4 Proofs You’ve Truly Been Changed by God

Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Trinity

Sermons. This week we are continuing our sermon

series, Filed Away, where we are diving deep

into 2 Kings chapter 5 and the story of Naaman's

2 Kings 5 · chapter mention

transformation. But how do we know that Naaman

really was transformed? What's the proof that

this encounter with God actually left him changed

and wasn't just something that he forgot the

next day? That's what Rob is going to unpack

for us in today's sermon. Today's reading is

from 2 Kings 5, verses 9 -10 and 14 -27. So Naaman

2 Kings 5:9–10

went with his horses and chariots and stopped

at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent him

a messenger to say, Go, wash yourself seven times

in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored

and you will be cleansed. 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. Then Naaman and all his attendants went

back to the man of God. He stood before him and

said, Now I know there is no God in all the world

except in Israel. So please accept a gift from

your servant. 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. 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 god but the Lord. But may the Lord forgive

your servant for this one thing, when my master

enters the temple at Rimen, 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 Rimen,

May the Lord forgive your servant for this. Go

in peace, Elisha said. Gehazi, the servant of

Elisha, the man of God, said to himself, My master

was too easy on Naaman, this Armenian, by not

accepting from him what he brought. As surely

as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get

something from him. So Gehazi hurried after Naaman.

When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got

down from the chariot to meet him. Is everything

all right? he asked. Everything is all right,

Gehazi answered. My master sent me to say, two

young men from the company of the prophets have

just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim.

Please give them a talent of silver and two sets

of clothing. By all means, take two talents,

said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them,

and then tied up the two talents of silver in

two bags with two sets of clothing. He gave them

to two of his servants, and they carried them

ahead of Gehazi. When Gehazi came to the hill,

he took the things from the servants and put

them away in the house. He sent the men away

and they left. When he went in and stood before

his master, Elisha, asked him, Where have you

been, Gehazi? Your servant didn't go anywhere,

Gehazi answered. But Elisha said to him, Was

not my spirit with you when the man got down

from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time

to take money or to accept clothes or olive groves

or vineyards or flocks and herds or male and

female slaves? Naaman's leprosy will cling to

you and to your descendants forever. Then Gehazi

went from Elisha's presence and his skin was

leprous. It had become as white as snow. This

is the word of the Lord. When it comes to legal

language a smoking gun is that one piece of evidence

that finally proves the case. It's the photograph

that you have of the suspect at the scene. It's

the fingerprint that you found at the scene of

the crime. The smoking gun could be a recorded

phone call where the suspect reveals everything

that happened. A smoking gun doesn't just reveal

what might have happened or suggest what could

have happened. No, a smoking gun determines what

actually really did happen. And when investigators

or when lawyers get their hands on that smoking

gun piece of evidence, they finally know they

have everything they need to make their case

to the jury. Well, today, ladies and gentlemen

of the jury, I want to present to you the smoking

gun. I want to present it to you the undeniable

evidence of spiritual transformation. I want

to show you this morning proof. what it looks

like when someone has had a life -transforming

encounter with the living God. Not speculative,

not hearsay, but real evidence of a real encounter

with the real God that goes beyond a shadow of

a doubt. How do we know for sure when that has

happened? Well, we are continuing this teaching

series, which we're calling Filed Away. We're

looking at this important story that is buried

in your Bibles, the story of Naaman. And Naaman

had an encounter with God. And we can presume

that as a result of that encounter, he was changed

forever. But was he? Really? Do we know that

for sure? Is there any hard evidence to prove

that what happened to Naaman actually made a

difference in his life, that he had actually

been changed by God? You know, if someone were

to look at your life, would they see evidence

in your life of someone who has been changed

by God? If you were put on trial for being a

Christian, as the saying goes, Would there be

enough evidence to convict you? Let's begin a

little bit with a recap. Last week, we cracked

the case of Naaman, this man who had absolutely

everything going for him. He had power, he had

prestige, he had money. He had it all, except

one thing. He had leprosy. And what we learned

last week was it doesn't matter what kind of

amazing life you have made for yourself. Something

is always going to come along and ruin it. And

for Naaman, that thing was leprosy. For you and

me, it will be something else. But when it happens,

there is nothing you can do to fix it. There's

nothing the world can do to help you about it.

