For me to say that it's an honor
to be here is an understatement. I mean that. That the Lord would
give any of us a heart to want to be here is a miracle of God's
grace. I want you to take your Bibles
and turn with me to the book of 2 Kings. 2 Kings chapter 7. 2 Kings chapter 7. I've entitled this message, A
Blessed Conclusion. A Blessed Conclusion. I want us to look for a few minutes
at the miracle of the grace of God that would grant a heart
to any hell deserving sinner and call them to himself. For all me, the psalmist said,
and we will run after thee. For all me, and I'll come. In this passage tonight, we behold the grace and mercy of the Lord
that has been bestowed upon those that the Lord has eternally loved,
chosen. In type and picture, we're going
to see something that's truly a blessing. Now, in this book,
2 Kings 7, there's four leprous men. I just turned back to chapter
6. I'll get just a little background on these guys. 2 Kings chapter
6, This was the state of the city
that these four lepers were found in. 2 Kings 6, 24-25, it came
to pass after this that Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, gathered all his
host and went up and besieged Samaria. And there was a great
famine in Samaria, and behold, they besieged it until an ass's
head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver and the fourth part
of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver. An ass's head was selling for
about $300. And let's see, half pint of dove's
dung was equivalent to $19. Half pint of dove's dung. And
these four lepers who are actually, first of all, they're a type
of all men born in Adam, but we're going to see these four
men as being types and pictures, for sure, of God's elect that
have been brought to behold their need, and by the grace of God,
the only place of any comfort. These guys were, they were outcast. They were lepers. And they were,
like all of us, who because of sin are outcast from God. Aliens. Aliens. Without God,
without hope in this world, in bondage to sin, Satan, death,
grave. Man by nature is in a mess. We're in a mess. And the amazing
thing, is that man by nature doesn't know it. He don't know
it. And therefore, because he doesn't know it, he don't care.
He doesn't care. Does it not amaze you? I know
it doesn't, but it still does. People in this world, and because
of the light that we have concerning ourselves because of what we
deserve by nature, And you look at people and you think, if I
could shake you and get you to understand, this world ain't
going to last forever. You're not going to last forever.
We're going to die. We're going to meet God. And
we're going to stand before God and the books are going to be
open in the book. And all that are found not written
in the Lamb's book of life. are going to be cast out forever. I've tried to think
on that forever. And I just, I don't know, I think
for just a half a moment, almost, I think I get something up, then
I lose it. I can't even think in eternity.
Now these four lepers are sitting at a gate. It said in 2 Kings 7
verse 3, 2 Kings 7 verse 3, there were four leprous men at the
entering end of the gate and they said one to another, why
sit we here until we die? Now they're sitting in a gate
and This is a city, and they can't
go in. They're lepers. If they sit right
here, they're gonna die. They're kind of at an impasse
here. They don't know, what are we
gonna do? These men are like all of us
by nature, they're in trouble. They've got a disease that is
a death sentence. They're walking dead men. That's
what they are. They're going to die. Their flesh is rotting
away. There's no natural cure. Now this is us. This is mankind
by nature. Now you know that. We're corrupt,
being found in Adam by sin. willing to Sit where we are We're
not gonna make it in but here's the way we are by nature. The
scripture says in Genesis Genesis 6 and God looked upon the earth
and behold it was Corrupt and all flesh had corrupted his way
upon the earth And what can we do about it by
nature what can we do about it? Nothing. Well, going back into
the city wasn't an option. That's what they're saying. Why
do we sit here? We'll die, verse four of chapter
seven. If we say we'll enter into the
city, then the famine's in the city. We'll die there. If we sit here, we die also. Therefore come let us fall unto
the host of the Syrians if they save us alive. We'll live we
shall live and if they kill us We shall but die We're gonna
die we're going to die Going into the city was not an option
now they're sitting there and they're mulling this thing over
and And they said, fellas, let's just do this. Let's just lay
all our cards on the table. Let's just take a look at what
our situation is. If we go into the city, there's a famine there. Head of an ass sells for $300. We ain't got $300. Half a pint of dove's dung is
