Was No One Found Who Returned To Give Glory To God?
Luke 17:11-19
February 16, 2020
This morning we approach a pretty familiar story in Luke’s gospel.
It is the story of the day when Jesus healed 10 lepers
And 1 of them returned in gratitude.
I’m sure you’ve probably heard the story before.
Most of the time I hear it preached around THANKSGIVING as this has seemed to be a story used most of the time to illustrate gratitude.
• After all, of the 10 who are healed only 1 returns to say “Thank You” to Jesus.
• And so the story is typically used as a story about being thankful.
• And that certainly isn’t totally wrong.
• This Samaritan did demonstrate gratitude.
But, the story is not primarily about gratitude.
It is about the difference between superficial faith and saving faith.
Between faith that is shallow and faith that saves.
This is a topic that I find to be of the utmost importance.
Jesus adamantly warned us of false prophets
• And how they would ultimately usher men through a wide gate and down a broad way.
• How they would come and tickle ears who would be willing to declare anyone saved for any profession at all.
And our society certainly proves those warnings to be valid.
But one of the things we definitely learn from the ministry of Jesus
Is that NOT ALL who encountered Jesus actually had saving faith.
IN FACT
NOT EVEN ALL those who claimed to believe had true saving faith.
John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
People there claimed to believe, but obviously Jesus expected more.
• He actually laid down a litmus test saying “If you continue in My word, then
you are truly disciples of Mine”
It’s as R.C. Sproul liked to say.
“We are not saved by a profession of faith, but by the possession of it.”
These claimed to believe, Jesus said, “We’ll see…”
John 12:42-43 “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”
There again we see men who had some sense of belief,
But whatever that belief was it did not result in confession of Him as Lord.
And Jesus was clear about that:
Matthew 10:32-33 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”
Paul was also clear that it is those who “confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord” who will be saved.
So whatever faith these men had, it wasn’t saving faith.
They loved the approval of men more than the approval of God,
And despite their belief, they would not confess.
And probably the most telling of all:
John 2:23-25 “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”
As we have pointed out before.
The word “believed” and the word “entrusting” there
Are the same word in the Greek. (PISTEUO)
John said that many believed in Jesus, but Jesus didn’t believe in them.
It brings to our mind
• The “many” who will appear before the Lord at the judgment saying “Lord,
Lord” and in response He will say, “I do not know you”
And there are more examples we could bring here, but you get the point.
NOT ALL FAITH IS SAVING FAITH.
There are many who profess but it is an empty profession.
This is also why the Bible tells us to EXAMINE OURSELVES
Regarding the genuineness of our salvation.
2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?”
2 Peter 1:10-11 “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”
Even the Lord’s Supper, which we will take at the conclusion of this service
Is done with a calling to examine ourselves.
1 Corinthians 11:27-32 “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.”
Examining the legitimacy of our faith is a very important reality.
Even included as one of the purposes of partaking of the Lord’s Supper.
Now let me tell you A COMMON MISTAKE
In how people seek to validate the legitimacy of their faith.
Commonly people in our culture measure the legitimacy of their faith
BY THE RESULTS they think it achieves.
That is to say, if God responds as expected
Then they discern that their faith must have been legitimate.
(My faith must be genuine because God responded to it)
The prosperity gospel sort of uses the reverse logic as if to say, “If God does not respond as you wanted then your faith is not real.”
That is a sort of litmus test that I see most people giving themselves.
And in that thread we hear statements like:
• “God has saved my life countless times…”
• “I know God is always with me because of those moments when…”
• “God definitely carried me through such and such situation”
But measuring the legitimacy of your faith in that way
Overlooks the reality of what we call “COMMON GRACE”
Common grace is simply that grace which is common on all men.
Matthew 5:44-45 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
In short, everyone is a beneficiary of God’s goodness.
That fact that God did something good for you
Is not an accurate indicator that your faith is legitimate.
All that proves is that God is gracious.
OUR FAITH IS PROVED LEGITIMATE BY OUR ACTIONS.
