Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers - Luke 17:11-19 | Tawfiq Cotman-El

Luke 17 and we're going to be starting at verse 11 Luke 11 I'm sorry Luke 17 11 says this on the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee and he entered a village he was met by ten lepers who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices saying Jesus master have mercy on us when he saw them he said to them go and show yourselves to the priests and as they went they were cleansed then one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back praising God with a loud voice and he fell on his face at Jesus feet giving him thanks now he was a Samaritan then jesus answered were not ten cleansed where are the nine was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner and he said to him rise and go your way your faith has made you well now this is not a parable this is an account of Jesus healing ten lepers and one returned to give praise and worship and while this is not a parable I do believe that we would miss some treasure if we only look at it on the surface if we only look at it as a physical healing I think we would miss something and my studies seem to indicate others thought this way as well I think there is a great help here in this account and again we find ourselves in this account when you read the scriptures I think it's just helpful for you to look for yourself where do you fit in this who are you which character are you in relation to Christ it can be very helpful so let's look at this account and see what we can find so on the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee I just think again just something helpful there just to note that this is often the case that Jesus was often passing along he was often passing through Jesus didn't often stay in any one place for too long and if you're waiting for another time to trust him thinking well he may come along again I may get another opportunity the message of Christ may come across my ears at another time I would tell you to not think this way he was passing along and he may not come your way again but as he entered a village he was met by ten lepers who stood at a distance now this is one verse but there are three things of significance in this one verse that I would like to point out to you one what they were how many there were and where they were as he entered a village he was met by ten lepers who stood at a distance so first what they were what were they they were lepers now as we read the scriptures there are some words that don't hit us and they should some words that go in one ear and out the other the last time I was before you I spent a little bit of time talking about tax collectors this word leper is like one of those words that needs some unpacking because in our day we just don't we just don't come across many lepers but I think we need to pause here for a moment and I'm not aware of how it formed you are on leprosy and I thought I knew a lot about it until I started studying realized I was misinformed as many people are because there's a common misconception about leprosy is that it's kind of like a flesh-eating disease and it just causes parts of your body to just fall off and I ever heard something like that that this is this is what it does it just causes limbs to just fall off well that's not actually true and what I found out was actually it's much worse this one of the main things that this disease does is that causes nerve damage and the nerves right those are the things that sing the signals to your brain that say pain there is something wrong you need to take your hand off of that well leprosy causes nerve damage that causes you to not feel pain causes you to not know when something is going on it basically makes you numb to things that you don't need to be numb to so imagine the person with leprosy that causes them to go throughout their life touching things coming into contact with things that are deadly that cause serious injury that can even cause death and they don't know it I saw a video of this one leper and she would often fall into the fire and be unaware and she had the burns to prove it others would grab things that were extremely sharp and they would cause gashes in their flesh and be unaware some would step on things that would impale their foot rusty nails and the like and they're completely unaware and as you know as any one who has any knowledge of the medical field will tell you when there's a wound when there's a gash when there's a bird there's a critical need to avoid infection well if you don't know that you're bleeding if you don't know that you've just been burned if you don't know that you just stepped on a rusty nail you're not going to think about infection and this is what happens the wounds get infected seriously infected gangrene and that is why when you look at lepers they are without limbs is because they have to be amputated because they become so infected they are unaware and something had to be done there's a numbness they cannot feel what is wrong with them and since they can't feel what is wrong they won't do anything to protect themselves and as I began to study leprosy I began to think you know what isn't that just like humanity isn't it true that just like the leper mankind is numb to danger to the serious reality that is at hand numb and unfeeling to the state of their souls unable to feel the weight of their sin unable to see their desperate need for a savior unaware that looming right above them is the