And One of Them - Pastor Raymond Woodward

it was the viral pandemic of the ancient world everyone knew about it and everyone was frightened by it and while their primitive medical science didn't yet know our modern terms they certainly understood the concepts of infectious and contagious and they feared the tragic consequences should there ever be an outbreak of this dreaded disease no one knew exactly what caused it or even all the symptoms associated with it there were telltale signs at the beginning to be sure but this disease could progress in a dozen different directions physicians tried to treat it but their success was severely limited misinformation abounded and citizens reacted either with crippling caution or callous carelessness to the news of yet another diagnosis in their vicinity but as the plague continued to take thousands of lives reality eventually set in there was no cure this disease was all too serious and it was all too often fatal the only thing that seemed to slow the progress of the plague at all was social distancing governments were criticized and misunderstood as they tried to act in the best interests of their citizens because the measures they espoused seemed harsh and unwarranted and the rules they imposed were inflexible and burdensome don't gather no crowds stand apart stay away no touching no handshakes no hugs self quarantine self isolate but by far the most difficult restriction for anyone who had the misfortune of contracting the disease was separation from their family and friends one diagnosis could totally upend normal life and the distancing dragged on forever no birthday parties no weddings no funerals no grandchildren no visits of any kind because there was no cure and just your presence could endanger others so you were required to stay away it was the law it felt awkward to wear that mask as if you were advertising to everyone that you were unclean but it was the law and there was nothing you could do but comply your mouth could spread germs after all especially when you had to cry out unclean unclean every time someone came too close and to add insult to injury you had to tear your clothes - announcing to all that you were sick diseased a carrier of the epidemic it was demeaning embarrassing distressing humiliating but there was no cure and you shouldered the blame and the shame even though you had no idea how you had contracted the virus it was totally unfair but it was the law Leviticus 13 verse 45 and the leper in whom the plague is his clothes shall be rent and his head bare and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip and shall cry unclean unclean all the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled he is unclean he shall dwell alone without the camp shall his habitation be yes leprosy terrified people in ancient times it appeared in various forms and stages of infection but once it became malignant it was a terminal debilitating condition the skin turned white and became numb then began to erupt in ulcers all over the body the limbs would swell and the hands and feet became distorted the bones and internal organs would be affected as the disease spread and gangrene usually resulted leprosy was called Sarat by the Jews and that word meant a smiting or a scourge there was no way to deal with infectious leprosy in ancient times other than to separate the sufferers from the general population putting them socially distanced without the camp and brothers and sisters in your Bible every scholar worth their salt will tell you that leprosy in the scripture is always regarded as a type of sin and when you read that ancient Book of Leviticus you can see just how much God hates sin by how much attention he gives to rooting out and destroying leprosy from within the camp of Israel leprosy is a dreadful disease most people they think leprosy simply causes your skin to rot and fall off your body but that's not really an accurate diagnosis the only thing that leprosy really does is it destroys the body's nervous system leprosy simply causes you to not be able to feel anything leprosy causes your whole body to go numb when someone's blind they can't see when someone's deaf they can't hear and when someone has leprosy they cannot feel being blind and deaf are so difficult but they never killed anyone and technically having leprosy never killed anyone either but imagine what your life would be like if you had the plague called leprosy a leper could be cutting vegetables accidentally slice off a finger and not even know it because they had no feeling in extreme cold a leper could freeze his fingers and his toes and never realize it a leper could be sleeping by a campfire roll too close to the flames and burn off a foot and never wake up so a leper didn't technically die from leprosy but from the damage that they did to themselves because they had no feeling and that is why leprosy is a perfect picture of sin sin causes you to lose all spiritual feeling just as leprosy causes its victims to lose all physical feeling sin causes our hearts to become hard and our conscience to become seared and so we can perform or witness the most evil and depraved acts of humanity and feel nothing but a detached disinterest internet anyone have you ever thought just how hardened and desensitized our