Preached by Gustavo Barros at Gospel Fellowship Community Church Salem
Luke 17:11-19 11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and
Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at
a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on
us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the
priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw
that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell
on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then
Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found
to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him,
“Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
Introduction:
** A young
woman named Anne Steele had encountered one trial and disappointment after
another. Being a devout Christian, she continuously sought to praise God—even
in sorrow. She was engaged to be married and had looked forward to her wedding
day with eagerness. The big day finally arrived and so did the guests—but the
groom was missing. After about an hour of waiting, a messenger brought the
tragic news that Anne’s fiancé had drowned. The sudden shock was almost too much
for her, but after a while she regained her spiritual composure. Later Anne
Steele penned the song that is still found in many hymnbooks: Father, whatever
of earthly bliss Thy sovereign will denies, Accepted at Thy throne of grace,
let this petition rise: Give me a calm, a thankful heart, from every murmur
free! The blessings of Thy grace impart, and make me live to Thee.
** Andrew
Carnegie, the multimillionaire, left $1 million for one of his relatives, who
in return cursed Carnegie thoroughly because he had left $365 million to public
charities and had cut him off with just one measly million.
** Samuel
Leibowitz, criminal lawyer and judge, saved 78 men from the electric chair.
** Many years
ago, as the story is told, a devout king was disturbed by the ingratitude of
his royal court. He prepared a large banquet for them. When the king and his
royal guests were seated, by prearrangement, a beggar shuffled into the hall,
sat down at the king’s table, and gorged himself with food. Without saying a
word, he then left the room. The guests were furious and asked permission to
seize the tramp and tear him limb from limb for his ingratitude. The king
replied, “That beggar has done only once to an earthly king what each of you
does three times each day to God. You sit there at the table and eat until you
are satisfied. Then you walk away without recognizing God, or expressing one
word of thanks to Him.”
What binds/unites
these stories together is the word gratitude/thankfulness.
As we can see by these stories thankfulness is a rare thing. Our sin nature
hates being thankful, because thankfulness is related to humility.
I want us to
remind that the Bible demands thanksgiving from us at all times. It doesn´t
recommend, it is not a piece of advice, but an order. Gratitude is not an
option, it is an obligation. It is a command! Ps 95:2 Let us come
into his presence with thanksgiving; 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts,
and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him;
100:4 Enter his gates with
thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!; Phil 4:6 do not be anxious about
anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God; Cl
2:6-7 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
7rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were
taught, abounding in thanksgiving; 3:15-16 And let the peace of Christ rule in your
hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in
all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in
your hearts to God; I Te 5:16-18
Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.;
UNTHANKFULNESS
IS SIN: Since the Lord demands/requires thanksgiving, every
time we deny gratitude, every time we are not thankful, we sin!
We become
like the beasts of the field, irrational animals. Animals don’t say “thank you.”
A clear
example can be seen in the life of Nebuchadnezzar: 28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve
months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the
king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my
mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 While the words were still in the king's
mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is
spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from
among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall
be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you,
until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom
he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was
driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the
dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails
were like birds' claws.
As we can see
with Nebuchadnezzar’s story, ingratitude does not recognize God’s sovereignty.
Why is Thankfulness Important?
“The attitude of gratitude is important for several reasons:
Thankfulness acknowledges that God is our provider; Thankfulness prevents a
complaining spirit; Thankfulness creates a positive outlook on life;
Thankfulness invites joy to dwell in our hearts.” (Kent Crockett, Making Today Count for Eternity,
Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2001, pp. 161)
Thankfulness
fights against pride! Pride is the type of sin that puts me above others and
above God. And we know that God hates this sin: Prov 11:2 When pride
comes, then comes disgrace; I Jn 2:16
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the
eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world; Jas 4:6 “God opposes the proud, but
gives grace to the humble.”
Thankfulness
is a very important medicine against pride issues!
May the Lord
help us to be grateful in every circumstance. May the Holy Spirit give us a
humble and thankful heart.
How good is
this time of the year, the Thanksgiving season, for us to stop, examine our
hearts, and become more humble and more grateful!
Context
of Luke 17:11-19:
The Pharisees
were part of a religious group within Israel. The name means “separated.”
