"WERE THERE NOT
Introduction: I want you to consider the words of a couple of songs
and the Scriptures upon which these songs are based.
A.
Follow Me
1.
Mark 10:17-22 - The Rich,
Young Ruler
2.
Must take up your own cross
(Mark
3.
Must deny yourself
B.
I Gave My Life For Thee
1.
2 Corinthians 5:14-19 -
Christians should no longer live for themselves
2.
Now they must live for the
Lord
C.
When we consider what the
Lord has done for us, we should NEVER have a problem doing what the Lord asks
of us
1.
We sing the song "Kneel
at the Cross" as an invitation to lost sinners to come to Christ. The last
verse calls on the sinners to give their idols up. Yet, so many of us are still
holding on to ours
2.
We have sung, on several
occasions the song "I Surrender All." Yet, have we freely given all
to him? Have we truly forsaken worldly pleasure? Have we given unto the Lord
all of ourselves, or only that which we want him to have?
D.
By looking at the account of
the cleansing of the ten lepers we can get a better assessment of our
appreciation for the Lord
I.
The lepers were looking for
Jesus - They got Jesus attention (Luke
A.
They were in a terrible
condition
1.
They needed his help
2.
No one else could had done
for them what Jesus did
B.
We sought Jesus because we
were in a terrible spiritual condition
1.
We were helpless to do
anything about our problem (
2.
Only Jesus could remedy our
problem (Acts
C.
The lepers wanted to be
cleansed
1.
Jesus told them to go show
themselves to the priest (Luke
a.
This was a legal requirement
(Matt. 8:4)
b.
The priest would have
pronounced them healed
2. While on their way to the
priests, the lepers were cleansed
II.
The return of the foreigner
A.
Jesus saw that only one of
the ten returned (Luke
1.
When Jesus told the lepers
to go show themselves to the priest, He was testing their faith
2.
When we were dead and
defiled by our sins, we sought Jesus so that we may be cleansed but our faith
was tested
a.
We were commanded to be
baptized
b.
Naaman was commanded to dip
seven times in the
B.
Just as the lepers went to
the priest as a testimony of their cleansing, Saints must let their light shine
so that men may see their good works and glorify their father in heaven (Matt.
5:16)
1.
Men ought to publish their
good fortune to the world so that others may be encouraged to seek the same
from Him who is so able to give it
2.
Yet, the beneficiaries of
such benevolence must be so moved to turn and give glory to the Author of their
good fortune
3.
In the narrative, only one
out of ten who were cleansed has the presence of mind to realize the need to
honor and thank Jesus for the blessings he has given
III.
Where are the others?
A.
These lepers were honoring
the letter of the law, but not the spirit of the law
1.
Going to the priest is not
what made these men whole, it was the graciousness of Jesus.
Going to the priest was the prerequisite to grace
2.
The source of Naaman's healing was not the Jordan, but the One who willed
that Naaman dip in the
3.
Our source of spiritual
cleansing is not the waters of baptism, but the One who commanded us to be
baptized (Col. 2:12)
B.
Some of us are suffering
from Rich Young Ruler Syndrome
1.
I have done all these
things; what more do I lack?
2.
I have obeyed the gospel, I
am born again, I have been baptized for the remission of my sins, I'm a
Christian, I am a baptized believer in the body of
Christ, what more do you want from me?
3.
You need to give up what
ever it is that keeps you from glorifying Jesus
C.
We have several here who
have obeyed the gospel.
1.
They were cleansed of sin,
but how many return on the Lord's day to give him
praise and to remember the great sacrifice that Jesus has made on their behalf?
2.
When Jesus looked to see
where the others were which prompted the question “were there not ten?” He may
have been looking through the span of time to this moment,
a.
Is there not anyone else in
this congregation, who has been cleansed, which has returned to give glory to
God except these few who faithfully assemble each week on the Lord's day?
b.
Is God not more important
than our jobs? Is He not more
wonderful than family outings and recreation or whatever takes us away from the
weekly assembly? Is not what he gives us more
refreshing than a thousand weeks of vacation time? Is He not more deserving of
our love and honor than our husbands or wives and even children?
D.
As for this leper who turned
to glorify God and give thanks to Jesus:
1.
You give the Lord
2.
Find someone with this
leper's appreciation and you'll have no problem getting folk to do the work of
the church
3.
Find someone with this kind
of heart for Jesus and you won't be given feeble excuses for not doing what the
Lord commands
4.
Let someone with this
leper's self denial into the assembly then members won't have to go away
discouraged each week
Conclusion: Jesus is looking at us from his home in glory and He
may be wondering, “Were there not # cleansed? But where are the rest? Were
there not any found who returned to give glory to God except these?