Lessons on the Gospel from Four Lepers

What I wrote an extensive extensive passage from second Kings.

It is a historical narrative and I love historical narrative because as we read our Bibles and particularly the Old Testament, we are encouraged and instructed to read it. Redemptive lay were looking for the shadows. The types that point us to the gospel and to our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this passage. Does that force. So there is the story. The historical story, but there is a bigger story inside that story and that's what I want to draw your attention to wants to try and clear up any confusion that we might have in our thinking about our role in our responsibility to its related to the good news. These are some of the questions that I have that I'm in a try and answer what has God delegated himself to do what is God done in the gospel. What is the good news. What is our responsibility with the good news in terms of living it and declaring it.

What role does the believer have related to the good news. Are we mere recipients silent spectators or are we active participants. Let's go to chapter 6 and where I began beg some explanation when it says and it happened after this. Curious minds want to know what is being referred to. When the enemies of God and of Israel were sending rating armies against them, and they were being frustrated in their efforts because time after time, Elisha the prophet was warned by God of the king of Aram's plan of the king of Aram suspected an inside trader, but in time, discovered that it was Elisha who was the culprit in chapter 6 and verse 13 were told that Elisha retreats to Dothan and his whereabouts was reported to the king of Aram the king went with great force by night and surrounded the city and when Elisha's servant awoke the next morning. You know the story.

He saw this innumerable Army surrounding the city and he was filled with fear and he reported his discovery to Elisha what we what we find. Verse 17 Elisha prayed and said, Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha so when the Syrians came to him. Elisha prayed to the Lord and said strike this people, I pray with blindness and he struck them with blindness. According to the word of Elisha. Now Elisha said to them, this is not the way so Elisha goes down and hears blind people a blind Army and he leads them on a 10 mile track right into through the gate into the city of Samaria and Elisha prays to God in verse 20, Lord, open the eyes of these men that they may see in the Lord open their eyes and they saw and they there they were inside Samaria is and got have a sense of humor. Here's a whole army coming against one prophet goddess and just watch Elisha I got you I got your back if we could say that way. Verse 21 now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, my father shall I kill them. Shall I kill them but he answered. You shall not kill them, would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword in your bow set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go there, go to their master. So they set a feast before the king and his army, and it says verse in verse 23 so that the bands of Syrian raters came no more into the land of Israel and then and it happened. Verse 24. After this that Ben hey dad, king of Syria gathered all his army and went up and deceive Samaria. There was a great famine in Samaria. Food was scarce and that's an understatement.

What food there was cost a fortune. Conditions were so desperate that women were resorted to cannibalism, eating their own children, and when the king learned of this, he tore his clothes and covered himself in sackcloth who got blamed who got blamed for this. Elisha the prophet and they were they sought to kill him. King Johor him who was the son of Ahab was a wicked king, and God revealed to Elisha that servants of the king were coming to capture him and he spoke those words, a prediction that within 24 hours.

Not only would deliverance come, but he predicted that they would be able to buy six times as much food for 1/5 the present cost that's pretty drastic change in economy. They scoffed and disbelieved the prophets words, we read that in verse two, and it ended up costing the man his life. Chapter 7 verse two, so an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, look, if the Lord would make Windows in heaven.

Could this thing be and he said, in fact, you shall see it with your eyes but you shall not eat of it and what happened to that man he sought was trampled in the gate and lost his life narrative says they were introduced to four lepers who were sitting outside the entrance of the city gate what you think of the discussion they had among themselves. What's the point of sitting here we sit here were gonna die if we go into the city will probably gonna die. But if we state. We sit here were certainly gonna die.

So let's go to the city and surrendered to the Syrian army and perhaps a lab mercy on us, and let us live in if not the worst thing that can happen to us is that they will kill us. Things were obviously desperate.

They were reduced to few options and none of them look very attractive but they were on the verge of a miraculous deliverance because verse five says at dusk.

Notice they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian army to their surprise, no one was there. No one was there. Not a soul. No enemy, not one was the reason for that verse six God's. The reason for that. For the Lord had cost. Don't miss that any man or woman who is rescued and delivered. God is the cause of it. Believer if God rescues you from a precarious situation.

He's the one to get the credit for, for the Lord had caused the Army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses. The noise of a great army so they say to one another look. The king of Israel has hired against us.

The kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us, the Army fled left their tents left their horses, their camp, just as it was verse eight records. The initial actions of the four lepers.

When these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp.

They went into one tent and did what ate and drank and carried from it.

