“Take a Chance and Surrender”
II Kings 7:3-8
2KI 7:3 Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, "Why stay here until we die? 4 If we say, `We’ll go into the city’--the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die." 5 At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, not a man was there, 6 for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, "Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!" 7 So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives. 8 The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp and entered one of the tents. They ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.
INTRODUCTION
• This is a rather obscure Scripture but it gives us a powerful message this morning.
• The four lepers show us three directions we can possibly take in our spiritual lives:
I. RETREAT {vs 4}
4 If we say, `We’ll go into the city’--the famine is there, and we will die.
• One of their options was to go back into the city…but there were serious consequences that awaited them if they did so
• Also this morning, if we choose to backwards in our spiritual life, serious consequences await us as well
1. FAMINE
Nothing can make your life more dry and unfulfilling than going backwards spiritually
2. FATALITIES
A spiritual death awaits people who choose to go backwards
• How do we “retreat” or go backwards in our relationship with God?
We pick up old sins we have previously been forgiven of
We pick up old habits that slowly chip away at our spiritual lives
We de-emphasize our personal devotional life
Going to church regularly is not a priority anymore
II. REMAIN {vs 3, 4}
3 …They said to each other, "Why stay here until we die? 4 …And if we stay here, we will die.
• The could have chosen to stay right where they were but that also would have resulted in certain death
• Friend, when we choose to stay right where we are spiritually, we can expect certain spiritual death
Someone gave a sundial to a group of people in the jungle. They regarded it as a fetish and wanted to keep it holy, so they built a house over it to keep it safe. This of course, kept the sun away from it. They had rendered it useless by trying to protect it. They honored the sundial, but they made it of no practical use. That’s how many people regard Christianity. It has become something they have enclosed within the beautiful walls and stained glass windows of cathedrals. But, far worse, they also wall off their Christianity from their own individual daily lives.
III. RUN {vs 4-8}
4 So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die." 5 At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, not a man was there, 6 for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, "Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!" 7 So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives. 8 The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp and entered one of the tents. They ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.
• The lepers decided to take a chance and proceed to the camp of the Arameans
• What will we find if we take a chance and proceed and move on in our spiritual lives?
1. Security (5-7)
The lepers weren’t sure what the future would hold when they took the action they took…but God intervened!
ILLUSTRATION:"No, But I Do Know Where It’s Safe"
It was a dark and stormy night when a lady was on a boat crossing Lake Michigan. The lightning, thunder, and rain made her very nervous. She saw jagged rocks jutting above the surface of the lake. In fear, she asked the captain, "Do you know where all the rocks are out there in the lake?" "No," the captain replied, "I don’t, but I do know where it’s safe."
As you "sail" through life, you are going to see lots of "rocks" out there. Some you will know how to avoid, others will come upon you as a surprise. The important thing to know is "where it’s safe." Jesus knows the safe way; follow Him.
God will also keep you secure and watch over you as you proceed in Him
2. Strength (8)
The lepers were fed as they went to where they were going
ILLUSTRATION: "A Touch of His Presence"
It is said that the Eastern shepherd, as he brings his sheep back to the fold each night, stands at the door and counts each one. As he does so, he puts his hand on the head of each animal. He makes a habit of touching each one of them. If he were to grow careless and neglect to habitually touch his sheep, it would soon turn its head away when it heard his voice! This, of course, could be very serious, for with such a broken habit would follow the animal’s actually ignoring the warning shout from the shepherd and subsequently could be disastrous for the sheep.
If we are experiencing the Shepherd’s touch daily in our lives, then we will recognize His voice when He warns of impending danger. This will mean "practicing His presence" daily. It we do not practice His presence then we have probably been practicing the presence of our enemy. Our Lord awaits the moment to "touch" our day with His presence.
It’s important that while you proceed in the Lord that you keep yourself fed!
3. Supply (8)
They found blessings and riches unlike any they had ever expected
If you take a chance and surrender to the direction of the Lord, you will find blessings unlike any you can imagine
4. Spirit (8)
They had also found things to clothe themselves with
LK 24:49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
The Lord’s Spirit is available to clothe you with power from on high
RESPONSE
• Friend, like the four lepers, you have a choice this morning:
* to RETREAT
* to REMAIN
* to RUN
• Will you take a chance & surrender and move forward from where you are now?
• How will you choose to do so?
* In your prayer time
* The Word of God
* Your giving
* Witnessing
* Etc
• Find a place to respond to the Lord this morning and make your move to where God wants you to go!
