Watchman's Cry Written Message - The Overcomer Series
The Thankful Leper - Part B
An Examination and Study of Salvation and Repentance

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By Nathan Leal - January 21, 2014

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(Note - For those of you who have not had the chance to hear the audio of the last sermon message. This is a portion of the transcript. This transcript contains the introduction of the message - The Thankful Leper. Portions of this release have been edited for clarity. This is Part B of Session 1. The audio link is below. )

Summary – In this study we are going to visit several topics that are of utmost importance to the Body of Christ in this late hour.

We are going to examine the subjects of repentance, salvation, and the battle against sin. We are also going to talk about today's traditional salvation experience.

• Is it possible that today's method of salvation has become mediocre?
• Is it possible that some of those who desire salvation are being offered a trough with a limited drink from the well?
• Is it possible that some people who desire salvation are not being told what it entails or what it really means?

These questions are going to addressed and answered. My prayer is that you will be blessed and challenged as you visit these topics with me.

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Introduction

As we continue our study, we are going to talk about what it means to be an overcomer. I believe that this is one of the most important biblical themes that the remnant of God must possess in this late hour.

Whether you are a new Christian, a seasoned Christian or a struggling Christian, my prayer is that these messages will be a blessing to you and will challenge you to go the distance with God. To go the distance means to stay the course and endure to the end of your journey.

I know that at times this is not easy. But if it were easy, the road would be broad and according to Jesus, it is very narrow and most people will not find it. But my prayer is that you will find it ...and hold on to it! So the strategy for a child of God must be to journey on the road and finish the race.

Based on some of the emails that I receive from time to time, a number of you are struggling. Some of you are not where you want to be in your relationship with God.

Some of you feel beat up, chewed up, and at times are tempted to give up!

Some of you are under the strain from the voice of the enemy who whispers that there is no point!

But folks, Satan is a liar and Jesus said that He was going to build His Church and the gates of Hell would not prevail against it! This means that Jesus has the power to lead you to the victory of being an overcomer!

...Because when Jesus leads, demons have to get out of the way!

...When Jesus leads, the Red Sea is parted!

...And when Jesus leads, we end up beside the still waters with our souls restored!

According to the Bible, a segment of people are going to become overcomers in the end times. These overcomers are going to consist of regular folks like you and me. Therefore we must study and discover what it means to become one and also have our lamps full of God's oil and His light.

...The world is perishing in its own darkness.

Most of the people out there do not care, nor do they notice that while they wander about, they become caked with the dark residue of sin and iniquity.

This is one of the constants of being a world citizen; garments that are soiled with iniquity and footsteps that leave behind a dark wake of muddy tracks.

Spiritual Lepers

My friend, a wandering soul is a spiritual leper, contaminated and unclean.

That is... until Jesus meets them and does something about it. Today we are going to talk about this. We’re going to visit the biblical account of several individuals who traveled on their journey and encountered Jesus.

As we examine this information, we are going to glean a few truths. So please turn to in your Bibles to Luke, chapter 17. We're going to read about the biblical account of ten lepers who were cleansed by God.

Luke 17:11-19

“Now it happened as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as he entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

And when He saw them, He said to them, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them when he saw that he was healed, returned and with a loud voice, glorified God and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.

And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed, but where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner? And He said to him, “Arise, go your way, your faith has made you well.”

This is a well-known event from the Gospel of Mark. Many sermons have been written about it. Most of the time when this story is visited, it focuses on the theme of thankfulness and about how one leper was thankful for his healing, but nine others were not.

Thankfulness is a very important topic to be examined in this account but today we're going to go much deeper because there are additional layers of truth to be found.

First of all, let’s talk about the ten lepers and their disease. Who were they? They were ten individuals who had been diagnosed with leprosy and were living in Samaria.

During that era, when an individual was diagnosed with leprosy, it changed everything in their life. Today we know about the illness. It is a disease that is caused by a bacterial infection which can easily be cured with antibiotics.