And that is what makes this story such a great illustration
Of more than just gratitude, but actually of genuine saving faith.
It is such a great illustration that even if it weren’t true
It would have made a great parable.
SO THIS MORNING let’s work through this story
And examine the difference between superficial faith and saving faith.
There are 4 divisions in this story that we can look at
#1 THE HEALING OF THE TEN
Luke 17:11-14
The story begins by revealing that Jesus “was on the way to Jerusalem”
He has actually been on His way here since Luke 9
Luke 9:51 “When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem;”
If you factor in other gospel accounts the picture gets clearer:
• In John 7&8 (Roughly about September) Jesus attended the Feast of Booths
in Jerusalem and at the end they tried to stone Him.
• In John 9&10 He attended the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) and they
again tried to stone Him.
• In John 11 He went near Jerusalem one more time in order to raise Lazarus
from the dead, even though His disciples warned Him that the Jews were
seeking to kill Him.
John 11:54 “Therefore Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.”
We are during that brief time period.
Sometime around February or March
Jesus is making His final trip to Jerusalem
Where He will be crucified for our sins.
I point that out because I want you to realize what is on the Savior’s mind.
• Certainly He is readying Himself for what is about to occur.
• But you can also understand the urgency of His ministry.
• His earthly ministry is almost over.
Well He’s traveling south out of “Galilee” and into “Samaria”
As He continues to migrate toward Jerusalem.
(12-13) “As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
We’ve talked about the issue of leprosy before.
• Known today as Hanson’s disease it was a condition by which the infected individual was declared unclean and sent outside of the camp.
There are really 2 reasons why leprosy is so often mentioned in Scripture
And why Jesus seems to have taken such special notice of it.
1) Leprosy was a fitting analogy for sin.
• Contrary to popular believe leprosy did not cause your extremities to rot off.
• Instead if caused nerve damage and loss of feeling in your extremities and ultimately caused people to “rub off” their extremities or even their noses.
• This became a fitting analogy of sin as that which is a self-inflicted and self-destructing disease due to lack of sensitivity to God’s truth.
2) Leprosy was seen as the curse of God on sinful people
• People in Bible times with leprosy were considered, more so than any other humans to have been under God’s judgment and wrath. They were cursed and they were outcast.
• One rabbi is mentioned to have refused to eat an egg that was purchased on a street where a leper walked.
• Other rabbi’s encouraged throwing rocks at lepers to keep them at a distance.
Jesus routinely healed lepers because it demonstrated
His power over sin and ability to satisfy God’s wrath on sinners.
But here you have 10 leprous men.
An entire hospital wing of lepers
Outcast, suffering, lonely, and pathetic.
But no doubt they had heard of Jesus.
They had heard of His miraculous ability.
• It may have even been that the entourage falling Jesus gave ample testimony of Jesus’ ability to heal.
However it occurred, these lepers knew what Jesus was capable of and so “they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
Not presuming to come close to Jesus,
Though He had healed lepers with a touch,
These men desperately cry out to Him.
They identify His power by calling Him “Master”
EPISTATES (ep-i-stah-tace)
Which refers to one who possesses notable power and authority.
And they ask Him to “have mercy on us!”
Which is a common way to ask for help or in this case healing.
SO BASICALLY you have men here who see in Jesus an opportunity to be healed of their disease and jump at the opportunity.
And Jesus does not disappoint.
(14) “When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed.”
• In Luke 5 Jesus actually touched the leper to cleanse him, but here Jesus merely spoke the word.
He told the men to “Go and show yourselves to the priests”
• Jewish Law indicated that the priests were the sort of leprosy inspectors.
• When a man wanted to be declared clean he must present himself to the priest who would examine him and if the leprosy was gone,
• Then he would put him through a cleansing ritual and after the ritual the man could return to his village and family.
So Jesus was clearly here affirming the Law.
Jesus was also forcing the priests to affirm His miraculous ability since they would have to certify that these lepers had in fact been healed.
