LedByTheSpiritUnderTheCrossLuke17 11 to 19

The Fourteenth Sunday After Trinity                          6-September-2026
Sermon Text: Luke 17:11-19
Sermon Theme: “Led By The Spirit Under The Cross!” I. Disease Forms A Fraternity! (Vs.11-12) II. The Word Forms A Congregation! (Vs.13-14) III. Healing Blossoms In Praise For One! (Vs.15-16) IV. The Theology of Glory Leads Away From Jesus! (Vs.17-19) by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. A loving father labors to instruct his children. We hear a true parent’s heart echoed by wisdom, Pro 4:10-11 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And the years of your life will be many. (11) I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. A child’s education belongs to the home, not the state or community. Parents are called by God to be the prime educators of the children entrusted to their care. The Law of the sower applies to the hearts and lives of our children. God the Holy Spirit teaches us, Gal 6:7-8 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (8) For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
   A loving father will call evil - evil warning his children, Pro 4:14-17 Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. (15) Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on. (16) For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. (17) For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. He will warn his children to war against the works of our fallen flesh - the destruction of marriage, the perversion of God’s gift to husband and wife alone of sex, the destruction of human life, the murder of children, the murder of babies, the murder of the elderly, the murder of the infirm and mentally oppressed.
    The world, led by the fallen angel the prince of darkness, will mock the moral man who will not surrender his principles for friendship with the world. The devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh fights against the Light of Truth - the Light of the World Jesus. This past week one stubborn juror refused to compromise the truth. The brutal murder of three children is murder - to call it otherwise is to devalue human life. The murderess of her own children doesn’t merit being named. She was evil and committed an heinous evil against her own children. The Sprit of Truth teaches, 2Ti 3:1-5 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: (2) For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, (4) traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, (5) having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! Friendship with the world is enmity towards God. Churches that seek the approval of the cultural majority run from the Light of Christ to wallow in satanic darkness.
     Repentance begins in our hearts, our homes, our congregation - as we pledge no longer to coddle the works of the flesh - but call sin - sin. Then we will heed Wisdom teaching our children from infancy the Holy Scriptures which alone are able to make them wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus. We will root and ground one another in the Truth. Don’t trust in numbers, little flock - trust in Christ Jesus! He spoke to His small despairing faithful flock in Isaiah’s day, Isa 49:14-16 But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me." (15) "Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. (16) See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.”
    You are inscribed upon the palms of Jesus’ resurrected hands. Rejoice to be: Led By The Spirit Under The Cross!” I. Disease Forms A Fraternity! (Vs.11-12) II. The Word Forms A Congregation! (Vs.13-14) III. Healing Blossoms In Praise For One! (Vs.15-16) IV. The Theology of Glory Leads Away From Jesus! (Vs.17-19)
I. A loving father instructs his children in the truth of life lived in our fallen world under the cross: Pro 3:11-12 My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor detest His correction; (12) For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.
    The devil masquerades as an angel of the light sowing a spirituality based on following your feelings, your gut, your thoughts. Plunging into the cesspool of the works of the flesh you claim to be spiritual and loving even as you snuff out human life. Beware of the lie.
     The cross and suffering in life do bring fellow sufferers together. History records, (vs.11-12) Jesus has set His face to go to Jerusalem for the final Passover. He is the Lamb of God bearing the sins of the entire world to the altar of His cross. He has taken the twelve away from the crowds to instruct them before His passion was accomplished. Entering a certain village ten diseased men meet him. These men were afflicted with leprosy. An incurable skin disease that began with a small white scab. Soon it deadens nerve endings, destroys cartilage, painful sores may erupt, and the body waste away with painful sores.
      These ten men had no association with one another before. Nine were Jewish; one a Samaritan. When healthy the Jews and Samaritans would have no dealings with each other - now their deadly disease knit them together into a fraternity. A brotherhood of lonely abandoned dying men, to care for one another as slowly their bodies rotted away.  
      Leprosy isolated them from their synagogues, homes, and community. They had to stay at least 10 paces away from the healthy. When approached they had to cover their nose and mouth with rags and cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!” People avoided them with horror - but their disease bound them together in a brotherhood. The cross opened their sin hardened hearts to show mercy to one another.
II. This was now the third year of Jesus’ public ministry. His Word and works were reported throughout Galilee, Judea, and Samaria. This fraternity of dying men heard the good news. Jesus healed the diseased - He healed lepers. Still they had no hope of finding him - their travel was restricted.
