Luke 17:11-19 "Gospel Gratitude"

You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.

Our passion is to experience and express grace.

Join us.

Thank you all.

If you'll turn with me to Luke 17 this morning.

We're going to look together at this brief story I talked with the kids about earlier.

This is not a Mother's Day sermon other than being a story about someone who does really wonderful things for people and only gets thanked 10% of the time.

Some of you got that.

I hope that more than one in ten of us will express our gratitude to our mothers today.

They've done much for which we ought to be thankful.

I do know it can also be a painful day.

I trust we will love each other well and thoughtfully as we honor our mothers today.

I want us to read the story together from God's Word beginning at verse 11 of Luke 17.

Notice as we do that pretty clearly it's not a story merely about good manners.

It's not a story merely about physical healing.

It's a story that in many ways encapsulates the gospel especially as Luke has been unfolding for us.

The gospel in the life of King Jesus.

Let's read it and then ask God's help in understanding and applying it to our lives.

Luke 17 at verse 11.

On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee.

And as he entered a village he was met by ten lepers who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices saying,

Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

When he saw them he said to them,

Go and show yourselves to the priests.

And as they went they were cleansed.

Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed,

Turned back, praising God with a loud voice.

And he fell on his face at Jesus' feet giving him thanks.

Now he was a Samaritan.

And Jesus answered,

Were not ten cleansed?

Where are the nine?

Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?

And he said to him,

Rise and go your way.

Your faith has made you well.

This is God's word.

Let's pray together.

Father, we give you thanks for your word.

We want to know it more.

We understand this story.

We want your spirit to work in our hearts that we might understand what you would teach us.

How you would change us.

How gratitude could well up within us because of your great mercy to us.

Show us Jesus.

We ask in his name.

Amen.

When I first interviewed at Southwood about ten years ago,

I remember talking to Mike Honeycutt,

who was the pastor here at that time.

And we talked together about some of the spiritual struggles of Southwood and Huntsville in general.

And I remember as we broached that subject,

the first words out of his mouth kind of surprised me.

He said,

We really struggle with being grateful.

We struggle with being grateful.

You know, that's often hard for successful people or churches.

And the more I thought about it,

the more I thought,

Yeah, it's hard to be deeply grateful when I feel I've earned or deserve something.

Right?

Entitled?

Yeah.

But grateful?

Maybe not so much.

I am naturally more like the nine lepers

with places to go,

things to accomplish,

focused on my agenda.

But I remember thinking back then,

Well, Mike, if that's y'all's biggest problem,

I mean, there's a lot of worse things out there, right?

That's not a big deal.

But then you read a passage like this,

where Jesus teaches us

that gratitude should actually motivate

and transform the lives of his followers,

that it's the fuel and passion

for following Jesus for all of our lives.

And you realize what a spiritually dangerous position

ingratitude creates.

And you may say,

Hold on, Will,

this passage just talks about a leper saying thank you.

Where do you get the idea

that this is about the entire lives

of all followers of Jesus?

It's a good question.

Thanks for asking.

See, in this whole section of Luke,

as Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem and the cross,

he's talking and teaching us

about life in his kingdom.

He's told us what makes it so unique,

how different priorities and different values

shape those who are a part of his kingdom community.

And at the beginning of this chapter,

he has continued doing that

and just finished up in verses 7 through 10

by assuring us that even when we do everything

that he tells us to do

and do it really well,

we are merely what?

Unworthy servants who have done our duty.

In other words,

we haven't done anything

that obligates God to do something for us.

He doesn't owe us anything.

So you might ask the question,

why bother?

If following Jesus,

doing good works like he tells me,

doesn't get me anything from God,

and on the flip side,

he's already told us that our good works,

not what keeps God from smiting us either,

it's Jesus,

then why do anything?

Where's the motivation?

I don't get God's divine attention or blessing,

and I don't keep him off my back or off my case,

so why bother following what Jesus says?

In the story of the lepers,

Jesus is going to teach us

about the heart of gratitude

that should motivate and animate all of our lives.

So notice first,

how does this work?

Gospel gratitude flows

from an appropriate sense of desperation.

This is where deep gratitude truly begins.