very wrath of God and they don't see the danger they don't feel the danger and so they continue on maybe you're in this room and that's you you have no feel for the danger you're in mankind continues this very morning going on throughout life stepping on the broken glass of pride falling into the burning coals of lust and feeling nothing at all think about yourself as you came here this morning brothers and sisters how many people did you pass mowing the lawn out for a jog sitting on the corner just chilling no no desire to come and sit under the Word of God no understanding that eternity is at the very door deaths hand is on the knob turning they are unaware they don't feel it but just because they don't feel it it doesn't make it any less true and we who are in Christ we can look at them we can look at you and see things are not well things are not ok with you it's like the girl who has anorexia and she looks at herself in the mirror and she sees I'm overweight but everyone else sees that she is skin and bones and close to death that is what it's like for those who have spiritual leprosy what else is true of the leper not only were they numb to their pain numb to the danger numb to the infection that was coursing through their their body but they also lived in isolation they lived on the outskirts they they were alone they lived in leper colonies unable to enter into society unable to have a normal life they may look at relationship and longed for it but it escapes them they may look at a profession and desire to work but there unallowable skirts they're outcasts the disease has prevented them from all things except misery and again I couldn't help but see a similarity to those who have spiritual leprosy the reality that you're alive but outside of Christ you've never lived a day in your life and you can do all the things that other people do in you and you can have relationships and and and you can work and you can do all these things but it's it's tainted you're you're prohibited from realizing the true nature of love and life and relationship those of us who are in Christ we have something that makes everything new it changes everything lepers were poor they lived in filth they were horrid to look at children would run away screaming when they saw a leper because of the horrific nature of the disease and not only that but they carried with them a stench and you can understand why I mean aside from just being in this horrible disease the living conditions they were poor they were not able to afford the the things that come with wealth they lived in squalor they ate scraps they wore rags but this is also a third-world reality and so these wounds that would go untreated uncleaned they began to stink and maggots would fall out of these wounds it was a disgusting picture and it carried with it a stench in an odor that could be smelled from quite a distance away you see them they're dirty bandages the dried caked up blood the leper unfeeling hideous to behold filthy poor foul-smelling there they are the sight the smell even the sound you see leprosy it also affected the respite or the respite in the system thank you respiratory respiratory it affected their voice it caused them to have a raspy rough sounding voice and there everything about him the sight the smell even their touch it was like touching scales the point is every single aspect of their life was affected by the disease there was nothing about them that was untouched by this and if you are without Christ they are you because sin affects single part of you it affects every part of you there's not a part of your life not an inch of your life that goes untouched by sin and in your sin you are the most ugly and hideous and disgusting creature spiritually Isaiah talks about all of your righteous deeds being as filthy rags to your friends your lovely family your precious and beautiful maybe even to your church you've been able to cover yourself in a mask but God sees you as you truly are and you're a leper not just what they were but I also think that it's important that how many there were there were 10 lepers and I thought that it's interesting that the only description of them is the number the only description of these lepers is how many the Bible is not foreign to the idea of lepers Uzziah who was a king was stricken with leprosy namin famous Syrian commander he also had leprosy a king a commander these are important people but here we're not told ok there was a doctor here there was a teacher it was a thug a gang member a police officer no we're not giving those categories they're only described by how many there were there were ten and it's true in our world we like to put people on all these tasks all these different divisions especially nowadays there are so many divisions so much to separate on pro-trump nevertrump black lives white lives home school public school vaccine no vaccine bloods Crips first world third world I'm a patriot I'm woke the divisions are endless but here notice brethren there is equality they are all equally lepers no titles no distinctions no categories the Lord unites all who are outside of Christ under one category lost condemned sinner dead in your sins Unforgiven many names but they all scream the same reality you're a leper whatever details you want to add after that really don't matter because what doesn't matter if you're a king if you're a leper what does it matter if you're businessman if you're a leper what does it matter if you're a soldier if you're a leper it