22-Jun-08 Message preached at FHC, GR

Picture left is Kershisnik, Ten Lepers

You are friends with THEM?
Luke 17:11-19
Ten Healed of Leprosy
11Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a]met him. They stood at a distance 13and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"
14When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
15One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
17Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."


Who are the untouchables in our world today??

Some suggest those with AIDS or are HIV+. Some might feel this way about a Muslim. Some a homosexual. Others will find a huge discomfort level with people of another race. A democrat or even a republican…an atheist…the drug addict…in some of parts of our culture, even among Christians, there are untouchables…



I love William Booth – “go for souls and go for the worst.” Booth said, “My people are gutter people.” He could see beyond the ugliness of the damage of sin and love the soul of people.

I want you to watch a somewhat controversial video. Please don’t turn-off because of the lyrics are not a part of a normal Sunday morning worship…keep watching and I am sure you will understand. Bear with me, please…

Video “God of the Moon and Stars”

Jesus’ ministry is characterized by a constant awareness of the needs of people – the greatest need, of course, is that spiritual re-connection with their Creator, the Heavenly Father. This was the motivation of the Christ…love for the souls of humanity.
Leprosy (or Hansen’s disease) is a horrible disfiguring disease that effects in some varieties skin cells, others nerves and mucus membranes– the disease kills sensitivity to pain causing a person to not sense when a wound has occurred leading to the deterioration of tissue. Limbs don’t just fall off, like you might think; however, many lose limbs and appendages when the disease is not treated or wounds are left without protection and do not heal properly.

There are treatments today for the disease; however, it is not an easy disease to diagnose because cultures of it cannot be grown in a lab – it can only be detected for certain by molecular genetic testing. Treatments are very expensive and hence the reason leprosy is still seen in third world nations.


At the time of Christ, leprosy was viewed as a curse from God and anyone who had contracted such a disease was under the judgment of God and should be rejected. Amazing, isn’t it that Jesus should encounter so many leprosy cases in His ministry…it makes perfectly good sense that Jesus would go to those who were NOT rejected by God in the sense that the resulting illness of their lives was His judgment on them – personally. How beautiful to recount this incident in Jesus’ ministry to remember how He saw me in pity and had mercy on my soul…to cleanse me from the unrighteousness of my soul’s condition.

Have you ever noticed how misery loves company – even common sin brings people together? The ten lepers in our account of a moment in the ministry of Jesus were apparently a mixed group on this boarder region between Galilee and Samaria. They were both Jews and Samaritans – people who normally stayed away from each other were brought together because of their disease. They forgot who they were and knew only that they were people in need. Suffering brings people together and so does sin. People enjoy the opportunity to wallow together in sin until they are absolutely miserable…but it is not so bad, if you can look at your buddy and see he is just as a rotten and stinking as you are. To be fair to these lepers, we have to realize that they probably “took care” of each other and banded together to survive.

Jesus encounters this band and they are confronted with reality: they are miserable. The Law required that when a leper encountered a well person, the leper needed to stand at least 50 feet from the healthy person. So, when the Scripture says they stood far off, it is clear it was at least 50 feet, no doubt. They had to shout to Jesus…”"Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" How often have one seeking Jesus called out in such a manner – often, right? There is a truth that we want to grab on to here:

Jesus in His ministry was among the people. He didn’t recluse Himself in a sanctuary or citadel of retreat…He certainly took time for retreat and refreshment in prayer and connection with the Heavenly Father, but the purpose was not for personal glory, personal hording of blessing or fear of engaging the world that He might fall in sin HH, but rather so that He might be about the Father’s business of Gathering the lost, the far off children of Israel which naturally led to the gathering of the lost, sinful people of the world throughout time. He went about the country, walking the city streets, engaging with people and pointing them to the connection with the Heavenly Father that they were missing. Sinful, disgusting untouchable people were being confronted with the Love of God and being changed by it!

The significant point is the redemption and change that God wants to bring THROUGH YOU to the people of this community, your family, friends and neighbors AND to those who are the untouchables of our community and world! You are the one to bring blessing, hope and healing to these people. YOU ARE THE ONE, friend. There’s no getting around it. If you are a believer, a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, then you are the one. You have the healing in your hand. I like the chorus, “God’s got an Army, Marching through the land, deliverance is their song and with healing in their hand…everlasting joy and gladness in their hearts and in this Army, I’ve got a part!”

You see, then, when we are in the world, but not of the world…when we connect in relationship of love and caring, creatively looking for ways to care for the souls of people around us and show them the love and healing of God…we might make some of the people we encounter miserable, we might make some run away and hide in their sinfulness…BUT God has given you healing in your hand for the ministry of forgiveness, deliverance and love and He calls you to be using these gifts to share peace for the souls of people around you.

