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
the
pores
are
the
in
the
love
and
see y I
may
fall
like
and
in
those