$19. Maybe try to look through that and maybe find some undigested
seeds or something that they've eaten. Maybe get something out
of it. We ain't got no money. We're just lepers. But in there
is the law. The law is there. Look at Leviticus
13. Here's what they're up against.
Leviticus chapter 13 verse 45. Leviticus 13. 45, 46. And the leper in which the plague
is, his clothes shall be rent, his head bare, he shall put on
a covering upon his upper lip, shall cry, unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague
shall be in him, he shall be defiled, he is unclean, he shall
dwell alone. without the camp shall his habitation
be. We can't go in there. We're outcast
by the law. There's a famine. Going in is
not an option. God's law must be satisfied because
God is just. The penalty of the broken law
must be satisfied. Scripture says, Ezekiel 18, verse
4, Behold, all souls are mine, as the soul of the father, so
also the soul of the son is mine. The soul that sinneth, it shall
die. To go in and have to face the
law of God, to find life in there, we can't go there. If we would
take that which the Spirit of God set forth concerning our
instruction, teaching, correction, we'd do well to consider these
four men as types of all of us. Now listen, I'm just, we're gonna
look at four lepers here for just a few moments tonight. But
I'm thinking of all of us as being born in Adam. Jeremiah 13, 23. Here's the extent
of our ability to change our state by our own will, our own
choice, our own work. Can the Ethiopian change his
skin? Or the leopard his spots? Then
neither may ye also do good that are accustomed to evil. So here's
where they are, we're in the midst of what appears to be total
despair. The Spirit of God is pleased
to record a conversation of four lepers. The actions of these
men reveals the evidence of the only hope that a hell-deserving
sinner has. Now I'm telling you right now,
in this passage of Scripture, in type and picture, this is
the only hope we've got. These men came to a truly blessed
conclusion. Now listen, just listen for a
few minutes. Listen how the Spirit of God was pleased to record
the conversation of these four lepers. And here they are, these
four lepers are pictures of all men I mean, we don't rise any
higher spiritually than these men were physically. They were
lepers, they were rotted lepers. Rotting, the flesh is rotting
away. If we say, we will enter into
the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die
there. If we go in there, we're gonna die. These men, and
what's so beautiful about this passage of Scripture is you behold
in type, and I said these men are types of all men by nature,
but especially are they types of God's elect. This is the beauty
of it. I mean, we're all born the same. We're all cut out of the same
pit. I told the folks there in Katy, I probably told you there
ain't nobody in here worth shooting. They're not. And here they are,
they've got this, you know, if we go in there, here's the conclusion,
if we go in there, we're gonna die. It's like, turn to Luke, Luke
15. They're starting to be some light. This is the beauty of this thing. Spirit of God is recording this
conversation and these men, as they're talking, they're beginning
to reveal something that only God could do for somebody. Luke
15, listen to this, what the Lord has done for this This prodigal
in this story that the Lord set forth. Luke 15 verse 11, here's
this son. It said a certain son, man had
two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, Father,
give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided
unto them his living. And not many days after the younger
son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country,
and there wasted his substance in righteous living, in reckless,
loose living. And when he had spent all, there
arose a mighty famine in that land he began to be in want,
and he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country,
and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would feign,
have filled his belly with a husk. I preached out of this passage
of scripture not too long ago there in Katy, and I was looking
up those words. You know, I'd always, in my mind,
I'd looked at that and said he would feign. It was like, well,
there was nothing else to eat, and he had just been brought
to total despair. The only thing I got is these
husks. That's not what that word fain
means. He loved it. Here was a picture of one born
to this world, feasting on false religion. That word, and he would
fain have it. Look the word up. He was loving
what he was eating. He was eating husk that the swine
did eat, and he loved it. He loved it. I looked up the
husk, what that was, it was a carob type taste. Had kind of a sweet
carob, like a chocolate taste. Man, I'm telling you, I know
something about, I came out of false religion. And I'm telling
you the truth, I was resting, I liked what I was doing, I liked
what I was eating. I was doing a good job. I was
pretty proud of myself. I thought I had, you know, I
was doing well, feasting on this husk, on pig food. And when he came to himself,
now here's, do you know what it takes for a man to come to
himself? A miracle of God's grace. The
Lord's gonna have to remove, mark a heart of stone, and give
him a new heart, give him a new spirit, give him a new attitude. He came to himself. How many
hired servants of my Father's have bread enough and to spare,
and I perish with hunger. I will arise and go to my Father
and say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before
thee. These men, back in 2 Kings chapter
7, these men are sitting there and it's the unfolding of a revelation,
a miracle of God's grace. Beautiful pictures of us, lepers. But the reasoning, we can't go
there, we can't face the law. We go in, we're lawbreakers,
we've broken God's law. And without the satisfaction
of the law, without the law being satisfied, there's no mercy in
the law. The law's not gonna bend, it's
not gonna change, we're lepers and we can't change that. We can't go there. The conclusion
of a man's desperate state is, for a man to realize it, is a
miracle. That you or I would know anything
about our need of a Savior is a miracle. Man by nature doesn't
know that. He sees himself as a Savior. I didn't realize that I was born
spiritually dead, incurable in myself. When David was brought to behold
what he had done before the Lord, Nathan came to him and said,
you're the man, you're the man. The Spirit of God moved on David
to pen Psalm 51 5, against thee, thee only have I sinned, done
this evil in thy sight. So they said, we can't go in
there. And if we sit here, in this gate, we're gonna die. We're gonna die. So if we go
in there, we're gonna die. All right, there's one conclusion. If I sit here, I'm gonna die. So they've seen their plight. These four men are brought to
the only hope that they have. He said, back in 2 Kings 7, 4,
if we say we'll enter into the city, then the famine that's
in the city will die there. If we sit here, we're gonna die. Now therefore, here we go, here's
what we, now therefore come, let us fall into the host of
the Syrians. If they save us alive, we'll
live. If they kill us, we will die. We're gonna die,
we're gonna die. Go there, we're dead. If we stay
here, we're dead. You know what these guys needed?
