1. A number of years ago, a well-known Baptist pastor was strongly criticized for his soulwinning methods. He had a habit of boasting of large numbers of converts but only a small handful of them showed any evidence of being genuinely saved.
2. As the criticism increased he responded with a sermon that was widely publicized and published in a popular fundamentalist newspaper.
3. His text was Luke 17:11-19 (an incident recorded only by Luke). The gist of this preacher’s sermon was that ten lepers were saved but only one returned to the Lord to give thanks. Only one showed evidence of being saved. His point was that his so-called "conversions" were indeed genuine even though very few gave any evidence of the new birth.
4. The sermon was filled with personal anecdotes about people this preacher allegedly led to the Lord who never joined his church. Some were in the military; some were traveling salesmen; some moved out of town, etc.
5. It was an unfortunate sermon. Yes, all preachers have had the sad experience of seeing people we have led to Christ leave town. But to say that this happens to over 90% of our converts is beyond plausibility.
6. But the worst thing about the sermon was that he misinterpreted what our Lord said. Jesus did not say all ten lepers got saved but only one joined the church. He said that all ten lepers were cleansed, but only one was saved.
7. All ten were cleansed from their leprosy, but only one was saved from his sins. All ten were healed, but only one got saved.

1. ALL TEN LEPERS HAD A GREAT NEED (17:11,12).

1. We are told that as our Lord "entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers" (17:12).
2. Here is an interesting historical fact: Lepers were not excluded from society in pagan nations. But God gave Israel a law about segregating lepers to help keep the disease from spreading. Today, everywhere lepers are put in leper colonies yet God instructed Israel about this centuries before any pagan nation realized it was necessary.
3. In the Bible, leprosy is a picture and type of sin. Leprosy is incurable and so is sin. Only God can cure leprosy and only God can save a sinner.
4. Like sin, leprosy is deeper than the skin (Lev.13:3).
5. Like sin, leprosy spreads (Lev.13:7,8).
6. Like sin, leprosy defiles (Lev.13:44-46).
7. Because of his defilement, the leper had to be put outside the camp (Lev.13:46b). Likewise, if we do not want to be defiled by sinners, we must separate from them.
8. Garments defiled by leprosy had to "be burnt in the fire" (Lev.13:52). Likewise, lost souls that have been defiled by sin must be burnt in the fires of hell.

2. ALL TEN OF THE LEPERS PRAYED TO JESUS (17:13).

1. They addressed Jesus as "Master" (17:13). The word means "commander in chief." These lepers recognized that Jesus was totally in command of everything, even disease and death.
2. They lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us" (17:13). Their prayer was short and to the point.
3. Harry Ironside said this: "For 1,500 years after the law was written we never read of one solitary Israelite who had been cleansed. Miriam, Moses’ sister who became leprous was healed; and many years later Naaman the Syrian also was healed, but he was not an Israelite, and naturally he was not required to obey the law about going to the priests. Otherwise we never read in all the OT records of one leper being cleansed during 1,500 years, and the priests must have wondered why that 14^th chapter of Leviticus was in the Bible. They would naturally say, ‘I have read that chapter over and over but have never had to apply it.’ But when Jesus came things were different. One leper after another was sent to the temple at Jerusalem to be pronounced clean, and when he appeared before the priests he was found to be healed of his leprosy."

3. ALL TEN OF THE LEPERS OUTWARDLY OBEYED (17:14).

1. It is interesting to note here that all ten of the lepers obeyed our Lord. Jesus told them to show themselves to the priests (according to the Mosaic law, Lev.14). The priest acted as a kind of health inspector.
2. Note that they had not been cured yet, but they were told to go to the priest. Jesus was putting their faith to the test by asking them to act as though they had been healed already. The Bible says it was "as they went, they were cleansed" (Luke 17:14).
3. Perhaps our Lord is putting your faith to the test today. You have lifted up your voice and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on me" (cf. 17:13). But are you willing to do what He tells you to do and go where He tells you to go?
4. We were challenged every time we have mission conference. When you walk with the Lord every day is a challenge. How you react to the challenge will determine the direction your life will take.
5. Now here is the most important part of our story: they all had faith to be healed but only one had faith to be saved, and that was the one who "turned back" (17:15).
6. The only one who turned back, the only one who glorified God, the only one who fell on his face and gave thanks to our Lord "was a Samaritan" (17:16).
7. Samaritans were despised by the Jews. Do you recall what the Samaritan woman at the well said to Jesus? "The Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans" (John 4:9).
8. The Samaritans were half-breeds, part Jew and part heathen. They mixed the Old Testament together with their own pagan customs and traditions.
9. So here was this despised Samaritan, this unclean leper, and it is only he who demonstrated true faith and true gratitude (17:15-19).
10. He gave thanks to God (17:16), something the other nine would not do. This is a good message for Thanksgiving. We Americans have so much to be thankful for, but most Americans do not bother to give thanks to God anymore (cf. Rom.1:21,22; II Tim.3:2).
11. Most Americans are like those nine lepers who did not return to give thanks. Most Americans don’t even take a minute to give thanks for the food they eat.
12. Our Lord said to this Samaritan leper, "Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole" (Luke 17:19). The other nine lepers were declared clean by the priest, but this leper was declared saved by the Son of God.

CONCLUSION:

1. There is something wonderful here that perhaps you’ve never seen before. The Bible says the Samaritan leper "glorified God" (17:15).
2. Then he fell down on his face at "His feet" (17:16), "giving Him thanks" (17:16). Whose feet? Gave Who thanks? Verse 15 says "God."
3. This Samaritan, this poor leper recognized that Jesus was God, and so He worshipped Him. He fell down on his face at His feet.
4. Only God can cleanse a leper.
5. And only God can save a sinner. This leper got saved. How about YOU?
6. If you’re not saved, you need to come to Jesus the same way this leper did.