The Action of Reaction

Sovereign Grace Family Church

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September 26, 2022

00:01: Okay, if you have your Bibles this morning, I'm gonna ask if you would to turn to the Gospel of Luke and the 17th chapter Luke chapter 17 and the title of the message as it's Before you is the action of reaction the action of reaction and I'm not the best the titling messages but I brother Keith and brother Mike are really good at it because the you know, they link all these words together And it sounds like a poem and a and a rhyme and all that stuff But the action of reaction and so I want to look at the account this morning of the ten lepers And not only that but next week I want to continue to look at another miracle that is very similar to this in many ways and What we will get to that next week, but I do want to look at The account of the lepers as it is given to us in Luke's Gospels, so If you would read with me in Luke chapter 17 from verse 10 Down through verse 19 and again, if you're visiting I read from the New King James Version So if you have a different version, there might be some Some words that appear differently Luke chapter 17 verse 11 now what happened as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the mist Samaria and Galilee Then as he entered a certain village there met him ten men who were lepers Who stood afar off and they lifted up their voices and they said Jesus master mercy on us So when he saw them, he said to them go show yourselves to the priest So it was as they went they were cleansed Now one of them when he saw that he was healed returned and with a loud voice Glorified God He fell down on his face at his feet giving him.
02:11: Thanks.
02:11: He was a Samaritan So Jesus answered and said were there not ten cleansed, but where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner And he said to them arise.
02:29: He said to him arise Go your way your faith has made you well must again just Ask God again to bless his word father now as we open your word We pray that you would come among us that your words would be our words and your thoughts would be our thoughts And that Christ would be glorified through it all again in his precious name.
02:53: We pray.
02:53: Amen So I said I want to look at the account and and this account of the ten lepers is only found in Luke's gospel Remember who Luke is Luke is the beloved physician that has Perfect understanding of all things from the beginning and that is What he says in the opening of his gospel that he had an understanding and he wrote it to bear witness to that truth and if you remember also Just to remind us of who this writer is He's also in many ways the New Testament historian as he records for us in the book of Acts the early years of the church and the activities of Paul even as at Some points you can see even in the book of Acts that he is with Paul as Paul is on his missionary journeys But this is one of the accounts that is exclusively given to us in the gospel of Luke as you remember many of the other Gospels the synoptic Gospels in particular, which would be Matthew Mark and Luke that they have similar accounts With some variation of the same things that took place at certain times and of course John being the gospel that in that way is Purposed with a different reason and a different thought presented to us, but this account of the ten lepers is only found in the gospel of Luke and so I Want us to think about what he lays out for us and and I want to give you my purpose this morning And here it is and there's actually two.
04:34: Let me just mention them to you.
04:36: The first purpose that I want to Set before you today.
04:40: Is that? faith in the Lord Jesus Christ faith in Christ saving faith real faith true faith Requires not only an action on our part and that action be to believe But that there must be with that action a reaction And I hope to open that up a little bit.
05:04: That's that you and I who say we are his that there not only must be that action on our part where we repent and believe But then there must be a reaction that comes out of that and that that reaction is the thing that you and I Once we have believe are to focus on maybe say to you this way There are things that accompany salvation Right, there are things that accompany salvation and without those things Manifesting themselves you and I Have to really ask ourselves if that is not happening in our lives and others do not see it Then perhaps our faith is not true faith And if our faith is not true faith We're in a world of trouble so that's really what I want to ask us to think about the things that accompany salvation and I will use the term that those are the things that are the reaction to the action of faith and that True faith always requires listen friends True faith always requires a result in our lives true faith Has to be more than lip service It has to manifest itself.
06:39: It has to show and I hope to show you by this account of the ten lepers That that is what is demonstrated in part through this rendering of those ten lepers so that's my main purpose is to ask us to think about the things that accompany salvation and show it in the Particularly in the leper who returned to Christ, but there's also a second thought that I'd ask you to think about as we go through this and It's this answer to prayer not only that but answer to prayer and even outward blessings are not always an indicator of true faith now some of you might say Wait a minute Well, just give me a couple minutes But I want us to think about the fact that just because someone prays and someone has an answer to that prayer and That even in that answer of that prayer They believe that God has blessed them in and of itself.