But back then, there was no cure for the sickness and it was very contagious. Many times it was a death sentence. At minimum, it meant banishment from society: a banishment that resulted in family members who would forever be quarantined from their loved ones. The disease was horrible and it took a huge mental toll on its victims and their families.

Leprosy and the Law

The laws about leprosy are found in the book of Leviticus, chapters 13 & 14. To today's observer, Israel's management of leprosy may have appeared to be rigid but without the guidelines of quarantine and separation, leprosy would have spread throughout Israel's population very quickly.

When a person suspected that they had the beginnings of leprosy, they were required to have an examination by the priest.

If the priest determined that the person had the disease, it was mandatory that they be relocated to the outside of the camp, where they would live with other lepers. They could no longer live in the general population of Israel. This ordinance was mandatory.

The law also required that whenever a leper saw a healthy person approaching them, they had to warn them of their contamination by shouting, “unclean, unclean!”

This had to have been very embarrassing and demeaning for the leper! I cannot imagine the emotional and mental toll that this placed on them. To be marked for banishment was horrible, but to also have to go through the humiliation of informing everyone around them that they were diseased, unclean and contaminated must have been overwhelming!

It is sad that it had to be this way, but it was necessary because the disease was relentless and unforgiving. It also ravaged most of its victims, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally.

Can you imagine that folks! Try to put yourself in their shoes for a moment;

To be a person, living a normal life, and then to find out that you have the disease,

…a disease which would result in you becoming an outcast,
...despised and rejected by everyone around you!

This was very sad indeed!

When the lepers shouted out that they were “unclean,” it must have been very humiliating. Because not only did the disease mean that they were most likely going to die, but they had to verbally announce to everybody that they had the ailment.

When the people around them heard the words, “unclean.” They did not merely think, “That person has leprosy.”

Most likely, they also thought, ”Ewww! That leper is gross! Yuck! Stay away from him!”

How diminishing that must have been for the leper!

As we examine this disease, we can see that it was a cause for sorrow, for the victims and also for the family members. When a mother or a father was diagnosed with leprosy, it usually meant that they would lose their opportunity to hold their loved ones in their arms...forever!

It meant that a mother would not be able to nurse her baby, and it meant that a father would no longer be able to tuck his children into bed or watch them grow up. It meant no more hugs, no more kisses, and no more loving touches from the people that cared about them.

How sad... How very, very sad!

Why?

Some people may ask, "Why? … Why would God let it be this way?”

The simple answer? ... Because God is sovereign and He knew what He was doing. God did not cause disease to enter humanity. Disease is a byproduct of the fall of man.

But God also loves His creation, so He gave Moses the regulations for leprosy which would serve as a way to control the spread of the disease. God cared about their health, both spiritual and practical; and He gave them the guidelines so that Israel would be able to function in a healthy manner.

God Cares about Us

In the same way, God also cares about the spiritual health of the Church. He cares about your spiritual health, my friend.

When we examine the rules regarding leprosy, we can see that the disease serves as a spiritual model that reveals many shadows of truth. Leprosy represents a biblical metaphor about the disease of sin.

The laws concerning leprosy were meant to illustrate how sin contaminates humans. Sin has many similarities to leprosy. Like leprosy, sin is very contagious and deadly. Sin starts out small but is able to grow and pollute the rest of the body very quickly.

...And when sin runs its full course, it leaves the body shriveled, weakened, and dying!

The Price of Sin!

Sin is unforgiving and unbiased, it doesn't care about a person's riches, nor does it care about their status, reputation, or ego.

...Sin is expensive and offers no refunds!

...It destroys families and separates loved ones from one another,

...it will betray its host every time.

...Sin is a raging fire! It will wither the mind, torment the body, and haunt the soul!

...Sin reveals itself on the countenance. On many people, it leaves its history through their wrinkles and scars.

...It cannot be veiled in a fake smile, nor can it be shrouded in a lie!

...Sin is the bitter fruit that is harvested by the body of its user.