doesn't matter what you are or what you think you are what other people call you if you are a leper whatever backgrounds may be different your condition is the same the only thing that matters when you're stricken with leprosy is that you have leprosy and their identification was in their disease and in their number there were 10 of them that's what matters not your title or what category you identify with how many souls that's the issue how many souls are stricken with spiritual leprosy in here and if we find out that you're stricken with spiritual leprosy all the rest of the trappings of life don't matter you are so who are is in need of a savior you're among the number and you're no better if you live in a mansion or if you live on the street a leper is a leper it doesn't matter if you have energy education or culture it doesn't matter if you have a million followers on all social media it doesn't matter any of that the only thing we needed to know about these Souls is their condition and how many of them that there were and then where they were it says they stood at a distance they had to it was law custom because leprosy is very contagious especially by touch or by droplets if you're coughing they had to be away from everyone but again the spiritual condition because you may be just like them today you're standing at a distance from Christ and you've been there your whole life perhaps you're looking at your sores you look at your condition you're thinking I'm too dirty to come to him I'm too far gone to come to him you your hands are gone after all your feet are gone everything is wasting away you don't have a nose anymore you look at your body you smell yourself you're you you're hideous to yourself how could you possibly approach the beautiful one you may tell yourself and so you stay at a distance or maybe you look at the Christian community you look around here and there's certain people that you admire maybe someone who invited your family member and you look at their life and you look at them and you say they're so clean so they're so healthy they're so pure and you look at yourself and you say there's no way I can join in with that number I'm gonna let you in on a little secret that's not really a secret at all all of us were lepers Christ cleansed us any good you see in us is because Christ has done it and what he's done for us he will and can do for you if you would come to him do not stay at a distance and if you are at a distance don't let that stop you it didn't stop these ten look at verse 13 notice so they spent at a distance these 10 lepers and they lifted up their voices saying Jesus master have mercy on us this is very good Jesus is passing by he's not staying around he's only passing through he's headed to Jerusalem and these ten lepers they see him they don't waste any time discussing whether or not this is the right time should we do it now none of those conversations they don't wait until okay well let's wait till he's closer but they don't say you know what I want to but I'm gonna wait until I have some alone time with him they they agreed he's our only hope he's our only rescue and notice they didn't ask for healing that they didn't ask for their leprosy to be removed they didn't ask for a miracle they asked for mercy and what their scratchy raspy voices they groaned together Jesus master have mercy on us it must have sounded terrifying to us but this was a sweet symphony' to Christ their scratchy and raspy and ugly voices together asking for mercy think of that they had to believe certain things to do this they had to believe that he could actually give them mercy they called him master they had to believe that he was able to heal them of leprosy I don't know if you've if you're familiar with the account of naman and best that I mean that you've read it recently because when I went back and looked at it there was a letter that went with naman from the king of Syria and this is what it said this is second Kings five and six listen to this and he brought the letter my statement to the king of Israel which read when this letter reaches you know that I have sent to you naming my servant that you may cure him of his leprosy so the king of Israel gets this letter from the king of Syria and they're running things and he says look here's my servant he has leprosy get rid of that get rid of that form here's the response of the king of Israel and when the king of Israel read the letter he tore his clothes and said am i God to kill and to make alive that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy only consider and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me he's like this man wants a fight he he knows how can I heal a man of leprosy and my God was the implication only God can heal leprosy and here are these 10 Jesus passing by they see him together collectively and a chorus they cry out to him have mercy on us Jesus master they had to believe he could heal him they had to believe he was master they had to believe that he was merciful they had to believe that he was kind and good and that he would notice them Matt McDonald when I walked in gave me a big hug and he said brother one year ago you were heading to India and I'm like yeah that's right and I remember that Lee Anne Wilkinson because before I went I had never been to India I didn't know what to expect Lee Anne Wilkinson she told me she said when you get there see if you can find the untouchables what are the untouchables well in the Indian caste system there are