So Jesus told them to go.
“And as they were going, they were cleansed.”
It is yet another tremendous display of Jesus’ compassion and power.
• Despite all that must have been on His mind He still took the time to show
mercy to these outcast men.
• He also demonstrated the ability to heal them with simply a word.
It was a dramatic demonstration of Jesus divinity and supernatural power.
In effect here, He cleared out the entire hospital.
NOW, IF THE STORY ENDED HERE,
There is no doubt what most everyone would talk about.
The story would not only be about the power and compassion of Jesus,
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE WE’D BE TALKING ABOUT.
We’d be talking about the faith of the lepers wouldn’t we?
Namely because
• Not only did they cry out to Jesus…
• Not only did they call Him Master…
• Not only did they plead for mercy…
• But they obeyed Him to go to the priest before the healing occurred…
If this is all we had of the story,
We’d no doubt be using these 10 lepers as examples of great faith,
Who saw Jesus and trusted Jesus and reaped the benefit of their faith.
But that only proves my point, that perhaps we are willing
To say someone has great faith when Jesus does not.
Because, (as Luke is so fond of doing), next we get the rest of the story.
And it is THE REST OF THE STORY that will help us see that
Perhaps these lepers didn’t have as much faith as you might think.
The Healing of the Ten
#2 THE RETURN OF THE ONE
Luke 17:15-16
Here is where the story gets important.
Because one man does what the other nine do not.
And we need to break this down a little further
To make sure we get a good look at what set him apart.
1) HIS SPIRITUAL CONCERN (15a)
“Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back…”
So all ten are headed to the priest,
And suddenly they are all miraculously healed.
It must have been quite a dramatic scene.
• Missing fingers reappeared, wrinkled skin tightened up, it must have been quite amazing!
• And no doubt the entire group must have been ecstatic.
But one man in the group saw more than the others.
While all 10 were certainly happy to have been healed,
1 saw an opportunity for something greater.
All 10 saw a man capable of healing their body,
1 saw a man capable of healing his soul.
AND THIS MAN RETURNS.
• This man needs more than just healing.
• Leprosy was not his only problem.
• Leprosy was not even his biggest problem.
He had a sin problem, he had a righteousness problem,
And he was now convinced that Jesus could deal with that.
So this man “turned back”.
The fact that the other 9 did not turn back
Indicates that their concern was only for the external benefits of being healed.
But one was also concerned about spiritual things.
2) HIS RESOUNDING PRAISE (15b)
“glorifying God with a loud voice,”
This man was returning with a purpose.
He was returning that he might give glory to God.
• Certainly that is part of why Jesus sent them all to the priest,
• And this man may certainly go there in a moment,
• But he recognized what the others did not.
If giving glory to God was the goal,
Then this man recognized that God was right here.
• No need to enter an empty temple where God’s glory had not dwelled since the time of Jeremiah.
• If a man truly wanted to glorify God, then approaching Jesus was the order of the day.
This man saw that.
3) HIS HUMBLE SUBMISSION (16a)
“and he fell on his face at His feet”
Certainly that is humility, but it is also submission.
• He is acknowledging Jesus as God and submitting to whatever He desires.
The other 9 are excited to go show themselves to the priest
So that they might be declared clean
And they can get on with life the way they want to live it.
This man sees his life restored and turns right around
And offers that life to Jesus for His glory.
You are already seeing the difference aren’t you?
4) HIS GENUINE GRATITUDE (16b)
“giving thanks to Him.”
Others may claim to be grateful, but
• Only 1 expressed that gratitude.
• Only 1 delayed his plans to give thanks.
• Only 1 made sure Jesus knew of his gratitude.
I hope you are seeing the difference.
• 10 were healed – 1 was grateful
• 10 were excited – 1 was submissive
• 10 received – 1 gave
SAVING FAITH IS NOT DISTINGUISHED BY WHAT IT RECEIVES,
BUT RATHER BY WHAT IT GIVES.
And to add an even stronger point we read “And he was a Samaritan.”
