Imagine: SERMON: STOPPING TO GIVE THANKS

I. Introduction

-- turn in Bibles to Luke 17:11-19

Luke 17:11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a] met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

-- there is an old story about a man who visit’s the devil’s seed house -- this is the place where he stores all the seeds of sin that he plants in the hearts of men -- Satan showed the man around, and bragged about the various seeds that were there -- the seeds of bitterness and anger -- of self-righteousness and lust -- of greed and pride

-- finally, Satan stops beside one bin of seeds and brags about his ability to make seeds of discouragement grow just about anywhere, but then he sighed and said, “the only place I can’t get them to grow is a grateful heart.”¹

-- G.K. Chesterton wrote, "When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude."

-- as someone I love and respect pointed out in a lengthy rant on Facebook one time, “I don't know why there has to be so much negativity!!! Nobody is ever happy with anything -- they’re just constantly complaining” -- and she has a point

-- we are the most blessed nation on earth -- we enjoy more freedom and more economic and social opportunity here than anywhere else on earth -- but we take it for granted and complain and whine and grumble because we fail to see our blessings and have this continual need for more

-- so, we have become a nation of whiners and grumblers -- of Negative Nellies -- we’re not happy unless we’re getting our way, and even if we get our way, we’re still not thankful -- we consider getting our way nothing more than our God-given right -- an entitlement -- simply because of who we are or where we live

-- but such thinking is not scriptural and flies in the face of what God’s word teaches -- the Bible says that God is patient and long-suffering, but God’s patience is tried when His people murmur and complain over the littlest slight or perceived injustice or discomfort in their lives -- just read the Old Testament and see how God responded to the nation of Israel’s constant whining, murmuring, and complaining

-- He doesn’t like it and He doesn’t like it for a reason -- He is our God and our Creator -- He has blessed us with so many things that our hearts and souls should be responding every moment of every day with praise and thanksgiving, but yet, while we find time to complain on Facebook, we rarely find time to truly thank God for who He is and what He has done and for all the blessings that He has given

-- so, with Thanksgiving coming this week, I thought it was fitting to take a moment and talk about this holiday and how, as God’s people, we are supposed to be thanking and praising God every day

-- I really like the thought that was in a devotional I read about Thanksgiving -- the author wrote, “It could be argued that one way we know we are growing spiritually is when we look forward to Thanksgiving as much as most children look forward to Christmas -- It isn't hard to get enthusiastic about all the good things you expect to receive [at Christmas] -- It takes more spiritual maturity to look at the good things you have already received and say "thank you" with the same enthusiasm.”

-- let me clarify what the author is trying to get across -- they don’t mean we are looking forward to Thanksgiving because it is a time to gather with family and friends and gorge ourselves on turkey, dressing, and pumpkin pie -- they don’t mean that we are to look forward to Thanksgiving because this is the unofficial start of the Black Friday sales and an opportunity to spend money in the stores

-- no, what they are saying is that we should reach the point in our lives where we look forward to Thanksgiving because it is a time to stop and reflect on all the blessings that God has given and to thank Him for those blessings with grateful hearts -- revolutionary thinking, huh?

II. The Sin of Ungratefulness

-- and I must admit that I am one of those people who struggles with murmuring and complaining in my own life -- when I’m honest with myself, I find that I am much quicker to grumble than to be grateful and to complain rather than to thank God for His many blessings

-- there are stores in town I’ve quit going to because all they have are self-service checkouts -- I don’t pause to thank God that I am able-bodied enough to check out myself and to bag my own groceries -- I don’t stop to thank God that I have the money to buy what I need -- no, when I see those checkouts, my first thought is indignation -- why should I have to do the work? -- why does this store expect me to do what a cashier should be doing? -- and so, I don’t shop there -- and there certainly are valid reasons to not use self-service checkouts or kiosks -- but when I’m honest with myself, it’s because I see them as an irritation and an affront to my pride

-- same thing when I see someone pull into a close parking spot that I was waiting for -- or when I see someone in an electric scooter in the store in front of me, blocking me from where I want to be -- my first reaction is always to complain and to become irritated -- "why won't they get out of my way? -- why did they take my spot?" -- rather than thanking God that my health is good enough to walk a little further on my own from the car to the store -- or that I have the time to wait for someone in front of me in greater need of assistance

-- and I own this sin -- I know it -- I recognize it -- I struggle with it -- but as I look around America today at negativity and complaints and self-righteousness, I know I’m not the only one

-- how many times do we get up on a Monday morning, complaining about having to go to work, while millions in this country have been out of work for years?

