Below is the outline of the sermon, I preached on 24 April 2013 at West Ewell Evangelical Church, Surrey
Introduction
It seems to be God’s timing that comes to this passage at this time – as part of our consecutive preaching (i.e. following scripture in succession) - as we come to a crossroads as a church and as individuals.
In verse 24, the author uses the word ‘afterwards.’ The passage moves from comedy (when enemy soldiers looking for Elisha but ended up being led into Dothan as they were blinded) to tragedy. The Arameans had not learned their lesson in dealing with God.
We shall look at:
1. Concrete heart
2. Committed to evangelism
3. Committed to move
1. Concrete heart
The king, Jehoram, showed that he was not walking in the way of the Lord for we are told in 2 Chronicles 21: 20 ‘he passed away to no-one’s regret.’
He was certainly not in tune with what God saying.
In the midst of the great famine (as we are reminded in 8:1), people resorted to cannibalism, but the king had nothing to say but to rend his clothes and to blame the prophet Elisha.
His attitude very much like modern society, which has nothing to say to the issues of today because excluded God from the equation, as we discover that the evolutionists have the problem of morality being absent. All they can do is rant at God or His people.
What we cannot avoid is that God is true to His word. In 7: 1, the prophecy fulfilled that price of basic commodities would fall well below normal price. Such a prophecy was more effective as crops could not grow in time to restore supplies.
I was reminded of a recent news item that food prices will rise next year as ground too waterlogged to get winter wheat in so the farmers may have to put in less effective spring wheat, so prices in the shops will increase by 12 per cent. It is only a minuscule picture of what the besieged experienced.
The king did not like the news that Elisha had faith that God would deliver the city. The King was also angry that Elisha, who had the power to warn of the new attack of the Arameans or to thwart it, had failed to do so. He also hated the fact that Elisha had demonstrated in the past that he could multiply oil and bread, had not done so for the people of Samaria.
There had clearly been a transfer of power as all the elders in the land had gathered around the king during the last siege of Samaria (1 Kings 20: 7), but now they were gathered in the house of Elisha. The king was clearly upset that true leadership had been demonstrated – not in the royal palace but with the heavenly King and with those who represent Him on earth.
It is the same today with people being upset that God has not gone away but has clearly demonstrated His power on earth. How have we shown the power of God to the people around us?
There is great responsibility on the people of God as people are looking at us as we are the ambassadors for the Heavenly King on earth.
Gandhi stated that he would have followed Christ but for the Christians. Marcus Mumford, lead singer of Mumford and Sons, has stated that he would like Christ but he is put off by religion.
The attitude of the king permeated society, especially those who were better off. The officer in the passage was the third man who acted as armour-bearer to throw the shield around the driver and the archer, aide de camp and so, more possibly, (in administrative terms) adjutant to the king.
Those who have most to lose in this life (power, prestige, money) are the hardest to reach for the Gospel – so we should be searchlights for God in this neighbourhood: shining His light into people’s lives.
We are to pray for the fallow ground in our neighbourhood – people whose houses are full but their hearts are empty.
2. Committed to evangelism
We are to be reaching out to those with concrete hearts
Dr D T Niles wrote that ‘Evangelism is one beggar telling another where to find bread.’
There are so many in our neighbourhood who have not heard the good news of Jesus, so we need to be prepared to tell them, which may mean that we are to move out of our comfort zones.
To put into our situation into perspective, Jesus came from highest heaven and all that He was, to rescue us – which we remember at Good Friday and Easter. As He gave His all for us, we should give our all for Him.
God does not want status quo, but for us to move forward
The late Sam Shoemaker, an Episcopalian bishop, summed up the situation: ‘In the Great Commission, the Lord has called us to be – like Peter – fishers of men. We’ve turned the commission around so that we have become merely keepers of the aquarium. Occasionally I take some fish out of your bowl and put them in mine, and you do the same with my bowl. But we’re all tending the same fish.’
We need hear carefully: there are enough hurting and needy people in area without importing Christians from other fellowships, although I recognise that we need help from other churches in Gospel partnership.
In 7: 9, the lepers recognised the urgency of spreading the word – regardless of how they had been treated by people in the city previously, they had an obligation to tell them.
We have the obligation, the compulsion, to tell others.
CS Lewis wrote: ‘Christianity, if false, of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.’
As another author, G K Chesterton, wrote: ‘Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.’
We cannot force people to be Christians, as other philosophies and ideologies (e.g. communism, Islam) have tried to coerce people to follow their ways by force or pressure in the past and in the present.
There is the need to spread the good news of Jesus Christ since (as I have recently read) many want a piece of heaven but they don’t want to believe, do or say anything to get there – a truism that can be heard at many funerals, even atheist ones.
3. Committed to move
In ‘Twenty Rules of Wisdom’, number 19 states: ‘Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you’re seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle: it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.’
God wants us to move on.
On Palm Sunday, we remember Jesus set his focus on the cross, not looking back.
Matthew Henry, commenting on 7: 1 – 2, wrote: ‘Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity of magnifying His own power; His time to appear for His people is when their strength is gone.’
When we look around, we know that we can only rely on God.
CS Lewis wrote: ‘You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.’
It is not the people or the circumstances that we expect – for (in verses 3 – 11) that raising of the siege was not observed by the watchmen on the walls but the lepers.
In vv. 12 – 20, God doesn’t want us to distrust Him – His power, divine intervention and promise.
We are not to be like the ten spies, but to be like Caleb and Joshua. Events may seem like giants before us, but God wants us to move forward to experience His blessings. Even if you do not want to go forward, God is going to work without you.
In 7: 17 – 20, we learn that God never fails to meet the need of His people when they trust Him.
We cannot attempt to try to have the crumbs of blessing whilst not being fully alive to what He wants us to do.
An illustration of this: An elderly man was at home, dying in bed. He smelled the aroma of his favourite chocolate chip cookies baking. He wanted one last cookie before he died. He fell out of bed, crawled to the landing, rolled down the stairs and crawled into the kitchen where his wife was busily baking cookies. With his last remaining strength, he crawled to the table and was just barely able to lift his withered arm to the cookie sheet. As he grasped a warm, moist chocolate chip cookie, his favourite kind, his wife suddenly whacked his hand with a spatula. Gasping for breath, he asked her, ‘Why did you do that?’ She replied, ‘Those are for the funeral.’
Make sure that going all out for God, being fully aware to His moving in your life and in that of the church – do not be prepared to be satisfied with the crumbs of blessing when He wants you to fully enjoy all that He wants for you.
To adopt a phrase by Lord Kitchener in World War 1 – ‘Your heavenly country needs you’
Conclusion
Questions:
· How flexible is your heart? – are you open to what is saying? Do we prayer in church, house group, individually, for God to use us?
· How open are you to witnessing to others? – people that we meet (e.g. church activities, neighbours, friends, shop assistants, fellow workers).
· What is your vision for the future? – God wants us to keep moving forward, no such thing as retirement in the Kingdom of God, even in heaven He has work for us such as praising Him.
