Luke 17:11-19 THANKFUL FOR GRACE
Intro: Ill. Thanksgiving Day – A Worthy door keeper to the Holiday Season. First held in 1611 after the winter of 1610 had reduced the number of settlers from 406 to 60. They prayed for help and God answered in the form of a ship filled with food and supplies from England. They thanked Him! In 1621, another band of 46 Puritans and 91 Native Americans held a special day of thanksgiving to praise the Lord for a bountiful harvest. The previous winter had reduced their number from 102 to 46. We may wonder what they had to be thankful for: they were thankful for grace!
Ill. Washington called for a national day of thanksgiving in 1789. Lincoln established that the last Thursday of November would be a day of thanksgiving in America. Congress finally settled the day on the fourth Thursday in November as the official day of thanksgiving here in America.
We had better enjoy it while we can! The infidels of the world are after the Pledge of Allegiance; “In God We Trust”; Christmas, and the Ten Commandments; Thanksgiving Day can’t be too far behind!
So, what are you thankful for these days? Most of the time, our thanksgiving is for material and physical things. We are grateful for financial help and physical health. Or, like the nine men in our text, we are thankful for nothing.
Our text presents us with a man who shows us where the real cause for thanksgiving lies. It is good to be thankful for the material and the physical, but there are some things more valuable than that. I would like to examine this man’s story today and show you a man who is Thankful For Grace. My prayer is that God will help us to see the real reason for thanksgiving.
I. v. 11-13 A TRAGIC CONGREGATION
A. Their Condition Ill. Leprosy! Lev. 13:3 – Deeper than skin Rom. 3:23 13:7 Spreads Gal. 6:7 13:44-45 Defiles Ill. Achan, Josh. 7 and David, 2 Sam. 11 13:46 – Isolates Isa. 59:2 13:52 Destines for the fire Psa. 9:17. Leprosy defiled; distanced; and doomed all who were afflicted by it! It is a clear picture of sin and its affects on humanity! (Ill. 9 Jews and 1 Samaritan – Made equal in their affliction, Rom. 3:22. Sin great leveler!) Have you been delivered from sin?
B. Their Cry Ill. Had heard about Him somewhere! (Ill. Bartimaeus; Woman with issue; bowed woman; Jairus’ daughter; Demoniacs, blind, fed multitudes, etc.) Cried out in faith – “Master = Chief Commander They recognized His power and His authority to heal. (Ill. They did what the sinner needs to do! Cry out to Jesus, He is the only One Who has the power to deliver the lost person from his sins! Acts 4:12; John 14:6; Acts 16:31; ***Matt. 11:28*** – “Come unto ME! Have you called on Him?
II. v. 14 A TREMENDOUS COMPASSION Under the Law, they deserved nothing! They were all under a death warrant! Jesus owed them nothing, but when they met Him, they met grace!
A. His Perception He saw far more than their outward condition; He saw the deepest needs of their hearts. He wanted to do more than heal their bodies! Ill. Many think they need money, health, things, etc. Jesus knows you need salvation! He sees you like you are, Heb. 4:13. What does He see when He looks at you?
B. His Plan Do it Gods way Ill. Lev. 14. That’s still how it is done! There is only one way to God and His name is Jesus, John 14:6; 1 John 5:12. God’s plan is for you to bow and call on Jesus for salvation! Have you done that?
C. His Power As soon as they turned and obeyed the Lords command, they were healed! Every sign of their disease disappeared from their bodies! (Ill. That is what Jesus does for all that come to Him! Ill. Paul – Acts 7-9; 1 Tim. 1:12-15.) (Ill. Meeting Jesus changes everything – 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:1-4! Ill. What this meant for a leper. Ill. What it means for a sinner! Reconciliation, Salvation, Adoption, Heaven, etc!) (Ill. The instant faith is exercised, salvation is accomplished – Rom. 10:9; 13. Ill. It doesn’t take all day!
III. v. 15-19 A THANKFUL CONVERT (Ill. 10 are healed, only one returns to give thanks to Jesus for His grace.)
A. His Realization He realized 2 things. 1. He had been healed, and; 2. He did not need to go to the Temple, he was a Samaritan. The Law had no authority over him! He came back and thanked Jesus for what He had done for him. The 9 were out to honor the Law; this man knew that he had met grace!
B. His Rejoicing Ill. PIM He kept on praising the Lord! No wonder! Ill. If it ever dawns on us all that the Lord has done for us, we will be hard to handle! (Ill. He is worthy of our praise! But, we are far behind in that department! We need to take the time to be thankful for His grace in our lives – Ill. Heb. 13:15; Psa. 32:11; 33:1; 40:1-3; 47:1; 132:9; 135:1-3 Do you see a pattern developing? God inhabits the praises of His people Psa. 22:3!
Conc: No wonder the old boy came back and said “Thank you!” and praised the Lord. But, can you hear the heartbreak in the voice of Jesus as He says “but where are the nine? There should have been ten men bowing in thanksgiving instead of one. All ten had experienced God’s providence in bringing Jesus by; Christ’s compassion and love in healing them; and His power that made them whole.
Ill. Something happened in this man’s heart as well as in his body – Ill. whole = “save Ten got new bodies; one got a new heart! He was thankful for grace! How thankful are we for the greatest gift of all: the amazing grace of God that set us free from our sins? He is here if you need salvation, forgiveness, to say “Thank You. Dont break His heart be thankful for the great things He has done in your heart!