four castes and then below the lowest caste there are the untouchables they don't even fit into a caste and they are seen as so below humanity so low in society that they are not to be looked at fed or touched it's horrible she said there are people who live over there children on the streets and people will just step right over them there The Untouchables she said see if you can go find one show love Christ to them it's kind of like what it was like to be burned it's kind of like what it was like for lepers they were The Untouchables people wouldn't look at him they would ignore them it wouldn't feed them they wouldn't be kind to them they wouldn't even get near them they could stomach the smell or the sight they had to believe that even though all of society saw them as untouchable they had to believe that Jesus would not treat them as such they had to believe that they would cry out to him and he would notice them he would see them they believed something about Christ that moved them to cry out for mercy and as you sit here with your sores leaking your wounds stinking your disease coursing through your body will you join the chorus of lepers crying out to Jesus today for mercy you've heard so much about him today already in the singing you heard of his compassion of his mercy of his love and the preaching you heard of how he took the wrath of God you heard about his humility you heard about how he helps in the taking of the Lord's Supper we heard of his blood that was poured out of his love of his kindness you heard so much about Christ this truth as you hear it as you see it as you heard the song and maybe even you sang it yourself will you see his strength to withstand the wrath of God well you see his promises to save you and keep you and cry out to him all around the world literally right now there are spiritual lepers who are crying out for mercy will you join your voice with theirs will you join the chorus why not you're gonna lie on the pass-by you're gonna say maybe he'll come again will you let him pass you by when lepers all around you are crying out for mercy and find yourself facing the wrath of God why would you do such a thing to be left only with regret for missing the opportunity to join your voice yes Jesus master have mercy on us will you remain son or fellow lepers cry out well verse 14 good news when he saw them that's comforting for people who have often been overlooked and and ignored neglected and unseen he saw them he sees you too maybe no one else has ever really seen you but he sees you ma'am sir child he sees you if you cry out to him he sees you and he sees you clearly and when he saw them he said to them go and show yourselves to the priests naman was told Jordan wash yourself seven times earlier in this very Gospel of Luke in chapter 5 listen to this account this is 5:12 while he was in one of the cities that came and full of leprosy and when he saw Jesus he fell on its face and begged him lord if you will you can make me clean and Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him saying I will be clean and immediately the leprosy left him but that's not what Jesus does to these ten he doesn't tell him to go wash he doesn't touch him he doesn't say anything about offerings or sacrifices just go and show yourself to the priest at the men's retreat our Leiter he he pointed out to us that sometimes the way Christ healed some is not the way he healed others and it's an error if you go to him saying I thought for them the way you did it I want you to do it that same way for me whatever he tells you to do do Jesus doesn't deal with us like cookies when people make a bunch of cookies there's a cookie cutter you got the dough cookie cutter all look the same that's not how Jesus deals with and that's such a kind yeah because he could but he does them he deals with us as individuals with individual pain individual needs you know he deals with us according to the situations that we're in thank you brother in a way that he can best be glorified in it he exposes certain things about ourselves the way he dealt with the rich young ruler that's not the way he dealt with a woman at the well and the way he dealt with the woman at the well is not the way he dealt with Nicodemus and what he said to Nicodemus is not how he dealt with his disciples when they were he deals with us in a unique way here he told them go present yourselves no touch no offering no washing and they had to have faith they took him at his word and went and it doesn't say that they were healed and they went they had to go without seeing any evidence of it all they had was his word to go off of will you trust the word of Christ and go forth according to his command even before you see evidence of anything don't wait until you feel repentant repent don't wait until you feel sorrowful for your sin turn from it now in your hearts and your very seed don't wait until you feel forgiven trust in Him believe in him believe his word because it says and as they went they were cleansed this is amazing they cried out to him in faith they had right doctrine right they said master they believed he was able to cried out from that knowledge and he tells them go show yourself to the priest and they go and obey without even being healed yet they go forward and then suddenly limbs that were not there are there suddenly nubs are grown into full limbs suddenly the wounds that were festering and we're maggots were pouring out instantly healed the stitch that was coming from them gone they couldn't