The Pharisees
were completely blind and ignorant to the understanding of grace and mercy.
They could not understand God´s grace. They
saw their prosperity and health as God´s salary and obligation to their
obedience. They could not see that all that we are and all that we have are the
result of God´s mercy and compassion. For them the blessings were an obligation.
When we
arrive at chapter 17, the verses 1-10 talk about the way the disciples must
behave, how careful we must be to not cause others to stumble. And when someone
stumbles there must repentance and forgiveness.
In view of
such a high standard the disciples cry out for more faith, they want to be more
faithful. The Lord Jesus replies reminding them that it is not about the
amount/quantity of faith, but the understanding of who they are that will help
them to be more careful, loving, and forgiving.
Verses 8 and
10 are the key to unlock this passage. Jesus says we are “unworthy servants’” (Gk. δοῦλοι ἀχρεῖοι --- unworthy/without dignity
slaves). When we fully comprehend that Jesus is our Lord and we are simple
slaves we will become quicker to love others, quicker to repent, forgive, and
be grateful!
“The slave is not to expect gratitude from the master; the slave is to
show gratitude toward the master. It is our gratitude, based upon the grace of
God in our lives, which is the fuel for the forgiveness which we are to
manifest toward others. Thus, Jesus has turned the subject. Faith is an issue here,
but it is not the need for more faith on the part of the disciples as it is to
remember the basic principles on which faith operates. Faith operates in the
realm of grace, and grace should produce gratitude. This gratitude is the
disciple’s motive for forgiving others. Those who are forgiven much are
expected (on the basis of grace) to forgive.” (http://bible.org/seriespage/putting-faith-perspective-luke-175-19)
This is the
context of the amazing story in which only one leper was able to see himself as
an unworthy slave.
Outline:
I – THE ChARACTERS
(VS.11-13)
v.11 – “On
the way to Jerusalem” --- Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem took a few
months. Luke 9:51 tells about the moment when Christ started His death
march. He traveled to other places – healing, teaching, saving, and judging –
before Jesus reached Jerusalem to be crucified.
Some
commentaries believe that Jesus healed the ten lepers after raising Lazarus (Jn 11:54
Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to
the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed
with the disciples).
“he [jesus] was passing along between Samaria
and Galilee” --- The Jews didn´t use to travel through Samaria.
They hated the Samaritans so much that they preferred walking a much longer
journey than stepping on the Samaritan territory.
SAMARITANS X JEWS:
“Relation between Jews and Samaritans were always tense and often
hostile.” (Zondervan
Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Volume I, pg 408)
See John 4:9
Jn 4:4 And he had
to pass through Samaria. That is a soteriologyc/salvific necessity. Jesus had
to save some Samaritans!
THREE GREAT
CITIES IN VERSE 11:
Jesus is
between Samaria and Galilee. Through His death and resurrection in Jerusalem He
will unite these people. Jesus brings unity and friendship through the salvation
conquered at the cross (Eph 2:17).
IT IS NOT BY CHANCE!! Jesus is not
walking between Samaria and Galilee by chance. There is no ‘by chance’ with Jesus. He did not make a mistake with the route,
His GPS was not broken. Our beloved Savior had planned since eternity that He
would pass right there at that time.
There is no
‘by chance’ with Jesus! He has everything planned and in His hands!
v.12 “And
as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance”
(Gk. δέκα λεπροὶ)
--- The village (Gk. κώμη –
a village or country town, properly as opposed to a walled city), we don’t know
the exact location. The Gospel writer is interested in the people who lived in
this village.
THE SPECIAL CHARACTERS: Ten Lepers!
LEPROSY: “Biblical leprosy was not the same as modern
leprosy [Hansen’s disease], but a variety of diseases that may have included
psoriasis, lupus, ringworm, and others. Lepers were required to keep their
distance from people and to cry out ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ when approached (Lev.
13:45-46). Because of this ostracism, lepers sought out others with the
disease, even those whom they would not normally associate.” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary,
Volume I, pg 454)
“’Leprosy’ was a term used to designate a number of skin diseases, so
the fundamental problem of these ten was, in all likelihood, not a malady that
was physically life-threatening. Instead, they were faced with a debilitating
social disorder. Regarded as living under a divine curse and as ritually
unclean, they were relegated to the margins of society.” (Joel Green, The
New International Commentary on the New Testament – Luke, Eerdmans, pg 623)
** It seems
that they had a really bad case of leprosy, which may be similar to today’s
Hansen’s disease.
