By: Pastor Michael Brigmond

First Apostolic Church, Kissimmee, FL

Four leprous men sitting at the gate of the city said one to another, "Why sit we here until we die? If we choose to go into the city, there is famine in there and we shall die. If we sit here and don’t do anything, we also die. So, let us go to our enemies, the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die."

We see in this passage a picture of modern day life. There is trouble and death all around us. Inside the city were things common to the lepers. Friends, family, a way of life they all knew and understood. A language they could speak. All things common and comfortable were there. But there was also Death in the city. They came to realize that if they entered the city, the best they could hope for was starvation.

Likewise they knew that if they stayed put, they would also starve to death. Prior to this, they knew they could always go into the city and find the help they needed. There had always been a certain amount of security in the city. Sort of a crutch to lean on. As bad as things were in the past, there was still a comfort in the familiar surroundings of the city. In addition to their leprosy, what a dilemma they faced. But you know what? Their situation is not as uncommon as you may think.

People today sometimes find themselves in the same fix. They find themselves at the end of their proverbial rope. Life has been cruel. Not fair as they thought it should be. They think, surely, there must be some mistake. It’s not supposed to end like this. Fired from their job, separated or divorced from the one they loved so much. Disappointed in the lives their children have chosen to live. Debts that have gotten far out of hand. Perhaps the friend they thought they had in cocaine has finally shown his evil hand. Strung out, wasted, nothing left to live for. No hope in sight

But what can they do? They know that if they continue as they are, they will soon be dead. And they know that if they go back to their old familiar hangouts, they will only find the same life that got them to where they are now. Back in the city with their friends is where they used to find their dope, but the dealers have no mercy on those without a means to pay.

Many people cannot resist running back to their friends and if their friends are in the city, then into the city they go. The friends they find there are the ones who helped create the environment for their spouse to be drawn away, tempted and left to find solace in the arms of another. They can’t go back to those friends. Their friends are the ones who issued the credit cards that eventually drained them of the ability to even provide the necessities of life. They know the "city" is full of friends who are takers, and not givers.

Some will come to realize they can never go back into the "city" of their old ways. That environment will destroy them. And they know that if they just sit tight, they will simply die.

What do you do? You can’t go back. You can’t stay here. Many check out. A bullet to the head. A rope around the neck. A bottle of sleeping pills. A razor across the wrists. Some way, any way, to end the misery and hasten the inevitable death.

For these four leprous men to make the decision to go into the camp of the enemy took tremendous amounts of courage. Granted, their courage was prompted by desperation, but what about all the others still in the city. Their situation was just as bad. They may have found comfort in starving with the masses, but the fact is, they were ALL starving. They were ALL going to die. They were just as desperate as were the lepers.

The difference between them is obvious. The people in the city, living among the multitudes, distracted by the false sense of security in number, were not as aware of their desperation as were the four lepers. Surely, they thought, somebody in this city must have the answer we need. They had lived in the city together for many years, so surely they thought the best place to be in a crisis situation was right there with all of their friends.

The four lepers were living outside the city. They had been separated from the multitude and were better able to assess the problem. They could see it more clearly. Just as we, through our holiness lifestyle, are separated from the things of this world. We can see things those who are still in sin cannot see.

The people inside were hoping that someone else would find a solution. Somewhere, somehow, somebody would come through and bring relief. Blinded by their false hopes, their trust in the creature, instead of the creator, the city dwellers were too close to the problem. The only solution they could imagine was one that was consistent with the rest of their lives. And even that was not visible.

The four lepers, through the circumstances of life, found themselves living away from the city and its problems. Their separation provided a way for them to look at the situation with a clear set of eyes. They were, perhaps, the only ones who could properly evaluate the dilemma. How much clearer is the vision of the saints of God today than the perception of the ungodly? How is it that we can see abortion as murder while they see it as a matter of societal choice. How are we able to understand that homosexual behavior is an abomination, disgusting and evil, while the world views it as a matter of personal choice. Drugs, alcohol, tobacco, adultery, fornication, lying, stealing, cheating, and the like we clearly see and label as sin, but the world around us insists on tolerance and allows it to flourish. Though we may see through a glass darkly, still our vision is from a viewpoint outside the realm of society. We look to a better hope, one the world cannot even glimpse.