-- how many times do we complain about having to eat a sandwich or a bowl of soup at lunch while many in this world will go to bed hungry?

-- how many times do we lay down in our cozy homes at night without a thought of the people in this world who are homeless?

-- how many times do we just come to church and take it for granted, while billions across this world have never heard the gospel of Christ and many more cannot gather in the name of Jesus without fear of persecution?

-- how many blessings do we take for granted every single day?

-- how far removed are we from the example of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:11 -- Paul wrote in that verse, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances" -- and again in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul exhorts us, "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you"

-- thankfulness is a choice -- it is an action -- it flows from a humble and grateful heart -- and it is something that we need to nurture in our lives so that we will become truly thankful and grateful people, recognizing and thanking God for His many blessings in our lives

-- this morning, I wanted to take a look at a passage here from the Gospel of Luke where we see both what thankfulness looks like in someone who has been touched by God and just how much God desires our thankfulness in response to His mercy and grace and blessing

III. Scripture Lesson (Luke 17:11-19)

-- if you would, look back with me here at Luke 17:11

-- Luke introduces us here to ten unclean men who were living on the outskirts of a village somewhere between Samaria and Galilee -- not only were they spiritually unclean, but they were physically unclean -- they had leprosy -- a horrific disease that was very common in the days of Jesus and that is still common in various parts of our world today

-- leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, and the mucous membranes -- it causes painful sores and lumps to grow on the skin -- and as it attacks the nervous system, it causes lepers to lose feeling in their hands and feet, which causes them to stumble and to hurt themselves because they can't feel pain any longer

-- over time, this lack of feeling in their extremities causes them to hurt themselves without knowing it, leading to infection and eventually causing amputation to stop the infection from spreading -- that’s why a lot of lepers are missing fingers and toes or even their lower limbs

-- in Jesus' day, leprosy was highly contagious and highly feared -- so lepers were forced out of society -- they couldn't work -- they couldn't be around other people -- when people came near them, they were required to call out in a loud voice, "Unclean -- Unclean" so that others would stay away -- as a result, lepers lived in groups on the outskirts of towns and villages and made their living through begging

-- Luke tells us that one day, as Jesus was approaching this village, He was met by such a group of lepers -- outcasts from life and from society -- they stood at a distance because of their disease and wouldn't come near -- when they saw Jesus, they cried out, "Have pity on us"

-- more than likely, all they were hoping for was a hand-out -- all they expected was for Jesus and His followers to have pity on their condition and to share with them some food or money -- but Luke tells us that when Jesus saw their unclean condition, His heart was moved, and He gave them more than that

-- verse 14

14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

-- Jesus responded to their request by telling them to go to the priest, to show themselves to him -- this doesn’t make much sense to us, but it would have to those lepers who heard Jesus’ command

-- in Leviticus 14, there was a provision by which people who were healed of their leprosy were able to be pronounced spiritually clean and to be accepted back into society once again -- once someone was healed -- once they had no more sign of leprosy -- they were to show themselves to the priest in the Temple, and if he confirmed their healing, then they were declared clean and whole in the sight of God

-- it is amazing that this provision was in the Law since in Jesus' day there was no known cure for leprosy -- the only way to be cured of leprosy was through a miraculous healing from God -- and that's exactly what happened to these ten lepers as they left Jesus and began making their way to the priest

-- so, picture this in your mind -- these lepers -- these social outcasts -- who cried out to Jesus looking for money and food did what He commanded and began making their way to the priest, probably not sure why they were going -- why Jesus was sending them to the priest

-- notice that Jesus never said He was going to heal them -- He never told them why they should go -- I can imagine them walking along, headed towards the priest, wondering as they went why Jesus had sent them there -- did Jesus leave money with the priest for them? -- was there food at the synagogue? -- they didn't know the answer, but their faith in Jesus propelled them forward