07:56: That is not always a true indicator of a right relationship with God And I hope to show you that in the account of the lepers so keep those two things in mind as we look at the text and as we consider it, so Let us just take a few minutes and look at the text itself and then make some applications Based on that.
08:23: So it says now it happened as he was as he went to Jerusalem And so the setting is given to us and Jesus is headed towards Jerusalem It's later on in his ministry and he is headed Towards where he's headed towards the cross He's headed towards the hands of wicked men He's headed to the to that place Where he will be mistreated Where he will be maligned Where he will be accused of by false witnesses where he'd be mishandled by the high priest and by Pilate and ultimately where he will find that cross Golgotha's Hill and that he will as we read this morning Become an offering for sin Not his sin our sin.
09:23: And so that's where we jump in if you will He set himself towards Jerusalem to make an offering for sin and and I want to just point this out in the beginning and that's to me that one of the great wonders in all of This is that as Jesus is headed towards Jerusalem as he's headed towards what he knows awaits him of cruelty and and and abuse and mocking and beating and and Ultimately the cross that regardless of what yet lies before him As he goes this great physician this this Compassionate Savior he never draws back from doing good even as he's headed towards the cruel and Ugly cross that that this God that you and I are before he is ever merciful ever willing to to Distribute of his greatness and of his goodness And as you read through some of the accounts in the Gospels You will find that as as Jesus moves closer and closer to Jerusalem and as things begin if you will to close in on him He never closes in on his desire to see others Receive from him and that's a wonderful thing.
10:51: That's a glorious thing He's always desiring to give of himself for the benefit of others that in and of itself could be a lesson for all of us to spend and and think about that regardless of where we are and Regardless of our situation and regardless of the issues of our own life that you and I should always have a mind and a desire to see others benefit Even if it means to our own detriment and that's certainly not easy So that's the scene.
11:25: That's the setting.
11:26: He is headed towards Jerusalem and He passes through the midst of Samaria and Galilee and I know I want to mention that because I want to suggest to you that as Jesus is headed towards Jerusalem That as he enters this village where he's going to be met by the ten lepers that that Jesus is not just taking the trade route But that is Jesus is moving closer and closer towards Jerusalem again because he desires to be Compassionate because he desires to gather his sheep in from wherever they are That he is moving through some of the more remote villages of the the area of Galilee and Samaria And that as he's making his way towards Jerusalem He's still seeking out his sheep He's still seeking out those that he wants to bring to himself And I do believe that that is something that you and I should be so thankful for That you and I would realize that our God Doesn't always take if we think about it in our understanding the normal path.
12:53: Just think about how God Found you Think about where you were when God found you were you in the straight path? Were you with it in the majority or were you in the minority? Were you pursuing him or was it him pursuing you? Were you up on the mountain? Were you in the valley? We see the God that we serve.
13:18: He goes to the mountain.
13:20: He goes to the valley and As he travels he finds those that he desires to worship him and that's a wonderful thing that as Jesus is making his way again to this Horrible thing that lies before him.
13:39: He enters into a certain village and There he is met by the leper.
13:47: I want to set to you.
13:49: I want to set before us Just for a moment because we're gonna be dealing with lepers and leprosy and I want to just spend a moment on that and and I would think I would hope that most of us familiar with leprosy Not personally.
14:05: Oh But if you've read any of the Bible you with the Bible many times members men mentions lepers and leprosy And I want us to just be reminded of it A Leprosy was and Is a horrible disease There are still and I looked it up as best I could there are still hundreds of cases of leprosy in the United States every year No matter of fact as as I did a little bit of research on it I come to find out that In certain countries, it's even more prevalent and it's even more Rampant if you will that they by statistics and again Who people are that do these things by God's grace? I mean, I just don't know if I would be the one that would want to take statistics on leprosy but nevertheless that that in in in African nations and in Indonesia, there's something like 200,000 cases of leprosy every year and Leprosy again, it's a horrible disease Matter of fact, it's called Hansen's disease today If you ever hear of Hansen's disease, it's really leprosy if you want to know from the abundance of Scripture how to Understand how leprosy was handled under the old Covenant and with the children of Israel under the Mosaic legislation read Leviticus 13 and and Leviticus 13 will give you all the The minute and it's amazing the minute details that God laid out for those who were lepers and what they were supposed to do and What the priests were supposed to do and and how these? Things were to be handled and again You just read through Leviticus 13 and actually you can read Leviticus 13 14 15 and you're gonna find out all about a lot of things In a very clear way Concerning these diseases, but leprosy was a was a horrible disease.