It was again that shocking reality of Jews
Who had benefited from Jesus’ miracles who still missed the point,
But of foreigners who trusted with far less proof.
But you simply see that even though 10 were healed, only 1 returned.
Now, we still in our story, might not yet be aware of the biggest problem.
But Jesus is about to shed some light on it.
#3 THE DISMAY OF THE HEALER
Luke 17:17-18
Here we have 3 questions by Jesus
And they all reveal the dismay, almost shock, of Jesus.
• “Were there not ten cleansed?”
• “But the nine – where are they?”
• “Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”
Can you hear His dismay?
Can you hear His frustration?
Quite honestly it is the same type of thing
Jesus has grown all-too accustomed to in Israel.
He has seen it over and over and over.
• Jews who desperately wanted to be healed but who had no interest in being saved.
• Jews who desperately wanted to be wowed with miracles but who had no interest in repentance or submission.
We saw it in His hometown.
He gave them perhaps the greatest revelation that anyone received.
Remember He read from Isaiah and said:
Luke 4:21 “And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
But ultimately that wasn’t what they wanted.
They didn’t want a Savior, they wanted a miracle worker.
Jesus would go on to say:
Luke 4:23 “And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.'”
• They just wanted Him to do the same miracles there that He’d done
everywhere else. They just wanted healing.
• And when He wouldn’t give it they tried to throw Him off a cliff.
Jesus lamented over the towns where He worked most of His miracles.
Luke 10:13-15 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. “But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you. “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades!”
These towns had seen miracle after miracle and still they wouldn’t believe.
Jesus announced the severity of their coming judgment.
Or Luke 11 we see people who actually demanded a sign (11:16).
But to them He responded:
Luke 11:29-32 “As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. “For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. “The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”
Or in just a few days when He will actually reach the city of Jerusalem.
Luke 19:41-44 “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
It was just testimony after testimony of people who didn’t get it.
They saw miracle after miracle and never got the point.
What was the point of all the miracles?
It was to lead men to salvation.
John 5:36 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish — the very works that I do — testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.”
John 10:37-38 “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”
John 20:30-31 “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”
The point of every miracle was so that
When people saw the man capable of healing disease
That they might then also see the man capable of saving their soul.
The problem however was that time after time
People only wanted the healing with no concern whatsoever for their soul.
And this story, like all those others illustrates that.
And you can hear the frustration of Jesus.
“Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”
And that leads to one final point.
#4 THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE SAVIOR
Luke 17:19
Here is this newly cleansed man, now presenting himself at Jesus’ feet.
And Jesus says, “Stand up and go”
That is to say, “Go ahead now and go to the priest and show yourself to him”
And then Jesus says this, “your faith has made you well.”
• Speaking of the 10 as a group in verse 14 we read, “they were cleansed”
• When Jesus spoke of them in verse 17 He said, “Were there not ten
cleansed?”
“cleansed” translates KATHARIZO
And it means cleansed or washed or cleaned or cured
All ten men received that miracle.
But this 1 man received something else.
Jesus told him “your faith has made you well.”
“well” translates SOZO
And that word means “saved”.
In fact, it is the Bible’s preferred word when speaking of salvation.
NOW, FOLLOW ALONG HERE.
All 9 men were healed, but only 1 was saved.
And do you know why?
ONLY 1 GAVE JESUS FAITH.
Do you see Jesus referencing the faith of the other 9?
No, He doesn’t.
And this is so profound as it comes to examining our own life.
What may have appeared to be faith in the other 9 wasn’t.
It was nothing more than desperate, self-serving, optimism
That paid off only because Jesus was compassionate.
Do you see that?
As I told you, if this story had ended in verse 14,
I’m convinced that the dialogue forever would have been about what great faith those lepers had because their faith earned a healing.
And yet, when you read the whole story
YOU FIND OUT THAT WHAT THEY HAD WASN’T REALLY FAITH AT ALL.
They were just desperate men with nothing to lose.