...It reveals itself in their posture, their focus, and their investments.

...It cannot be hidden in their words, and loves to spill out as a bitter dance on their tongue.

...Sin is deceptive and is able to cloak itself in a mirror's reflection.

...It is the soiled garment that envelops those who throw stones at others.

...It is the thief that hides in the darkness and flees from the light.

...It drives a hard bargain and laughs at all complaints.

...It has an appetite for flesh and is never satisfied.

Sin is the leprosy of the heart, the disease of the mind, and the cancer of the soul.

And ladies and gentlemen, if you are a grown up, you know this! If you have lived long enough, you know about sin's consequence! You've seen what it does to friends, family and loved ones.

...Some of you know about this all too well!

But how many people apply their fleeting efforts to hide it?

Like leprosy, sin eventually reveals itself. A leprous person could not hide their disease for very long because it was on the surface of their skin.

They could not hide it, ignore it and pretend that it wasn’t there. Eventually it would spread to the point where everyone else could see it. Having leprosy revealed itself as the truth. There is no way that it could be denied.

As we examine the disease of leprosy, we can see that it represents sin and how sin must be dealt with. It also illustrates what sin does to a person and how an infected person must come to terms with it.

Separation or Infection

When an individual from the camp of Israel found out they had leprosy, they were required to separate themselves from everyone else. This is what sin does. Sin causes a separation from the people of God and from God Himself.

Sin is also very contagious. It can infect a person unto death and also poison others with its ability to spread.

Ladies and gentlemen, sin is serious business. Unfortunately, in this late hour, many people treat sin as, “no big deal.”

...In this dying world, sin is accepted, celebrated and appreciated!

To the Christian who may verbalize their displeasure with sin, they are met with persecution, mocking, and scoffing.

They are even accused of being intolerant or hateful.

This is the world that we live in, and for many of us, this is the America where we must endure. As the days grow darker, the situation is not going to get any easier. But the person who wants to be an overcomer must be vigilant against the leprosy of the world.

Jesus said that we would know the truth, and the truth would set us free.

...The truth means honesty.
...The truth is the opposite of denial.

When we compare leprosy to sin, the leper had to always tell others that they were unclean. This was mandatory.

They could not pretend that it wasn't there and they could not deny it. And they surely could not point to other lepers and accuse them of being unclean.

The Log in the Eye!

Can you imagine that folks? How absurd would it be if a leper, who had the disease throughout their body, pointed to another leper and said, “Gross! You have leprosy and you are unclean!”

That would be ridiculous!

But when we consider a similar situation, how many people today have been guilty of shouting, “unclean,” to describe others, when they themselves are unclean?

Today, in this late hour, God has a message for the entire body of Christ - we must examine ourselves for sinful leprosy!

Folks, Jesus is coming soon and He's coming back for a Bride that is without spot or wrinkle! As we saw earlier, the disease of leprosy starts with a spot on the skin.

...the disease of sin also begins with a spot on the carcass of man, but it is a spot of iniquity.

... and how many spots of spiritual leprosy now plague today's Body of Christ!

Sadly, this condition it is not being addressed from the pulpit. I have observed that segments of the Church do not seem to concern itself with the possibility that it may be unclean.

Instead, portions of today's Church appears to be occupied with seeker sensitive gimmicks that try to appeal to the world.

Today's Church underwent a facelift, and became Hollywood - Hipster and Cool!
“Amen” was replaced with the screech from a guitar solo.

...Hymns were banished...

...Holiness became a stranger...

And the Holy Spirit went away, grieved and unwelcomed!

Today's American Western Church has turned into a big box playground,

...a sea of hardened hearts who are strangers to the cross.

And many in today's remnant community have become hampered by focusing on the paving stones of the Via Dolorosa,instead of carrying their own cross on the Via Dolorosa!

And while some are claiming to be followers of Christ, how many of them are picking up the little stones that are found along the Via Dolorosa and throwing them at others…

...instead of carrying their own cross and following Jesus?

