Sermon notes from Sunday 13 November 2016
Luke
17 verses 11 – 19
This
week has been all about the theme of remembrance, a time of gratitude,
thankfulness for what God has done in the past for us. We remember those who gave their lives that
we might walk through an open door and listen to God’s word today. We should have gratitude for those who died
for our freedom. Here we read the story
of 10 lepers. I am sure this incident
was talked about day after day by those who encountered these lepers on the
road on that particular day. Those 10
lepers came so close to this city and were healed. I am sure this was talked of for many days to
come. Verse 15 “and one of them”. There were 10 lepers who came to the Lord,
made their way to his feet, cried out “have mercy on us”. The Lord did have mercy on them and as they
turned around they were healed but only one came back to thank Christ for what
he had done. 9 ungrateful people, who
thought nothing of it whatsoever, took it as done. One is a wonderful number. One in the Lord is in the majority. One boy fed 5000 people. One woman stood at the well when Jesus passed
by and she took his word to her neighbours in the nearby towns and there was a
great revival. One was thankful and could
be a tremendous testimony to others. One
came back and of course Jesus was annoyed by it. Verse 17 he said “were there not 10 cleansed
but where are the 9?” They were away as fast
as they could. In verses 18 and 19 look
at the reaction when this man turned around to the Lord, at his comments and
testimony.
The
expectation in this man’s
faith. Here we see a man who came to
Christ expecting to receive something.
Have we come today merely because it is the habit on a Sunday
morning? Do I turn to the scriptures to
bring a message just because that is expected of me or have I sat in God’s
presence to meet with God? Have you come
in today with an expectation in your heart today? To hear the word from God, to be encouraged
and lifted up? If we don’t expect to
receive anything we will not receive anything.
“But let him ask in
faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven
with the wind and tossed. For let not that man
think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord”. (James 1 verses 6
and 7) These lepers were not allowed to
speak to anyone else. Verse 16 “and he
was a Samaritan”. In his mind that set
him at a slight disaster. In John 4 the
woman at the well was so surprised at Jesus talking to her because the Jews had
no dealings with the Samaritans. Why or
where did that come from? 2 Kings 17 verse
23. The people of God rebelled and God
then gave them over to their enemy, the Assyrians. They carried them away but didn’t leave the
land empty. In verse 24 they took men
from Babylon and brought them down to Jerusalem. That left the Jews with a problem – they were
a mixed bag of people. They married and
intermarried. They just could not accept
them because of that. That is why there
is so much between the Jews and the Samaritans.
God is no respecter of persons because he sent his only Son to die on
the cross of Calvary, to suffer and shed his blood for everyone. It doesn’t matter your background, where you
come from, whether you are young or old, ill or well, rich or poor, unknown or
famous. The Lord can save your precious
soul if you will come to him. You have
got to come and trust Christ as your own and personal Saviour. That precious blood shed on Calvary was for
you, for the remission of sins. You
cannot be saved any other way. To have
that assurance of a place in heaven.
Here is a man who came expecting to find Jesus. Jairus came expecting to find Jesus and to
ask him to come to his house and lift his daughter’s hand and she would be
healed. Remember the 4 friends who
brought their friend to Jesus on the stretcher.
“When he saw their faith” 4 men who came expecting to receive
something. On another occasion a leper
came out to Jesus and said “if thou wilt thou canst make me clean.”
The evidence of his faith. This man was a living testimony to what God
could do. He was going to have to go to
the priest – verse 14. There was a
process to be carried out. They would
have to give an account of what had happened.
When was the last time we gave an account of what God has done for us? He would have to stand in front of the priest
and tell him what had actually happened outside that town. He stood afar off from Jesus and cried to him
for mercy. As they turned they were
healed and saved. When was the last time
you told someone of your faith?
Leviticus 14 verse 11 “and the priest that maketh him clean shall
present the man.” The priest brings him
to the house of God and presents him before the God of heaven and those
standing about. There was an offering
that had to be made. Verse 14 some of
the blood was sprinkled on the ear, the thumb and the foot. A blood sacrifice has to be made to bring the
man into the presence of God and appease for his sin – verses 14, 17. The blood has to be placed in his right ear,
right thumb and on his right big toe.
Here is the example of what has done as touching his hearing, his
actions, his feet and walk. For you and
me today the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed us from our sin. He gives us the right practice, brings us into
the presence of God and provides protection for our walk with him. The oil is a picture of the Holy Spirit which
was placed on the blood. The Holy Spirit
only comes when the blood has been applied.
The evidence of faith as he stood in the presence of the priest. In Joshua 5 Joshua looked at the walls of the
great city. God told him he would give
the victory into his hand but he had to walk around the city every day without
saying a word for 6 days and then on the seventh day to walk around the city
for 7 times and shout. Only then would
the walls fall. Joshua depends on the
word of God. That is the evidence of his
faith. Are we this morning where God
would have us because of his word? They
were expecting something on the seventh day.
The evidence of listening to God and responding to it. Naaman was told to dip 7 times in the Jordan
river but he was angry with this.
Reluctantly he did dip 7 times and his skin became the same as a
child. That was the evidence of his
faith. What about us today? The exercise of this man’s faith. As they turned to go they were healed. The 10 were the same, they turned and were
cleansed. This man steps away from the
10. The 9 had no words of thanks or
praise but this man turned to the Saviour.
Something strikes him in his heart.
We have got to step out from the crowd.
The expression of this man’s faith. He praised the Lord for what he had
done. For every child of God who has
trusted him as Saviour and Lord – can we lift up our hearts and say “thank you
Lord for saving me from a lost and Christless hell and making me your child
today.”
No comments:
Post a Comment