And when you come to that point, That point where

you realize you don't have it in you and you've

reached the limit of your own self -sufficiency.

It is then and maybe only then that you will

finally turn to God and you will seek God and

find God. And that's what happened when Naaman

came to God finally empty handed. That's exactly

where God met him. And that is exactly when Naaman

was healed. And you might. think, well then,

absolutely, that was the moment where Naaman

was forever transformed. I mean, who can go through

something like that and not be transformed by

an encounter like that? Well, not so fast. Just

hold on. Because I think it is very fair to ask,

is every encounter with God a transforming one?

Are people always changed when they find God?

And as it turns out, no, it's not true at all.

In fact, we just read in our story about another

fellow, a fellow named Gehazi, who was a religious

professional, someone who was in tight with one

of the greatest prophets of the land and spent

all his days listening to the word of God. And

yet, even with all that religious exposure in

Gehazi's life, he was not transformed. into a

person of grace. So you can have two people,

right, who encounter the same God, but they have

two very different verdicts. One is transformed

and the other is not, which tells us something

very crucial, that you can be around God and

you can still miss God. You can experience grace

and remain unchanged. So today we're not just

asking the question, did Naaman meet God? We

answered that last week. Yes, Naaman met God.

Today we're asking what proves that Naaman met

God? What evidence is there that he was changed

as a result of this meeting? Is there a smoking

gun? Is there real evidence of transformation

here? So ladies and gentlemen of the jury, today

what I want to do is I want to enter into evidence

four exhibits. And I will be showing you that

these, in fact, are concrete signs that, yes,

Naaman was changed by God. But as I do this,

please remember, this is not just about Naaman.

This is about me. And this is about you. And

this is about all of us. Is there proof of transformation

in our own lives? Do we see these exhibits in

our own lives as well? So let's examine the evidence.

court stenographer here, but if you want to take

notes, we've given you some notes to follow along.

So let's begin. Members of the jury, I want to

present to you Exhibit A. Exhibit A, which is

this. I suggest to you that if someone has been

truly encountered by and changed by the living

God, what you will see is a brand new perspective

in their thinking and in their worldview, right?

After all, a real transformation isn't just an

emotional experience. It's not just this religious

moment that you have and then you file it away

and it never affects you again. No, an encounter

with God, if it is real, it should affect your

reality. It should challenge your thinking. It

should change your worldview. Everything should

change absolutely everything and let's be honest

though lots of people encounter Jesus without

being changed in their thinking they hear the

gospel maybe they come to church and They leave

and they don't see the world any differently.

They don't see themselves any differently. They

don't see God any differently either their minds

are Unchanged their mental map is still as it

was But real transformation produces real change

in our thinking. It changes everything that we

thought we knew. And this is what happened to

Naaman. Ladies and gentlemen, look at what Naaman

says after he receives his healing. He says,

now I know. that there is no God in all the world

except in Israel. Now that sentence might sound

simple to you and me, but for Naaman and in Naaman's

culture, it is a revolutionary change in thinking.

Because you see, Naaman lived in a pluralistic

culture, in a culture where there were many,

many gods. There were national gods and regional

gods and cultural gods. So if Naaman had said

after his healing, now I know. that your God

is greater than my other gods, or now I know

your God is just as good as my other gods, that

would not have been a change to his existing

worldview. That would have just slipped God into

his existing worldview. But what he actually

says is, now I know there is no God except the

God of Israel. You see, God didn't just God didn't

just slip into his belief system. God blows up

his belief system. And Naaman moves from believing

in many gods to one true God. He moves from pluralism,

you could say, to monotheism. This is a worldview

revolution. This is a complete reorientation

of your thinking. Now, everybody has a worldview.