16:26: It was it's a contagious disease, by the way leprosy is contagious and and really what it is is It's when your flesh begins to have boils on it and that those boils begin to open up as lesions and then there's discoloration of your skin and Again it not only if it not only affects your skin it affects the nerves under the skin I'm sticking about this way.
16:53: I was telling my wife I don't know.
16:55: I was sitting in my garage and the gnats decided that I was just fresh meat And so they have been biting me and now I won't go out of my garage unless I have a long-sleeved shirt on So I've been scratching myself all week Because you know how you get when you get those little thingamajig is that? See me not so whatever the heck they are But anyway, it made me think about it because it's it not only affects the bite area.
17:23: It affects everything And so now I'm fighting I'm using calamine notion and all this good stuff to try to but leprosy was in a sense it was where they were boils and lesions that busted open on your body and your skin would turn color and Your nerves that were under the skin would be disturbed and and it was in many ways disfiguring One of the characteristics of leprosy is that you get it around your facial area And it actually affects your respiratory area Greatly and so if you ever seen pictures and sometimes you see them in the movies or even Pictures where they'll show pictures of people who have leprosy.
18:07: There's great disfigurement around their facial area and it even says that it can go so far that leprosy is Can affect internal organs so again let's not Be deceived that they're thinking that as it talks about lepers that they just had some mat bites But this was a horrible disease and again if you read through what was laid out in Leviticus So if you had this disease and it could come and it could go and they could come back and go back again But if you had this disease you were not Allowed to be in the camp with God's people Matter of fact, not only were you not allowed to be in the camp of God's people But if you had it and you came in contact with someone who was not affected by leprosy You had to cover your mouth and you had a yell and and by the way One of the effects of leprosy is you can't your vocal cords are interrupted But you had to cover your mouth.
19:13: And when you saw someone who did not have leprosy you had a shout unclean unclean They were unclean they were in pain they had disfigurement they were in and of themselves unable to remedy it and Not only that they were put out of the camp They could not have fellowship in that condition So It was a separating disease.
19:52: It was a lonely disease.
19:54: It was a hurtful disease And as we go through this account as we go a little bit further I want us to think about that and I want to make this application at least in part that I find in this a picture of Not just physical leprosy But spiritual leprosy and that I ask us to think about it That that those who have leprosy in the flesh were not allowed to be with other people not allowed to have fellowship in the people of amongst the people of Israel or amongst other groups and was suffering that this is a picture of what it is to be a spiritual leper To be unclean before God to not be able to fellowship with God.
20:57: It's always I Believe I could make that This statement that if you are not in Christ and you're a spiritual leper and that as we read through what happens and what takes place That it is amazing to me how So many people never return To give thanks once they're healed and I'll show that to you.
21:28: So I want to consider it further But let me ask us to think and so again, he's on his way to Jerusalem and and he's Through walking through the areas of Galilee and Samaria and he enters a certain village and there met him ten men who were lepers who stood afar off So get the picture.
21:51: I Don't believe they were in the village I believe they were on the outskirts of the village because they couldn't have gone in the village because they were lepers So there they are.
21:58: They're on the outskirts of the village Jesus passes by and there's ten men and It says they were men who were lepers who stood afar off and verse 13 and they lifted up their voices and they said Jesus master Have mercy on us.
22:20: We're met by the cry of these lepers Now according to what I've read concerning Jewish law, you aren't allowed to come within a hundred paces of someone If you were a leper you had remained at least a hundred paces from someone else except another leper And so you can get the scene if you will Jesus is walking when he's got his disciples with him and I'm sure he's got some sort of a following as he's headed towards Jerusalem and Just as we read in many of the gospel accounts as Jesus is moving in one direction it seems to be those who are surrounding him with all kinds of maladies and diseases and concerns Whether it be for their selves or for their children or for this or for that I guess I'm speaking so powerfully I blew a fuse so Here they are and they're they're standing afar off and they cry out and they cry out for help this again to me is a picture of where those who are spiritually diseased should be Calling for help and you get it.