“TEN
LEPERS” --- The number ten is often used to symbolize fullness (e.g. the
Ten Commandments). These ten lepers are a beautiful representation of humanity.
Man, apart from God’s grace and mercy, is cursed and separated from true fellowship
with Him. Like them, man cannot worship God at the true temple!
“WHO
STOOD AT A DISTANCE” ---They were being obedient to the Law. According
to Leviticus 13 and 14 the lepers should keep distant from other people.
v.13 – and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
“LIFTED
UP THEIR VOICES (ESV)/ CALLED OUT IN A LOUD VOICE (NIV) ” --- It is
said that some types of leprosy can affect the vocal cords making it harder to
speak. What we see here is a tremendous effort on the part of these men to get
Christ’s attention.
What were they
calling out in a loud voice? What was their cry?
“JESUS,
MASTER, HAVE MERCY ON US!” ---- How did they know about Jesus? The news
about Christ had spread all over Palestine. People from all the regions
surrounding Galilee had heard about Jesus’ power and compassion (Mk 3:7-8)
JESUS =
That was His name. It is a reference to the man Jesus who was walking there.
They were not calling Peter or John or James, but Jesus! We don’t cry out to
Mary, or to Buddha, we don’t cry out to Gandhi or any Catholic saint, but if we
want mercy and salvation, we must cry out to Jesus!
MASTER = Gk.
ἐπιστάτης –
the legal standing of ownership referring to the master-in-charge, an overseer.
This expression shows us that they saw Jesus as someone with a higher authority
and power. They knew Jesus had the power to set them free.
“What is clear is that, in naming Him as master, these ten lepers place
themselves in a position of subordination to Him in the hope of receiving from
Him some form of benefaction.” (Joel Green, The New International
Commentary on the New Testament – Luke, Eerdmans, pg 623)
HAVE MERCY ON
US = They know that Jesus has the power to save them
from their disease, but that first He must have mercy in order to exercise His
power.
“Mercy is the kind, sympathetic, and forgiving treatment of others that
works to relieve their distress and cancel their debt. Or mercy is compassion
combined with forbearance and action.” (Tim Lane and Ted Tripp -
http://www.monergism.com/relationships.html)
May this statement
be our daily prayer, “Jesus, my beloved Master, have mercy on me! Be gracious
and compassionate to me!”
THE LESSON ON
SUPPLICATION: Even though these men are
praying just because of their terrible situation and nine of them don’t care
about God, we can learn important lessons: 1 - The Lord is always close to hear our cries and
prayers. He is not a distant God; 2 – We pray more when we realize how needy we are
of His mercy and grace. If I truly realize how wretched and sinful I am, I will
battle in prayer; 3 – Tribulation and afflictions are instruments of
grace to cause us to pray more.
“The conduct of the ten lepers is very instructive. It throws light on a
most important subject in practical Christianity, which we can never understand
too well. That subject is PRAYER. How is it that many never pray at all? How is
it that many others are content to repeat a form of words, but never pray with
their hearts? How is it that dying men and women, with souls to be lost or
saved, can know so little of real, hearty, business-like prayer? The answer to
these questions is short and simple. The bulk of mankind have no sense of sin.
They do not feel their spiritual disease. They are not conscious that they are
lost, and guilty, and hanging over the brink of hell. When a man finds out his
soul's ailment, he soon learns to pray. Like the leper, he finds words to
express his need. He cries for help.
** So the
main characters of the story are Jesus and ten outcast lepers.
II – THE LORD´S MErcy
(V.14)
V.14 “WHEN HE SAW THEM HE SAID
TO THEM” --- Jesus beheld their situation. He didn’t simply look with
the corners of His eyes, He didn’t pretend He looked at them, but our Lord
beheld these ten men.