Right? Your worldview. You want to know what

your worldview is? How do you answer these questions?

Who is God? What is salvation? Who am I? What

matters most in life? What doesn't matter in

life? That's your worldview. However you answer

those. And Naaman had answers to all those questions

before he was healed. But afterwards, every single

one of those answers changed. And there was no

going back. His world was now rocked. All his

mental map had to be reordered. He couldn't unsee

this truth that he had seen. He couldn't unlearn

this grace that he had experienced. And that's

why I argue that he was truly transformed. He

was totally changed in his thinking. But members

of the jury, members of the jury, when you encountered

God, when you encountered Jesus, did it change?

Everything for you. Did Jesus change how you

understood this world? Did he rock your world?

Or did Jesus just get added to an already crowded

shelf of other ideas and values and beliefs as

one option among many? No, no, no. Real transformation

happens when it produces a real change in our

thinking and worldview. And once that happens,

you can't go back. And so there you go. I submit

it into evidence. This is exhibit A. A genuinely

transformed life shows a new perspective in thinking

and in worldview. And that is exactly what we

see happening in Naaman's life. And now that

I have entered that into the record, I can go

on to exhibit B. Exhibit B says, and here's my

argument, that if someone truly encounters a

living God, it doesn't just change how they think.

It changes how they relate to their possessions

and to wealth. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

don't you find it a little odd sometimes when

people say, I have received the life -transforming

gift of God. I have received the costly grace

of Jesus Christ. I have received the loving forgiveness

of my sins. I have received the promise of eternal

life, and yet they're still anxious about money.

Still measuring their life by stuff. It's suspicious.

Suspicious indeed, and it makes one wonder if

real transformation has actually happened just

yet. Because if you've really received the greatest

treasure in the entire universe, how can you

still be letting these smaller ones control you?

Real transformation loosens our grip on money

and on possessions. It doesn't make them disappear.

It doesn't mean that they're evil now. Money's

bad and evil. No. but it loosens our grip. Because

when God has become your security, when God has

become your treasure, then possessions and wealth

lose their power over us. Now, did this happen

to Naaman? And once again, ladies and gentlemen,

I want to suggest to you that yes, in fact, it

did. Because look, immediately after Naaman received

his healing, he says to Elisha, please accept

a gift from your servant. This was likely an

enormous gift he was offering. Last week we spoke,

it could have been in the order of millions or

tens of millions of dollars. But why would Naaman

do this? He doesn't need to give Elisha anything.

He's already got his cure. He already got his

healing. He received what he came for. There's

really no reason now or obligation to give anything

at all. And yet he insists. Why does he do that?

It's because he's truly changed. This man who

initially brought all his wealth as leverage

now offers it as gratitude. He no longer is attempting

to buy God's grace. He has received God's grace,

and now he's responding to God's grace. The money

is still the same money, but Naaman is not the

same Naaman. Naaman's wealth no longer defines

him. It no longer secures him, no longer controls

him. God has now taken first place in his life.

And that means that all his stuff and all his

money could be put in its proper place. And that

is one of the clearest evidences that actually

grace has really landed, really landed in someone's

heart when God becomes your ultimate treasure.

And everything else kind of fades to the background.

So let me ask you again, ladies and gentlemen

of the jury, this isn't just about name and it's

about us. Has your encounter with God changed

your relationship to money? Or are you still

anxious about it? Still driven by it? Still hoarding

it? Still measuring your life by what you own

or what you might own or how much you have or

what you earn or whatever? True transformation.

does not just show up in our beliefs. It shows

up in our budgets. It's in our giving. It's in

our spending. It's in our savings. Our bank accounts

tell as much about what's going on in us as our

words do. And so I submit into evidence, exhibit

B, a genuinely transformed life shows this new

relationship to possessions and wealth. And again,

I want to state, we see this. loud and clear

in the life of Naaman. Now, exhibit B has been

entered into evidence. I move to exhibit C. Members

of the jury, I submit to you, exhibit C, that

when someone has truly encountered, truly encountered

the grace of God, they don't just think differently,

they don't just handle money differently, but

they actually relate to other people differently.

