“Can human traffickers
be saved?â€
2 Kings 5
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Introduction: Is Christianity exclusive?
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.†(Matthew 7:13)
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’†(John 14:6)
“And there is salvation in no one else [but Jesus], for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.†(Acts 4:12)
Beware the “inclusive church†movement
A little Hebrew lesson
× Ö·Ö¥×¢Ö·×¨ | Na-ar | “Boy†|
× Ö·Ö¥×¢Ö·×¨ קָטֹ֖ן | Na-ar Qahtone | “Little boy†|
× Ö·×¢Ö²×¨Ö¸Ö£×” | N-arah | “Girl†|
× Ö·×¢Ö²×¨Ö¸Ö£×” קְטַï€Ö¸Ö‘×” | N-arah Q-tanah | “Little Girl†|
MEET THE CAST
Elisha is the Christ figure
We have seen that Elisha prefigures Christ in many ways: his miracles, his baptism by a prophet at the Jordan, even his name.
The Little Girl (vv1-5)
Courageous
Compassionate
Inclusively-exclusive
Salvation is inclusive
Q: Who can be saved?
A: Anyone, even Syrians!
Yet it is exclusive
Q: How can Syrians be saved?
A: Only by the God of Israel (not by Syrian gods)
The Human Trafficker (vv5-19)
‘Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean’ (v10)
So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. (v14)
The Racist Disciple (vv19-27)
Coffee question
How can we be more like the little girl at work or amongst neighbours or at the school gate or with unbelieving family or with friends? How can we be more courageous? Compassionate? Inclusively-exclusive?