Life Begins with Thanksgiving

October 10, 1992

Luke 17:11-19

Ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

I. THE 'SHUT OUT ONES' APPLY TO JESUS FOR MERCY

They came in a group. But they were not either brothers or true friends. They stood a distance apart because they were shut out of normal human connections. They were lepers.

Being shut out and kept at a distance was more painful than just being gravely ill. What the ten lepers wanted more than anything else in all the world was to get well. But getting well was what they believed would be a means to the end of normal, happy, integrated LIVING.

What they wanted was to get well; what they craved was being loved and being a part of things and being whole. Being well was important. But being WHOLE was all-important.

You might think that these lepers at least had fellowship in their own group of ten. "Misery loves company" is an adage that we all know and quote. Perhaps we don't know what "Misery loves company" really means. It takes more than a common misery to create true loving fellowship.

During the 60's, amidst all the call for equality and brotherhood, and rightly so, among the peoples shut out from the mainstream of society- there was at the grass-roots, one-on-one levels in the movement a sense of separation. In the tent encampment on the Mall west of the Capitol, which was called Freedom City, Dr. Ralph Abernathy told later that there was segregation between the various minorities. Those speaking one language did not want to associate with those speaking another, and so forth.

Jesus accepted these outcasts as they were. He began the process of healing, and gave them the HOPE of "A NEXT STEP."

II. THE 'SHUT OUT ONES' EXPERIENCE THE HEALING POWER OF OBEDIENCE

1. Jesus met them at the point of their perceived need. There was authority in His voice as He spoke to them. Their faith was inspired.

   Jesus gave them an assignment within the law. Jesus told them: "Go and show yourselves to the priests!"

   This posed a dilemma. They know they were leprous. That was a fact. They could not even come NEAR the priest in that condition. But they could not be re-admitted to society until they did! The ten lepers had a challenge!

2. Faith in Jesus does pose a dilemma. We cannot come to God with sin in our lives. But we cannot be saved unless and until we do come to Him! We cannot have fellowship with God until we are free from the guilt and pollution of sin.

   I WONDER IF WE GRASP THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SEPARATING POWER OF SIN! THE STORY OF THE TEN LEPERS COMES CLOSER TO HOME THAN WE WOULD LIKE TO THINK!

   We KNOW that we are sinful, that we come short of God's glory. Our sinful, selfish condition means that we are "shut out ones" and can not approach a Holy God in any significant way apart from a word of divine grace.

3. When Jesus said, "Go show yourselves to the priests!" the ten lepers heard a word of grace; they said, "What do we have to lose?" And taking Jesus at His word they started off, polluted and leprous as they were.

   And the Word is (14) "as they were going they were cleansed." Evidently there was a healing power in their obedience to the Son of God.

4. We, too, have heard that divine word of grace. We have heard it over and over again, until we almost take it for granted. We think that it is no light thing to be able to go to the holy place and pray. But we are cleansed because we have heard Jesus say, "You may come to the Father in My name!" Our sins are forgiven, our sinfulness is cleansed as we exercise the faith in Jesus and His Word and His sacrifice on Calvary and believe that in HIM we are healed!

   The miracle of wholeness had BEGUN:

   Tremendous power was manifested that day. Ten lepers, polluted, outcast, "shut out ones," started out for the temple, and ten lepers were legally and ceremonially and literally CLEAN before they ever got to show themselves to the priests.

   Tremendous power is manifested whenever people obey the clear command of Jesus! We can trust His Word that "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world." It is a wonderful thing to be saved, and on our way to heaven— to realize that we may enter into fellowship with all God's people.

III. ONE "SHUT OUT ONE" TURNED BACK AND COMPLETED A CIRCLE

[Perhaps I am reading more theology into this parable than I should. Holiness preachers have long been accused of this. But as one great man (Uncle Bud Robinson) responded to this charge I say, with him: "If we can see second-blessing holiness where it ain't, then you ought to be able to see holiness where it IS!"]

1. What I see in this vignette from Jesus' ministry is that the healing or cleansing of these lepers was not really completed until there was more than a selfish receiving on the part of those applying for grace.

   One of the ten did NOT go directly to the priests to receive his official document of cleansing. He started to go, and in his obedience he was healed.

   But before this man re-entered society officially he went looking for the One who had cleansed him! As he went his heart was overflowing with gratitude and praise to God! His praise to God was evident and abundant and overflowing!

2. Jesus made some comments and a pronouncement!

   Ten people that day received the benefits of God's grace! Ten people were reached by the love of God, and made legally and ceremonially clean. But nine of them kept on going without a backward glance.

   These people seemed to be a puzzle to Jesus. "Where are the nine?" He asked. It seems they never thought of the God-connection; never thought of a personal expression of praise and thanksgiving and love to God.

   I am not saying they just "took it for granted" but that is the way it looks to me!

   Jesus seemed to be amazed that the one that did turn back in love was not even a bona-fide Jew! He was a despised half-breed Samaritan, who was an outcast before he even got leprosy!

   Jesus pronounced this ONE man, this SAMARITAN "Whole!" "Saved!"

Conclusion:

[Briefly reiterate the purpose of salvation is NOT to free us up for selfish living, BUT to enable us to COME IN to fellowship with God Himself, and with God's people, where true WHOLENESS begins!]

Prayer