A Pro-Active Pattern
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Tell Story of 2 Kings 6 & 7
A little over 800 years before Christ was born, during the time that Elisha was a prophet in Israel the Syrians went to war with Israel. Every time they would adopt a plan and set a trap, they would be found out and ambushed themselves. This angered the King of Syria whose name was Ben-Hadad.
King Ben-Hadad suspected a spy was in his midst but was later convinced that the spy responsible for revealing his battle plans to Israel was none other than the prophet, Elisha, who received information from God and revealed it to the King of Israel. God told Elisha the plans of his enemies.
The King of Syria decided to capture Elisha, however, God revealed this to the prophet who ended up capturing the Syrian army by temporarily blinding them and leading them into Samaria, then the capital city of Israel. Against the King’s desire, Elisha nonetheless instructed the King of Israel to feed them, give them water and then let them go. Elisha did good to his enemies.
Sometime after this Ben-Hadad, the King of Syria, in what would be his last attempt to destroy his rival, King Jehoram of Israel, gathered his whole army and laid siege to Samaria. Desperate conditions followed and famine and starvation became the norm for the city. So scarce was food and common everyday commodities that things like dove droppings and the head of a donkey intended to be eaten were sold at a very high, almost unaffordable price. Dove droppings were used for both fuel and as a salt substitute.
One day two women came to King Jehoram of Israel seeking justice in his court. One claimed that in hunger they had agreed in turn to boil and eat their children. After one mother’s child had been eaten, then the other mother refused to give her son to be boiled. The king became enraged and blaming Elisha for the events leading up to and including the famine, King Jehoram vowed to take the head of Elisha before the day was over.
When the king found Elisha, whom God had already forewarned, he ask Elisha “why should the city wait for God’s help any longer.” Elisha answered that by this time the very next day food would be sold at the gates of the city for pennies, all the food one could imagine. How could this be … God would have to open up windows in heaven for this miracle to be supplied. 2 Kings 7:2
About the evening time, when the sun was going down, there were four lepers at the entrance to the gate of the city. As they talked with one another it was evident that they, of all people, had no hope. If they stayed outside the city gates they would starve; if they went into the city where they were not welcome they would only starve there; if they went down to the camp of the Syrians and surrendered, there was a slim chance they might be kept alive and if so, certainly they would be given a little food to eat. If the Syrians killed them, they would only be dead. With this logic they decided to go to the camp of the Syrian Army.
They rose at twilight and went toward the camp and when they had arrived, to their surprise there was no one there. The lights are on but nobody is home. It seems that the Lord God had caused the Syrian army to hear the noise of horses, chariots and a great army rushing to ambush them. The Syrians thought that the King of Israel had hired other kings and armies to attack and defeat them. In their complete and utter fear they fled leaving the camp and everything including the horses, tents, donkeys and even weapons behind. The Syrians had escaped only with their lives.
These lepers came into the camp and went into one tent and ate and drank and carried away silver and gold and clothes and hid them. Then they went into another tent and did the same. After a while they spoke with one another and decided that they were not doing the right thing to keep this all to themselves. 2 Kings 7:9 Fearing punishment if they did not reveal this blessing they went to the King’s house and told the gate keeper their great fortune.
When the king first heard of this he suspected a trap had been laid by the Syrians. A volunteer ask to take five men and check this story out. They found the road full of garments and weapons which the Syrians had thrown off during their hasty retreat. With the news relayed to the city, people went out from Samaria to the camp and plundered the tents of the Syrians. So great was the haul that by the middle of the next day, food and goods were sold for next to nothing to all who wanted.
Now look at 2 Kings 7:3
3 ¶ And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?
“Why sit we here till we die?”
This brings to mind -
Point #137. It may be bad now but trust me, you can make it worse.
Many times it’s not that which we work hard for that we regret, but rather those things we never attempt.
A Pro-Active Pattern
A participator and not just a spectator
The church is not a refrigerator for the doctrine but an incubator for the vision
Jesus said in Matthew 8:7 “I will come and heal him.”
Jesus was Pro-Active
Jesus was not just reactive, but proactive - He was ready - prepared.
Don’t just react - anticipate
I recommend that before one gets married, they should get ready to be married.
Before our children reach their teenage years, we need be prepared to be parents with teenagers.
Before we meet Jesus, we must be prepared to meet Jesus!
Act, never react!
As I watch Jesus through the scriptures, two things become evident:
1. Jesus knew how to keep Himself in the will of His Father
2. Jesus understood how to get results from His efforts
These things came in part from possessing a Pro-Active mentality
First: Staying in the will of God
Getting yourself in the will of God is not tough:
Just Repent
Now Do the next thing God tells you to
However
Remaining in the will of God for your life will demand a readiness
Without preparedness, the will of God will out distance you.
The cloud of God moved in the wilderness
4 Questions I have for you this morning
Will the cloud of God move again in your lifetime?
When is the last time you were up for something different or new?
What are you doing to get yourself ready for the next season or adventure of life?
Why sit we here till we die?
In Luke 4, verses 4, 8 & 12, Jesus dealt with personal temptation.
Each time He defeated the devil
Each time He used the same tactics
Jesus was prepared to respond to temptation
How?
Let’s look and see.
In Luke 4:4 where Jesus said “Man shall not live by bread alone” He was quoting Deuteronomy 8:3
In Luke 4:8 where Jesus said “Get behind me satan … thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shall thou serve.” He was quoting Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:20
In Luke 4:12 where Jesus said “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 6:16
Throughout His earthly ministry Jesus quoted from the Psalms, the prophets and from the writings of Moses.
He kept the word of God in readiness.
Jesus stayed in the word of His Father to insure He stayed in the will of His Father.
Next: Getting Results
Point #113 It would be a tragedy to spend a lifetime climbing the ladder only to reach the top and realize it was leaning against the wrong building.
In John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Jesus kept Himself in the will of God because He kept the Word of God in readiness.
Not only did He store up the Word, but He also handed out the Word.
He didn’t just memorize it, He lived it!
Jesus got results because He stuck with the word which gets results.
When all else fails - read/follow the instructions.
The Pattern Example
Jesus’ Example
Learn the Word
Live to the Word
