Key Scriptures: Luke 17:11-19
Now on His way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As He was going into a village, ten men with leprosy met Him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’ When He saw them, He said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him—and he was a Samaritan.” “Then He said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’
.
Lesson One: The cross changes my focus from what to who.
• Worship begins when we recognize who God is and what he has done
Luke 17:11-19, Now on His way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As He was going into a village, ten men with leprosy met Him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’ When He saw them, He said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him—and he was a Samaritan.” “Then He said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’
1 Peter 2:9-10, But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Teaching Truths
• All ten lepers experienced the mercy and power of Jesus, but only one stopped, recognized what had happened, and returned to him.
• The Samaritan didn’t simply see that he had been healed—he recognized who had healed him.
• Worship begins with seeing…first you see—and then you sing.
• The cross gives us the clearest picture of who God is and what he has done for us.
• At the cross, I see my sin, God’s mercy, Christ’s sacrifice, God’s grace, and the new life he offers me.
• I don’t want to be more impressed with what God has done for me than I am with God himself.
Application: Ask God to help you see what He has already done. When circumstances become the thing that fills your vision, look again at the cross. I may not understand everything happening around me, but I can still see the faithfulness, mercy, and grace of God revealed in Christ.
.
Lesson Two: The cross changes how and why I gather.
• Because of what Christ has done for me—gathering with God’s people becomes a response to grace rather than simply an obligation
Psalm 122:1, I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.
Psalm 40:9-10, I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, LORD, as you know. I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly.
Hebrews 10:24-25, And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Teaching Truths
• The cross changes why I come to church. I don’t come simply because it’s Sunday, because it’s tradition, or because it’s on the calendar. I come because of what Jesus has done for me. I come to the great assembly to add my voice to the testimony of God’s faithfulness.
• I don’t come simply to receive. I come to respond—to worship, to hear God’s Word, to encourage others, to be encouraged, to serve, and to participate in the life of God’s people.
• The cross also changes how I come. I don’t come to church to worship—I come worshiping to church.
• Worship doesn’t begin when the first song starts. Worship begins when I wake up and remember who God is and what He has done.
• Even when I come in on a low, my presence can be an act of worship: “God, I don’t have much to give today, but I’m here.”
Application: Don’t wait until you walk through the doors of the church to decide whether you are going to worship. Decide before you get here. Come remembering the cross. Come with gratitude. Come ready to add your voice to the testimony of God’s faithfulness.
.
Lesson Three: The cross changes how and why I give.
• The cross changes the way I see everything God has entrusted to me
Matthew 6:19-21, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:24, “o one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
2 Corinthians 8:9, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
Teaching Truths
• Jesus teaches that how I use my resources isn’t just about money. It reveals what I give worth to.
• If you follow the trail of your treasure, eventually it leads to a throne.
• The cross reminds me of what God has already given me. I was without mercy—but now I have received mercy. I was not a people—but now I am the people of God. I was dead—but Jesus brought me to life. The only reason I have hope and real life is because of the grace and resurrection power of Jesus Christ.
• The cross changes how I see what I have. My resources are no longer simply mine to accumulate, protect, and spend on myself. They have been entrusted to me by God.
• The biblical principle of the tithe gives us a starting place for giving, but generosity ultimately reflects what has captured my heart.
• My giving isn’t simply a response to my income. My giving is a response to my understanding of the grace of God to me.
• When I give, I’m not simply moving money out of my hands. I’m declaring where my heart is.
Application: Follow the trail—not only of your money, but of your time, your affections, your thoughts, your energy, your passion, and your pursuit. Where does that trail lead? Because wherever it leads—eventually you’ll find a throne.
Ask yourself: what has my heart? What do I value most? What am I investing in?