   They hear the greater news - Jesus is traveling through their territory. Now the Holy Spirit binds them together as a congregation with hope. (Vs.13) They stand together as a congregation and lift up their petition, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” The cross of their disease brought them together, but the Holy Spirit formed them into a congregation through the Word and works of Jesus. Seventy-five years ago our congregation was formed under the cross of World War II. During the war years our mother congregation held Sunday School here in Tell City for its members as gas was rationed. From that seed grew the mission of founding a new congregation - Emmanuel. We were formed under the cross through the Word and Works of Jesus tending and caring for His little lambs through His Church.
    Sunday after Sunday we stand with these ten lepers and all the saints of Emmanuel who have walked before us. We pray, ‘Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us.”Then we listen for His Word preached to us. (Vs.14a) “Go” He told the ten lepers! Trust My Word and promise it contains! “Show yourself to the priests” They will witness My healing and declare you “clean” returning you to your families! Believe Me - trust My healing Word!
    What happens when the congregation clinging to Christ’s Word obeys it? (Vs.14b) Christ’s Word is able to do more than we ever imagine. For 75 years it has sustained our congregation as we heard and obeyed it . Telling all our family, friends, community, and the world - come and hear my Jesus!
     A Church is a little flock gathered by the Holy Spirit to hear the restoring healing word of Jesus - every Sunday. We cry out, “Christ, have mercy!” He answers our prayer - forgives all our sin - strengthens us by the Holy Spirit in His Word - feeds us the food of immortality - then sends us back out into the world in peace! Thank God for the crosses in your lives that have brought you here - to hear.
III. What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits to me? Psa 50:14-15 Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High. (15) Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."
    The works of the flesh isolates us in selfish desires. Gal 5:22-24 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (24) And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  
   The healing Word of Jesus restores these ten lepers to perfect health. The majority rush on to get back with their lives - one turns back to praise He who is The LIFE! (Vs.15-16) The Samaritan’s faith now blossoms into the fruit of praise. Jesus is God! God in our skin - He alone rescues humanity. He returns. He gives God thanks for so great a salvation by the humble Word made flesh. He falls down at Jesus’ feet. Our Savior has flesh and blood as we do - yet without sin. He sympathizes with us in all our weaknesses. He gives Jesus thanks!
    When was the last time you returned to give Jesus thanks? The liturgy teaches you to sing thanksgiving. Make it your daily practice - when you rise in the morning - thank God that He has kept you from all harm and danger during the night. Thank God for your family, for your trials, for all!
     The fruit of the Spirit binds us together into a congregation that truly offers God praise. Not a loud modern band, but by breathing back the Word of God in hymns, liturgy, sermon, and prayers. This is the heart of true praise worship - it is not a feeling, but the fact of Christ’s living Word by which the Holy Spirit fills us with love, joy, and peace!
IV. Sadly a theology of glory leads people away from Jesus! (Vs.17) The devil’s lie pretending to be Christianity tells people that you only need Jesus when you are in trouble - otherwise you can handle life by yourself. It is a leprosy that has infected much of American Christianity. People bring their infants to be baptized, but then never feed their child on the pure spiritual milk of God’s Word by being in the Divine Service every Sunday and holding daily family devotions in their home. Parents will demand their child go to confirmation, because they had to go, but once they are confirmed - no one honors their vow to remain faithful in Church attendance and receiving the Lord’s Supper - or suffer death rather than fall away from it.
      We treat Jesus as a bandage. When we are hospitalized we call for the pastor - otherwise we don’t need him interfering with our lives. We have more important things to do - rather than to return and give Jesus thanks. Where are the nine? (Vs.18) Only the foreigner returns to give thanks. Often it seems that life long Lutherans despise the Small Catechism - which is purely Christ’s Word and teaching - while converts love to read, study, pray, learn, and teach it to their children. Repent! Stop running with the unthankful majority - return and give all glory to God!
      Only the cross of Christ Jesus saves! (Vs.19) Faith was never a work of the healed Samaritan - it is the gift of God the Holy Spirit. Or haven’t you read and trusted - Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (9) not of works, lest anyone should boast.. Jesus praises faith alone as the gift from the Holy Spirit that saves us as we cling to Christ Crucified and Risen FOR US!
     Our Lord calls the Samaritan to, “Arise!” and go on the way he has begun to travel - in essence to follow Jesus. The word used here means “to pursue the journey on which one has entered, to continue on one’s journey.” So the healed Samaritan would follow Jesus on to Jerusalem. He would see the Man who freed him from death. Welcomed as a King on Sunday and crucified by Good Friday. He would hear the good news bursting forth from Sunday - The Lord of Life is Risen! Death is defeated! Mercy now floods the world through Jesus’ Word and Works alone!
      A loving father instructs his children in the truth. Morning and evening he marks them with the sign of the cross - calling them back to the life of Christ given them in their baptism. Our world’s majority has fallen into darkness - it labels death as mercy. Dear Christian walk in the Light - in the Life - follow Jesus under the cross. Amen.