Are You Thankful?

Are You Thankful? – 19th October 2008

What do we have to be thankful for today? Some may say “nothing” others may say “everything”

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Did you know that there are various ways that we can show our appreciation to the Lord for what He has done? There are outward ways of expressing an inward, thankful heart.

In the Gospel of Luke we will look at 3 men who showed their appreciation for Jesus healing them in 3 ways.

I. One Man Praised The Lord – Luke 17:11-19

Verses 11-12

Ten men were very sick. They had leprosy. It was a disease that ate at the skin, and made one an outcast according to Jewish law. Because they were outcasts, they stood afar off.

We had a problem like these lepers that was fatal. It made us outcasts before God. The problem was our sin.

Verse 13

These men had the right idea. They called on the Lord Jesus to have mercy on them. They really had no other hope.

Like these men, we needed mercy. We were dead in trespasses and sins. The only one who could help us was the Lord Jesus, because it was Him who died for us. Like these lepers, we needed to call on the Lord in order to be saved. Romans 10:13

Verse 14

These men were told to go show themselves to the priest. In order for them to get back into society, they needed for the priest to pronounce them as "clean." They took the step of faith to show themselves to the priest, taking Jesus at His word, and as they went, they were healed.

Our healing for salvation was similar. We took God at his word, that he would save us, if we believed, and He did exactly what he promised. John 3:16 & 2 Corinthians5:17

Verses 15-16

I think each man saw that he was healed. However, only one of them turned around, worshipped God, and gave thanks.

What happened to the others? I think that they were so busy wanting to get back to their lives that they forgot to say "thank you" and to worship God.

Here is a great reminder for you and me. How thankful are we for what God has done for us.

Our sins have been forgiven.

We have a home in Heaven.

We have the Holy Spirit.

We have answered prayer.

We can’t lose our salvation, if we are truly saved.

We are truly loved of God!

Shouldn’t we, of all people be giving praise and adoration and thanksgiving to God?!

1 Timothy 1:12-17 - And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did [it] ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This [is] a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, [be] honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

This harvest time, this time where we recognize what God has blessed us with and thank His name for it, this time should be one of worship for those of us who know Christ personally. We have reason to worship and praise God!

Verses 17-19

There was 90% more cleansed than were actually giving thanks. I wonder if this percentage is true for us who are saved? What percentage of us who are saved are truly thankful?

Let us make sure that we are among the ones who return to give thanks.

We do not like it very well when people fail to give thanks for what we’ve done. Imagine how God must feel!

II. One Man Followed The Lord – Luke 18:35-43

Verse 35-37

As the Lord come near to Jericho, He met a blind beggar. Mark gives his name as Bartimaeus. In this day, blindness was a common affliction for which there was no cure. There was no laser treatment and all a blind person could do was beg.

He hears the commotion that came with Christ’s approach and asked what was going on. He was told that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. He would never pass that way again. It was now or never for the blind man, and he raises his voice, Verse 38 “Jesus, thou Son of David,” here he gives Jesus His full Messianic title, “have mercy on me.”