And their true heart became evident
When it became obvious that Jesus was God.
Because when Jesus demonstrated His power, and His power to save, THEY WEREN’T INTERESTED.
Whatever they had, it wasn’t saving faith.
They cried out to Jesus that He might fix their problem,
But once it was fixed they no longer had need of Him.
And I’m going to tell you folks, nothing grieves my heart or frustrates my soul on a regular basis more than this.
I SEE IT ALL THE TIME.
• People who come for prayer because they have some glaring need, but after
the need is filled they never return…
• People who come for benevolent help because they are low on funds, but
once the need is met they never return…
• We even see people who have some fear of hell and judgment and so they
run to Jesus to get saved, and they get baptized, and never return…
Are we to assume that those are expressions of saving faith?
Certainly not!
• If your faith does not produce an awareness that Jesus is God…
• If your faith does not produce a return and a love for Him…
• If your faith does not produce a submission to His will…
• If your faith does not produce gratitude and desire for Him to be
glorified…
Then I don’t know how you can ever assume that it is saving faith.
• Saving faith sees in Jesus the One who is God.
• Saving faith sees in Jesus the One who alone can save.
• Saving faith returns to Jesus in submission yielding up their life to Him.
• Saving faith is concerned with His glory more than their own plans or comfort.
All of these men were partakers of the common grace of Jesus,
But only one was a partaker of His saving grace,
Because only one presented true saving faith to Jesus.
Now, as we APPROACH THIS TIME OF LORD’S SUPPER
And the time to examine ourselves as Paul said.
We have to ask:
WHAT DO YOU SEEK?
Are you just wanting the benefits of Jesus or Jesus Himself?
Are you just seeking for Jesus to help you or for Jesus to be glorified?
We see so many who come running to Jesus for something they need and then once they receive it they no longer need Him.
• We see no love
• We see no gratitude
• We see no worship
And all that means is that there has never been salvation.
Luke is here highlighting a very important point.
The redeemed are spotted
Not by the benefits they receive but by the glory they give.
Isn’t that what Jesus asked:
“Was no one found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”
So friend, where is the glory?
Where is the faithfulness?
Where is the gratitude?
Where is the submission?
Where is the worship?
Is it your objective to make sure Christ is glorified
Or are you just trying to milk His benefits for all their worth?
That is the difference between superficial faith and saving faith
And it is clearly put on display with these 10 lepers.
This morning we now turn to the table of the Lord.
Here we partake of the bread and the juice
As they symbolize the death and atoning sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf.
• It was Jesus alone who came and lived a sinless life, thus earning a righteous status before God.
• It was Jesus alone who proved Himself as God through signs and wonders and various miracles.
• It was Jesus alone who bore our sin on the cross that He might suffer wrath that we deserve.
• It was Jesus alone who rose from the dead, proving Himself righteous and His sacrifice effective.
• It is Jesus alone who can impute His righteousness to us and thus save us eternally.
And we partake of this Lord’s Supper to say that,
Of all the things I may need from Jesus,
Nothing compares to the atonement I need from Him.
• We partake in faith that what Jesus did, He did for me.
• We partake in submission, yielding ourselves to Him for His glory.
• We partake in proclamation that we might proclaim to the world that His death was enough.
And as we partake we are commanded to examine ourselves.
And so that is what I ask you to do.
During this time of preparation,
• Examine your motives, and ask yourself if your life exists for His glory or just His benefits.
• This ordinance is only for those who have come humbly to Him for salvation.
• Others who eat it without seeking His glory only eat judgment to themselves.
SO EXAMINE YOURSELF
But also, submit yourself.
This morning may be the first time you ever do that, and you sit here and say,
“I have been those other 9, but this morning I want to be the 1.
This morning, Jesus I’m coming to you for forgiveness and atonement.”
Then partake this morning in an act of faith that Jesus did this for you.
• Return to Him
• Bow to Him
• Praise Him
• Give Glory to Him
THIS IS THE BEHAVIOR OF SAVING FAITH.