“That is a small but significant detail. Jewish law and human nature
conspire to make the leper invisible. People are inclined to ignore sick or
dying people, because suffering and death make us uncomfortable. We can draw
strength from the knowledge that the one who saw the lepers also sees our
pain.” (http://www.lectionary.org/EXEG-Concise/NT/ConNT03-Luke/Luke%2017.11-19.htm)
Jesus was
walking to the cross. He was marching to His death and still He walks where
nobody walks and cares for those about whom nobody cares.
** When I am
going through hard times, when the storms come, do I still care about the
people around me? Do I still look with compassion at those who are also
suffering?
“GO AND SHOW YOURSELVES TO THE PRIESTS” --- Jesus tells these
men to obey the Law (Leviticus 13:2-3). According to the Law they had to show
themselves to the priests.
** The
priests acted as “health inspectors” to
exclude persons or restore them to their social roles. These lepers will bear
testimony to the priests of Jesus' great healing power. When the priests judge
the lepers to be clean, their judgments will authenticate Jesus' divine power.
“AS THEY WENT THEY WERE CLEANSED”---
The power and the mercy of Christ!
I don’t
believe they got the healing because of the obedience. I don’t think it was a
test of faith. When Jesus told them to go the healing was already happening and
as they went they were able to see in each other’s bodies the healing.
These men
were overflowing with happiness. They, probably, ran to their priests laughing,
jumping and contemplating the new body they had.
CLEANSED/PURIFIED – They received the physical
healing and with it the religious purification. The Greek word καθαρίζω speaks about the religious aspect of the healing.
ONLY GOD HAD THE POWER TO RESTORE THE LEPER:
That is a
beautiful picture of God visiting mankind with mercy and compassion through the
person of Jesus Christ.
III – ONE THANKFUL
(VS. 15-16)
v.15 “THEN ONE OF THEM, WHEN HE SAW HE
WAS HEALED” --- The key word here is the word ‘saw’.
We know that
all the ten lepers saw, with their natural eyes, the physical healing, but just
one man had his eyes opened to see the Savior and the salvation. Only one man
had the eyes opened to see that he had received more spiritual healing.
The nine
other men saw the healing of their bodies, but this man saw the forgiveness of
his sins being forgiven by Christ.
The Lord
resurrected this man from spiritual death and gave him new eyes to see who
Jesus was.
All the
others saw Jesus as an amazing miracle worker, as a great teacher, as a
merciful man, but this leper saw Christ as God incarnated, he saw Jesus as his
Savior!
He saw the Kingdom of God being manifested and the
power of the King, and this no natural eyes can see there must regeneration before (see Jn 3:3
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he
cannot see the kingdom of God.”).
*** The other nine men left with the healing
they so wanted, but spiritually blind and unclean before the Holy God.
Like so many people in the churches today, God gives what they want, they leave
the meetings so happy with what they got, but they never understand the cost of
following Christ, their eyes are continually blinded by Satan.
** Have you beheld the healing of your soul? Do you see
what the Lord has done for your spirit on that cross? Can you, like this leper, see how much more
precious is the forgiveness of your sins than any physical blessing?
“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, TURNED
BACK” --- How could he continue his journey? How could
this leper go to the temple if God was right before his eyes? How could he go
to a priest if the Greatest High Priest was right before him?
4 ACTIONS OF A THANKFUL HEART (vs.15-16): 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed,
turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at
Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.
1 - HE COMES BACK --- He cannot continue
walking. His soul is thirsty for the Living Water, he needs to come back to
Jesus.
All the
others go to a temple that is under God’s curse, they go to a temple in which
God’s presence has already departed, but this man comes to the true Temple, he
comes to the true High Priest and offers the true sacrifice – the sacrifice of
praise and adoration.
2 – PRAISING GOD WITH A LOUD VOICE --- He
just doesn’t cry out in a loud voice (v.13), but he also praises in a loud
voice. He wants people to hear how grateful he is. He is not embarrassed!
True
thankfulness also manifests itself in intensity.
“Those that have received mercy from God should publish it to others,
that they may praise God too, and may be encouraged by their experiences to
trust in him.” (Matthew
Henry)
How can I not
sing praises with shouts of joy? How can I come to church and not sing with a
loud voice in view of how much God has done for me?
3 – v.16 “AND HE FELL ON HIS FACE AT JESUS’
FEET” --- What a beautiful picture of reverence and adoration.
