A LEPER’S THANKS
11-27-11 New Liberty Christian Church, Veedersburg, IN with Rich McQuinn, Minister
TEXT: LUKE 17:11-17
INTRODUCTION: Most folks never ask or wonder where their preacher gets his sermons or just how he gets his message from THE LORD! Here is a simple illustration on how this works ------------at times!
I received a call last week while Sandy-my wife- and I were in Cancun, Mexico. The phone call was from a close family of ours, whom I have ministered to for over 20 years. You may remember that this same family was here in our morning worship service just a week ago Sunday. They even asked us to pray for their mother who had cancer. That same mother Gwyn Shumate, I went and visited Thursday afternoon before we left for Mexico that evening. Gwyn and I prayed for her condition and that the Lord’s will be accepted in her life. She knew that Jesus was her Saviour and was going to take good care of her this side of life or the next one.
So the text message was to call immediately this family. I did. I was told then that Gwyn was out of the body and with the Lord and when I came back from Mexico would I take part in the celebration of her life on Saturday morning. Of course I would. We rearranged our schedule to be with my son David and his family for Zachary’s dedication this morning is Milwaukee. Instead of driving north when the plane landed in Chicago, we drove south.
So Sandy and I had a brief discussion of sermons as we were in the middle of waves crashing over our heads in the warm Gulf of Mexico. She asked what I was then going to prepare for Sunday’s sermon----this one----for today. No books, no barrel to dig in and pull out a fantastic inspirational message for today. Sermons are easy when it is directed of the Lord. He always knows what is best for His Sheep. I rattled off the scripture, and the three points I wanted to make.
Now you be the judge. I pray that you will be closer to God and more thankful from the benefits of the phone call I received this week and the talk that God had with me on the beach. A Leper’s Thanks from Doctor Luke’s gospel, chapter 17.
Do you have your Bibles today? Please raise them up so I can see them. Open them to our text this morning from Luke 17: 11-17. I want to give you something to remember today. Something that you can hang your hat on. Something that will cause you to stop dead in your tracks and know assuredly that God loves and cares for you. I want you to fully listen to this message and pray that God will fill your heart as you listen. The reading of the text begins with verse 11
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" 14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
Here we are the Sunday immediately following Thanksgiving. I know you all met around your family tables and told what you were thankful for before you dove into your magnificent meals. I hope that it was meaningful to all of you. Let’s stick with the theme of being Thankful and see where this leads us by the time you have stopped listening to this message.
You may remember that the Samaritans did not like or get along with the Jews. It was not a good idea to travel through their region especially if you were a Jew. They were the people who lived on the other side of the track so to speak. Not the best people that you want as your friends on Thanksgiving Day.
Of course Jesus knew what He was doing when He started His journey. He tenderly kept His presence on the road between Samaria and Galilee. As He traveled along the tiny road going into one small village. By the city dump were 10 Lepers searching for food, or staying out of the way from the village citizens, or feeling sorry for their plight or all of the above.
It was their lucky day. God was smiling on them that day. They were at the right place at the right time when Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.
What would you be asking for if Jesus was right in front of you? Of course He is through prayer, but I mean in living color. Jesus stands and is waiting for you. What would you be asking Him to do for you?
Here they are 10 lepers, standing in the garbage dump with the worse sickness known to man at that time. They are lonely, sick of being lepers, sick of being in each other’s company, sick of what they can’t do and sick of being sick. Ever been there?
Wouldn’t you have called out “Jesus of Nazareth have pity on us”? He simply tells them to go and show themselves to the priest. You will remember it is the priest that tells the rest of the world that you are healed and can rejoin society. Jesus knew what He was doing. Plus it would show their faith to do exactly what The Lord told them to do.
You will remember that as they were going all 10 were healed. Nine continued their excited journey to the priest. Only one, just one, came running back to Jesus to thank Him for what He had done for the leper.
Here are the three points that I received on the beach in Cancun, Mexico that I want to eagerly tell you today so that you will acquaint yourself with this leper and the miracle of thanksgiving. What did this leper have to be thankful for? Of course there are several that we can come up with. By the power of the Holy Spirit I believe that he was thankful for at least three things.
I. HE WAS THANKFUL FOR HIS SALVATION
Here he was minding his own business and Jesus comes along and heals him.
That is what the Holy Spirit does to us when we are receptive. The Holy Spirit is ever present calling us all from our sins. There are times when you can feel it and you know it and there are other times when you think the Spirit is far away.
When we have a full blown case of the leprosy of sin, then satan has a hold on us big time and he holds a firm grip. Satan wants to condemn you to the banks of hell. He wants to grind you, slave you and make your life a living disappointing hell on earth.
