Sermon 128

📖 Sermon 128 – The Ten Lepers Cleansed

Date: [no date given]
Text: Luke 17:11–19

Introduction

Jesus meets ten lepers crying out for mercy. All are healed; only one returns to give thanks — and he is a Samaritan. This passage reveals the grace of Christ, the rarity of gratitude, and the nature of saving faith.

I. The Miserable Condition of the Lepers

A. “They stood afar off”
Lepers were excluded from society. A picture of the sinner’s distance from God.

B. They lifted up their voices
Misery finally finds its voice in prayer.

C. “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us”
A simple, urgent cry — and Christ never ignores the plea for mercy.

II. The Command and the Cleansing

A. “Go show yourselves unto the priests”
Obedience precedes visible blessing.

B. “As they went, they were cleansed”
Faith acts on Christ’s Word even before the answer appears.

C. The mercy was complete
Ten lepers healed in an instant — a testimony to Christ’s divine power.

III. The One Who Returned

A. He turned back
Grace melts the heart and draws it to Christ.

B. He glorified God with a loud voice
Thankfulness cannot be silent.

C. He fell down at Jesus’ feet
Worship springs from gratitude.

D. “And he was a Samaritan”
Often the least expected are the most grateful.

IV. The Lord’s Questions

A. “Were there not ten cleansed?”
A divine sorrow over ingratitude.

B. “Where are the nine?”
A searching question for every generation.

C. Only one returned to give glory to God
Thanksgiving is rare even among the blessed.

V. The Blessing of Faith

A. “Thy faith hath made thee whole”
The nine received outward healing; the one received salvation.

B. True faith returns to Christ
It clings to the Giver, not only the gift.

Conclusion

This account teaches the power of mercy, the duty of gratitude, and the difference between outward blessing and inward salvation. Let us be like the one who returned, giving glory to God with thankful hearts.