“Falling at the feet of someone is an act of submission by which one
acknowledges another’s authority; it signifies reverence.” (Joel Green, The
New International Commentary on the New Testament – Luke, Eerdmans, pg 625)
He is not
afraid of what other people will say, for there is no better place to be than at
our Lord’s feet! He doesn’t want to be at the temple, he wants to be at the
feet of Christ!
“There is no place so honorable as down at the feet of Jesus! Ah, to lie
there always and just love Him wholly—and let self die out! Oh, to have Christ
standing over you as the one figure overshadowing your life from this day on
and forever! True thankfulness lies low before the Lord.”
(Spuregon)
4 – “GIVING HIM THANKS” --- Now he opens
his mouth and a river of gratitude flows.
He knows how
much he was forgiven, that is why he loves Christ so much. He knows how
unworthy he is and that is why his heart overflows in thanksgiving.
PUBLIC THANKFULNESS:
** Let us
follow the example of this leper and have a life that is marked by gratitude,
praises, and thanksgiving!
v.16 “NOW HE WAS A SAMARITAN”
--- Here Luke lights up the dynamite. This is scandalous for a Jewish audience.
How can this man be a Samaritan?
Where are the
Jews? Where are the religious people?
2 IMPORTANT LESSONS:
2 – We learn once again that religion without a
relationship hardens the heart. Religious people have a hard time seeing
themselves as unworthy slaves and as a consequence they have a hard time being
thankful!
THANKFULNESS (vs.15-16):
a – It sees all that the Lord has done for you (v.15). Can
you see what the Lord has done for you? Have you been seeing all the blessings
God has poured out on you, or do you just see what you have not received?
b – It is demonstrated through actions. You show
thankfulness through the way you behave (the way you treat people, the way you
come to church, the way you behave in church, how much time you give to
something).
c – It is shown through words. We need to speak words
of thanksgiving. Gratitude is not shown through silence.
IV – NINE
UNTHANKFUL MEN (VS. 17-18)
v.17 “then
jesus asked: were not ten cleansed? where are the nine?” ---
Jesus knew where they were, He know everything and He knew before the
foundation of the world that these nine lepers would not come back. The
question is a teaching tool to make the people reflect.
** NO LORDSHIP:
v.17 “WHERE ARE THE OTHER NINE?”
--- They are fulfilling their religious duties.
“Let me remark that more obey ritual than ever praise Christ. When Jesus
said, “Go show yourselves to the priests,” off they went, all 10 of them! Not
one stayed behind. Yet only one came back to behold a personal Savior and to
praise His name. So today—you will go to Church, you will go to Chapel, you
will read a book, you will perform an outward religious action, but oh, how
little praising God, how little lying at His feet and feeling that we could
sing our souls away for gratitude to Him who has done such great things for us!
External religious exercises are easy enough and common enough, but the
internal matter, the drawing out of the heart in thankful love—how scarce a
thing it is! Nine obey ritual where only one praises the Lord! (Spurgeon -
http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols31-33/chs1935.pdf)
ONE IN TEN or NINE OUT OF TEN:
A – There are
more people asking for things than praising and giving thanks to Christ.
“There are more who receive benefits than
ever give praise for them.” (Spurgeon - http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols31-33/chs1935.pdf)
” Let us mark, lastly, in these verses, what a rare
thing is thankfulness. We are told that of all the ten lepers whom Christ
healed, there was only one who turned back and gave Him thanks. The words that
fell from our Lord's lips upon this occasion are very solemn—‘Were there not
ten cleansed? But where are the nine?’ The lesson before us is humbling,
heart-searching, and deeply instructive. The best of us are far too like the
nine lepers. We are more ready to pray than to praise, and more disposed to ask
God for what we have not, than to thank Him for what we have. Murmurings, and
complainings, and discontent abound on every side of us. Few indeed are to be
found who are not continually hiding their mercies under a bushel, and setting
their needs and trials on a hill. These things ought not so to be. But all who
know the church and the world must confess that they are true. The wide-spread
thanklessness of Christians is the disgrace of our day. It is a plain proof of
our little humility.” (J.C. Ryle)
** Let us not
be like the majority! May the Lord have mercy on us!
