INTRODUCTION: An alcoholic became a believer, was asked how he could possibly believe all the nonsense in the Bible about miracles. "You don't believe that Jesus changed the water into wine do you"? "I sure do, because in our house Jesus changed whiskey into furniture. (R. Stedman, Authentic Christianity, p. 36)
Transition
-- I believe in a God Who still works miracles. Every time someone gets saved, it is an awesome miracle. It goes against man's fallen nature to serve God, but once he gets saved, he wants to serve him. It goes against nature for a leper to be healed, but the Bible teaches us that Jesus healed lepers and he is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Today, as we examine an occasion when Jesus healed a group of lepers there is an important truth that I want you to see.
I want you to see that some miracles happen on the way. Often we feel we need a miracle before we can do what God says. However, we will see today, that often the miracle comes to us when we start walking in obedience to do what God tells us to do.
Let's read the Word now: KEY PASSAGE:
Luke 17:11
Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" 14 So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
Luke 17:15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
17 So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" 19 And He said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well."
The Central Truth:
Miracles on the way are those miracles we experience on the journey of faith. These are the miracles we will not experience if we do not begin the journey.
The miracles came because the lepers started the journey of doing what Jesus told them to do. "And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed." AS THEY WENT....This is a key phrase for this message.
INGREDIENT # 1:
1. TAKE YOUR NEED TO THE LORD.
12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"
When you get near who He is you are also near to what He does!
* How to Get Near God...
All through the N.T. there are stories of people making a journey to find Jesus.
* Read the Bible
* Pray
* Attend Worship Services
* Join a Small Group
* Listen to Worship Music
* Hang out with Believers
* Read a Christian Book
INGREDIENT # 2:
2. WHEN HE SPEAKS, DO WHAT HE SAYS.
Luke 17:14 so when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
Illus-- Roger Staubach who led the Dallas Cowboys to the World Championship in '71 admitted that his position as a quarterback who didn't call his own signals was a source of trial for him. Coach Landry sent him in for every play. He told Roger when to pass, when to run and only in emergency situations could he change the play (and he had better be right!). Even though Roger considered coach Landry to have a "genius mind" when it came to football strategy, pride said that he should be able to run his own team.
Roger later said, "I faced up to the issue of obedience. Once I learned to obey there was harmony, fulfillment, and victory." (Source Unknown.)
THIS IS THE TEST OF FAITH!
* When He Speaks...
* It will be in agreement with God's Word.
* It will require an action of faith.
* It will usually make no sense in the natural.
* It will often be so simple that your pride will react to it.
* It will usually require that you face the fear of man.
* It will require you to change the way you have been doing things.
* The Ingredients
INGREDIENT # 3:
3. THE GRATITUDE FOR YOUR FIRST MIRACLE WILL SUPPLY THE FUEL FOR YOUR NEXT ONE.
Luke 17:15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan (v15).
Luke 17:17 So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" 19 And He said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well."
* Truths about Gratitude
* 90% of them failed at this point.
* Gratitude contains glory.
* Gratitude is an act of faith.
* Gratitude takes you to the next level of the miraculous.
- Cleansed
- Healed
- Whole
INGREDIENT # 4:
4. GRATITUDE WILL TAKE YOU WHERE HIS FAVOR WILL FIND YOU.
Luke 17:19 And He said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well."
* God's Favor
* Favor is found at His feet.
- Cultivate a lifestyle of worship.
- Learn to abandon yourself to God.
- Learn the art of getting lost so that you can be found.
* Favor will get you what money can't buy you.
* Don't leave favor for anything!
* Favor is not based on who you are in the natural. (Samaritans were looked down upon by the Jews, yet Jesus favored them.)
* The Miracles Await...those who begin the journey of doing what Jesus says.
Illus- a lawyer had successfully handled a difficult law case for a wealthy friend. Following the happy outcome of the case, the friend and client called on the lawyer, expressed his appreciation of his work and handed him a handsome Moroccan leather wallet.
The lawyer looked at the wallet in astonishment and handed it back with a sharp reminder that a wallet could not possibly compensate him for his services. "My fee for that work," acidly snapped the attorney, "is five hundred dollars."
The client opened the wallet, removed a one-thousand dollar bill, replaced it with a five-hundred dollar bill and handed it back to the lawyer with a smile.
Dear Friend, be grateful to God for what He gives you and in that thing will be the seed for even greater things.
CONCLUSION:
AS THEY WENT.... Made all the difference for the ten lepers. What if they had not started out doing what Jesus said?
AS YOU GO.... This is the challenge for each of us today.
· What is Jesus saying to you?
· What is it he has told you to do that you have not yet done?
· Remember, often the miracles come while you are on your way.