Silver and gold and clothing and went and hid them. Then they came back and entered another 10 and carried some from there also and went and hid it in and they had a an epiphany. Then they said to one another. We are not doing right this day is a day of good news and we remain silent if we wait until morning light. Some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king's household. So that's exactly what they did verse 10 they went called out to the city gatekeepers. The gatekeepers shouted the news and it was reported within the palace but king Johor him was skeptical of the report, fearing a trap. So he sent men with two of the five remaining horses in Samaria is all desperate, things become two of the five remaining horses in Samaria to investigate and report back which they did following the route of the fleeing army. That's the story let's think now about the story within the story. I suggested to you in my introduction that this passage would prove helpful in clarifying roles and responsibilities related to the good news of the gospel. The present condition, the nation found itself in was a direct consequence of God's judgment for the people's continuing rebellion, God had sent an invading army. God had removed his restraining hand and it brought judgment and God despite the sin and rebellion in the disregard for his word and the prophet purposed again to show mercy and deliver this people God had allowed the circumstances to get desperate. He had allowed the people to experience the weight and the consequence of bitter pain for their rebellion, or he brought deliverance, God had raised up and had given the nation's prophets, whom they ignored, despised, and attempted to kill was got under any obligation to rescued was got under any obligation to bring deliverance know God was under no obligation to save the city. He had every right to destroy the city and the people and to use the Syrians. In doing so, but God took pity on them. God had mercy on them, God was gracious to them. God delivered them and he did it in such a way that no man could take any credit.

Sounds like Ephesians chapter 2 verse eight and nine so that no man should boast in his presence. This country is ripe for judgment. I'm talking about this United States of America got under no obligation to deliver us. God is under no obligation to show mercy and if God were to destroy this nation. He would be just in doing so, but our prayer is all God in judgment. Remember mercy. Remember mercy seat was God alone who put the enemy to flight. He cost the enemy to flee. He secured the victory and when we were what hopeless and helpless.

God sent his son to the cross to purchaser purchase deliverance for his people. As we heard so eloquently in the testimony of Brandon this evening we we don't contribute anything no credit to us all praise and honor and glory to him. So we learned some things about salvation that God is provided for his son. Lamy mentioned five things and we could mention many many more. But for sake of time Lamy mentioned five things number one salvation is miraculous.

Salvation is miraculous.

Salvation is not a decision a man makes salvation is a sovereign work of God, where he transforms a man breathe life into one imparts spiritual life to him.

The miracle of the new birth. The miracle of regeneration. What I said it's miraculous because it's a kin the power that regenerates the power that causes a man to be born again is the same power that raised Jesus from the not a different power.

The same power and it takes that kind of power to save anybody. Children, teenagers, adults younger old takes the miraculous intervention of God in his power to salvation is miraculous.

Salvation is of God from beginning to end. Salvation is of divine origin and of divine initiative, we see that in this text God because this Syrian army.

This enemy flee here noises of chariots and horses and of flee when there was nothing. Salvation is unmerited, it's undeserved. And salvation is to be is to be believed and received and rejoiced in and heralded about.

That's what we learn about salvation in the four lepers we see something of the ways in the wisdom of God. Think with me about this. We we painted the picture and how desperate things were inside Samaria. God shows the four most unlikely man in all of Israel to entrust the message that would deliver the city.

Four lepers, cast out of the city allowed inside the city walls God entrusted the message that would deliver the city to for lepers.

First Corinthians chapter 1 God's chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise God's chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty and the base things of the world and the things which are despised as God chosen, yeah, and things which are not to bring to naught things that are why so that no flesh should glory in his presence.

That's why we see every believer's privileged responsibility in these four lepers as well. The fact that God used for lepers strips all of us of any and every excuse to be involved in the telling of the good news. The telling of the gospel. The heralding of the good news is every believers privileged responsibility. God used these four lepers and use these four lepers the way they were. He didn't heal them of leprosy and then use them.

He used them as lepers.

No evidence that he healed them. So often we excuse our responsibility.

I'm not confident enough I'm not learned enough I'm not bold enough.

I don't have any credibility. No one will take me serious no one will listen to me. When asked this question how much credibility did for outcast, despised lepers have they have any credibility. No and none of it mattered. I love the way someone has characterized evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread any of us can do that.

I fear were often guilty of what the four lepers were initially guilty of eating and partaking of the gospel feast week after week after week. Knowing saddest satisfaction ourselves failing to tell anyone else about the good news, keeping it to ourselves and it was never it's never meant to be selfishly enjoyed. It's the epitome of selfishness to be on your way to heaven and unwilling to tell anyone else how they can get there to.

