Why Sit We Here Until We Die
Introduction: The King of Syria, King Ben-hadad, had been trying to make war with Israel for some time but God had been letting Elisha read the King of Syria’s mail. Elisha would tell the King of Israel, whose name was King Jehoram wicked King Ahab’s son, where the King of Syria was hiding in wait for the army of Israel and the King of Israel would go in a different direction. Finally the King of Syria found out what was happening and said that he would put a stop to this, so he sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround Elisha. You might remember that Elisha’s assistant got up early one morning he looked outside and all he saw was chariots to the left of him, chariots to the right of him, chariots behind him and chariots in front of him. Everywhere he looked He saw enemy chariots. He went running back to Elisha telling him about how bleak the outlook was. I am sure he told Elisha, they have us now. All Elisha, that great prophet said was, O Lord open his eyes and let him see. O’ God open our eyes and let us see today. Let us see your power. When God opened the young man’s eyes, the young man looked out again and all he saw was angels to the left of him, angels to the right of him, angel behind him and angels in front of him, everywhere he looked he saw angels. When we are on God’s side we are never outnumbered. It might feel like it at times but all we need to do is pray that God would open our eyes and let us see Him and His power. Elisha then asked God to strike the Syrian army with blindness and He did. Elisha then led them to the capital city of Israel which was the city of Samaria and then when they received their sight Elisha told the King of Israel to give the enemies army food and drink and there the two sides made a truce for a time. Sometime later, however, King Ben-hadad of Syria broke the truce and he sent a large Army to besiege the city of Samaria and because of the siege there was a great famine. The cost of food soared. The siege lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty pieces of silver and a cup of dove’s dung sold for five pieces of silver. People got so desperate that women were killing and eating their own children. The king of Israel blamed Elisha and God for the siege and in haste and anger he said he was going to behead Elisha. When he got to Elisha’s house, Elisha informed the king to hold on for another day because in 24 hours 5 quarts of choice flour will cost only 1 piece of silver and ten quarts of barley grain will cost only one piece of silver. One of the Kings servants laughed at Elisha and mocked him and said that could not happen even if God opened the floodgates of heaven. At this point we will turn our attention to the scriptures.
II Kings 7:3-16
Why Sit We Here Until We Die
I want us to look at 4 details of this scripture that we just read. First I want us to look at the
I. Hopelessness of the Lepers v.3-4
a. You can see their hopelessness through The Disease
i. Leprosy is also known as Hansen’s disease
ii. The disease is caused by a bacteria that affects the nerves. The nerves are damaged and destroyed leaving the person with little or no feeling in their limbs.
iii. Leprosy does not cause body parts to fall off, as I use to believe, but what happens is that the person loses their ability to sense pain and because of this lose of sensation the person damages themselves. Ill of getting burnt or stepping on a nail. The person does not feel the pain so infection starts which can cause gangrene and evidentially loss of digits and even limbs and if left untreated their very life
iv. Lepers were treated as outcasts during biblical times. If a person was determined to have leprosy they were made to live outside of the community in leper colonies. They had to wear black and wear a cloth around their mouth and caring bells and ring them and shout unclean if they were walking and saw other people coming close to them.
v. Today Leprosy is treatable but back then it was a death sentence.
vi. The Lepers had no hope of a cure. They were dead men walking.
vii. Before we accepted Christ as our Savior we were like these lepers Spiritually-we were dead men and women walking.
viii. We were hopeless. We were spiritually dead- but praise be to God who through the person of Jesus Christ gave us hope and delivered us from our hopelessness. Now we have hope.
b. You can see their hopelessness in their Attitude v.3
i. Why sit we here until we die
ii. The lepers had reasoned rightly amongst themselves that they were dead men period. It did not matter where they were they were going to die.
iii. If they stayed in Samaria they were going to die of hunger or their disease. So it was worth a shot to go out to the enemies camp to see if the Syrian soldiers would have pity on 4 dying lepers and give them something to eat.
iv. If the soldiers killed them so be it-- because they would have died anyway
v. I love this attitude-so many times we sink into our helplessness and feel sorry for ourselves. The lepers did not feel sorry for themselves they were willing to step out and do something to better their condition
vi. We need to be motivated to get up and do something about the situation we find ourselves in.
vii. If we sit here and do nothing then nothing will get done.
viii. Are we content with our status, are we content with our relationship with God—Are we content with our church not growing. We might want to blame it on not having a permanent full time Pastor- We might be telling ourselves that it will get better when we get a full time pastor- I am telling you that it is mine and your responsibility and not the pastors—I am telling you that it is time now not in the future.
ix. If we are content with our relationship with God and our churches not growing then something is wrong-
x. Are we content to set here in the status quo and just enjoy life as it is and not care about anybody else but ourselves?
xi. Oh I pray that we will be motivated to do something for God and to do something for others
xii. May we be motivated to not be so selfish may we get busy about the Lord’s business-we have set on our tales long enough
We have looked at the Hopelessness of the Lepers now let’s look at the Responsibility of the Saved.
