A. Have you ever discovered something so good that you wanted to keep it all for yourself?
B. May it never be so concerning salvation in Christ. To illustrate the point, let us consider a story from the Old Testament in 2Kings 6:24-7:20.
II. THE LEPERS WHO SAVED SAMARIA
A. The city of Samaria was besieged by the army of Aram and stricken by a great famine (2Ki. 6:24-7:2).
1. Consider how severe the famine was in Samaria.
a. A donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver. One common shekel of silver equals 0.4 ounces, and an ounce of silver is currently worth about $22 (Oct. 2013), so a donkey's head would be worth over $700 in today's money.
b. A kab (two quarts) of dove's dung was worth five shekels of silver, which would be $44 today.
c. One woman even bargained for her son to be eaten. When King Jehoram heard this, he tore his clothes and sought to have Elisha killed as if the famine were his fault.
2. The famine was so severe that when Elisha prophesied its end within one day, a royal officer thought it was impossible.
a. Elisha said, "Listen to the word of the LORD; thus says the LORD, 'Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria'" (2Ki. 7:1). (A measure was approximately six gallons.)
b. The royal officer doubted, asking, "Behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?"
c. Because of his doubt, the royal officer would not be allowed to eat of the coming bounty.
B. Four lepers found the camp of the Arameans abandoned and filled with unguarded supplies (2Ki. 7:3-9).
1. The four lepers, who were outside the gate of the city, reasoned together that they had nothing to lose by going into the camp of the Arameans. They expected to die regardless.
2. When they came into the came, they found no one there.
a. The army of Aram had fled when God caused them to hear a noise like the sounds of chariots and horses.
b. They left so suddenly that they took nothing with them. Even the horses and donkeys remained.
3. At first, the lepers gathered the wealth of the camp for themselves, but then they realized their error. Notice 2Kings 7:9:
Then they said to one another, "We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent; if we wait until morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king's household."
C. When the lepers told their news in Samaria, the people went out, took the supplies of the Arameans, and were saved from the famine (2Ki. 7:10-20).
1. At first, the king suspected that the situation was a trap set by the Arameans. When his men checked the path taken by the Arameans to the Jordan, they found it full of discarded clothes and equipment.
2. Following this, the prophecy of Elisha was fulfilled. Notice 2Kings 7:16:
So the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. Then a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.
3. As for the royal official who doubted, he was trampled by the people at the gate and did not partake of the bounty just as Elisha had said.
III. ARE YOU TELLING THE GOOD NEWS?
A. Just as Aram besieged Samaria, sin has besieged all men and afflicted them all with a spiritual famine.
1. Everyone has been affected, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23).
2. Sin separates us from God. Consider Isaiah 59:1-2:
1Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. 2But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.
3. God is spirit (John 4:24), and the separation from Him caused by sin is spiritual. Notice 1John 1:5-6:
5This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth...
4. God is the source of all good things, for "every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow" (Jas. 1:17).
5. Therefore, when we are separated from God by sin, we are in a spiritual famine and are starving to death. This is the plight of every sinner.
B. Christians have found Jesus, the free source of eternal life to all who hear and believe.
1. The Lord said of Himself, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14).
2. Furthermore, He said, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst" (John 6:35).
3. This bread and water for eternal life are available to all men only through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Rom. 1:16).
4. For those who have faith in Christ, the spiritual famine is ended, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:23).
C. It is the responsibility of Christians to tell the good news of salvation to others that all may be saved.
1. We who are Christians are very much like the four lepers who found the abandoned camp. In Jesus, we have found abundance for ourselves, but there is plenty more for everyone else.
2. It is our responsibility to tell others about Christ. Indeed, we are spiritual beggars who need to tell other beggars where to find bread, for Jesus placed this responsibility on us all. Consider the word of God:
a. Matthew 28:18-20 -- 18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
b. Mark 16:15-16 -- 15And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned."
c. 2Timothy 2:2 -- The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
d. 2Timothy 4:1-2 -- 1I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
3. When the lepers kept the news to themselves, they knew they were wrong. They said, "This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent; if we wait until morning light, punishment will overtake us." The same can be said for us if we do not tell others about the Savior.
a. The need to tell the people was urgent because they were dying in the famine.
b. Likewise, the need to spread the gospel (literally the good news) of Christ is urgent because souls are dying in sin.
c. If we wait to tell others, then "punishment will overtake us." We will fail in our Lord's great commission, and for that we will be accountable.
IV. CONCLUSION
A. Truly, "this day is a day of good news." There can be no better news than that of salvation in Jesus Christ through His gospel.
B. You do not have to travel the earth in an attempt to reach every person yourself, but you do need to tell those whom you know. Simply tell the good news to your family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors so that they might be saved and share in the bountiful blessings in Jesus.