feel the ground under their feet and now they feel the ground suddenly they're able to feel and touch and smell and sense things that they had never been able to before as they're going along they're they're they're realizing we're healed they're looking at each other like you got a nose your hands that's amazing this is going as they're going this group of 10 hunched over foul-smelling to form lepers suddenly transformed into upright clean hole people before each other's very eyes amazing thoughts do you think course through their minds oh the dreams that they thought were unreachable now suddenly potential I've always wanted to do this I've always wanted to marry that girl but she wouldn't have me but now I've always wanted to go to this place and I wasn't welcome ooh but now suddenly all the doors are opening up before them all the possibilities all the potential now I finally got what I've always wanted now I can finally be what I've always wanted to be imagine it they're going and all the doors that were closed to them have suddenly swung wide open they could do what they want now they can go where they want be who they want they could they could reach their dreams because when you're a leper there's not much hope for the future but now that they're healed they wanted health freedom and the disease that hindered them is now gone I've seen a similar thing happen to men become exposed to truth sit under the preaching of the gospel you are unfeeling you were numb to all the things of God you were uncaring unconcerned and you sit under the preaching and then suddenly something starts to awaken in your conscience comes alive that you didn't feel before now you're starting to feel bad about things you're hearing about hell and you're like suddenly I am afraid of that you're starting to hear about Jesus and you're like suddenly that's attractive and now you're starting to feel things you never felt now you want to go to church now you want to sing the songs now you want to go evangelize now you want to pray now you want to read your Bible suddenly things are waking up that we're numb they're able to feel inwardly now you see the potential because you've been a horrible husband you've been a terrible father you have been a wicked child but now now I'm I'm under the preaching and I'm starting to feel stuff and now you see the potential now I can be what I've always wanted to be I see Jesus and believe he's really able you hear about the cross and you say I believe that that can actually save me you look at the gospel and you say I really do believe that it's good news and perhaps even now even this morning you came in numb but in the course of the day you're starting to feel things you never felt before and maybe things are waking up inside of you maybe a conscience some conviction is starting to awaken but what will you do with that what will you do with the awakening of your conscience what will you do with this newfound conviction what will you do with these feelings that you never felt before verse 15 we find out what one of them does then one one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back praising God with a loud voice and he fell on his faith face at Jesus's feet giving him thanks now he was a Samaritan they were all awakened to their feelings they were numb before and now they can feel they were all healed of their leprosy they were all given what they wanted but only one of them awakened to this newfound reality turned around and we get some extra insight that he wasn't just a leper but he was a Samaritan leper which means he was even more unwelcome the Jews didn't want him around the Romans didn't want him around the Greeks didn't want him around he couldn't go to the temple not just because he was a leper because he was a Samaritan he was unwelcome his condition was bad and it was made worse when we found out he was a Samaritan he didn't fit in anywhere outcast but Jesus song Jesus heard him Jesus gave him mercy he heard his cry his leprosy was gone now he can feel now he can finally shout the rasp eNOS is gone and for the first time he has a real voice and what does he do with it what does he do with his new voice he shouts to God and praise what does he do with his ability to finally feel he runs to Christ what does he do with these hands that are there now oh he drops he drops his face his hands his feet his body before the feet of Christ and worships him that's what he did the rest kept going but he couldn't keep going he couldn't keep going he had to turn back there was no command to return jesus said go and show yourselves to the priests he didn't say come before me in worship he didn't say fall at my feet why did he do it it was a desire within him the Lord was kind to him the Lord noticed his plight though he had done nothing to deserve mercy nothing to deserve that gift nothing to deserve that kindness Jesus did it for him anyway and that was powerful to him that mattered to him that stood out to him I wasn't small he recognized that Christ was come passionate and it moved him to worship to surrender to repent turned from his way and fell at his feet he received the blessings of God but you know what the blessings of God were not enough for him he received the gift of the Lord but that wasn't enough that gift drew him to the ultimate gift which is Christ himself before the healing before the kindness he was at a distance right but once he tasted and saw that the Lord was good he is as close to Christ as he can get the fact that