Look with me at verse 12.

As Jesus entered a village,

he was met by ten lepers

who stood at a distance

and lifted up their voices saying,

Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

Try to picture the desperation of these lepers.

First of all, they're lepers, right?

So in addition to having some awful skin disease,

according to God's law,

Leviticus tells us they're cut off from community.

So they're away from their homes,

can't be with their families,

can't spend time with friends,

can't be a part of the worship of God's people.

They're social, spiritual outcasts.

Can you understand why they'd be standing

at a distance from Jesus

and the in crowd, as it were?

In fact, the leper we read the most about,

the one who says thank you,

is not only a leper,

he's a Samaritan,

further cementing his outsider status

with a Jew like Jesus

and those around him.

It's interesting, by the way, isn't it,

that this group of ten lepers

included Jews and Samaritans

who usually would have had, what?

Nothing at all to do with each other.

But their leprosy brought them together.

Recognizing their common need

and desperation as outsiders

really connected them across

otherwise insurmountable barriers.

That's a neat thought for us, isn't it?

What would it take for you to connect

with somebody that seems so far away from you?

Maybe it'd be a place like that.

Do you know that feeling of not belonging?

They felt it strongly.

Their desperation as they felt it,

it didn't cause them to say,

hey, I've got a polite request.

I'd like to put a card in.

No, they cried out.

They lifted up their voices

pleading loudly,

Jesus, have mercy on us.

We don't deserve anything.

We're desperate.

We just beg you for mercy.

And how does Jesus respond?

He responds to that plea powerfully, doesn't He?

We've just been taught in the previous verses

that God doesn't respond to our good deeds,

to the things that we do.

He doesn't respond to deeds,

but He responds to desperation, doesn't He?

Over and over again we see it.

God meeting the needs of the needy.

God working on behalf of the helpless.

God responding to desperation.

Just stop and think about that for a minute.

How hopeful is that truth?

That part of God's character,

that that's how He is?

When you cry to Him in desperation,

He hears.

He responds.

That's glorious.

Comforting.

Hopeful.

But we need to stop and ask the question of ourselves.

God's like that,

but am I actively desperate?

Most of us,

most days,

wake up not really feeling that,

don't we?

A couple of weeks ago,

I offered to have people pray after the service

with anyone who needed prayer.

And a few of you showed up

and prayed together.

That's wonderful,

and I'm not griping at the rest of you.

But when I was in India,

in a room of 2,000 people,

and a service ended,

and there was warm food

that you could already smell

waiting for you downstairs,

a few people left to eat.

And most of the room of 2,000

went down front

seeking anybody who would pray with them.

Person after person after person,

please pray for me.

I say this not to guilt you all

into showing up for a prayer time,

but just to let us get a window

into the reality

that we're often not actively desperate,

are we?

We don't feel that.

Have you considered yourself lately

before a holy God?

Have you stopped and thought about that

long enough to feel you need

to keep your distance from Him?

and to get desperate for Jesus,

somebody to stand in between you?

I'm a pastor who counsels people

regularly about their marriages,

and still at times,

I disrespect and neglect

the one bride I picked to love.

I'm a parent who's supposed

to help my kids navigate

the challenges of culture

and technology,

and still I often use my phone

selfishly and distractedly.

I've been following Jesus

for 35 years,

and still I'm more cowardly

and self-protective

than I am bold with the Gospel.

Jesus, have mercy on me!

Could you laundry list those things?

I don't have it all figured out.

I can't hold it all together.

I just can't keep up these days.

Jesus, do you ever feel that way?

Maybe take just a minute

and consider that this morning.

Maybe write down at least

one category maybe,

an area where you possibly

could feel actively desperate.

I don't know how you feel,

but have you gotten lately

to where Paul got in Romans 7?

Wretched man that I am,

who will deliver me

from this body of death?

Help!

Jesus, have mercy on me!

Friends, listen.

God loves to respond to that cry.

It's such good news

that He's like that.

If that's where you are this morning,

if that's all you've got in you

is just help!

Jesus, I'm at the end.

I've got nothing else.

Just help!

You need to know He hears your cry.

He will meet you there

with exactly what you need.