Carrying our cross is our assignment! And carrying our cross means that we should be aware of our own spiritual leprosy instead of stoning others.

Folks, how many of today's remnant community are occupied stoning others, but not taking the time to look in the mirror to see the spots of spiritual leprosy in their own reflection?

..How many folks?

I have seen that today's American remnant community is populated by many people who are exhibiting this sort of spirit, and folks...this is NOT of God!

…And it will not go unpunished!

Where did it come from?

As we have examined how leprosy arrived on an Israelite back then, there are some vital points of truth that we can glean. First of all, we’re talking about the children of Israel, God’s people.

We’re not talking about pagans and heathens; we are talking about the people who were the Apple of God’s Eye.

And even though they were His chosen people, from time to time, leprosy would appear and infect some of them.

Why?

We do not always know. But it happened to them and leprosy did not always stay away from Israel just because of who they were.

And folks, this is a very important truth to grasp. Infection visited the camp of God’s people. When it happened, it could not be ignored. Had they ignored it, the disease would have spread throughout the camp, and many people would have ended up contaminated.

In the same way, we must also take heed against the contamination of spiritual leprosy. The first step is to know that spiritual leprosy is out there! This means that after a person is, “saved,” they can still get leprosy, or infected by sin, and thus become unclean.

I am about to say something that may disturb some of you, but I want to first, preface it with this, Jesus took care of the sins of humanity on the cross. His blood paid the debt for all sin.

However, there is a great confusion in today's modern church that is slipping by the salvation experience.

This confusion is also responsible for causing the malady of Saints with Sloppy Salvation!

What's that?

To explain it, I need to touch on several areas of the salvation experience as it is presented in many churches today.

You Missed a Spot!

Ladies and gentlemen, one of the biggest lies and deceptions from Satan is that after a person gets saved, there is no longer a need to deal with sins that are committed by that person.

The deception says that Christians no longer have to think about or deal with the struggle against sin because if they said the Sinners Prayer at any point in the past; then all sin, both past, present and future, was dealt with.

Meaning, there's no longer any need for repentance for the rest of their lives. Folks, that is a lie from Satan’s underworld and I have observed that many people are brainwashed with this deception.

Why? Because this lie is seasoned with the idea that Jesus is, “all grace,” and therefore Christians no longer have to deal with any sin that they commit. Thus, they do not have to think about any sin in their lives or address it, because they said the Sinners Prayer in the past.

In other words, there is no need to deal with any self-examination that considers the possibility of having sinful leprosy. As a result, there are many people who regard themselves as Christians, who have never dealt with the unclean issue, at the very beginning, or even at the present.

Nathan, what are you saying?

This is what I am saying: there are many people in the church with spiritual, unclean leprosy, and they are not dealing with it.

Why? Because they have listened to the words of pastors who tell them that everything is okay, and they should not concern themselves with self-examination.

The other reason is because many of them have placed faith in a potentially flawed procedure that is not even found in the Bible. And the procedure that I am talking about is,....hold on to your seat beats folks,

...the Sinner's Prayer!

The Sinner's Prayer is not found in the Bible!

Some of you may be saying, “Amen Nathan, thank you for bringing this up.”

But there might be some others that may be saying, “What are you talking about Nathan, are you saying that I am not saved?”

No I’m not saying that...

...but then again, all of us had better be certain! Now folks, please think about this!

Paul said in, 2 Corinthians 13:5

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?"

Ladies and gentlemen, in light of what time it is, meaning - the end times, and in light of the season of darkness that is now arriving across this planet, every one of us needs to make sure where we stand with God.

This means that it is paramount that we examine our salvation, faith, and relationship with Christ, and if we discover that our condition is less than positive, we must make the proper adjustments so that we can have full of assurance that we are His.

The Crisis of Overconfidence

Jesus spoke many parables. In several of them, He spoke about His return and the condition of men's hearts when He returned. Some of the parables revealed that there would be some people who would find themselves rejected by Jesus when they met Him.