-- but, as Luke tells us here, Jesus had greater plans for them -- "as they went" they were cleansed -- as they went, they were healed

-- can you imagine what that was like? -- these were men without any feeling in their hands and feet -- and then, all of a sudden, one of them feels the grass brush against his feet -- he feels the wind blow against his hands -- and he realizes that, by acting on Christ's command, they were being healed -- their disease was gone -- their skin was clean and they could feel with their hands and feet once again

-- what a joyous day! -- can you imagine the celebrating that went on as they drew closer to the home of the priest? -- I can see them holding up their formerly leprous hands and looking at them with wonder and amazement -- I can see them laughing with each other and pointing out the spots that were healed -- I can see them jumping with joy at their healing as they continued on their way to the priest

-- but suddenly, one of them stopped -- he watched his friends continue on down the path -- and he looked at them -- and he looked back at where they had come from -- and he turned around

-- one lone leper -- excuse me, one former leper -- realizing just what God had done for Him -- turned back and went to the source of his joy -- and out of his grateful heart, he offered praise and thanksgiving to Jesus for the healing he had received

-- what about the others? -- were they not grateful for their healing? -- of course they were -- all ten of these men had just experienced a life-transforming miracle -- no longer were they considered unclean -- no longer were they shunned by society -- from this moment on, they were healed -- physically, socially, and culturally -- so, yes, without a doubt -- they were grateful for the change that had occurred -- they were happy they had been healed

-- we’re the same way -- we’re grateful when good things happen to us, too -- when that parking spot opens up right by the door to the store -- or when we get an unexpected rebate check in the mail -- or when the boss calls us in and tells us we’re getting a raise -- we’re happy -- we’re joyous -- we’re grateful

-- but there’s a difference between being grateful and being thankful -- it’s like the difference between happiness and joy -- you can be happy at your circumstances, but have no joy in your life -- you can be grateful for the good things that happen, but not be thankful for them

-- as Chris Rappinzi points out², being grateful is an emotion -- gratefulness is a feeling -- but thankfulness is an action -- thankfulness is doing something about the grateful feeling in your heart -- and that’s what we see with this one leper who turns back to Jesus here

-- in gratefulness of what he had received, he returned to Jesus and thanked Him for the miracle He had done -- he praised Jesus as the source and giver of healing and all good things -- and he fell at the feet of Jesus as his gratefulness and thankfulness healed his soul

-- look at verse 17

-- Jesus’ response gives us a glimpse of what God thinks of our lack of thanksgiving to Him for His many blessings in our lives

-- every single day, God pours out blessing after blessing on us -- He works in our lives with His mercy and grace -- in all things bringing good for those of us who love Him -- yet time and time again we don't even think about going to Him to thank Him for what He has done -- how do you think that makes God feel?

-- it reminds me of a story I heard about the night a steamboat on Lake Michigan was rammed by another boat -- the steamboat sank about a mile offshore from a town in Illinois -- out of the 393 passengers on board, 279 drowned

-- a man named Edward Spencer was standing there on the shore as the boat sank -- he plunged into the lake and swam out to the drowning people -- he towed person after person to shore, managing to save 17 people from certain death -- however, the strain on this young man caused him to collapse -- the nerves in his legs were so completely destroyed that he could never walk again -- he remained in a wheel chair the rest of his life because of his sacrificial action that night

-- on his eightieth birthday, someone asked him to relate his most vivid memory of that dreadful day -- he replied, "Not one of the seventeen returned to thank me"

-- that’s what the Lord feels like when we show Him so little gratitude for what He does for us

-- think about this story: -- ten lepers were healed -- but only one came back

-- ten lepers were healed -- but only one paused to give thanks and praise to the One who had healed them

-- it has been said that the lack of thankfulness is the root of all sin -- I think that is true, because it is related to pride -- those who are prideful -- proud of who they are -- of what they have -- of what they have accomplished -- tend to give themselves the credit or simply take for granted the blessings they receive as something they deserved in the first place

-- it is only those who turn gratefulness into thanksgiving that are doing God’s will and praising Him as He deserves -- the ones who turn back to God and thank Him for what He has done for them -- the ones who give the credit to the One to which it is truly due --

-- notice here that God rewards those who recognize Him in thankfulness and praise -- in verse 19, Jesus tells this tenth leper -- a Samaritan -- someone who wasn't even of the people of God -- to “rise and go” -- He tells him, “your faith has made you well" -- some translations say, "your faith has made you whole"

-- what does this mean? -- the leper is already healed -- his disease went away as he was making his way to the priest -- so, what is Jesus talking about when He says this to the leper who returned?