But then as you continue in the story,

as Jesus meets them

in their desperation,

we see that gospel gratitude

not only flows from that desperation,

but flows into a life

of worshipful delight.

After they're healed,

look at verse 15.

Then one of them,

when he saw he was healed,

turned back,

praising God with a loud voice,

and he fell on his face

at Jesus' feet,

giving Him thanks.

Now, he was a Samaritan.

You may say,

when I talk about a life

of worshipful delight,

that's giving the Samaritan

too much credit.

But consider what he's risking here.

It's not hard to understand,

is it,

what the other nine are up to?

I mean, think about it.

They're rushing off to the priest

so that he can pronounce them clean

and restore them

to their communities.

How much would you have missed

your family after weeks,

months,

years perhaps,

separated from them,

longing to rush back

and get to be with them?

They're making up for lost time,

aren't they?

Can you relate to that?

Would you maybe feel that way?

The reason Jesus so commends

the faith that he sees

demonstrated by the Samaritan

is that the healed leper

risks all these joys of life

that would be lying before him

to do what?

To return to Jesus.

Perhaps the miracle will stop.

Perhaps this Jewish teacher

will see me up close

and realize that I'm a Samaritan

and he'll stop this healing right here.

Perhaps I'm going to miss out

on something big going on

back at home.

Regardless,

it's worth the sacrifice

to return to Jesus' feet

to worship and say thank you,

isn't it?

The Samaritan gives praise to God

and he does it,

interestingly enough,

loudly again.

Words here that are even stronger

than the ones earlier

when they all cried for help.

It says,

with a loud voice.

We're not told the exact words,

but I think if he were

in a Presbyterian church,

someone would have looked

at him sideways

like he forgot how to behave.

You can't do that.

You can't worship Jesus that way.

Y'all, sometimes I wonder

what's wrong with us

that they can sit up here

and make loud noises like that,

but we can't.

The joy that comes

bowing before Jesus

sometimes make you say things

that probably made some of the other people

a little uncomfortable.

But that's where he was.

Did he care?

He wasn't worried about the crowd

around Jesus.

He was going back to his Savior.

In the presence of Jesus,

he doesn't care what they think.

He delights in his cleansing.

His grateful worship

demonstrates his true faith

that Jesus says

shows he actually understands

what has been done for him.

Maybe that's what it would sound like

if it hit home for us.

Is my life marked by delight

even as I sacrifice?

In other words,

am I so overcome

by the mercy I've been shown

by my Savior

that worshiping him

with all I am

might cause me

to miss out on something else

and I wouldn't care?

Would I gladly sacrifice

any number of important things

to see the name of Jesus

made known?

You see what I mean?

This is not a story

simply about making you feel

that, hey,

after all that Jesus did for you,

don't you think

you could come to church

a few more times each year

to worship Jesus?

Or don't you think

maybe he's done so much

you should pray

a couple more times

and tell him thank you.

You see how that's not what's going on?

At least that's not all

that's going on.

It's much bigger than that,

isn't it?

Y'all, when we truly see

our desperate state

as sinners

and the cleansing

and new life

that Jesus has purchased for us,

love so amazing,

so divine,

demands my soul,

my life,

my all.

Not just an hour,

a week,

and a few minutes a day,

right?

It's so much bigger than that.

He's risking everything.

I'd do anything for him.

I want everyone to know

what he's done for me.

And that's gratitude

motivating good works,

isn't it?

Because I've seen my desperation

and delight

in the forgiveness of Jesus,

I'll do anything

not to gain God's blessing.

I already have it.

Not to avoid God's smiting me,

he's pouring out his blessing on me,

but to express my gratitude

and my delight in him.

A pastor friend of mine

tells the story

of a 10-year-old little girl

who went to school

on Valentine's Day

and came home

with a basket of treats

from her friends.

Some of you have probably

done that before, right, kids?

It's a great day.

You come home

with all this candy.

And she took it upstairs

and put it in her room.

Well, a couple of days later,

her mom walked into her room

and the sister wasn't there,

but guess who was?

Little brother.

Three-year-old little brother.

And the mom found him there

with the Valentine's treats

except she caught him

a few minutes too late.

