A Day of Good News

INTRODUCTION

Today we begin our missions emphasis month.

In October the Sunday morning messages will challenge to:

Give to missions.

Go to our world, starting with our own communities, as missionaries.

Pray for the missionaries we send to the world.

On the third (20th) and fourth (27th) Sundays of the month we will host missionaries in our services who will take about 5-7 minutes each to tell us about their calling and their place of service.

On Sunday the 20th I will clearly explain how this church supports missionaries through Faith Promise Giving.

On Sunday the 27th we will receive your faith promises for giving to missions for a 12 month period.

One particular highlight I am looking forward to is the October 23, Wednesday night, shoe giveaway.

We need lots of volunteers, so clear you calendar for that evening.

We already have 200 pairs of shoes and socks to go with them.

If you want to purchase more kid’s shoes or socks to add to the inventory, that would be great.

But I really need you to be here on that wonderful Wednesday night when we bless our community by putting new shoes of the feet of kids who need them.

God has blessed us in these past weeks with a revival spirit—people saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, baptized, and many encouraged, refreshed, and renewed. I see no reason for that to end!

In fact, this month should move us forward in our desire to bring the lost to Jesus here and around the world.

O, Lord, let the well of revival gush forth with a river of life among us today and this month!

In preparation for today’s message I need to ask you to use your imagination.

I want you to imagine what it was like to live thousands of years ago in a walled city.

Outside that city you see a large army determined to destroy your city.

Inside the city, there is no hope and no food—people are frightened and desperate.

As you scrounge for a scrap of food or a drop of dirty water to drink you realize that the enemy will soon overrun your city and you will either be a slave or you will be dead.

That is the way it was for thousands of people living in a city in Israel in the distant past.

Samaria, the capitol city of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, was under attack by the Syrian army (also called Arameans).

Samaria, the capitol city of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, was under attack by the Syrian army (also called Arameans).The city had no hope.There was no way to escape.They were outnumbered by one of the most powerful armies in the world.They couldn’t flee the city and they couldn’t win a fight with their enemy—fear seems to be their only option.Conditions inside the city of Samaria were horrible—famine, disease, and death were the order of the day.The following passage from reveals the desperate situation the people faced:

The city had no hope.

There was no way to escape.

They were outnumbered by one of the most powerful armies in the world.

They couldn’t flee the city and they couldn’t win a fight with their enemy—fear seems to be their only option.

Conditions inside the city of Samaria were horrible—famine, disease, and death were the order of the day.

The following passage from reveals the desperate situation the people faced:

2 Kings 6:24–30 NIV

24 Some time later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram mobilized his entire army and marched up and laid siege to Samaria. 25 There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter of a cab of seed pods for five shekels. 26 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, “Help me, my lord the king!” 27 The king replied, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?” 28 Then he asked her, “What’s the matter?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son so we may eat him today, and tomorrow we’ll eat my son.’ 29 So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son so we may eat him,’ but she had hidden him.” 30 When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his robes. As he went along the wall, the people looked, and they saw that, under his robes, he had sackcloth on his body.

I can’t hardly comprehend such horrible conditions—they would eat anything to stay alive.

Donkey’s were valuable working animals, now a donkey brain dinner cost almost as much as the entire animal live and ready to work.

About a cup of bird droppings cost five shekels of silver—a common man’s salary for six months.

And most disturbing of all, an episode I don’t even want to mention, women agreeing to boil and eat their baby boys.

Could you agree with me that conditions inside that city were horrible?

Outside the city lived four men stricken with leprosy.

Society forced lepers to live separate from them to avoid spreading the disease.

They were outcasts.

These lepers were starving and half-dead from hunger.

They were trapped between a Syrian army bent on destruction and a starving city soon to be destroyed.

tells their story:

tells their story:

2 Kings 7:3–11 NIV

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? 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.” At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there, 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!” 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. The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp, entered one of the tents and ate and drank. Then they took 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. Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.” So they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, “We went into the Aramean camp and no one was there—not a sound of anyone—only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were.” The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace.

2 Kings 7:3–11 NIV

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, no one 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, entered one of the tents and ate and drank. Then they took 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. 9 Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.” 10 So they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, “We went into the Aramean camp and no one was there—not a sound of anyone—only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were.” 11 The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace.

What an amazing story.

If the lepers remained where they were, they would die.

If they went into the city they would die.

If they begged mercy from the Syrians they would probably die, but they might find mercy.

They decided to march on the enemy’s camp.

God caused the footsteps of four men to sound like a large advancing army and the Syrians fled so fast they left everything behind.