II. Responsibility of the Saved v.5-11
a. The lepers found salvation v.8
i. God had caused the Syrian Army to flee in fear.
ii. God caused The Army to hear a great noise. A noise so great that they thought the King of Israel had hired the King of Egypt from the south and the Kings of the Hittites from the north to come down and help deliver Samaria from the Syrians and they fled in a panic
iii. Isn’t it amazing what God can do-If God can use nature to defeat an Army of thousands he can surely defeat the enemies in our lives. We think we have it bad but we are not facing famine, most of us have an abundance of food. As my Granny would say we need to count our blessing. We need to overcome the woe is me attitudes. Get over feeling sorry for ourselves. God is offering us everything that we need to be happy where it counts-In our hearts
iv. The army left in such a hurry that they left all of their food and most of their earthly possessions at the camp.
v. I can just see these 4 sick and hungry, half dead men who hours before thought they were going to die come into the camp and realized that they had just been delivered from a certain death
vi. This is exactly what happens when we accept Christ as our Savior. I was a sick, spiritual hungry spiritually dead man but Christ led me into a camp of plenty. He led me into His house and His kingdom. My Father owns it all.
vii. When the Lepers left Samaria that night they had no food now they had plenty. When they left Samaria they had no wealth but now they had plenty of riches. When they left Samaria they had rags for clothes now they had the finest robes of the Syrian Army.
viii. Those of us who have accepted Christ as our Savior have traded our rags for his robes. We have traded our earthly sin for heaven’s riches. Why can we have this great gift of Eternal Life-because Christ left the glories of heaven for earth-He left mansion and traded them for a manger-He gave up his Robes for Rags that He might come a die a death of a criminal so that I might be rich Spiritually and that I might have life and have it more abundantly.
b. The lepers shared their salvation v.9-10
i. After the lepers filled their bellies and hoarded up all the wealth they wanted or would ever need they came to themselves and said “We do not well.” They said to each other, “We are doing wrong by being greedy. We are doing wrong when we have our bellies full and a few 100 feet away people are starving and dying.”
ii. These men were so caught up in their excitement over their newfound blessings that they forgot about all the others within the city. They realized that they had been worse off than everybody and that now they were in better shape than anybody! And, they realized that they were hoarding up the blessings instead of sharing them with those in need. Their statement, "We do not well!", sums it up pretty good. (Note: We who are saved need to remember that the blessings of the Lord we enjoy were not given to us to merely make us happy. God has blessed us so that we might share those blessings with those around us who need Him too, Matt. 5:16; John 7:38. Not everyone has what we have and we need to realize that! When we hoard up that which the Lord has blessed us with, then "We do not well!")
iii. These men decided that the blessings were not just for themselves only, but that it was "a day of glad tidings!" Others needed what they had and they wanted to share it with them! (Note: I would just remind you that all around us are people who need what the redeemed have! I wish and pray to God that the church of God would realize that others need to hear the message we have to tell!)
iv. The lepers had been saved from a certain death and now it was their responsibility to go and tell others how and where to be saved. It is the same as Jesus saying Go into all the world and Preach the Gospel-Paul said woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel I Cor 9:16
v. It is our responsibility to proclaim the gospel
vi. Failure to do so is sin
vii. The lepers resolved to go and tell others about what they had found. They wanted someone else to be helped as they had been! (Note: This is where witnessing begins! When we understand that lost people are perishing all around us, and that we have a message that can help them, it ought to stir us to action for the glory of the Lord. After all, we have all already been equipped for this service,
Acts 1:8 (KJV)
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
viii. What we need more than anything is to see the need! Sadly, most Christians are like these four lepers were at the beginning. Our lives have changed and that is all that matters! Well, I would just remind you that the cross is for others as well. May we resolve in our hearts to go and tell them about Jesus Christ!)
In looking at the scripture that we have before us we have noticed and tried to expound upon the Hopelessness of the Lepers and the Responsibility of the Saved now let’s turn our attention to the Skepticism of the Leader.
