In a few days multitudes of people all around the world will sit down with family and celebrate the holiday know as Thanksgiving. But I wonder how much thanksgiving there will be? Will the prayer simply be a quick word or two before we the meal?
Are we grateful for what God has done for us? Consider this morning His many blessings. Where would we be without Him? I believe that we truly have reason to be thankful. Perhaps there are some difficulties in your life this morning that you are struggling with. We can be thankful that we don’t have to go through them alone!
This morning I want us to turn our attention to a scriptural account of ten men that Jesus greatly blessed by healing them of a terrible disease. Consider them and what He has to say about thanksgiving.
Read: Luke 17:11-19
I. Note Their Condition.
A. They were lepers: unclean
1. They were aware of their condition.
2. No one had to tell them that they were sick.
3. All they had to do was to look at themselves and they could see their diseased skin.
4. One Bible dictionary describes leprosy as "...nothing short of living death a dissolution of the whole body, so that one limb after another actually decayed and fell away."
B. They were afar off.
1. The law said that they must remain at least 100 paces from others without the disease.
2. They were drawn together by their common disease.
C. They were without hope.
1. There were no known cures for their horrible disease.
2. They could do nothing to help their condition nor could anyone else help them.
3. Perhaps they had heard of one called Jesus who could heal the sick.
4. Perhaps this is the one thread of hope that drew them to be near the gate of the city when Jesus approached.
II. Note Their Cure.
A. They all cried out to Jesus.
1. It says they lifted up their voices,
2. One symptom of the disease is an almost total loss of voice.
3. Their cry was born out of desperation.
B. They cried out in humility.
1. They were not in a position to demand anything.
2. They cried out for mercy.
C. They were commanded to go,
1. This was the provision made in the law for one who recovered from leprosy. (unlikely as it was)
2. As they went, they were cleansed from their awful disease.
III. Note the ‘One’.
A. He came to Jesus.
1. He returned when he saw that he had been cleanse from his disease.
2. He returned to glorify God.
3. He returned to worship God.
4. He returned to give thanks unto God.
B. Jesus came to Him.
1. He received cleansing from his disease with the other nine.
2. He alone received cleansing for his soul.
3. He alone saw Jesus as God.
4. Jesus told him, ‘...thy faith hath made thee whole.’
IV. Note the comparisons.
A. The ‘One’ is a picture of a repentant sinner who comes to Jesus.
1. He was lost in the crowd of lepers, he had no identity apart from being a leper.
2. Without Christ, we are lost in a crowd of sinners. Ro. 3:23, ‘For all have sinned...’
3. While others were satisfied with a physical cleansing, he realized his need for more.
4. He came to Jesus in faith and gained an identity
5 Eph. 2:8, ‘For by grace are ye saved through faith...’
B. The ‘Nine’ are a picture of the religious.
1. They saw Jesus only as a great teacher.
a. They called Him Jesus, Master.
b. Master = rabbi = Great teacher.
2. They sought only for a cure for the condition that they were in.
a. Religion deals with the symptoms of sins and the conditions sin brings.
b. Instead of dealing with the source and cause of those conditions
3. They were more concerned with the outside than with the inside.
4. Look at Jesus’ view of religion. Mt.23:25-28
C. Jesus asked, ‘Where are the nine?’
1. Jesus expected all to come to Him.
2. After such a display of divine power, surely they would realize that he was the Son of God.
3. Unfortunately, they were like many today.
a. They came near Jesus, but they did not come to Him,
b. They came near enough to bring about an outward change, but not an inward condition..
c. Acts 4:12 says, "...there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
d. Acts 16:31 says, "...believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved..."
D. Consider the application.
1. They were needy.
a. But we have needs today as well.
b. Our needs are not always as outwardly visible as theirs were.
c. Do we allow circumstances to keep us from coming to Christ with our needs?
2. They found the help they needed.
a. Charter hospital says, "If you don’t help from Charter, get help somewhere!"
b. I say, "Come to Jesus, He knows your needs and can meet them."
c. Sometimes God allows circum- stances to come into our lives that we might come to Him.
3. Be thankful for the way the Lord blesses us.
a. Jesus asked, "Where are the nine?"
b. Perhaps they felt that they no longer needed Jesus.
c. God is more than just an emergency way out of trouble!
4. Thankfulness brings additional blessings upon us.
a. The one who returned was made complete.
b. He received physical and spiritual healing.
c. The key is ‘faith’. "...thy faith hath made thee whole..."
What about you today? Are you among the nine? Have you sometime, somewhere, come near Jesus, but not to Him? Have you come to Him with thanksgiving for all that He has done for you? Today Jesus says come, God the Father says come, the Holy Spirit says come. Come to Jesus for only Jesus can satisfy your soul.