Mercy. They needed some mercy. If we
go and cast ourselves upon the Syrians and they save us alive,
we'll live. If they don't, we're going to
die, because it's coming. It's like blind Barnabas. Turn
with me there. I started to quote it, and I
don't want to quote it. I want to read it. I want to look at
it. Mark chapter 10. Mark 10. Mark 10. Mark 10, verse 46-48. Mark 10, verse 46, they came
to Jericho, and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples,
a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the highwayside begging. When he heard, boy, you could stay there for a minute.
When he heard, it was Jesus of Nazareth. He began to cry out
and say, Jesus, thou son of David, Have mercy on me. And many charged
him that he should hold his peace, but he cried the more, great
deal, thou son of David, you who are the Messiah, you're the
promised one. He heard and he knew. Have mercy
on me. and four marvelous words in that
49th verse, and Jesus stood still. I just, I read that and I think, the Lord, at the cry of a blind
beggar, I don't doubt a stinking blind
beggar. A dirty, stinking blind beggar. He stood still. God stopped. God who spoke this world into
existence. God Almighty who opposed all
things by the word of his power. He by whom all things consist. all the perfection of everything
that's going on. He orders all of this. On the way, when we left here
Sunday, we were heading toward Middle Tennessee, and I saw an
airplane way up in the sky. It had a stream of vapor coming
back. I said, look at that airplane
right there. Well, when I looked at the airplane, it made me think
back a few years ago when Halley's Comet came through here. I'd forgotten when it came through.
I'd look it up on my phone, you know. 1985, I think, 85. Then
I had to, you know, look up and find out, when's it coming back
again? It says it's gonna come back in 2063 or something. 75 years, whatever it is. 75
years, I think it said. And I thought, every 75 years,
on the dot, it's gonna come around again.
God Almighty orders all this, and it's all working together. All these things that are beautifully
set forth, and here, here's all this that's going on in this
world, and here was a blind beggar, and sitting by the wayside at this
particular day at that spot and here comes the Lord God Almighty
from before the foundation of the world had ordered this was
going to be the moment that the Lord was going to pass by just
like that woman at the well of Sychar. I must need to go through
Samaria. Why? There's a woman there and
I'm going to cross her path. One day somebody planted a sycamore
tree Out, just right outside of Jericho, planted a little
old tree. Market grew up. Years and years and years, finally
grew up. Little fella was born in that
city. Zacchaeus was his name. He just, like all the other kids,
just running around. All this worked together, and
in time, here was the Lord coming through Jericho, and that Zacchaeus,
got up in that tree, that had grown up at that spot, right
beside the road, and the Lord made him to be short of stature.
made him short of stature, so that he'd have to climb up in
a tree to see the Lord. And the Lord just walked right
up under that tree, stopped, looked up, and said to a man
that he had never physically met in this world, but had known
from the foundation of the world, before the foundation, looked
up and said, Zacchaeus, can you imagine that man? He heard his
name, Come down, for I must abide at your hand." This is the son
of Abraham right here, this tax collector. Just broke that guy's
heart. Lord, I'm going to give back
fourfold. God just gave him a new heart.