Folks, let this serve as a warning. There will be some people in the Church who will hear the words, “I never knew you,” when they stand before Jesus someday!

This event will happen!

And when these people hear those words, they will be confused because while they lived their life, they thought that they belonged to God.

Unfortunately, they were basing their assumption on a “false confidence” that deceived them. This false confidence is running rampant in today's Body of Christ.

It is an over confidence that is deceiving a portion of those who may be reading these words, even now!

How can this be? Interesting question, huh?

Now please try to hear my spirit of concern in these words. One of the biggest challenges that Christians face today is overconfidence and a misunderstanding of their salvation.

Again folks, at the return of Jesus, some Christians are going to discover that they were not real Christians.

And the discovery will be through the words of Christ who will say, “Depart from me, I never knew you!”

Why?

The answer is simple. Because these unfortunate ones never experienced the correct - “Foundation of Repentance.”

They never knew what it was. They were never taught about it. They never understood it, or experienced it! So ladies and gentlemen, this is why I must talk about it! For all of us who desire to be counted as His, we must know about salvation with absolute certainty and possess the correct confidence.

Hebrews  3:12-14 says:

"Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;

but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,"

According to this passage, if we desire to make it to the end, God has a few requirements, we cannot:

• Have an evil heart of unbelief.
• We cannot quit the faith.
• Doubt that He is the Living God.

We must –

• Exhort and encourage one another.
• Not let our hearts become hardened.
• Become partakers with Christ. i.e. – become His partner, attached to Him.
• We must hold onto our faith in Him which gives us confidence.
• Never give up, even unto the end!

The foundation must be proper. It must be built on good soil. It must have a good and proper beginning with seeds that sprouted and were nourished.

The process of salvation is simple and yet it is one of the hardest things for a human being to undertake.

It must be grasped like a child but must also be dealt with like a grownup!

Salvation requires facing the truth,

...the truth about ourselves.

...a truth that reveals that we are undone and the only thing that can fix us is Jesus!

We cannot fix ourselves folks! Salvation is about surrender. And surrender is one of the hardest things for a human! But once we get past our pride, surrender is easy!

And today, there are many people who are calling themselves Christians who have not surrendered!

They pretend that they have, but their hearts reveals otherwise.

Is it possible that this could be you my friend? This question must always be a part of our prayer life...”God am I surrendered?...Show me where I am not!”

This is vital folks!

The person who seeks to make sure of this will possess the correct confidence. Not a deceptive confidence but a confidence that has assurance.

Those who understand repentance and salvation will have an assurance in their faith.

This assurance is the by-product of a proper “foundation of repentance,” and also of walking in obedience to Christ. So the goal that we should all have is to have a blessed assurance of our salvation.

Hebrews 10:22 says:

"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."

When we are partakers of the proper salvation encounter, we will have assurance about our faith. And folks, this is why I am addressing this topic.

All of us must have the asset of assurance in our faith arsenal, because if we do not, we will not be equipped to endure the things that lie ahead.

My friend, what about you? Do you have the assurance of faith? Are you struggling?
If some of you are struggling right now, there is hope for you.

...If some of you may be confused about your salvation, there is hope for you.

...If some of you have some doubts about your salvation, and you want to have those doubts erased, there is hope for you.

Jesus can heal leprosy. He can also heal our leprous hearts. My friends, in this late hour He is waiting to heal His Church.

May He do His work in you.


God Bless You
Nathan Leal

To be continued………………………………………

In the next part of this series, we are going to dissect today's popular method of salvation, the sinner's prayer and look deeper into the topic of repentance.

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Part one of this written message can be found here:
The Overcomers Series - Session 1 - Part A

Audio Link - Note – This is a portion of the transcript from the audio program -
Audio - The Overcomers Series - Session 1

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To contact Nathan Leal – contact

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Our address is Watchman’s Cry, P.O. Box 157, Priest River ID 83856. 

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