his friends didn't go with him did not hinder him they were tight they were in their suffering together hey we're lepers they cried out together we confessed together they asked for mercy together they went to the priest together started to but oh the fact that they didn't want to go with him did not stop him peer pressure is strong it's a powerful force but it was not strong enough to stop him from going to the one who had mercy on him he knew he received mercy from Christ he received the kindness from Christ and it drew him to repentance isn't that what his kindness is meant to do his kindness is meant to lead us to repentance maybe he was thinking if he can heal me of this outward ugliness then I know he is able to heal me of this inward ugliness if he can with a word wipe away all the filth of my skin disease then I am confident that he is able to wash away my sin disease have you noticed the mercies of God to you have you kept track of the kindness and compassion that has been shown to you have you seen what he's done for you when was the last time you spent an hour of your day thinking about the kindness of Christ that he's given you life just an hour a movie is longer than an hour was the last time you just spent an hour of thinking he gave me life he gave you the ability to think he is showered you with compassion if you are not a Christian think about the fact that you are not in hell right now that's huge does that stagger you you deserve you deserve to be under the wrath of God forever right now not tomorrow now you should be forever an eternity under his anger and his fury and his wrath and you're sitting in this room that's mercy that's mercy to you that he shows you while you are in your sin he's showing you mercy you have spent millions literally millions and millions and millions of moments and wickedness and rebellion against the king of all kings you wear a crown on your head and you sit on a false throne refusing to bow the knee to the king and you live and you breathe and you're hearing this message and still you have not repented and you have not been swallowed up by the ground mercy he has shown you mercy and when was the last time you've fallen on your face and said thank you for any of this maybe never my friend this leper noticed the kindness of Christ and it moved him to action the others noticed the kindness of Christ as well but no action was found in them they cried out for mercy they started good but no action was found a leper and a Samaritan yet there was mercy and healing and salvation even for him there's hope for you do you feel the sting of your guilt do you feel it now can you see the reality of your soul are you mindful of the Eternity that awaits you and the cost that was paid so that sinners can be saved are you aware can you see Jesus Jesus the Lamb of God the perfect Son of God the beloved of the Father do you see him there on the cross hanging they they beat him they beat his face to where unrecognizable crown of thorns on his head spit down his face they ripped his beard out he's hanging up naked why people point and laugh he's bearing all the weight in the shame he's drenched dripping wet with the lava of God's burning fury he's doing this for his enemies this is the cost that sinners might be saved this is mercy that is offered to you this is come passion that has been presented and displayed for you will you look at this where you see this will you recognize that mercy has been given and will you just continue on your way or will you be like this one leper who could not look at the mercy at the kindness at the compassion could not look at that and just continue on this is no I can't keep going I gotta go back he loved me he loved me I don't deserve it and he was up there for you for your selfishness and your idolatry and your sexual immorality for you are you content with just feeling bad about it are you satisfied with just the feeling can you hear your conscience screaming at you I'm awake do something with me don't go back to sleep do you hear inside it's not well with our soul you know it you know we're not well we've been pretending we've been faking it's a lie you've been hiding things aren't good with us are you content to live with that voice screaming in your head it's been awakened these lepers who are numb now they can feel where you come close because many have done the same thing some of us know them personally they sat with us they went evangelizing with us they prayed with us everything looked good and they went back to the world something was awakened something was started but they continued on their way instead of going Christ Jesus responds Jesus responds then jesus answered we're not ten cleansed where the nine was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner and he said to him rise go your way your faith has made you well your faith has saved you that word for made you well cured you it is actually literally the word for saved you this is the word that's used throughout the New Testament for salvation he has already been healed of his leprosy he has already been cured of his disease what this man received was an eternal cure an infinite healing going back falling before the feet of Christ he received something that the others did not he received eternal life they received healing of their leprosy but he received healing of his spiritual leprosy as well they started well the others they cried out with him they confessed the proper Creed master they even received the benefits of the