I'm not sure what it was that registered in the minds of these four lepers but they understood in verse nine that they had a sacred duty and responsibility to discharge and failure to do so would bring some kind of retribution or chastisement or punishment. Finally, let me show you various responses to the good news in this passage and it mirrors various responses that we get as we attempt to talk to people about the Lord Jesus Christ and the saving gospel message. Some blame God for the predicament rather than calling on him and looking to him for deliverance.

Some blame God.

Verse 33, chapter 6, and while he was still talking with them. There was the messenger who came down to him and then the king said Shirley. This calamity is from the Lord.

Why should I wait for the Lord any longer.

Got got blamed.

Some are skeptical. If God would open the windows of heaven. I can't see how this could possibly happen. Well, skepticism. Some disbelieved and died as a result of their unbelief. Some believed and received the good news with rejoicing as it was received from the messengers. This is a day good news Dave. Good news your harp and encourage this evening to hear the testimony of one who's been born from above, God had mercy on who speaks of life in Christ whose life is been redirected in the new purpose to live to. He's a damn good news. May God be pleased to replicate that work of grace in the lives of many, many others are responsibilities to communicate the gospel so the seed of the word of God sought our responsibility to worry about results course we would love to see results.

We love to see God work in honor his word and the lives of man to see men saved but some so some water in it is God who gives the increase.

The word evangelize means to announce the good news and we have good news there is more bad news in this world and there is good news. I gotta believe that if you showed up at work in the morning and said you know what I got was most likely you'll have an audience because it's so rare in our day and it's all right to pull up switch on is her thinking good news in temporal ways, but you got the good news that makes all the difference in the world so may God give us fresh boldness and fresh energy and fresh commitment to the work of evangelism. The content of the message always centers on what God has done for sinners in Jesus Christ because none of us who are saved.

Denounce affected were sinners. It's easy to talk in the first person who's going to fuss at you if you're talking about what God is done for you. Perhaps it's been so long since God has saved us so we kind of forget where we've come from forget how hopeless life was how lost we really were what path we were really on the was going to lead to destruction list be like these men. There's nothing wrong in coming and feasting in and being satisfied, in Christ, but there's something wrong with keeping it to ourselves.

These men they tasted they were satisfied, they became partakers and they did all of that before they told others. You can't tell somebody about the good news to you received yourself in the greatest advertisement for the good news is life. It's been changed. You know there's always that bit of fear and trepidation I remember when God first save man that was that there was a a desire to tell others in, so I drove out to tell my father not really knowing how he would respond to me and dad was a lost man and I said well I remember so and so they got religion.

That's how he understood folks we don't get religion you know you've heard people talk like that we get Christ.

Christ gets us were new newly possessed of him but telling my dad encouraged me to tell others. I think if we can get over that initial fear God will embolden us and will use us.

I've had the rare privilege of being in the operating room and witnessing the birth of two of my children and there is nothing like the miracle of birth, but I've also had the privilege of being an observer being in the birthing room and see God birth. Men and women into his kingdom, and I wouldn't trade anything for that.

So your preacher, you get to do that that's your vocation. That's your job. Don't miss the whole point of this passage over the messengers for my purse. How you think they were dressed they have a tie-in whole tire fitting a leper but they're the ones that were entrusted with the good news and they made haste.

This is a David good knows and were not doing right. We cannot keep this to ourselves. May God impact our lives in that way and making use us will know where we are lost people all trying that work in our neighborhoods in our families, we need a new sense of urgency. One of my brothers that God was working in his life urged me on Sunday evening on the way home from church. We've got to stop and talk to Gary got to stop and talk to well in the passing of time brother. Really, she has shown no evidence of saving grace that was urging me to talk to my brother but because he was so insistent.

We stopped and talked to Gary and Pam and played with them implored them spoke truth to them and it was it was tense left that night still on speaking terms.

Got a call the next day. Gary says I want to thank you for coming to the house last night Pam and I talked a long time after you left want you to know we trusted Christ after you left my thankful for that good Gary was one of God's elect. God was going to save them. You somebody they chose to use me. He's in glory today come this April.

Gary will be in heaven.

Seven years soliciting messengers of the good news folks misuse.

Let God use this passage in our lives.

The challenges to that end, let's pray father, thank you that this is is indeed a day of good news that a Savior has come and has died in a secure salvation for his people.

Listen, our lips strengthen our backs. Embolden us that we might go out and be heralds of this good news.

I pray in Jesus name, amen