23:54: There they are Unclean Dismayed disfigured and Jesus walks by and and here's the thing and I thought about this they have one thing in common all these and it says that some of them were Jews and I believe we we can be sure that it says at least one of them was a Samaritan because ultimately he's the one that comes Back after he's healed.
24:18: So there's this mixed company if you will And there they are they're all diseased and they cannot enter into the camp they cannot have fellowship with those that are clean and they see Jesus walk by and they begin to cry out to him and It's interesting in verse 13.
24:37: They use the right words, don't they? Jesus Master Marcianus You know, maybe they've heard about him.
24:47: I think there's a there's a Samaritan that they've heard about this Jesus this one who has healed so many of So many different maladies and so many different diseases and so many different life issues and they've heard of this one and and and they have No alternative but to look to him to cry out to him But as I hope to show you that in and of itself is Not always an indicator of truly coming to Christ because as you will see and as we work through this as Jesus sends them and they are cleansed only one of them returns so as they are crying out they are desiring mercy and and and and Observe that it doesn't say anything how they desire mercy for their souls, but they definitely desire mercy for their body don't they and that's the way many people are today many people cry out for help and mercy with the physical and They never consider The mercy that's needed for the spiritual.
26:12: I liked what Matthew Poole said He said many howl to God when they're on their sickbeds But they glorify him not when they are lifted up cry to God for mercy Heal me help me Be compassionate to me Look to my needs and then as soon as those very needs are met It's the end of it.
26:50: So there they are They raised their voice look at verse 14 says this So when he saw them he said to them Go Show yourself to the priest and so it was that as they went they were cleansed And I thought about this for a while and I I had to consider because this is not in that sense The I don't want to say normal but the pattern of ways in which Jesus healed many times if you remember Someone would come and ask for healing and Jesus would say I will Or so be it and He would meet their need and he would tell them and he would grant them their desire if you will immediately in the and the response Would be immediate.
27:53: I want to suggest to us.
27:54: This is a little different When he saw him when he saw them he said to them go It's gonna send them away Do you remember a man and maybe you don't but there was a man in the Old Testament? His name was Naaman and Naaman was a servant to the Syrian King and Naaman was a leper and Naaman had heard about God's man and how God's man could heal him and So as he comes and he presents himself before Elisha Elisha says Go and wash in the river and you'll be clean He tells him to go tells him to wash in the river dip in the river seven times and he'll be clean But as I looked at this and I thought about this Jesus never says that in that way.
28:50: He merely tells them or he Simply tells them go Go to the priest.
29:02: I want us to think about that a little bit.
29:06: He doesn't say to me if you go you'll be healed It doesn't touch him He doesn't even come up to him, although can you get the picture they're far off Jesus mass to save us.
29:19: I believe Jesus approached them, but remained at a distance and said go I have asked myself.
29:32: Is he is he testing them? I mean they're they're in need It's obvious Is he testing them? Is he is he? seeking to draw out of them something other than just What they desire Is he demonstrating that? He has the power to heal in many different ways again if you think about it Jesus has demonstrated his power in many different ways hasn't he? Sometimes he's touched people one time he made spittle In the dirt rub someone's eyes all the times.
30:16: He simply said I will All the times he said go your way your desire has been Granted not here.
30:26: He tells them go Go show yourself to the priests and so They go They follow his instructions Is Jesus seeking to draw from them more than just following outward instructions? Just following outward laws Listen let me let me say this to you this morning if You and I believe that all we need to do to be right with God is to follow some set of instructions directions We're wrong.
31:13: We're wrong to think that all we have to do is follow certain steps do certain things Check certain boxes Whether that be Outward or even inward, you know friends there in and I hope you'll understand there are many people who think they're right with God that are that are Absolutely wrong because to them all it is is following some sort of system or some sort of instructions Is that how we really become? Children of God by just following some outward Instruction or outward rule.
31:59: Is this how men really are saved? He tells them to go Go show yourself to the priest and and so it was verse 14 and so it was as they went they were cleansed Well, that's just cool stuff as they went.
32:20: They were cleansed now I'm not absolutely certain if they all Truly went to the priest he told him to I'm not absolutely sure How far the priest was from where they were? I'm not sure if Jesus waited to see If they would return after they went to the priest.