Here's these four lepers, and they've come to this blessed
conclusion. All we've got, this is all we've
got, y'all. Said these four men to themselves
can't go into the city. We can't sit here. We're surrounded
by the Syrians Now therefore let us fall Unto
the host of the Syrians if they save us alive will live if they
kill us we will but die If he slayed me I'm gonna trust
him. I have nowhere else to go I have
nowhere else. Oh, what a blessed place for
a needy sinner to be found. Hemmed up. Hemmed up. No other
hope but that God Almighty would show mercy. You say, yeah, but
those Syrians was the enemy. Yeah, but let me ask you this.
as spiritual dead sinners, enemies of God in our mind. Was that
not where we were all found by nature, the scripture says, the
children of wrath, even as others? We were enemies in our mind,
not in His, but in ours. Here's these powerful Syrians.
They held the upper hand, therefore they were the ones before whom
these lepers must plead for mercy. What does God's word reveal concerning
the mercy of the one with whom we must deal? Micah 7, 8, who
is a God likened to thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth
by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage. He retaineth
not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. You know how God deals with our
sin? His Son bore it. The Lord Jesus
Christ bore the guilt of his people. God never swept it under
the rug. The wages of sin is death. Sin
is going to be dealt with. Colossians 121, and you that
were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now have he reconciled. There's mercy. There's mercy
with the Lord. We sit here, sit here and do
nothing, you're going to die. You run to the law to try to
find mercy, you're gonna die. You got one choice. Flee to him. Him that cometh
to me, Lord said, I will in no wise cast out. Psalm 103, 17. But the mercy of the Lord is
from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him and his
righteousness unto children's children. His mercy. I always like to bring this up
because it's so... Where mercy is found, that reveals
that guilt is found that needs mercy. Mercy means we're guilty. His mercy is boundless. Thy mercy is great above the
heavens. and thy truth reacheth unto the
clouds." Friends, look unto Him. Almighty God is merciful. They knew that they were going
to die staying there. You that know Him, by the grace
of God, Had you stayed where you were, no change, you're going
to die in your sins. You know that. You know that.
You that know him, you know if you fled to the law to try to
satisfy your debt before God by the works of the law, you're
going to die. There's mercy. Let me just wrap this up. Here's
my third point. What did they do about it? They
came to that conclusion. What did they do? Look at verse
5, back in 2 Kings 7. They rose up in the twilight
to go unto the camp of the Syrians. And when they were come to the
uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man
there. Now here we see again this beautiful
picture of God's mercy and grace toward his people. We know this. Here's what they did. They got
up and they went. They went to cast themselves
upon the mercy of the Syrians. Now, we know that no man wills
of himself to come. Isaiah 30 15 for thus saith the
Lord God the Holy One of Israel in returning and rest Shall you
be saved and in quietness and in confidence shall your strength
be and ye would not To cast ourself upon the mercy
of God is a miracle a God has made us willing in the day of
His power. Isaiah 31, 1, woe to them that
go down to Egypt for help and stay on horses and trust in chariots
because there are many and in horsemen because they're very
strong. But they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither
seek the Lord. But by the grace of God, some
do. And they're the first ones to tell you. The Lord made me
willing. The Lord made me willing. And
they're honest about it. They're not trying to be anything
other than honest. That's the way they come. They
come by the grace of God. They come because they couldn't
do anything else. They look to the Lord. They rejoice
in Christ. They worship God in the Spirit
and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. brag on themselves, shun the
thought. Oh, I'm telling you, there's
a battle that goes on. Believe me, you got an old man in you
that just is going to tell you how wonderful you've been. And
then there's a new man there that tells you better. Paul says,
the will is present with me, but how to accomplish that, which
would I find out. Oh, wretched man that I am. Those
that followed Him all the time, those disciples, finally when
the Lord told them, no man can come to Me except it were given
unto him of My Father, they left and followed Him no more. He
turns to His disciples, will you go away too? Lord, where
are we going to go? You that know Him, where are
you going to go? Where are you going to go? Would God save A
spiritual leper. Turn to Isaiah 1. Isaiah chapter
1. Would God save a spiritual leper
like me? I promise you, I bet you, every
one of us is thinking to himself, everyone that knows him, I know
something of me. And it ain't pretty. I know something
about me. Look at Isaiah. Isaiah 1, 18-20. Come now, come now and let us
reason together, saith the Lord. Can you just, I mean, just think
of that. I'm almost done, y'all. Just
stop. Listen to those words. Come now,
let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be
as scarlet, there's not a believer in here that's not looking at
that, those last few words, though your sins be as scarlet, and
you know good and well, you know something of the truth of, listen
to this, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like
crimson, they shall be as wool. If you be willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land. But if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be devoured with a sword, for the mouth of the Lord has
spoken it. You're thinking, Lord, save me. Lord, save me. Lord,
rescue me. Lord, keep me. Lord, don't leave
me to myself. Lord, I have no ability. I have
no hope in me. These four lepers that came,
knowing the hindrances, that they face, knowing they've got
to have mercy, they're going to cast themselves, they know
the consequences if the Syrians don't show them mercy. But they can't. They can't. They
can't. When they came, an amazing thing
was discovered, back in 2 Kings 7, 5-8, they rose up in twilight
to go into the camp of the Syrians when they had come to the uttermost
part of the camp of the Syrians. Behold, there was no man there,
for the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise
of chariots, a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host.
