Faith in Motion: Gratitude and Healing from Brokenness

Sermon Summary

The story of the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19 reminds us that God’s goodness is not just a thing of the past, but a living reality that continues to shape our lives. As Jesus traveled between Samaria and Galilee, he encountered ten men suffering from leprosy—outcasts brought together by their shared pain. Their sickness had isolated them, but it also positioned them for a divine encounter. When they cried out to Jesus from a distance, he responded not with immediate healing, but with a command: “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” Their healing came not in the moment of their plea, but as they obeyed and moved forward in faith.

Obedience, even when the outcome is uncertain, is often the very path to our breakthrough. The lepers’ willingness to move before seeing their healing is a powerful lesson in faithfulness. Sometimes, God calls us to act before we see the evidence of his work, asking us to trust that the doors will open as we walk toward them. Like the automatic doors at a grocery store, the way is made clear as we approach, not before.

Yet, the story takes a deeper turn with the Samaritan leper. He was doubly an outsider—first by ethnicity, then by disease. While all ten were healed, only he returned to give thanks, recognizing that his restoration was not just physical but spiritual. He understood that the source of his healing was not the priest or the community, but Jesus himself. His gratitude was born from a deep awareness of where he had come from and what God had done for him.

This narrative calls us to remember our own stories—how God has brought us from places of brokenness and exclusion into wholeness and belonging. It warns against forgetting the source of our blessings, especially when life improves and we find acceptance or success. True worship is rooted in gratitude, a return to the One who has done for us what we could never do for ourselves. In every season, we are invited to move forward in faith, to remember our roots, and to give God the praise that is due.

Key Takeaways

1. Obedience Precedes Understanding: God often calls us to act before we see the results. The lepers were told to go to the priests while still unhealed, teaching us that obedience is sometimes required before the blessing is visible. Faith is not about having all the answers, but about trusting God enough to move when he says move, even if the path isn’t clear. [03:47]
2. Healing Happens in Motion: The miracle occurred “as they went”—not as they waited. Many of us want God to fix everything before we take a step, but God often meets us in the process, not the pause. Our willingness to move forward, even when we feel unqualified or incomplete, is often the very thing that activates God’s power in our lives. [06:12]
3. Remember the Source of Your Blessing: The Samaritan leper’s return to Jesus is a powerful reminder not to forget who brought us through. It’s easy to attribute our progress to our own efforts or to the acceptance of others, but true gratitude recognizes God as the ultimate source. When we remember where we’ve come from, our worship becomes authentic and our lives reflect humility. [14:01]
4. Outsiders and Deeper Gratitude: The Samaritan’s status as a perpetual outsider gave him a unique appreciation for his healing. Sometimes, those who have been most excluded or broken are the ones who understand grace most deeply. Our own experiences of marginalization or pain can become the wellspring of profound worship and testimony if we let them drive us back to Jesus. [12:48]
5. Community and Legacy Matter: The story is not just about individual healing, but about restoration to community and the importance of remembering our collective journey. Our faith legacy—rooted in the prayers, struggles, and resilience of those who came before us—reminds us to look out for one another and to honor the source of our strength. In remembering and returning, we find both our identity and our mission. [18:33]
** [18:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[50:02] - God’s Enduring Goodness
[51:29] - The Ten Lepers Cry Out
[52:11] - Healing and Thanksgiving
[53:27] - Prayer for Focus and Renewal
[56:05] - The Power of Jesus’ Name
[58:19] - Reflecting on God’s Faithfulness
[59:41] - Community Formed by Brokenness
[62:32] - The Healing House: Where Restoration Begins
[63:47] - Obedience Before the Miracle
[66:12] - Faith in Motion: The Publix Door Analogy
[68:07] - Restoration and the Role of the Priest
[70:15] - The Samaritan’s Unique Journey
[72:48] - Deeper Gratitude from the Margins
[75:18] - Don’t Forget the Source
[78:33] - Faith Legacy and Community
[80:31] - Returning to Praise

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 17:11-19 (ESV) —
> 11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee.
> 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance
> 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
> 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed.
> 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice;
> 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.
> 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?
> 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”
> 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Observation Questions

What did Jesus tell the ten lepers to do after they called out to him for mercy? ([51:29])
At what point in the story were the lepers actually healed—when did the miracle happen? ([51:29])
How did the Samaritan leper respond differently from the other nine after he realized he was healed? ([52:11])
According to Jesus, what made the Samaritan’s response stand out? ([52:50])

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus told the lepers to go show themselves to the priests before they were healed? What does this say about faith and obedience? ([01:03:47])
The sermon compared faith to walking up to automatic doors that only open as you approach. How does this analogy help us understand what it means to trust God before seeing results? ([01:06:12])
The Samaritan was both an outsider by ethnicity and by disease. How might his background have shaped his gratitude and worship compared to the others? ([01:12:48])
The sermon talked about remembering the source of our blessings and not forgetting where we’ve come from. Why is this important for our spiritual health and community? ([01:15:18])