Transformation produces a new heart of servanthood.

and humility. I mean, it is strange. Again, I

say why some people who claim to know God continue

to look down on other people. They continue to

exclude people. They continue to feel superior

to people. If God has accepted us, knowing all

our flaws and foibles, then surely shouldn't

that mean that we are going to soften our hearts

toward others and show grace and acceptance toward

others, just as God has shown grace and acceptance

to us, it would make sense. Ladies and gentlemen,

the jury, that is exactly, again, what we see

in the life of Naaman. As evidence, I offer you

this. Notice how Naaman over and over and over

again, refers to himself now as a servant. Accept

a gift from your servant. Please let me your

servant, your servant. Forgive your servant,

your servant. This is not by accident. Every

word, I think, in this story is carefully chosen.

You see, when Naaman first came to Elisha, he

came as a commander, as a general, as someone

who ordered people about, as someone other people

served. But after encountering God's grace, Right?

His posture changes. Now he comes to Elisha not

to use him, not to get something from him, but

to serve him. Now he comes with humility. This

is grace. Grace dismantles. Our superiority.

Grace removes the need for us to dominate or

control other people. We don't need to be above

them. We can accept them and we can serve them

because God's accepted us. And in Jesus, God

has served us. True transformation doesn't just

say, I now believe differently. It says, I now

see people differently. I serve people readily.

That is the evidence. And folks, the evidence

is really mounting here at this point. Wouldn't

you agree? Naaman is truly a transformed person

here. But again, I got to come back to you, ladies

and gentlemen of the jury. I have to ask you,

do you have this kind of a servant heart? Are

you humble like this, especially toward people

who are different from you or people who maybe

have less power than you or less status than

you or less influence than you? Do we serve others

or do we expect them to serve? Us, real transformation

will always deflate our egos and point us downward

in humility. And so exhibit C, submitted into

evidence, a genuinely transformed life shows

a new heart of servanthood and humility. And

once again, we see this in the life of Naaman.

And now. We can move to the fourth and final

exhibit I want to share with you today in my

argument. Members of the jury, I submit to you,

someone who has truly encountered God doesn't

just change how they think, doesn't just change

how they handle money, doesn't just change how

they treat people, but it should also give them

a new conviction. In worship, in witness, put

another way, a new conviction, not just about

what they do on Sunday, but about how they live

their lives Monday through Saturday. You see,

a person, as we all know, can behave one way

at church on a Sunday morning and completely

different. the rest of the week. On Sundays,

our faith can feel very sincere, but it can be

absent at work, it can be invisible at school,

it can be completely silent in public. But if

God is truly God, and he's truly the Lord of

our lives and the Lord of the world, then our

faith can't be confined to one day a week. It

cannot be kept to ourselves throughout the week.

So ladies and gentlemen, I want to submit to

you. That Naaman truly lived his faith in the

world for all to see. And this is part of the

story that actually confuses people, I think,

a fair amount. Because at first, what it looks

like is Naaman is going back to his old life.

Naaman is going to go back to Syria. He's going

to go back to worshiping his old god, Rimon,

alongside his king. At first glance, this looks

like a step backwards. It looks like a compromise.

It looks like he's returning to pluralism. But

look more closely. Look more closely. Naaman

asks for some earth. He asks for some Israelite

dirt to take home. Why is that? It is because

in the ancient world, worship was always closely

associated to the land. And so Naaman decides

this is what he's going to do. At least this

is the best interpretation I've heard. He is

going to take back this dirt with him. And when

he goes into the temple and he has to worship

in the temple of Rimen, every time he kneels

down, he's first going to throw down a handful

of this Israelite dirt on the ground so that

every time he kneels down and starts to worship,

it is clear. It is clear to everyone who can

see and a lot of people can see what he is saying.