And they said one to another, lo, the king of Israel hath hired
against us the kings of the Hittites, the kings of the Egyptians to
come upon us. Therefore they arose and fled
in the twilight and left their tents, their horses, their asses,
even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. And when these lepers came to
the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, did
eat and drink, and carried that silver and gold and raiment,
and went and hid it, and came again, and entered into another
tent, carried this also, went and hid it, and they were just
raking it in. They hadn't had anything to eat,
no telling how long. They think this may be our last
chance. And they're just grabbing all
they can get, and they just... Feasting, feasting on what was
left, and they came to this thought, verse 9. They said one to another,
we do not will. This day is the day of good tidings,
and we hold our peace. If we tarry till the morning
light, some mischief will come upon us, and therefore come that
we may go and tell the king's household. They were like that
delivered demoniac. After the Lord had cast that
legion of demons out, he wanted to go with the Lord. He wanted
to go with Him. Remember that? He wanted to go
with the Lord, and the Lord told him, No. He said, Go home to
thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done
for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. Let me tell you a quick
little story and I'll be done. One other passage after this.
When I went to Katie almost over 20 years ago, I was talking with Scott one
day. You know, there's nothing for
a pastor like having a pastor. There's nothing that a pastor
loves more than having a pastor. Don was my pastor. Brother Scott
was my pastor. Brother Henry, these men that
we all loved. These men that had been through
some stuff. I'm talking about some, had some tough times. These guys were not, they were
sinners. That's who they, they were sinners. And they were,
but God had taught them something. And for a pastor, when you find
yourself in dire straits, and this is what Brother Scott told
me one time. He said, Marvin, whenever the
heavens seem like brass, you're seeking the Lord. And you know
that it's coming time for you to preach. You're gonna have
to stand in that pulpit. You're gonna have to be there.
And you just don't know where to go. This was the passage right
here that Scott told me. He said, when you find yourself,
he said, you tell those to whom you're ministering, what great
things the Lord has done for you." He said, you're always
right to do that. And every time I read that passage
of Scripture, I think of Him. Lord, give me a heart to want
to tell those that are just like me, born in Adam, Sinners, sinners
that need God's mercy, God's grace. You tell them what the
Lord's done for you. And if God's pleased to bless
it, He will. I can't make you believe it,
but I can tell you, I can tell you. These lepers, they went,
and when they got there, all their fears were gone. The enemy wasn't there. Turn
to Colossians 2, Colossians chapter 2. When they went to cast, spiritually
speaking, God gives a man, a woman, a heart to cast themselves on
the mercy of God. Colossians 2, 13 to 15, listen
to this. Colossians 2, 13, and you. being dead in your sins and the
uncircumcision of your flesh. hath he quickened together with
him, having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting out the
handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary
to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross,
and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of
them openly, triumphing over them in it. These lepers. They had this conclusion. We're
lepers. We sit here, we're gonna die. Go in the city, we're gonna die. We go to the Syrians, we'll cast
ourselves upon them for mercy. If they let us live, we'll live. If they don't, we're gonna die.
We don't have any other hope. For a hell-deserving sinner,
if we sit here in this world, secure in ourselves, we're going
to die. We run to the law, we're going
to die. We've got one hope. If we cast ourselves upon the
mercy of God, and He shows us mercy, we'll live. If He kills
us, we're going to die. Lord, have mercy on me. But for
everyone, according to the Scriptures, that has ever been drawn by the
Spirit of God to cast themselves upon the mercy of God, here's
what the Lord said, I will in no wise cast you out. They're gone. All that was against
us, all for whom the Lord Jesus Christ has shed his blood, there's
life, there's life. Lord bless this to our hearts
for Christ's sake.