32:43: I'm not absolutely certain about that Here's what I am certain about he told him to go and as they go Their bodies begin to be healed.
32:59: Can you imagine what that must have been like to them, man? I can't wait for these things these not fights to disappear Could you imagine what it must have been like to have been? Infected with boils and lesions and sores and and your nerves are being affected and you Disfigured and you've been cast away and as you you walk all of a sudden your flesh begins to to be restored What must have been in? their minds To see such divine power again Keep in mind the spiritual aspect because the spiritual reality my friends in many ways is much greater and much Higher and much more exalted than the physical Jesus said it would be better for a man to enter into life wide halt and maim Those things of the physical body to be cast in doubt, but you can you imagine the Thought as they went again, I can't tell you for sure What's taking place in the meantime? Whether they returned all whether they actually all went to the the priest But I will say this in verse 15 Not one of them When he saw he was healed Returned and with a loud voice He glorified God This is what made me think about this that that truly believing in Christ truly being One who has been healed spiritually and perhaps physically That there has to be something attached to it, is it not amazing my friends that Only one of them returned I don't even know if this is the point of his salvation I really think it's further on and when Jesus in verse 19 says arise and go your way your faith has made you well To me that's more the language of salvation.
35:44: I don't know I don't need to know in that sense, but I know this I Know this one came back This one came back and not only did he come back he came back To worship you see the action of faith is great.
36:05: The action of faith is what is needed It's the instrument by which God draws us But friends there are things that accompany salvation and the thing that I want to highlight this morning Is that what your company salvation ought to be worship? worship of him who has healed us He returns to give thanks when you look at this in verse 16 Look at his Posture He fell down on his face at his feet giving him.
36:58: Thanks.
36:59: He was a Samaritan number two Samaritans They had a half-breed religious half-breed They've taken some from the from the Jewish faith and some from the other nations faith And they've kind of put it all together and got it all messed up and and they were considered as half-breeds They would neither like by the Jew nor the Gentile So in and of themselves they're outcasts.
37:24: I want you to notice the position Look at it in verse verse 12 He went through a certain village and there met him ten men who were lepers who stood afar off Notice where they are Notice where they are when they're unclean notice where they are when they're diseased notice where they are when they're helpless and hopeless now verse 16 The Samaritan is now at the feet of Jesus.
38:01: He who was afar off is now close I'm gonna say something and I'm gonna step on some feet and if you disagree with me Come and show me and and what will and hopefully I have enough grace to repent But I'm gonna say it if you and I are as far from Jesus after we say we have a saving relationship with him if we are as far away as We were when we first believed then I Seriously ask you to consider whether you're saved.
38:48: Well, you're gonna scare some people off So be it because here's the truth You cannot stay as far from Jesus after you believed As you were before you believed you can't do it It's got to be worship It's got to be reaction it's got to be Thanksgiving it's got to be falling at his feet It's got to be a change of life and it has to pour out of you If he's no more glorious to you today than he was when you first believed Then I seriously doubt and again that might be offensive But I'll use this Scripture as well as many other scriptures to prove my point Because look what he says and he fell down at his feet He gave him thanks and he was Samaritan and look at verse 17 Jesus answered and said what they're not ten cleansed Now you might want to try to write it all say well, you know, they went to the priest and they never came back but they were thankful and and You can come up with a whole lot of scenarios and perhaps you will but I will Stand at this point on this That having been healed of such a great Illness that the demonstration of the one who returned to give.
40:35: Thanks Is a demonstration of where you and I ought to be That's strange question Jesus To ask Jesus answered it said what they're not ten.
40:51: We're at a nine.
40:53: Let me ask you this morning in light of this Where are you? Where am I? Are we part of the nine? Are we part of the one? Are we here this morning because we're compelled Are we here this morning because we think we have to do certain things Are we compelled to fall at his feet and worship him? I really believe and I hope you would agree with me one of the greatest deceptions In all this world from the beginning till now Is for men to believe That they're Not dead in sin That they're not helpless and hopeless without Christ Did they have some merit Did they have some ability to heal themselves? it's one of the greatest deceptions and it's one of the the easiest tools in the toolbox of the evil one to deceive us to Thinking that we don't really need to worship Christ God's Savior Listen friends was that not what happened to Adam when he fell? What does it say dying you what shall die? Both physically Later on but spiritually at that very moment And that anyone who comes into this world and you get in a lot of trouble I guarantee you go to work tomorrow and start calling people spiritual lepers and see what happens better be carrying Because people will resist you because they'll understand from the very that very statement.