kindness of Christ with him they were all as they went on their way they were healed but they didn't return with him because they were content to take his blessings only they were satisfied with having their conscience awakened a bit the numbness of leprosy is gone and they can feel now but that's it and this is a constant picture that we see in the scripture and that we see in the world so many people just want to use Jesus for his stuff but they care nothing for him they pray to God because they just want something from him they don't love the master only what's on the Masters table and many churches are preaching this false doctrine God is an ATM machine to them type in the right thing and out comes what you want and then you go on your way until you need something else and the in the wilderness this is how Israel treated God constantly give us rescue from our enemies give us treasure give us victory give us this give us a land give us that and yet the Lord said of them their heart is far from me and the Gospels we see the same thing the crowds oh yea the crowds they wanted to be around Jesus why cuz he's gonna heal him cuz he's gonna feed him they wanted him to oh they were tired of the Roman oppressive systematic impression on them and they wanted him conquer Rome get their foot off of us that's why they were following him but they didn't love him they just wanted to use him for their own means because those are the same people that were screaming out for his blood they didn't want him will you be like the crowds that gathered around Jesus for his stuff or will you be like the few so few that will fall before his feet and worship Him surrendering all to him because they see him that's truly precious he is the treasure that is worth selling all that I have to possess do you see his beauty in His Majesty Thursday we know it's gonna happen Thanksgiving many people are gonna give thanks to God for many things and just like the other 10 lepers they're gonna notice they've been given gifts by the Lord those 9 lepers they were given gifts healing and on Thursday it's a common thing for people to thank God for all manner of things thank God for physical blessings you saved me from a car crash you saved me from losing my job thank you God for my family thank you God for my job thank you God for freedom thank you for health thank you for this and thank you for that as they go on their way to the priests but they will not return and fall before the feet of Jesus Christ and repentance and faith as this one did they keep going with their gifts never seeing a need to fall on their face who are you who are you in this account every Christian in this room we were that one then we fell before him at all all of our mess and he welcomed us turn from our sin he received us he loved us we trusted him and he's cleansed us or you like the 9 I have the gifts that have the mercy that have the compassion and you go on with your satchels filled never going back to the one who gave it I'm asking like Jesus asked where are the 9 are you here are you one of the nine you O Christ your worship your all he is God he is Lord he is king and you have taken his gifts for years you have walked away with your hands filled you owe him you owe him everything turn back turn back and fall at his feet and worship Him fall at his feet and repent and faith and what will you find there at his feet you will find forgiveness of all of your sin you will find his promises granted to you you'll find his resurrection power at work in you you will find at his feet such love such joy such tenderness and help you may say oh why would I want to be at his feet it seems so undesirable but think of it this way when they were at a distance they received such mercy and such kindness if you receive that at a distance what will you find at his feet come close you will find a merciful Savior who can do so much more than heal physical leprosy you will find a savior who can wash away every stain of sin that is upon you you can find a savior who will crush every chain of sin that has bound you you will find a savior who is merciful and loving and who will never leave you and never forsake you you will find a savior who will walk with you through the trials of this life you will find a savior who will be with you through the valley of the shadow of death and they'll all forsake you though you may be in a prison cell though you may be at a torturous Jail you will find a savior who was close to you do not put off today what is needed he is there go to him but do it quickly for remember what Psalm 2 tells us kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish in the way for his wrath is quickly kindled but here's this beautiful promise blessed are all who take refuge in him the lepers faith in Christ saves him it will do the same for you let's pray father thank you thank you for loving lepers like us thank you for watching us and cleansing us and healing us thank you for forgiving us Lord if there are still lepers in this room the nine that you asked where are they lord I pray they would hear your voice asking that question where are they and they may run away from the others and fall at your feet and faith and repentance and find a a savior who can do so much more than heal physical illness jesus name we thank you amen

Channel: Grace Community Church

Views: 16,809

Rating: 4.6444445 out of 5

Keywords: lepers, luke

Id: oDKDRHJG7WI

Length: 56min 46sec (3406 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 01 2016