-- by returning to Jesus with a grateful heart to give thanks to Him, the leper was showing the depth of his faith and he was cleansed, not only on the outside like the others, but on the inside as well

-- the Greek verb here that is translated as "made well" can also mean, "to be saved" -- in Luke 19, when Jesus says that salvation has come to Zaccheus, He uses the same term He uses here in pronouncing healing to this former leper

-- so, in other words, the faith and thankfulness of the Samaritan leper resulted in more than just a physical healing -- it resulted in a cleansing inside and out -- it resulted in salvation of the soul, the forgiveness of sins, and a restoration of righteousness

IV. Closing

-- in one of his books, Max Lucado talked about his time living in Brazil

-- he wrote that one day, as he was walking along the street on his way to the University to teach a class, he felt a tug on his pants leg -- he turned around, and saw a little boy about 5 or 6 years old with dark beady eyes and a dirty little face -- The little boy looked up at the big American and said, "Bread, Sir."

-- He was a little beggar boy and Max said, "There are always little beggar boys in the streets of Brazil -- Usually I turned away from them because there are so many and you can’t feed them all -- But there was something so compelling about this little boy that I couldn’t turn away." -- so, Max took him by the hand and led him into a coffee shop -- Max got a cup of coffee and told the owner to give the boy a piece of pastry…whatever he wanted

-- Since the coffee counter was at the other end of the store, Max walked on and got a cup of coffee, forgetting about the little boy because beggar boys usually get the bread and then run back out into the street and disappear.

-- But this one didn’t -- After he got his pastry, he went over to the big American and just stood there until Lucado felt his staring eyes -- Lucado said, "I turned and looked at him -- Standing up, his eyes just about hit my belt buckle -- Then slowly his eyes came up until they met mine -- The little boy, holding his pastry in one hand, looked up and said, ‘Thank you, sir. Thank you very much.’”

-- Lucado said, "I was so touched by the boy’s thanks that I would have bought him the store -- I sat there for another 30 minutes, late for my class, just thinking about a little beggar boy who came back and said, `Thank you.’"³

-- such is the heart of God -- He desires our companionship -- He desires our love -- He desires our praise and our thanksgiving for all the blessings that He has given

-- we are always grateful when good things happen -- we are always grateful when we get what we want or when an unexpected blessing comes our way -- but are we thankful?

-- when we pause in the middle of our busy day to just thank God from the heart for what He has done for us, God is blessed and He knows that we truly, truly love Him

-- God expects us to be thankful people -- He expects us to praise Him and thank Him for all that He has done -- in the good times and in the bad -- in the times of famine as well as in the times of plenty

-- when we become spiritually mature, our gratefulness erupts in praise and thanksgiving -- and that is what God desires

-- so, as we gather together this week with family and friends to celebrate this national holiday, let us remember the reason -- let us be grateful for our many blessings -- let us recall them and think of them and of the way God worked in our lives over this past year

-- and let us turn to Him in praise and thanksgiving -- let us recognize He is the source of all good things -- and that it is only because of Him that we enjoy the blessings we have received

-- let this week be a week of intentional thanksgiving and praise -- and may our hearts and our souls be transformed as we come to God in thanksgiving for His goodness, kindness, and mercy

-- let us pray

1 Modified from illustration in Preaching Magazine, Spring 2019, p.59

2 https://www.preachingtoday.com/sermons/sermons/2016/october/becoming-thanksgiver-at-thanksgiving.html -- Chris Rappinzi

3 Max Lucado. Citation: Quoted by Steve Shepherd in "Thanksgiving" on www.sermoncentral.com.]