The four lepers examined the logical choices and found them to be inadequate. The third choice, a totally illogical one, became the only real choice and ultimately the right one. Who would ever think to go directly to the enemy to find survival. In the natural mind, that is never a chosen course of action. It would be seen as suicide. But God’s ways are not man’s ways. With God, all things are possible.

We may find ourselves between a rock and a hard place; too close to the forest to see the trees. Perhaps we have drifted a little too far from God and our vision is more in line with the wisdom of the world than the wisdom of God. If we are living in our problem, we may never be able to see the answer. We must live a life that is separated from this world. Then and only then can God speak to us in a way we can understand. As long as we have the option of our old friends in the city, we will remain too close to the problem to discern the answer.

Get outside of the city, get away from those who are bent on destruction, even self-destruction. "Come out from among them and be ye a separate people."

Noah could hear and believe the instructions from God when others could not, because he was not wrapped up in their world. He was separated from it by a purpose. He had a reason to be different. There was a call of God on his life. Noah could not be safe in their world anymore and he could not survive by simply staying put. The Flood would reach them ALL. His God-given solution: Face the flood, not to destroy it, but with an ark to endure it.

The four leprous men, with the purpose of God on their lives, went straight toward the enemy and the enemy fled. The enemy did not flee because of the four diseased men coming at them. They never even saw this army of four. But God sent them strong delusion and they ran from their own fears. The four men faced their adversaries with hope, and hope always prevails.

As Abraham was called to come out from his people, we too must come out and be a separate people. To present our bodies a living sacrifice, wholly, acceptable unto God. Abraham could not return to the idolatry of his father, and could not stay put and live in that evil way. His solution: Fact the unknown and follow the leading of the Lord.

The Army of Israel cowered in the face of Goliath. They would soon die if they stayed where they were and they could not retreat into the "city". They had no comfort zone. Then along comes David, one outside the problem. His solution was to face the enemy, not in a conventional way, but as God led him. And God gave the victory.

Jacob knew the time would come when he would have to face Esau. Jacob could not stay where he was, and he could not return to the "city" of Laban. Ultimately, he did the only thing that he could do: he headed straight for his adversary, Esau. For over 20 years the gulf between Jacob and his brother could not be bridged. Not until Jacob had no other options. God had to take Jacob down a path that for years seemed to have no viable solution. But when God had properly set the stage, reconciliation took place.

Brothers and sisters, we are soon to face the ultimate challenge. We will be called upon to choose between Christ and antichrist. When we stand in the valley of decision and the day of the Lord is fast approaching, the world of sinners will huddle together looking to man to provide a solution. If we join them we will die lost. If we stay put and do not prepare for That Day, we will not be able to stand and we will die lost. Our only option is to be able to hear the voice of the Lord and follow in the direction he gives. If we have not fully separated from the world unto a life of holiness unto God, we will not be conditioned to hear His voice or to come out from among them.

The time to separate from worldliness is now. There is victory ahead, but death in the city. Many have asked, "Does it matter if one believes in a pre-trib Rapture or a Post Trib coming of the Lord? What’s the big deal?"

It matters because those looking for a drive by rapture will still be living in the city. They will be waiting for the Lord to snatch them out of the midst of their problems. Of course, those in this world who have sat back and done nothing will be lost inside the gate of the city, having neither fully committed to live as a sinner nor completely separated from it. The only hope is to be prepared to face our adversary head on. Sufficiently separated from the world, prepared for the Tribulation, we will hear the voice of the Lord when He calls His bride to be with Him. We will be victorious in Jesus Christ. [][][][]