culture is to sin now the law of Moses had been used many times to condemn people to a life of leprosy that's a whole chapter Leviticus 13 but even though that same law made provision for priests to examine those who claimed they had been cured neither scripture nor Jewish history ever record that process that procedure being used not even one time to cleanse a Jewish citizen from leprosy that's Leviticus 14 it's another whole chapter starts out in verse 2 by saying this shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing and it starts with he shall be brought to the priests I know what you're thinking yes naman was healed of leprosy in 2nd Kings chapter 5 but naman was not Jewish and Jesus himself made that observation to the congregation in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth and it made them furiously angry and they put him out of the synagogue he said this in Luke 4 many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet and none of them was cleansed saving naman the Syrian in other words he wasn't a Jewish citizen so there's not one case in the entire Old Testament where chapter 14 of Leviticus was ever used it never happened leprosy was incurable leprosy was impossible leprosy was fatal nobody ever no priest ever had to use Leviticus 14 because not one Jewish citizen had ever been cured of leprosy but suddenly many lepers started to come to the priests asking for cleansing many people started to find their irreversible disease reversed and the priests had to dust off those ancient scrolls and relearn a ceremony that they had never used before do you know why because all of a sudden God was walking among men women in the person of Jesus Christ that's why and it happened more than once but I want to take your attention this morning to the most famous passage maybe the most important time it happened Luke 17 this is verse 11 and it came to pass as Jesus went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst or in other words right on the border of Samaria and Galilee and as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar off in Luke 17 the Bible tells us that Jesus chose to travel along the border between Samaria and Galilee it's not that important to know where it is on the map but it's very important to understand the significance of that statement the Jews considered Samaritans to be half-breeds Samaritans were Jews who had intermarried with other people groups and so they were no longer full-blooded pure religious Jews and that had caused unspeakable tension and Prejudice and a Horrors over the years and then Jesus comes along and he intentionally walks that border where nobody else dares to venture he gets right between two people groups that hated each other and he loves them both and he walks in the midst of them Jesus comes along and if you can imagine the Jewish Messiah starts to tell stories about the Good Samaritan and we see him having a conversation at a well with an anonymous adulteress Samaritan woman and now we see him walking the border between Samaria and Galilee no you don't need to know where it is you just need to know why he did it it's one of the dividing lines between two groups of people who literally detested each other and Jesus said I don't do that I don't act like that I don't feel like that I can walk right in the middle of that and I can touch both groups and it is here on that border just outside that little nondescript village that ten lepers encounter Jesus but of course the Bible tells us they stood at a distance because leprosy was such a dreaded disease those who had leprosy were cast off from the rest of society they were expected to live outside the town often they had to live in garbage heaps and they were expected to have no contact whatsoever with former friends or family this was for the safety of those who did not have leprosy and it was also for their emotional well-being because seeing a leper who had an advanced case of the disease was a very distressing traumatic thing but on this day those ten lepers the Bible says they lifted up their voices and they turned their attention in the one direction where maybe just maybe they could get some help when nobody else could help them or would help them and they said Jesus master have mercy on us and when he saw them he said unto them the words that had never been spoken in Israel about leprosy go show yourselves unto the priests you can imagine how quick they began that journey and it came to pass that as they went they were cleansed all 10 of them it was an astounding miracle leprosy is a lot like sin isn't it sin separates us from God so that the only thing we can do is stand at a distance and say God I'm unclean I'm unclean but apparently these lepers had heard of the healing power of Jesus so in that momentous moment of time they called out to him for mercy and healing this is how we call out for to God when we become how aware of how sinful we are so many people in the world I know the leprosy and them the sin in them it is so severe that it has taken them past feeling they can't even sense that they're sinners they can't even sense that they're in trouble they can't even sense that their distance from God they can't even sense that they're destroying their own lives they can't even see that spiritually