I may be here in Syria. I may be in this temple.

but I worship the God of Israel. It is a bold

statement. It is not a private statement. It

is a public statement, even for the king next

to him to see this man has changed. His worship

and witness is different. Now you could say,

I suppose Naaman, he could have just stayed in

Israel. Why didn't he just stay in Israel and

worship there? No, he said, I want to go back

to my culture. And I will take the worship of

God into my culture. And I will thereby witness

to God in my culture. In other words, Naaman

goes back to the center of public life. but with

God now at the center of his life. He doesn't

withdraw from the world. He doesn't hide his

faith. He doesn't keep it personal. It's just

between me and God. No, he lives a life of worship

and witness for all to see. And what about us

members of the jury? We live too in a secular

world, right? How do we live out our faith in

the workplace, in our neighborhoods, in our schools,

in our friendships? How do we hold together Sunday

worship with Monday responsibility? Well, Naaman

shows us the way. Let your worship on Sunday

inform your work on Monday. Don't keep your faith

contained within these four church walls, but

let it shape how you live out there in the world

because real transformation shows up in both

our worship and our witness. And so I submit

it to you. There it is. Exhibit D, a genuinely

transformed life isn't hidden. It's lived faithfully

for all to see. And once again, Naaman gets it

just right. So let's just review this evidence.

Review the evidence. Naaman demonstrated a new

perspective in his thinking and worldview. Naaman

developed a new relationship to possessions and

wealth. Naaman gained a new heart of servanthood

and humility. And Naaman lived a new life of

worship and witness. Guys, the evidence is consistent,

ladies and gentlemen. I think it's very compelling.

It is the smoking gun. Naaman, truly a transformed

person. But just before you render your verdict,

Let me just compare Naaman really quickly to

Gehazi. Gehazi. Did Gehazi show a new perspective

in his thinking and worldview? No. Gehazi still

believes that grace should come with strings

attached. It's something that you should earn.

He says that Elisha was too easy on Naaman, right?

His worldview hasn't changed at all. Did Gehazi

show a new relationship to possessions and wealth?

No. Gehazi greedily ran after Naaman for his

own personal gain. He's still consumed by money

and possessions. Did Gehazi show a new heart

of servanthood and humility? No. In fact, did

you hear how Gehazi referred to Naaman as this

Aramean? Gehazi still feels superior and he looks

down on others. And did Gehazi's life witness

to a different way in the world? No. In fact,

he looks just like the world. Where have you

been, Gehazi? Elisha asks. Well, the answer is

in the world, still living and playing by the

world's rules. So, ladies and gentlemen, I don't

think the contrast could be clearer. Naaman,

the outsider, meets God and is transformed, and

Gehazi, an insider, misses God entirely. Now,

I've been using a lot of courtroom language and

drama language here today, but I don't want anyone

to leave here today feeling guilty or anyone

here feeling judged. Because really, you're not

on trial here today. And here's why. Jesus has

already stood trial for us. And Jesus has already

been judged for us. Jesus took upon himself all

our guilt. On the cross, Jesus absorbed all our

sins so that now God looks at us and declares

his verdict once and for all not guilty. He declares

us accepted. He declares that you are made new.

The gospel is not be changed so God will accept

you. The gospel is. God accepts you. Therefore,

be changed. So like Naaman, let's be changed

people. Let's be changed in how we think. Be

changed in how we handle our money and possessions.

Let's be changed in how we treat others. Let's

be changed in our life and witness in this world.

And with that, the defense rests. The verdict

is in. Go and let grace reshape your life. Thanks

be to God. Amen. Thanks for tuning in to this

week's episode of Trinity Sermons. This sermon

was recorded at Trinity Church Streetsville in

Mississauga, Ontario on February 8th, 2026.