43:00: What are you talking about? I'm not unclean.
43:03: I'm not diseased Listen every person under Adam in Adam Outside of Christ is diseased Simply what he is what she is You could be an old leper or a young leper you'd be a male leper or female leper Are we here as the one to come and to give thanks? Listen friends how thankful are you that God has saved you if he's never pondered that question if that doesn't Do something inside of you then I want to ask you to think about whether you really know him It's gotta move us It's got to affect us It's got to cause us to come in and desire to worship.
44:04: Does that mean we're not gonna sin? Does that mean we're gonna be perfect? But friends the things that accompany salvation one of those things is worship public private Inward outward and that you and I need to ask ourselves more and more Am I of the nine or am I of the one and listen it doesn't necessarily mean that that You're gonna have these amazing achievements in your life You might not and it might not mean that you'll even demonstrate the greatest fruits Possible.
44:51: Remember what is we're told that there be measures of fruit some 30 some 60 some 100 So coming to Christ and the things that accompany salvation, I don't always standing up and preaching or evangelizing or or Doing great out with things or being a missionary or or being the most faithful church attendee or I'll tell you what it does mean.
45:20: It means you'll be a worshiper of Jesus Christ and it will affect you It has to Do not be deceived God is not mocked Whatsoever a man sows he will reap and if we are really in Christ It ought to really be that we're so in worship Thanksgiving Can we say in our hearts in any measure What Paul said? When he was met on the road by the risen Savior know what he said Lord What will you have me? to do or is it the other way around as It is to so many in this world Lord, here's what I want you to do for me and In worship it ought to be Lord.
46:24: What would you have me to do? Because if we are the true worshippers God listen friends I'll close but let me say this if we are the true worshipers of God, we're gonna get ourselves in a bunch of trouble We're gonna offend We're gonna be upset We're gonna be dismayed.
46:45: We're gonna be troubled.
46:46: We're gonna be perplexed.
46:48: We're gonna be persecuted.
46:49: We're gonna be a lot of things Is he not worth it? I was telling About Steve before By God's grace.
47:04: I've been able to preach In many situations for 40 years I was telling him this morning.
47:11: I was telling before I get so nervous You can ask my wife Because I'll be out in the garage two o'clock.
47:18: I want to get bit up by not but see me nuts Just thinking about what I'm gonna say.
47:23: And should I say the house? I say the Lord give me the right spirit and give me the right words and and I wonder sometimes what am I doing? Losing my mind.
47:31: I'm not losing my mind.
47:32: I want to worship him.
47:33: I want to please him I want to do what he wants me to do verse 18 We're not any found Who returned to give glory to God? Except this foreigner.
47:58: He said to him arise go your way your faith has made you well So ask us this morning friends We part of the nine are we part of the one? Are we worshipers of God In spirit and in truth We willing if need be to give our bodies to be burned Are we willing if need be to to worship him in such a way that that we're not number one And we might even lose outward Battles, but we'll never lose him.
48:43: Is he not worth at all? And so as Jesus said to him in verse 19 rise and go your way your faith has made you well Would you rather be healed in body only Would you rather be healed? in your soul to know him the power of his resurrection I Pray that's the case.
49:09: I pray as we go on in the faith friends that worship of him grows brighter and brighter and That we are not deceived at the thinking that all we have to do is come this far And go no further.
49:28: May God bless us.
49:29: May may we be able to hear in that day Even as Jesus said to this man arise go your way your faith has made you well that we will be able to hear in that day well done now good and Faithful sir Enter into the joy May God bless us All right, let's close it a word of prayer and then we'll Remember the Lord's supper father and thank you for this day Lord.
50:01: Thank you for your word Lord Thank you for the example of the leper That we are Spiritual lepers apart from you and and that you make us whole maybe we return to give glory to you What even now as we come to the supper may this be a memorial to us of what you have done What you are doing and yet what you will do for us through Jesus our Lord Who so loved us that he gave himself for us in his name.