they are a rotting decaying putrifying corpse but if you ever come to that moment where you can see yourself as the scripture describes you then you will call out to God for mercy you say that's so negative no only in the world's eyes that's such a downer no only in the world's eyes you see for all of us that have come here today that we one day did cry out to Jesus for mercy it wasn't a downer it wasn't negative it is the momentous occasion of our lives it is Ground Zero it is the beginning of everything else it is the moment that all things became new it's our moment when we cried out for mercy and said I'm clean and Jesus said I can do something about that Jesus simply said to them go show yourselves under the priests according to Leviticus 14 that previously unused of the Bible that's exactly what you were supposed to do if you were ever healed of leprosy so these men knew exactly what Jesus was saying if you believe in me if you'll obey what I just told you you will be cleansed you will be healed and the Bible tells us that as they went as they responded they were cleansed of leprosy can I tell somebody that as you respond to Jesus in this service this morning you can be healed you can be cleansed you can be changed whoa can you imagine the joy they all felt at that moment they who were outcasts they who had no hope they who had no future to look forward to now they had received their lives back they could now go home to their friends and their family they could hug and kiss their wives again they could play with their children and grandchildren again they were cleansed and in that moment of excitement no wonder they began to run because the quicker they got to the priest the quicker they could go home for the first time in years but one of them when he saw that he was healed when he saw what Jesus had done for him when he saw that his leprosy was gone when he saw that his life had been forever altered he turned back and he said with a little with a loud voice he began to glorify God and he fell down on his face at Jesus feet giving him thanks now that shouldn't happen because Jewish culture taught us that God and Jesus were different the Jews didn't believe that Jesus was God but this Samaritan who wasn't a Jew and had no more sense than to understand that if somebody could heal you from sin that was God if somebody could turn your disease around in one miraculous touch that was God so although he didn't know any theology he got it exactly spot-on right in that moment he began to glorify God with a loud voice and fell down and his fell on his face at Jesus feet because he got it this Jesus is God and this God just healed me you know what we got it today as well this Jesus is God and only God could free me from sin so that's why we glorify and magnify the name of Jesus [Applause] there was one of them who didn't run and he was a Samaritan he turned around and he headed back to Jesus the scripture simply says and one of them no name no identifying features no family background and one of them when he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God and you know the story of the ten lepers is often used by pastors to teach thankfulness and basically in those lessons we're saying nine out of ten people have incredibly bad manners we're saying that when somebody helps you you should at least have the common courtesy to stop and say thank you but there's more going on here than a lesson about thankfulness for one thing there's that little sentence that Luke drops like a rock in the middle of this story and he was a Samaritan the one who came back to thank Jesus was a double outcast he was a leper and he was a foreigner in his ministry Jesus did what no one else would do what no one else could do Jesus made a point of touching unclean people including lepers and that woman with the issue of blood and that adulterous woman at the well and even the dead no one else did that those who were lepers were not allowed to go to church because they had a disease but those who were Samaritans were not even wanted at church because they were different dirty disgusting detested they didn't need leprosy to be shunned they were shunned because they were thought to be dirty the 9 ran to the temple but where can a Samaritan go a Samaritan isn't allowed in the temple go show yourself to the priest a Samaritan can't show himself to a Jewish priest a Samaritan doesn't fall under the rules of Leviticus 14 there's no priest who would declare a Samaritan clean as far as most Jews were concerned he was born unclean and he would die unclean leprosy notwithstanding do you know why he went back to Jesus he went back to Jesus because Jesus was all he had that's why he went back to Jesus of all the outcasts in Luke 17 this double outcast was the most grateful because when no one else would help and when no one else could help and when no one else even wanted him around and when no everyone else looked at him with disgust jesus healed him of the disease that had crippled his body and devastated his family and ruined his life and he did it in a moment of time and our God still does the very same kinds of things today music come back Samaritans didn't have priests so he ran back to Jesus because Jesus was the only priest he knew it was like Simon Peter said