Application Questions

Can you think of a time when you felt God was asking you to take a step of faith before you saw any evidence that things would work out? What was that like, and how did you respond? ([01:06:12])
The lepers were healed “as they went.” Is there an area in your life right now where you’re waiting for God to act, but maybe God is waiting for you to take the first step? What would it look like to move forward in faith this week? ([01:07:30])
The Samaritan leper returned to thank Jesus, while the others did not. When life gets better or prayers are answered, do you tend to remember to give God credit, or do you move on quickly? What practical habit could help you remember the source of your blessings? ([01:14:01])
The sermon mentioned that those who have been outsiders or gone through pain often have a deeper sense of gratitude. Have you ever experienced being on the outside or going through a hard season? How has that shaped your relationship with God? ([01:12:48])
The story is also about being restored to community. Is there someone in your life or in our church who might feel like an outsider? What is one thing you could do this week to help them feel included? ([01:18:33])
The pastor talked about not forgetting the “faith legacy” and the prayers of those who came before us. Who are some people in your life or family whose faith has impacted you? How can you honor their legacy? ([01:18:33])
The Samaritan’s gratitude led him to worship. What is one specific way you can express gratitude to God this week, either privately or publicly? ([01:20:31])

Sermon Clips

All of us here are in here because we need God to do some type of operation procedure in our lives so that we might be the persons and people that God is calling us to be. All of us are trying to get where God wants us to be. [01:02:04]

And the good news is that you come to the right place. Uh this is the healing house. Uh this the place where you come uh to get well just like these lepers. Jesus comes by and sees them and they come to the place where Jesus and they call out to Jesus. [01:02:43]

It can feel like Jesus is far away from you and you calling on the name of Jesus, you calling on God to come by here and doesn't seem like God uh is close enough to do anything about your circumstance. I know I've been in those places uh where where I got something going on in my life, a condition. [01:03:09]

The most faithful thing that you can do is be obedient to the Lord. And I don't mean being a goody shoe and knowing everything about the Lord. I'm talking about being faithful. I'm talking about not giving up. I mean I'm talking about even though you may have said the wrong thing to somebody, you come back and say sorry and ask God to fix you and make you stronger for the next encounter. [01:04:28]

Faithfulness means I'm going to be consistent with God no matter what is happening, no matter what happens in my body, in my life. I still believe God that you can show up after a while. The greatest thing you can do is what these lepers did. They got it right. [01:04:56]

The Lord will heal you on the way where you're trying to go. Um I want to help somebody here right now. You want God to do it for you, you're looking for God to do something in your life right now immediately, but you feel that you don't have the things that you should have and you feel deficient in what it is that you need to make your next move. [01:05:27]

You got to get moving. What you mean pastor? I mean you got to start heading in the direction of the thing that you want. You may not have all the answers. It may not seem like it's time, but I'm trying to tell you once you get moving, God will open up the next door. [01:05:59]

I want you to trust God. Walk in the faith and the authority that God has given you. And you may look sick. These lepers started moving while they were sick. Healing didn't come until they started moving. You may look raggedy when you start, but if you don't start you'll never get to where God wants you to go. [01:07:07]

Now the Jewish tradition, as many of you probably know, that in order for full cleansing to happen, because they were deemed dirty as lepers and outcast out of the city, the only way for them to be fully restored, Sister Mosley, is for the priests had to restore them back to the Jewish community. [01:08:21]

Sometimes God is not interested in the destination. He's interested in your process. Will you trust me? Only trust the Lord. Oh, the faith of this American is incredible when you dig. [01:11:57]

Don't don't don't become so successful and so uh blessed that you forget who did it for you when you couldn't do it for yourself. Don't forget that time, that moment, that day uh when you ain't think you was going to make it out and you thought it was disaster all around you but God made a way for you anyhow. [01:13:54]

We got some folks who look like you and me because folks died for them to have the opportunities that they had. They hung from trees for them to be able to have the opportunity to eat where they want to eat. They face biting dogs and water hoses. [01:16:09]

We'd be a better people today if we could remember that it was our faith legacy that got us through. Even when it was a scripture that was designed to keep us in captivity, even when they tried to mutate the word of God to keep us away from a true relationship with the Lord, we survived that anyway because deep down on the inside our spirituality didn't show up on in in South Carolina. [01:18:39]

If he brought me all that way it means that he's still got something left in the tank, he'll take me further on. So excuse me from time to time uh when I have to give God a praise when I show up in the house of the Lord. I'm coming back to my source of when the one who did everything for me, the one who brought me out of nothing and took me and made me something, picked me up and turned me around and placed my feet on silence. [01:20:23]

If you know how good I'm doing you have to know how bad I've been. And if it had not been it had not been for the Lord on my side I would have died long time ago. I should be dead sleeping in my grave but only because of the power of God. Only because of the love of Jesus I'm here today. [01:21:09]

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