A day of hunger, disaster and defeat became a day of rejoicing and victory.

While the lepers feasted and set aside provisions for the future, the people of the city still anguished in hunger.

The lepers remind me of people who have trusted Jesus for salvation and are enjoying the blessings of God.

The people in the city remind me of lost people who do not know God and are suffering under the curse of sin.

Today, I want us to look at the four lepers and their actions in order to appli

The lepers decided to return to the city and share the good news of their discovery to a hungry city.

This story tells me that we must shared the good news of Jesus Christ with those who do not know Him.

BODY

If you are a Christian you should think of the privilege you enjoy.

In at the beginning of the second sentence the lepers say, “This is a day of good news.”

Indeed, today is a day of Good News!

If you have trusted Jesus for salvation, I want you to think of the privileges and blessings you enjoy today—

Your sin has been forgiven.

The Holy Spirit dwells in your life.

Your name is written in the roll-book of heaven.

Your heart is right with God.

God’s hand of blessing is upon you.

Eternity in heaven awaits.

You are saved and God tossed your sins in the sea of forgetfulness where He will never dredge them up.

I don’t know why so many Christians look so sour and defeated.

We are saved!

We are delivered!

We are redeemed!

We are set free.

We are Holy Ghost filled and heaven bound.

We are living under the blessing of a loving, caring, compassionate, powerful, gracious, and merciful God.

We have reason to rejoice!

Lift up your hands child of God, lift up your head, child of God, lift up your voice, praise Him this morning—you are saved, delivered, set free, redeemed, Holy Ghost filled, heaven-bound, and you have reason to rejoice!

Look what the Lord has done for you—He has healed you, He has saved you, He has filled you, and He has set you free.

Thank God for His many blessings!

When the lepers found the camp abandoned and saw the food and riches left behind they declared it was a day of Good News.

Their hunger was satisfied — they found plenty of food.

Their thirst quenched—more than enough to refresh them.

Their future secure—they looted the camp and found more than enough to support them the rest of their lives.

So it is with Christians today—we’ve tasted the bread of heaven, drank from the cup of Christ, and we have laid up treasures in heaven.

Today, those who love and serve Jesus can certainly agree with them—it is a day of Good News!

We should think of the privilege we enjoy but we should not keep it to ourselves.

Notice in v. 9 at the beginning of the verse they say to each other, “What we are doing is not right.”

They were enjoying a time of great blessing.

They had plenty of food for the first time in a long time and they were feasting.

They found riches beyond imagination and were storing the riches for their future.

Suddenly they remembered a city filled with people eating donkey-brain burgers and bird droppings and they said—what we are doing is not right.

They were selfishly enjoying the blessings of God while thousands upon thousands of people didn’t know about the good news.

The wrongness of their actions is reinforced in v. 9 in the third sentence the lepers say, “If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us.”

The lepers came to themselves and realized that it was a sin to keep the good news to themselves.

This reminds me of many Christians and of many churches today.

Christians and churches rejoice in the blessings of God and feast on His vast provision of grace and salvation while all around people are starving and dying in sin.

In Jesus commanded us to:When we fail to tell the lost and spiritually starving people of the world about Jesus, we sin.A minister, while traveling in a desert in the Middle East tried to tell the Muslim tour guide about Jesus.The Muslim said, “Why do you want to tell me this?”The minister replied, “Because I love you, God loves you, and I want you to know about Jesus,”The Arab replied, “I understand—you don’t want to commit the sin of the desert.”The sin of the desert is knowing where there is water and not telling anyone.I wonder how many Christians and churches commit the sin of the desert—we know where there is a fountain of living water, but we don’t tell anyone.If we as individuals or we collectively as a church don’t diligently work to fulfill the great commission and tell others the good news we are not doing right and punishment will overtake us.If we will pursue the great commission God will continue to bless us.

In Jesus commanded us to:

Matthew 28:19–20 NIV

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

When we fail to tell the lost and spiritually starving people of the world about Jesus, we sin.

A minister, while traveling in a desert in the Middle East tried to tell the Muslim tour guide about Jesus.

The Muslim said, “Why do you want to tell me this?”

The minister replied, “Because I love you, God loves you, and I want you to know about Jesus.”

The Arab replied, “I understand—you don’t want to commit the sin of the desert.”

The sin of the desert is knowing where there is water and not telling anyone.

I wonder how many Christians and churches commit the sin of the desert—we know where there is a fountain of living water, but we don’t tell anyone.

If we as individuals or we collectively as a church don’t diligently work to fulfill the great commission and tell others the good news we are not doing right and punishment will overtake us.