III. Skepticism of the Leader v.12
a. This Skepticism shows a lack of faith in Humanity
i. The King did not believe what the porters told him.
ii. He said that it was a trick
iii. It is understandable to be a little pessimistic and to think that your enemy is going to trick you but what I have found in my own personal life is that the majority of Humanity is good.
iv. We like to dwell on the negative and since bad things make the news more than good things and since we can watch news 24 hours a day now we have been brain washed to think that there are more people in prison than are out. This is just not the case.
v. If we are always thinking the worst of people and not willing to trust them and we think that they all are snakes in the grass that are out to get us then we are not going to have the heart of compassion and love that we need to have for them.
vi. We need to be a little more positive about people.
vii. Now there are some people who are going to take advantage of us and who are going to be our friends just for what we can give them but what a wonderful opportunity to win them over to Jesus Christ.
viii. If we are constantly negative about people and only see the bad in them then we are not going to live out the great commission. We need to realize that all people need Jesus and that most of them are good decent people but nevertheless they are going to hell because of their rejection of Him.
ix. Don’t take me wrong we need to take the Gospel to all people good or bad-all I am saying is that I believe we can do more for Christ if we have a positive attitude rather than a negative attitude.
b. This Skepticism shows a lack of faith in God
i. The King did not even consider that God had done a miracle for the city.
ii. The King was not even looking for a miracle. He was like his dad Ahab. He lived for himself and his wants. He never even considered God would deliver him and the city.
iii. In fact he blamed God and Elisha for the mess he was in.
iv. But in truth it was his and his father’s fault for leading the people astray and worshipping idols that got them into this mess to begin with
v. If we stray from God and His Word then look out-We might say that we would never do some things but trust me I know from experience if you forsake your daily prayer life and you forsake reading God’s word on a daily basis then you are capable of slipping down into the miry pit of sin that you were once redemmed from
vi. We need to realize that God is real and that He cares about us. When we find ourselves in a bad situation or we find that the struggles in life seem to overwhelm us then we need to realize that we are God’s children and that He owns it all. We need to realize that He loves us with an everlasting love and that He can still perform miracles.
vii. We need to be optimistic when we consider God’s love for us
viii. When we find that we are going through a valley that we think we cannot get out of -then we need to be looking for God to do a miracle in our life.
ix. Let’s not be like King Jehoram and never think about God. Let’s spend time with Him on a daily basis in Bible Study and Prayer so that when troubles arise we will be looking for God to do a miracle in our life.
x. I would hate to be like so many people-like I used to be-When I would go through a day and never think about God’s love for me, his goodness and how he has blessed me.
xi. O’ God make me more optimistic-Increase my faith in You and in humanity so that I will have the attitude toward others that you want me to have.
Our title of the sermon today is Why Sit We Hear Until We Die. In discussing the scripture we have focused on the Hopelessness of the Lepers, the Responsibility of the Saved, the Skepticism of the Leader now lastly we will focus on the Deliverance of the People
IV. Deliverance of the People v13-16
a. Their Physical Needs were met. V. 16
i. God used 4 unclean half dead Lepers and a great sound to deliver the city of Samaria from certain destruction and delivered the people from a certain death.
ii. Let’s look at the courage of these outcasts of society. They stood the chance of death and certainly of total rejection when they approached the gate. (Note: It takes courage to share the message of Jesus with a lost world. Usually, they do not want to hear what we have to say. Regardless of the response we receive when we share the good news of Jesus, it must be shared nonetheless!
iii. For these men to go to a city full of people that had no doubt mistreated them, despised them and ignored them took great compassion. After all, lepers were considered dead by society. Sometimes families even had funerals for them when they were cast out of the city. After such treatment, these men might have said, "Let them all die! They deserve it after what they have done to us!" But, the fact is, those in the city needed to hear and these men did the right thing! (Note: Nothing shows the compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ more than you taking the time to go to someone and sharing with them the message of Christ’s saving Gospel! In spite of who they are, in spite of their past treatment of you, in spite of your past relationship with them, they need to hear and you and I have been commissioned to tell them about One Who can save their souls! May we have the love of God in our hearts to the degree that we will do whatever we have to do to go to those around us with the life-changing, life-saving Gospel of grace!)
b. The Word of God was found to be true v.16b
i. What God says is true folk
ii. So many times we do not claim the promises of God
iii. So many times our hearts are found to be full of doubt
iv. But if God says it then take it to the bank.
v. God’s Word will always be found to be true.
vi. Let’s not doubt God and His word.
vii. We fail to see the greatness of God because we do not believe His word.
viii. We might say that we believe it--- but when it comes right down to i--t we would be living completely different if we did.
Conclusion. God used the most unlikely men to bring an end to the famine. Are we going to be like the Lepers and bring an end to the Spiritual Famine that is in our community. Satanic opposition is strong but God can still perform miracles and God can cause the enemy to flee but yet We Sit Here Until We die.
One may be like the lepers and not be able to do much. We might not have great ability and our past sins may haunt us and limit us at times but it is the quitters attitude that will limit us the most. I know- I was a quitter. I am so glad that God is a God of second chances. Are we going to keep this awesome God and all that He has done for us all to ourselves. Are we going to sit Here until we die and never get serious about sharing our faith. If we are—
then I want you to know that it is considered sin. Why sit we here until we die? Why sit we here until others die!