Ever been there? Are you there right now? Satan never stops. The more you are caught in sin the more you stink. The rotten soars, the oozing of the cuts, the smell of decaying flesh and the body odor is enough to turn the best of us away. But not The Christ.
Remember Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. That is you and me. He came looking for us. The Holy Spirit continues to search all the garbage dumps of our lives to see where we are living. Through the urgency of the Spirit---the nudging, prompting, He makes known to us a way of escape. Jesus of Nazareth have pity on me please!
In your deepest sin. In the farthest walk away from the Saviour, Jesus still can hear your plea. Forgive me Lord! Restore me Lord. Heal me Lord! Rescue me Lord!
Do you think he was thankful? Do you think he came running to Jesus, shouting from a distance? Do you think he was a happy man? What do you do when you see a crazy man running and shouting in your direction? You move out of the way!
Perhaps tears were streaming down his face. Perhaps he falls at the feet of Jesus and grabs His ankles and kisses His feet. He never stops saying thank you, thank you, thank you.
Are you thankful for your salvation? Do you take it for granted? Are you reminded of the price Jesus paid for your sins? The price for your leprosy? I hope that you spend some time on your knees today thanking God for healing you of your sickness of sin and giving you salvation so rich and free.
II. HE WAS THANKFUL FOR HIS FAMILY!
Ever been angry with one of your family members? Of course you have.
Some folks I know get so ticked off at their family members that they have stopped talking to them. That goes on for years and years.
Are you thankful for your family members whether you like them or not? We all have members of our families that we do not like or we don’t get along with or that we can’t just stand. Am I right here? We go out of our way not to be around them until we just have to.
What if that person is you? You are the one who nobody wants to be around. You are the one they can’t stand. You are the one that holds grudges or won’t forget or are just plain spiteful and hatred.
Jesus comes in to your life and it makes all the difference in the known world. Now you are thankful. Now you want to get back with your family. Can they trust you?
The leper can go back to his family. He can be loved, accepted, play games, have a relationship etc.
Jesus has restored him to his family. He has a second chance to make amends and to really love and accept what family he has.
Are you ticked now at your family? Are you the black sheep, the trouble maker, the one always causing trouble? Or -----are you accepting your repented family members.
It takes one person to start the ball rolling of cleaning up relationships. It takes one willing person to make the phone call to bring back in to the fold the one family member that seemingly is lost and wants nothing to do with the rest of the family. You could be that person of peace.
Are you thankful? Do you pray for those you do not like or get along with?
Get on your knees and ask God for you to be able to be the instrument of peace to your family these next 30 days. You be the one who forgives and restores. You be the one who gives and not worried about who gives back to you.
Before the day is out thank Almighty God for your family and what you can do to truly serve them in the name of the Lord.
III. HE WAS THANKFUL FOR HIS COMMUNITY!
You are a freak! You are an outcast to society. No one wants to be around you. Your life is over at no matter what age you are. You are dirty, you stink, and you are a threat to the population around you. You are called all kinds of names and there is no respect. It does not matter if you deserve it or not you are an outcast. You are hopeless, homeless and without a family.
Society does not want you around to remind them of your sickness. They can do nothing for you except to forget you as fast as they can. After all leprosy comes from sinning right? So you must have been a big sinner to have this much leprosy. That is wrong thinking. Leprosy does not come from sinning so to speak, but people thought that.
You have no dignity, no job, and no way to provide for your family. You are in the pits. Along comes Jesus of Nazareth and He has pity on you and heals you of your stinkin condition. How are you going to feel?
Now you are restored. Think of what that means to a man who suddenly is forgiven of his sins, but is given back his family and now he can go back to the social world.
No one calls you names anymore. No one condemns you anymore. You are once again a free clean individual with a new purpose in life to be a blessing to all you meet.
What are you doing for your community? What organizations do you belong to that are driven to improve poverty, education, unwed mothers, cancer, homeless? The list goes on. What are you thankful for and how do you show it to your community?
Jesus ran up against 10 men who had the same condition. Only one returned to thank Him. Why didn’t the others do the same? Too many of we Christians just want what we want from Jesus and not what He can really give us.
I just want to be healed, I don’t want to preach, teach, witness, I don’t want to give to the church, I don’t want to volunteer, I don’t want to get involved. Just heal me and I will be on my way.
When you are healed you have a responsibility to The Healer if not you are only fooling yourself into thinking that you have any relationship with Jesus at all.
What do you want out of life? What do you want out of Jesus? What are you willing to do to show your thankfulness for your salvation---your forgiveness of sins?
For your family and for your community and freedoms?
Today, I give you the sermon given to me on the beach. I hope you will stop and be thankful for all of the greatness that God has given to you.
AMEN and AMEN
