“The Just Shall Live By Faith”

New King James Version                          Written by: David Hicks

 

Romans 1:17 “ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

Galatians 3:11 “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."

Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."

“Articles of Faith"

An Orderly Account Of The Greatest Story Ever Told

(A Study in Luke)

Chapter 17:11-19:

In our last lesson, the Lord illustrated to His disciples, that in a world heavily influenced by the Pharisees, offenses would come. In the world of the Pharisees, there was great hatred (from the Greek, ‘Echthra'):

• Social hatred – the haves verses the have not; greedy verses the content.
• Racial hatred - Jew verses Samaritan, Greek, Roman, Barbarian, etc…
• General hatred – man verses man. Hostility expressed by being wronged, personality differences, issues of superiority, etc…

This hatred was condemned in any use by the Apostle Paul and was associated with the works of the flesh – Galatians 5:20.

Jesus would likewise teach His disciples that they must distance themselves from this behavior. His teaching is that the message of true righteousness is given in rebuking bad behavior and then restoring the repentant. The disciples finding the moral of the Lord's teaching a great deal to attain, they correctly asked the Lord to increase their faith. The Lord then enlightened them to the wisdom of dedicated application and practice as the only way to increase faith; and that this was the reasonable service expected by the Lord.

In this lesson we will go with the Lord as He travels toward Jerusalem and in a village finds ten lepers.

Text #1:

Luke 17:11-14 “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.”

10 Lepers: As the Lord comes through this village we find these lepers standing off at a distance. This is not just out of kindness or consideration, note:

Leviticus 13:45-46 “Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!' 46 He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.”

The instruction of the Law did not allow them within the village or in crowds of others. Likewise, this produced colonies of lepers that knew no difference such as Jew and Samaritan; like their healthy counterparts practiced.

Most lepers' bronchial tubes are dry and coarse, so their plea to the Lord would have been struck in coarse voices with much difficulty. Yet, the Lord would hear them and show mercy on them with a single command; “Go, show yourselves to the priests”.

The command is not abstract. In order for cleansed lepers to be restored to the people by the Law, they must go to the priests for examination, cleansing, and restoration (Leviticus 14). As they went to the priests in obedience they were cleansed.

Text #2:

Luke 17:15-19 “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.”

One of Them: As is often the case with the work of the Lord while He was here on earth, nothing was done randomly. Everything He did was a message of instruction. This instance was nothing different.

The indication of this one's nationality shows that he among the others was the only foreigner (not a recognized Jew); yet he as the foreigner was showing the gratitude and recognition of the power behind the miracle.

Jesus is going to pose three public questions. They are given to draw attention to the failure of those who should recognize God first; but did not. The Lord has used this strategy of praising foreigners to shame those who should recognize God's work before – See: Matthew 8:5-13.

The impression is given that as soon as the Jews who were lepers were healed, they went right back to practicing the prejudices we mentioned in the introduction and to deny their God!

This is not universally the case, but there is a great deal of information concerning the lack of appreciation among those who have been born to certain privilege.

This Samaritan who is not born to the privilege of the other Jews (see: John 4:22), was far more grateful and cognizant of the blessings of God than were the other nine born to privilege under the Law of Moses.

Yet, what we see over and over; the foreigner to the covenant of Moses was the one who appreciated the salvation of God more than any among the children of Israel (like we already have witnessed in the centurion of Matthew 8; as you read about the Samaritans in John 8:39; and in them again when the Gospel would come to them in Acts 8:4-13; and among the Gentiles when the Gospel would be shared with them – Acts 13:42-52). In many cases the children of Israel , who were born to the privilege of God's word and were expected to be part of the building of the kingdom of God ; were in fact antagonists of the work of the kingdom.

Acts 4:8-22 "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem , and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.”
18 So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” 21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. 22 For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.”

Brethren! We must likewise be extremely diligent not to lose our first love and fail to be grateful for the cleansing God has bestowed on us!

Revelation 2:2-4 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

We may likewise find ourselves laboring, but not motivated by true gratitude and love; at which case the Lord may have it against us as well!

Romans 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

It is true that nothing external can separate us from the love of Christ; however, we can through negligence and lack of appreciation lose it for ourselves!

Hebrews 4:1 “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.”

Hebrews 6:4-6 “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.”

Next: “In That Day!”