The Grateful Leper
Notes
Transcript
Handout
When looking at your life, would people view you as a grateful person? Do you demonstrate to others the same mercy and grace that God has shown to you?
Leprosy
Leprosy
Horrible disease that when you caught it, you were cast out of the community. Were no longer allowed to be with your family. No longer allowed to worship.
Parallel to sin:
Made your nerve endings dead, couldn’t feel when you were cut or injured.
Sin makes you unfeeling towards your transgressions against God. Ephesians says that we sear our consciences and are past feeling.
Because you can’t feel yourself get injured, infection and gangrene eventually set in. Your skin would rot with disease and you would appear as though a walking dead.
Sin though you look alive, the bible says that those who haven’t been regenerated are spiritually dead. Though they appear okay, they are detestable in the eyes of God.
Because this disease is contagious, they were to be kept apart from people. Out side of town and apart from corporate worship of God.
Sinners are allowed to be with people, but they are separated from God. Unable to meet with Him in their present state for sinful people are a detestable thing to God.
Just as these lepers call out to Jesus, for they knew that they had no hope of being cured apart from the healing power and grace of Jesus.
Sinners have no hope of curing themselves. This disease isn’t something that we can be good enough or kind enough to overcome. Sinners have no hope of being cured apart from the healing power, and grace of Jesus.
v.13-18
Give Praise to God
Give Praise to God
I’ve heard it said before that the other Lepers weren’t grateful.
I don’t believe that. They would have been overcome with thankfulness. They probably went to the priest and offered their sacrifices. They probably also after they went home and saw their families got on their knees and thanked God.
How did they show their gratitude to Jesus?
1 out of 10 comes back and in thanksgiving.
Can you imaging such a thing?
God healing us from a corruption that we couldn’t deal with on our own, and so few demonstrate any gratitude to God.
Demonstration of gratitude
This leper came and showed Jesus how grateful he was to receive the mercy that had been poured out on him.
Jesus had completely upended his life. Jesus had taken him where he was dying a slow painful death, separated from his family, society, and even worship. Now he is allowed to go home, to hold his child, to kiss his wife, can you imagine the joy and excitement that would be going through him!!
What about us?
We were dead in our sins; enemies of God. No hope in this world and nothing that could bring us true lasting joy.
Ephesians 2:4-5
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
God who is rich in mercy. Why did Jesus cleanse the lepers? Why did He save us? He is rich in mercy.
Because He loved us. Not because you were such a great person. We were like the lepers, undesirable.
Though we were dead, He made us alive, and only by His grace.
If it is of you, it’s not grace.
God the Father, poured out His immeasurable grace on us, and He did it through Christ.
Are you grateful?
Do you see the mercy that God demonstrated towards you, even though you are an undeserving sinner?
You need to understand, and realize how much mercy God has given you.
People who have had mercy given to them, are merciful to others.
Do you show that same mercy to others?
In Star Wars the phantom menace Quagon saves the life of Jar Jar Binks. After this Jar Jar owes what he calls a life debt to Quagon.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
The price that you were ransomed at, was no small expense. Your were bought with a price, that was for a reason. We are now to glorify God, no longer ourselves.
This one leper came back to give glory to Jesus. To show that he was grateful for the work that Jesus had done.
Do our lives show our gratitude for the richness of His mercy?
Do people see the way you live, the things you do and give glory to God.
Are you using the gifts that God has given you, helping however you can to bring glory to God for the great things that He has done?
Your Faith Has Made You Well
Your Faith Has Made You Well
I think we greatly underestimate the power of faith.
v.14 points out that as they went, they were cleansed. As they demonstrated a belief in God, they were cleansed.
We see Jesus draws a clear line between faith and healing:
Luke 7:50, 8:48, 18:42
When your business is going under, and you don’t know if you will make it through the economic downturn. Faith is what can give you the strength to persevere.
When your going into surgery, and you don’t know if you will wake up again this side of heaven. Our faith is what calms our fears and prepares us to approach surgery.
When your told by the doctor “your cancer is back,” faith gives us strength to face the days ahead.
But faith in what?
The object that we place faith in is important. Here it was the very words of the word made flesh. God, incarnate.
So where does that leave us today?
I’ve seen people place their faith and trust in the words of men, though these are men who try to follow God, they are still mere men.
People today wrongly use faith, they believe that faith will make God acquiesce to your will rather than God’s will being done.
By doing this, people believe that faith will make you sovereign, and with enough faith your will, will triumph over the will of God.
Have faith, you’ll be healed. Have faith, trump will be re-elected.
These are all words of men, not words of God.
When we place faith in something, let it be in the words of God.
Romans 8:28
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
All things, no matter what they are, how bad they are. God will use them for our good and His glory.
If we love Him.
Place faith in this, that whatever God is doing. He has a plan.
Isaiah 46:11b
11 calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.
God not only has a will, a desire. But He has the authority to make His will happen.
There is nothing that man can do to override the will of God.
This is a promise and a blessing to remember in hard times.
Deuteronomy 31:6
6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Do not be in fear of what will happen.
God will not leave you, nor forsake you.
When we speak of where to place our faith, place it in the promises of God that He has already given.
Realize that they are true. This doesn’t mean that it will always be easy, but that God Himself will bring you through those time.
Place your faith, in Him.