B – Praises and
thanksgiving will be done through eternity. We won’t pray with petitions
through eternity, but we will sing praises and thank God. So let us practice
these things here (Rev 4:9; 11:16-17).
C – There are
more people exercising religious activities than truly falling at Christ’s feet
and giving Him proper worship.
THE LEPER’S HUMBLE HEART:
v.17 “Were
not ten cleansed?” --- That is what we call “Common
Grace.” It is the grace of God that is poured over all His creatures. We
contrast it with the Special Grace (salvific grace).
Luke 6:35-36 [35] But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in
return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High,
for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. [36] Be merciful, even as your
Father is merciful.
We call these
God’s common mercies—only common because He is so liberal with them, for
God is good
even when we are ungrateful!
v.18 – “Was
no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”
--- We are able to see how un-thankfulness gets our Lord’s attention!
God ordains
us to avoid unthankful people:
Because it is
a characteristic, or an aspect of a perverse person:
V – ONE SAVED AND
NINE LOST (V.19)
The ten
lepers received the physical restoration, but only one received spiritual
restoration. The other nine went back with their spirits sick and with leprosy,
but the Samaritan was totally restored.
“RISE
AND GO YOUR WAY; YOUR FAITH HAS MADE YOU WELL” --- The
other nine had faith to receive natural healing, but did not have faith to see
Christ as Lord and Savior.
The ESV says “made
you well,” but the Greek word is σῴζω the same
word used over and over again for salvation. A better and more accurate translation
would be, “your faith has saved you.”
No!!!!
Even his salvific faith was a gift from God. He was saved by God’s mercy
and grace.
** What a
tremendous and beautiful picture of our salvation. Just like this Samaritan
leper we were dead, separated from fellowship with God, but God who is rich in
mercy and Grace saved us through Jesus Christ!
Let us look
at this leper – see his despicable condition – and behold the mercy of God. And
like him let us overflow in thanksgiving!
CONCLUSION:
Let us
remember that we are unworthy slaves. Slaves have no rights. Let us see
ourselves as unworthy slaves with leprosy, and then we will be able to see how
much the Lord has done for us! Only then will thanksgiving be a mark in our
lives.
“Let us pray for a daily thankful spirit. Above all, let us pray for a
deeper sense of our own sinfulness, guilt, and undeserving. This, after all, is
the true secret of a thankful spirit. It is the man who daily feels his debt to
grace, and daily remembers that in reality he deserves nothing but hell--this
is the man who will be daily blessing and praising God. Thankfulness is a
flower which will never bloom well excepting upon a root of deep humility!”
(J.C. Ryle)
I Thess 5:17-18 [17] pray without ceasing, [18] give thanks in all circumstances; for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
May our
beloved Christ help us to be thankful in ALL circumstances.
** Let us be grateful for our salvation! Col 1:11-12 May you be strengthened with all power, according to
his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving
thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of
the saints in light.; Heb 12:28-29 Therefore
let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and
thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our
God is a consuming fire
** Grateful for our families (spouses, children,
siblings)!
** Thankful for our meals/food! I Tm 4:2-5 For everything [talking about food and marriage] created
by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with
thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
** Thankful for our health!
** Grateful for God’s mercy! I Cr 16:34 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love/mercy
endures forever!.
** Thankful for the Church of Christ! Psalm 100:2-4
** Thankful for tribulations and persecutions! James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials
of various kinds.
“Giving thanks can be a powerful thing. If you can cultivate a thankful
heart, then you will solve many of your problems. Offering thanks and praises
to God helps you to stop focusing on your problems.” (John MacArthur, The
Anatomy of a Church, pg 45)
Col 2:6-7 Therefore,
as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in
him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in
thanksgiving; 3:15-16 And let the
peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one
body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching
and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
May our Lord
help us to be a church of unworthy slaves that overflow with thanksgiving at
the feet of Christ!
http://preceptaustin.org/luke_commentaries.htm
Preached by Gustavo Barros at Gospel Fellowship Community Church Salem
II – THE LORD´S MErcy
(V.14)
III – ONE THANKFUL
(VS. 15-16)
IV – NINE
UNTHANKFUL MEN (VS. 17-18)
V – ONE SAVED AND
NINE LOST (V.19)
No comments:
Post a Comment