When she found him there,

his hands were covered

with chocolate

and his cheeks

were covered with chocolate.

It was running down his neck

and he knew he was busted.

He was standing there

and the wrapper

of this big chocolate teddy bear

that his sister

had been given by a friend

was on the ground next to him

and he stood there

covered in the chocolate.

What did he do

when he saw his mom?

He burst into tears.

Oh, he knew what was coming now.

He knew how bad it was

and he was stuck here

and his mother

walked him down the hall,

took him by the hand

and walked him down the hall

to his sister,

his 10-year-old sister

who apparently loved Jesus

more than she loved chocolate.

She said to her little brother,

oh, buddy, it's okay.

I love you anyway and always.

Sometimes hearing the gospel

from kids is overwhelming.

When we hear what God feels towards us,

in that moment,

that three-year-old little boy

who's bawling tears,

knowing the terrible things

that are coming,

his tears turned into giggles,

you know,

when you kind of worked up

and you realize it's going to be okay.

And then he started laughing

as he embraced his sister

and she carried him off

to wash him and get him clean.

desperation turned to delight

in the embrace of the one

who forgave his sin

and covered his shame.

That's what gospel gratitude is.

That's who's at the center

of gospel gratitude.

It's Jesus.

Gospel gratitude keeps us

at the feet of Jesus himself.

Desperation drives us there

and delight flows

from our relationship with him.

But at the center of the whole thing

is Jesus himself.

And we just keep clinging to him.

The healing, in fact,

makes it clear in this story

that only Jesus truly cleanses.

That's the point.

Remember verse 14?

When Jesus saw them,

he said to them,

go and show yourselves to the priests.

And as they went,

they were cleansed.

Why the priest?

Why go to the priest?

Well, see, in this time,

the priest for this group of people

was responsible in forcing laws

given by God

to declare someone sick

or cut off from the community.

And if something changed,

he also could declare

that they were healed

and could be restored to community.

But that's all.

Just declare it.

Not do it.

The priest didn't heal anyone.

A human priest doesn't actually heal

or cleanse you.

No, the lepers are supposed to learn

by being cleansed on the way

as they went

that only Jesus cleanses.

So the power of Jesus on display

goes well beyond any human priest,

doesn't it?

And the Samaritan gets it.

It's not really the priest I have to go see.

There's someone even better

I need to go back to.

They all realize Jesus gave them

a great blessing.

Only he seems to realize

what it says about who Jesus is.

Listen, counting your blessings

can be helpful

in making you more grateful.

It's not a bad practice.

But as Peter reminded us

so helpfully last week,

that's not enough.

It's actually Jesus himself

that we truly need,

not merely his blessings.

And only this outsider

realizes it in this story.

Sometimes it's hard

for those of us who live in it

and have spent our whole lives in it.

Have you so taken for granted

the forgiveness,

the adoption,

the mercy,

the eternal security

that you've been taught about

for years and years in church?

That you've stopped

letting them drive you

to the feet of Jesus?

Do you remember those blessings

are yours only in Christ?

Is time with Jesus

still central to who you are?

That is, after all,

the essence of following Jesus, right?

Our desperation drives us

to Jesus.

Our delight flows out

of resting in Jesus,

abiding in him,

it's not a one-time visit to Jesus

and he sends me off

to live this delightful life

where I never have another trouble

in the world

the rest of my days.

That's not the idea.

No, it's more like this diagram

where my desperation

keeps driving me to Jesus.

We are to remain actively desperate,

constantly driven back

to Jesus over and over and over,

abiding in him,

not just visiting him once,

over and over again

finding ourselves

at his feet,

delighting in who he is.

That's the place

from which we live

a life of gratitude.

We're honest

about our desperation.

We're delighting

in our Savior.

Are you with Jesus enough

to let that kind of gratitude

shape every moment

of every day?

Do you really trust him enough

to risk all the other good things

you might miss

while you're at his feet?

Does your delight in Jesus

really surpass

all the other delights

in your life?

Or does delight

in Jesus

seem to be,

I can only ever

think of that

in the rear view mirror.

It's way back there somewhere.

Do you actually

really feel

at great distance

from him today

if you're honest?

