The Gathering, The Word, and a Farewell to Pride
We started our morning remembering how God gathers us as a family, seeing a young man, Levi, sent out with blessing, a Marine-to-be, foundation in faith beneath his steps. Scott pointed us to gratitude, to recognize how easily we forget what we owe to God and one another.
"You have to see God as, it’s him, it’s him more than us."
The heart of this sermon came into focus with the reading of Luke 4, where Jesus declares the good news and faces the pride and familiarity of his own hometown. People missed God standing among them, not out of ignorance, but because pride draws us away from the very grace we rely on.
Scott spoke honestly about a drift he sees in our culture and even our churches, the creeping danger of thinking our value comes from ourselves and not from what God says about us. We were reminded: we are loved, yes, but the danger comes when that truth twists into entitlement. The problem is not how special the Lord finds us, but when we insist on our own specialness above the Lord’s claim on us.
The Broken Kingdom and the Pattern of Rebellion
Turning to 2 Kings, Scott placed us in the long story of Israel, rescued from slavery, set apart, given laws and promises, warned of the risk of turning away. That pattern, blessing answered with pride and then exile, echoed the old pain from Eden itself. Kings and people forgot their need, their story ending in collapse.
With a story from his own past, Scott lightened the room, youth group memories, humor about baldness, but the point landed sharp. Even those marked as chosen can evict God by their actions long before their words ever do. “We are living in a time now,” he said, “where not only our society but churches sometimes quietly ask Jesus to leave by our disobedience.”
Naaman: The Proud Commander’s Need
The story of Naaman, found in 2 Kings 5, became the backbone of this sermon. Famous, competent, wealthy, and yet ruined by leprosy, Naaman was not just in need, but reliant on the word of an enslaved Israelite girl, the lowest person in his household. Here was humility forced upon pride, and an unexpected channel for blessing.
Scott insisted: to be made new, we must lay aside pride. This isn’t just believing we don’t deserve God’s mercy, it is the willingness to be changed in ways we would never script for ourselves.
"For God to be able to do what he needs to do, for Naaman to meet his need of curing him, he’s got to lay his pride aside."
He painted Naaman’s initial outrage at Elisha’s instructions in plain terms. Expecting great acts, Naaman was insulted by the simple direction to dip in the muddy Jordan. Scott made the parallel: our pride rebels when grace is offered without drama, when God asks us for trust, not spectacle.
"It’s in my pride that I’m offended."
Faith That Acts: Obedience as the Shape of Trust
The narrative turned as Naaman’s servants gently reasoned with him. They called him "father," inviting him to humble himself without shame. Scott drew our attention to how gentle honesty can lead others out of pride.
Naaman, at last, entered the water. Whatever he left on the bank, his medals, his reputation, even his clothing, was a picture of empty-handed faith.
"Saving faith would be that faith that not only do I believe what Jesus says I’m supposed to do, I’m actually going to do it."
Scott pressed this as the ache of the church today: many believe in Jesus, fewer do what He says. “How?” people ask. Obedience in small things, even when it doesn’t make sense, is what faith looks like in action. And as Naaman rose from the water restored, the point shined clear. God’s mercy is free, but pride cannot receive it. It takes real, lived-out trust.
Confession and the New Shape of Worship
Scott did not let the story end at healing. He traced what true gratitude and new life give rise to: confession and worship. Naaman attempts to give Elisha a reward, but the prophet refuses.
"The result, the outcome of all this, is that Naaman now, the uncircumcised pagan, confesses openly that there is a God in this world."
For the first time, Naaman is not trying to repay God. Instead, he carries dirt home, meaningless to anyone else, but now holy ground for worship. The very place of his humbling became his altar.
Scott warned against worship reserved for convenient moments, or quiet private faith. True new life tells the truth about who God is, even when it is costly, even when the world around does not understand.
"The result of you being made new in Jesus Christ, you should be openly confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord."
Living It Out: Humility, Trust, and Open Worship
The sermon closed by inviting us to self-examination. Is there pride that keeps us from receiving? Have we been content with belief but not obedience? Are we silent about the one who has made us new?
Scott said, “Worshiping the Lord is the outcome of being made new.” He named the danger of settling for a faith that does not yield change, the risk of loving God’s gifts but never growing to love the giver.
Let us walk from this week ready to lay aside pride, to respond in faith, and to bear witness, publicly and gladly, that Christ, not we ourselves, makes all things new.
Discussion Questions
- Where have you noticed pride holding you back from responding to God’s invitation, either recently or over time? What might it look like to lay that aside?
- In what practical ways do you sense God asking you to act on your faith this week, especially in small or humble steps that are easy to ignore?
- How you can make your worship and confession of Christ more open in your everyday life, even when it feels uncomfortable or costly?
This Week’s Devotional
Holy Ground and the Weight of Dirt
4 min read · Pastor Scott
This week, the image that lingers is Naaman’s request for dirt, the ground itself, scooped up after his healing, no longer just earth but the place where God met him. He didn’t take gold home, nor a certificate of cleansing, but a bit of holy ground to anchor his worship. It was a small, humble, perhaps strange act, but it mattered more than all his victories, medals, or rewards back in Aram.
Sometimes, in the middle of our routines, we find ourselves looking for God in the grand, the impressive, or the visibly spiritual. Maybe we long for our own river moment, a flash of healing, or a life turned upside down. But the invitation in Naaman’s story is quieter and closer, a question: Where has God already met you? What ground in your life has become holy because it marks your surrender, your first step of trust?
You may not have the dramatic before-and-after that Naaman had, but you do have ordinary places, kitchens, waiting rooms, school hallways, or quiet corners, where God invites you to meet Him. The challenge is whether you are willing to mark that ground with gratitude and worship, even if it draws no attention or seems small compared to what you hoped might be.
Meditation Focus:
"God calls you to remember not just what He has done, but where your life became holy ground through trust and obedience."
Practical Step:
Before the week ends, pause intentionally in one ordinary place where you have felt God with you. Stand, sit, or kneel there, and thank God for what He did on that 'dirt.' If it helps, write down what happened, however small, and make it a place of prayer.
Prayer
Father, you alone are worthy of praise. Even when I am distracted by my plans or pride, you keep inviting me back, patiently, to yourself. Help me want your will above my own, to trust you especially when the steps feel humble or hidden. Provide what I need for this day, increase my gratitude, and teach me to pass on your comfort to others. When pride rises up or I am tempted to turn away, forgive me, and keep me close. Make my ordinary places into holy ground by your presence, shaping me to worship only you. Deliver me from the temptation to think it is my effort that earns your love. Let your peace rest in my heart and ripple out to those around me. Amen.
Hilltop Wesleyan Church
735 Golden Creek Rd, Liberty, SC 29657
Find Us
Contact Us
Hilltop Wesleyan Church believes in providing support and education to foster an ongoing relationship with Christ beyond salvation. Each day is an opportunity for us to grow closer to Him.
- 735 Golden Creek Rd, Liberty, S.C. 29657
- (864) 777-8472
- connect@hilltopwesleyan.org
We saved you a seat. Plan your first visit.
Let us know you’re coming and we’ll help you know exactly what to expect on your first Sunday at Hilltop.
Plan A Visit