If we will pursue the great commission God will continue to bless us.

We should think of the action we must take.

Look at the last sentence of with me:

2 Kings 7:9 NIV

9 Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.”

The lepers couldn’t keep the good news to themselves; they had to go and tell others about the victory and blessing God gave them.

In this sentence we see united action.

The lepers agreed to work together and go together to spread the news.

United action.The lepers agreed to work together and go together to spread the news.As individuals we have a responsibility to tell others, but together, as a church, we must be unified and work together to spread the good news.Together we can do much more than we ever could apart.There must be sacrificial action.The lepers left the feast and treasures God gave them to go and share with others.It will cost us something to share the good news.Time.Effort.Money.And so on.But as individuals and as a church God has called us to sacrificial action in order to win the lost.There must be urgent action.The lepers decided they could not wait to morning—they had to go now.We often think we can wait another day to share Jesus with someone.Sometimes as a church we are tempted to think we should take care of this or that or something else before we take on a missions project.Sometimes as individuals, we say to ourselves, “I pay tithe, so why should I give extra to missions.”People around the world, from within a stones throw of this church to all the way around the world urgently need Jesus.

As individuals we have a responsibility to tell others, but together, as a church, we must be unified and work together to spread the good news.

Together we can do much more than we ever could apart.

In this sentence we see sacrificial action.

The lepers left the feast and treasures God gave them to go and share with others.

It will cost us something to share the good news.

Time.

Effort.

Money.

And so on.

But as individuals and as a church God has called us to sacrificial action in order to win the lost.

In this sentence we see urgent action.

The lepers decided they could not wait to morning—they had to go now.

We often think we can wait another day to share Jesus with someone.

Sometimes as a church we are tempted to think we should take care of this or that or something else before we take on a missions project.

Sometimes as individuals, we say to ourselves, “I pay tithe, so why should I give extra to missions.”

People around the world, from within a stones throw of this church to all the way around the world urgently need Jesus.

We must take action and work to share the good news of Jesus Christ!

One way you can take action is by making a faith promise in missions giving.

Our church supports missionaries solely through the faith promise offerings we receive on the third Sunday of the month.

Our church supports missionaries solely through the faith promise offerings we receive on the third Sunday of the month.

(Brochure)A faith promise is an offering you give to support missionaries.

A faith promise is an offering you give to support missionaries.

I will tell you more about faith promises later this month.

I mention it today so you can begin to pray and ask the Lord what he what have you give to support missionaries over the course of the next 12 months.

We must ourselves follow the example of the four lepers and go and tell the good news to other people.

The lepers went and told others the good news they had received.

We must go and tell—family, friends, neighbors, and strangers.

Many of them will never know unless we take seriously our responsibility to go and tell.

The four lepers received a great blessing from God and decided to take definite steps to share that blessing with others.

We must ourselves follow the example of the four lepers and go and tell the good news to other people.

CONCLUSION

If you aren’t serving Jesus today you are like the people trapped in the besieged city—lost, hopeless, desperate, unable to save your self, and in need of deliverance.

Jesus has provided for your deliverance through His sacrifice on the cross.

The message of Jesus is the message of good news.

Will you hear the good news today, respond to it, come out of the city of sin and hopelessness, and put your trust in Christ the Savior?

If you are a follower of Christ then you are like the four lepers who found the food and blessings that secured their salvation.

You have received the joy of salvation.

You know the peace of God that passes understanding.

You have a responsibility to share that good news with others.

You should share the good news with people in your life.

You should support missionaries so they can share the good news to people we will never meet.

Will you share the good news of Jesus?

All around us every day people are dying of spiritual starvation.

We have the bread of life.

We drink from the cup of Christ.

We must share Jesus with others.

INVITATION

Lord’s Supper

The lepers discovered an abundant supply of food and drink in the abandoned army camp. They brought that good news to a desperate city who then satisfied their hunger and thirst.

Today we have an abundant supply of mercy and grace delivering us from sin and wickedness. Christ supplied that grace on the cross through His broken body and spilt blood.

Today the bread and the cup we consume at the Lord’s Supper reminds us of Christ’s sacrifice and of our need to share the good news of Jesus with the world.

All who serve Jesus are invited to participate, but if don’t want to participate that’s okay, simply pass the tray to the next person.

Please hold the cup and bread until all have been served they we will pray over the cup and bread and receive them together.

The Bread

1 Corinthians 11:23–24 NIV

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Prayer:

The Cup

1 cor 11:

1 Corinthians 11:25–26 NIV

25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.