Remember where all ten lepers

started the story?

Where were they?

Standing

at a distance

from Jesus.

Nine of them

end the story

without leprosy

but still

at a distance

from Jesus,

don't they?

Where are the nine?

Jesus says.

Where are they?

Can't see them.

Is that kind of

where you feel

you are

today?

Maybe go this afternoon

and talk

with Jesus

about your desperation.

even just

the desperation

of wanting

to feel

near him

again.

Wanting to feel

that he's really there

and he really

cares about you.

Maybe that's all

you can think of

that you're desperate

about

or maybe it's

something you wrote

down earlier.

Whatever it is,

just cry out

to him.

He'd love

to hear

from you,

to meet

with you.

Would you take

the time

to do that

today?

Nine

healed lepers

hurrying on

with life.

Busy

but

distant

from Jesus.

But one

former leper

is on his face

at the feet

of Jesus

no matter

what it costs him.

With great delight

he's clinging

to Jesus

and going

wherever Jesus

tells him.

We can live

a life of gratitude

and delight

like that

in Jesus.

Like the three

year old

covered in chocolate

clinging to his

sister

doing whatever

she asks

so delighted

to be in her

arms.

In fact

our delight

in Jesus

and our

gratitude

to Jesus

must be even

greater than that

right?

Jesus hasn't

merely given

up a chocolate

bear

for us.

He has

given his

very life

for us

hasn't he?

He finished

that trip

that he was

on to Jerusalem

and to the

cross

to lay down

his life

for us.

Jesus

has become

the ultimate

leper

for us.

Cut off

from the

community

of God.

Alone

hanging there

suffering

the immense

pain.

Why?

So that

we

can be

welcomed

to this

table

with

him.

Isn't that

what he

told his

disciples

when they

were celebrating

the Passover

lamb

who was the

one who had

died

shed his

blood so

that they

could live?

What did

Jesus say

about that?

In Matthew

26 he says

as they're

eating

Jesus

took bread

and after

blessing it

he broke

it and

gave it

to his

disciples

and said

take

eat

this is

not the

Passover

lamb

this is

my

body

and he

took a

cup

and when

he had

given

thanks

he gave

it to

them

saying

drink

of it

all of

you

for

this

is

not

the

blood

of that

lamb

you

think

back

to

that

died

so

God's

people

could

live

this

is

my

blood

of that

covenant

which is

poured out

for many

for the

forgiveness

of sins

y'all this

table is

not for

decent

people

it's for

desperate

people

who come

being desperate

enough that

they know

they need

a savior

and they

come

clinging

to Jesus

if you

don't

actively

trust

Jesus

this

morning

then I

encourage

you not

to come

and partake

of this

table

but you

can still

come

up here

with us

and just

let us

pray

with you

and if

you'd

like

even

to talk

with you

later

about

Jesus

we'd

love

that

if

you're

a

Christian

who

has

trusted

Jesus

but you're

not

actively

desperate

by which

I mean

you're

not

willing

to

let go

of that

sin

you're

thinking

about

right now

you're

actually

clinging

to that

not

wanting

to

repent

but

hoping

secretly

that it

will

eventually

fulfill

you

then

don't

come to

this

table

and partake

come let us

pray

with you

that God

would renew

your desperation

for Jesus

and your hope

to be found

in him

but if

you're

a

desperate

sinner

who

knows

your

need

this

morning

who

is

crying

out

for

Jesus

help

and knowing

that he's

the only

place

you can

turn

then

come

to

Jesus

he wants

to meet

you

here

and remind

you of

his love

and meet

with you

and give

you delight

in him

let's pray

and we'll

celebrate

together

father we give

you

thanks

for sending

your son

that we

who don't

deserve

to be here

might

might have

the thing

we should be

most grateful

for a

relationship

with you

fellowship

at your

table

would you

use these

common

elements

to teach

our hearts

again

something

that we

forget

so easily

how much

you delight

in us

thank you

Jesus

be work

in our

hearts

we ask

in your

name

amen

for more

information

visit us

online

at

southwood.org

oh

oh

the

pores

are

the

in

the

love

and

see y I

may

fall

like

and

in

those