Look what happens in our Scripture…

14When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
Jesus instructed them: He doesn’t say that you will be healed but he told them to go the priest. Obedience leads to the miracle: It may have been hard for them to obey Jesus. Perhaps they would want evidence for healing but they went and were healed. Namaan the Syrian (2Ki 5) did not like Elisha’s command to dip 7 times in the Jordan but in obeying he was healed.
As the Law of Scripture demands, the one with leprosy who is healed should go to the priests and be “verified” or certified that they are “clean.” The ten lepers in faith, you see, responded in obedience and while they were on their way, cleansing, healing, restoration of their physical condition occurred. Amazing and wonderful.
15One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
17Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
Now, this is a great lesson on thanksgiving, certainly and we want to be people of thanksgiving…it is in the expression of thanks to God that often wholeness comes. We surrender to God’s purposes in our lives when we return to Him and give Him thanks…not just for the pleasantries, but for the challenges, as well.
Revelation of God’s glory leads to humility, recognition of our unworthiness. Not like the Pharisee who saw the repentant and contrite tax collector and thought, “Thank you, God, I am not like that tax collector.” No, that’s the wrong approach and moves you away from what Jesus wants to accomplish…our thanksgiving is the proper response in light of our complete unworthiness to receive even the slightest attention of the Almighty God of Heaven and Earth…moon and stars.
Amazingly, the words that Jesus speaks in verse 19 are words of salvation…the expression of “your faith has made you well…” or in the KJV, “thy faith hath made thee whole.…” or the Message, “Your faith has healed and saved you." This is the wholeness that the phrase expresses – not JUST a physical healing, but one that has spiritual impact!
This is the kind of stuff that Jesus wants to do in YOU and THROUGH YOU! You are His minister in this world, among the people you encounter everyday. You are the salt of preserving godliness and righteousness and salt to bring flavor to dull, sinful, bland life and living that so many people encounter in their evil choices. I say evil, not they would use the word, but I use it because the choices of people to rebel against the God who wants only to love them, heal them, save them and create a future for them that is beyond their wildest dreams of wholeness and peace…they, instead, shake their fists in the face of the one who loves them. We cannot understand it all, but we are called to become like Jesus for whom giving up His place in Heaven’s Throne Room, to lower Himself and become like a worm by comparison and live like you and me, face the impact of sin and sinful people and yet, rely on the holiness of God, His father to keep Him without sin, choosing never to disconnect with God and then, bore the weight of my sin and yours, shed His precious blood and die for likes of us! This is amazing love. In this same love, He calls His children to love the sin-sick world, bear their burden and love them to the Father…help them tenderly find God in Christ Jesus, help them heal from the wounds of their sin, the sins of their parents and the sins of those around them…teach them the ways of God, teach them love and let them become the next generation of people who love others to Christ Jesus.
Where are you in this? Are you still bothered that the video talked about things that you don’t approve of? You might be and I respect that…however, I pray you see the video makes the point that God loves these people who do not live like you do and He actually cares about their souls connection to Him as much as He cares for you. Jesus is our model and our hope of sanctifying love. It is His Spirit that will change us to love the unlovable, untouchables of our world, today.

Let Him burn that love in you …come to Him.

There are people living in the world out thereThey need you, they need me, they need ChristThere are children crying and no one to careThey need you, they need me, they need ChristAnd they’ll go on hurting in the world out thereAnd they’ll go on dying, drowning in despairAnd they’ll go on crying, that’s unless we care!They need you, they need me, they need Christ

_____
There are people living who would rather dieThey need you, they need me, they need ChristAnd their Christian neighbours simply pass them byThey need you, they need me, they need ChristThere are people sitting by a silent phonePeople cold and hungry, people left alone,Suicides for reasons that remain unknownThey need you, they need me, they need Christ



Used by permission. CCLI #: CCLI#345328

Song #691/775
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.

2.
Though they are slighting him, still he is waiting,
Waiting the penitent child to receive;
Plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently,
He will forgive if they on him believe.

3.
Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving hand, wakened by kindness,
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more.

4.
Rescue the perishing, duty demands it;
Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;
Back to the narrow way patiently win them;
Tell the poor wanderer a Saviour has died.


Fanny Crosby (1820-1915)

Used by permission. CCLI #: CCLI#345328

CALL TO WORSHIP
If love flows in
Love will flow out.

And every day the Lord will enlarge
your capacity for love.

You will love God above everything
You will be prepared to face anything.

Love is not only good and great
Love Is active: -
- Kind. long suffering
- Gentle
- Patient.
- Never rude, or selfish,
- Not touchy, haughty or fretful.

Love knows no bounds, no limits..
Love is happy, joyous. free
Love transforms the thing It loves.
Love abides forever!

I Corinthians 13 (L.B.)