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February 8, 2004
Evangelism Weekend
2 Kings 7:9
Pastor Ben Berger

Share the Good News at Once!

How good are you at keeping a secret? Sometimes, we want to keep things a secret, such as when we buy a birthday gift. Children, have you ever gone with dad to buy a gift for mom? Do you get really excited to give her that gift? Maybe you bought her a bottle of perfume in a pretty little box. Dad hides the present, but you say, "Mom, do you want to know what we got you for your birthday? You needed more perfume, right?" We can all get excited to share such good news. It doesn't matter how hard we try, we just can't keep the good news to ourselves! That's how is should also be with the good news of salvation. Unfortunately, how often don't we keep that good news a secret! This morning, a story about four lepers will remind us that many people of this world will starve to death if we keep the good news of the Gospel a secret. The four lepers will show us that we want to Share the Good News at Once! We see: 1. Starvation 2. Desperation 3. Salvation 4. Proclamation.

Our story begins with starvation in the Middle East. We go to Samaria, the middle part of Israel west of the Jordan River. At this time Elisha was God's prophet and Joram was king of Israel. Israel's number one enemy was the king of Aram, Ben-Hadad. The Arameans lived to the north and east of Samaria and the Jordan River. Because the people of Israel had forsaken the true God for false idols, the LORD sent Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram, to attack Samaria. Their siege lasted so long that they brought famine and starvation to the land. The people began to eat donkeys even though donkeys were unclean animals. Even the head of a donkey was selling for about two pounds of silver, while a half-pint of beans sold for 2 ounces of silver. Worse yet, two mothers agreed to kill and eat each other's sons. When people are starving to death, they can do just about anything for food.

When we think of starvation, we probably think of far off places like Africa or Somalia or Bangladesh. We probably don't think of anyone close to home. If we knew someone in our neighborhood who was starving to the point of death, we'd do something to help, wouldn't we?

There are people starving to death and they are in our neighborhood; sometimes they may even be in our homes and at our tables. In our world today, many millions are starving to death, not because of empty stomachs, but because of empty souls. I'm not just talking about people that are in a far off land held under the sway of Buddha or Mohammed. I'm concerned about the people right here in Appleton, people you know and love. How many people that you know could die forever because their souls are not nourished with the Bread of Life? We might think, "There's no one like that around me." And if there is, we might think, "That's none of my business." Think again. What can we do for those people whose only can only find joy in what they buy or the fun they have on the weekend? What can we do for the children whose parents provide very little to no spiritual nourishment? These are souls that are desperately starving to death.

In our story, we see how starvation quickly turns to desperation. We watch and hear four lepers. You remember what a leper is, right? Lepers had a contagious skin disease; they were banned from the city and lived outside the city. The four lepers in our story were also starving to death, so they met at the city gate and made a plan. They realized their desperate situation. They said to themselves, "If we stay here, we'll die without food. If we go into the city, we'll still die because the famine is there too. But, maybe we can go to the enemy's camp. If they kill us, we're no worse off. But if they spare us, we live. What have we got to lose?" And so the four lepers set out for the camp of the Arameans.

At times things happen in people's lives to expose their desperate spiritual situation. Maybe it's a divorce, or sickness, or a child in trouble with the law, or a death in the family. They are forced to face the deep emptiness in their lives. They finally realize that all of their money, all of their possessions, their good reputation, even their family cannot fill the void and will not save their souls from eternal death.

Maybe you know someone in that exact situation. They have finally hit rock bottom; they don't know where to turn. All they know is that something needs to change. They desperately hunger for food that will give them eternal life. They are starving to hear the precious story of Jesus' love. He is the only answer for their spiritual starvation and desperation. You can tell them the message of salvation.

The four lepers found salvation from starvation and desperation. When they got to the enemy camp, it had been deserted. By a miracle of the LORD, the Arameans had fled in terror. The LORD made them think that they heard the sound of chariots and horses and a great army. They figured that Israel had hired the Hittites or Egyptians to fight for them; so they took off. What did the lepers do? They ate and drank and filled their pockets. They emptied the gold, silver and other belongings out of one tent and hid their prize. They came back and emptied another tent. They were starving and desperate, but they had found salvation!

Just as God miraculously provided a feast for those desperate, starving lepers, so also he has miraculously provided a feast for us. This feast of salvation will satisfy even our greatest spiritual needs; by a miracle God has provided a victory and life. You heard Jesus' invitation to his feast in the Old Testament reading from Isaiah, "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare," (55:1-2). This is a bountiful feast given to us by our gracious God. Our souls delight in the richest of fare that feeds us for eternity.

Jesus tells us that he himself is the feast. In John six Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty," (35). What our starving, desperate souls need is the exact spiritual food that Jesus offers. We need love; God promises and gives us his love through Jesus Christ. Jesus restored our relationship with God so that we know God is always with us, protects us, provides for us, and promises to work all things for our good. We need forgiveness for our sins. Jesus' death on the cross paid for our sins and removed our guilt. Every day we can lay our sins and guilt at the foot of the cross and Jesus will take them away. We need life. Jesus' resurrection from the dead assures us that we will live eternally. Through the power of God's word, Jesus also gives us the ability to live life right now. We can live a life pleasing to God and find meaning and fulfillment in our lives. This is the feast through which God gives us salvation. He feed us through his Word, through our baptisms and through Holy Communion. This is the feast of salvation that all people need. Through Jesus we are saved! What a precious gift! What an awesome message! How can we not share it?

That's exactly what the four lepers thought. "Then they said to each other, "We're not doing 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," (2 Kings 7:9). Once the four lepers found salvation from starvation and desperation, it led to proclamation.

Actually, the four lepers began to feel a little bit guilty. They had already eaten their full and dragged of two loads of plunder, but they hadn't told anyone else! They admitted that they weren't doing right by keeping the good news to themselves. They even thought that if they waited until the next morning, they could expect punishment from God. So they said, "Let's go at once to share the good news."

Maybe it is appropriate for us to also admit our guilt. How long have we known about the salvation of our LORD? Yet, how many have we told? We are so often tempted to hoard the Bread of Life for ourselves? Do we realize that is exactly what the devil wants? He wants us to keep our mouths shut! Remember the Gospel reading we had earlier? Jesus told a parable about a Great Banquet. Can you see yourself in that story? Certainly we are all like the lame, the blind, the destitute that did not deserve to come to the banquet, but were admitted anyway. But what about the servants sent out to do the inviting - do you ever see yourself doing that? Isn't that what Jesus does? He takes those who have come to the banquet and sends them out to invite more. Once we have received God's salvation, he wants us to share the good news at once with others!

As the hymn we just sung said, "There still is room." God's house is not yet filled. He is waiting for to go out to the highways and byways, your neighborhoods and your homes, to invite more to the feast of salvation. But, as the hymn also said, "Now is the time." You don't know when your desperate, starving friend or relative will die, or when Jesus will return. You don't want them to die in starvation without the salvation of Jesus. But, they will unless we share the good news at once!

Remember the little child that couldn't keep a secret; she just had to tell her mom about the perfume for her birthday. Doesn't God's feast of love, forgiveness, salvation and life motivate us to speak. Take a cue from the four lepers. Share the Good News at Once!