one time Lord to whom shall we go thou hast the words of eternal life can I stand there on a Sunday morning in the month of June 2020 and can I say Jesus where else would we go Joe who else would we turn nobody else could help some of the ex-addicts that are in this building they tried other people tried people prayed and tried and shamed and guilted and nagged and it didn't work until one moment that Jesus touched them and it changed everything that's why we turn to Jesus people sitting in this building that the doctors kind of just shook their hand said we can't help we're so sorry but they're here today because one moment in the presence of Jesus changed everything and we've still got some people some of them are watching online right now and some of them are in this building right now and they are suffering in their body tragically and tremendously but Jesus still has the power in one moment of time he can heal when the doctors walk away he can heal when all of us are giving up hope he can heal when there is no other logical reason to keep believing but Jesus in one moment can touch say you're not very dignified I didn't intend to come here dignified I intended to come here as the worship I'm running to Jesus because Jesus is the only priest I know and he's the only priest I need he's the only one that can help that's why I'm running to Jesus oh my goodness lift up your voice and give Jesus praise and one of them it doesn't have to be everybody and one of them remember Jesus told this story I'm almost done what man of you having a hundred sheep if he lose one of them would not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until he find it you don't have to feel like you belong you don't have to feel like everybody loves you you don't have to feel like your life is on an upward trend you don't have to feel like you've got your act together you don't have to be religious you don't have to know how to pray you don't have to be a church member Jesus is looking for the one and one of them if just one of them turns to God this service will be worth it in heaven's eyes he ran back to Jesus because otherwise he had no priest years later the writer of Hebrews says for we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities but he was on all points tempted like as we are yet without sin you failed he never failed you messed up he never messed up you fell flat on your face he never fell flat amusements let us therefore because of that in light of the above let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need Jesus is the only priest I know that can help you and Jesus is the only priest you need in this building this morning because of restrictions because there's a virus it's awkward we're seated separately we're distanced and we're not permitted and we understand and we we're good we're not permitted to have a come to the front altar service where we gather in closely and we lay hands on each other and we missed that that's hard we don't like that we'll get there eventually but we're not there today but I have wonderful news that when the 10:00 start running to the priest and nine continue on when the ten can't touch you in here if you'll turn to Him there's one who can touch you you say but I'm just one would he care all he always cares for the one he's just waiting to touch you so when I can't touch you he can touch you when I can't heal you he can heal you when I can't help you oh yeah he can help you and when I can't save you he can save you oh my goodness I'm so grateful for the presence of God and I'm sorry if I'm not quite dignified or pulled together enough for you but I feel the Holy Ghost in this room right now so if you lift your hands as if you were putting up an antenna to get a radio signal or something and if you just lift up your voice and reach out to Jesus Jesus can touch someone in a moment of time and do something totally unexpected totally unrealistic but he can jump over realistic he can jump over expect it and he can do the miraculous because Jesus is in this room and where Jesus is everything is different I know you can't come running down the aisle but I wish you'd stand as an act of look into Jesus and just kind of run to him in your spirit run to him with your voice run to him with your uplifted hands run to him with your prayer right now Jesus wants to reach over all of the social distancing and come close to you right now and touch your life so with Jelena we got five minutes to let Jesus do it we got five minutes to let Jesus touch somebody we got five minutes to let the tears flow we got five minutes for somebody to be healed we've got five minutes for somebody to begin a new life today thank you Jesus thank you Jesus shut up above I bow before you Oh somebody lift up your voice and pray in the spirit right now Jesus is moving in this room

Channel: Capital Community Church

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Keywords: capital, community, church, fredericton, nb, new, brunswick, canada, upc, upci, united, pentecostal, international, apostolic, christian, preaching, sermons, sermon, raymond, woodward, jack, leaman, matthew, bible, study, biblical teaching, and, one, of, them

Id: c_R9LvizUdI

Length: 32min 27sec (1947 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 28 2020