Are You Thankful? Series

Are you thankful?

Sermon by CH(CPT) Keith J. Andrews

All scripture marked ESV: The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

What does it mean to be thankful, truly thankful.

As we have been going through the four aspects of prayer, Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication—I have been amazed at how little we have paid attention to these areas in our lives.

For instance, the topic that we look at today is thanksgiving. I praise God that Abraham Lincoln established a regular Thanksgiving Holiday. Because without it we may never talk about thanksgiving to God.

We get so arrogant with our own accomplishments that we forget that it is God, who’s providence and protection, makes what we have accomplished possible.

As we sit here in Iraq, it is easy for us to focus on the struggles that we have.

Lately, however, I have been able to see things in a different light—to be thankful for the blessings God has given us.

To see the successes in the recent operation.

To see the calming of the area of operations that we now live.

I am thankful for those things.

I am thankful for my wife—more than ever, as I heard her struggles and her determination to take care of my three children—which I am also thankful for.

I could go on and on. My list could be endless, if I would just take the time to think of the blessings I am thankful for.

Maybe you have your own list.

What do you have to be thankful for?

This morning we are going to look at a man who was thankful for healing.

I pray that all of us will be thankful for our healing as well.

Passage: Luke 17:11-19

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 pa 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.” (Luke 17:11-19, ESV)

As we read in our story Jesus heard the cry of ten lepers. Those lepers were crying out for mercy.

We don’t have a lot of cases of leprosy now, so many fu us forget that leprosy is. Leprosy is a “progressive infectious disease of the skin.” It is “characterized by ulcers, scabs, and diorites.”

Needless to say, it is a disease that no one wants, but also wants to get rid of as fast as possible.

So these 10 men are lepers and they called out to Jesus to have mercy.

As I said, we don’t have leprosy today, but we do have plenty of physical ailments.

There is a little boy in Inman, South Carolina. His name is Kevin. He is five years old and the doctors say that he only has up to six months to live. He was born with Cerebral Palsy and during treatment for the palsy, the doctors found a brain tumor.

We have life-threatening illnesses in our own units and our families.

We know what physical ailments are.

There are Soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, suffering from injuries sustained on the battlefield.

Heart diseases are one of the largest killers.

Different types of cancer are a threat.

Diabetes is growing almost daily.

Most of us get an infection of some type form time to time.

Broken bones, sprains, torn muscles and ligaments are also sadly common.

Physically, we are broken and we need healing.

Many of us also experience broken dreams.

I was reading the USA Today newspaper and they had a list of regrets.

They did a survey about what people regret and the answers were lengthy.

Some said—

-I wish I went to church more when I was younger

-I wish I had stayed with my spouse.

-I wish I had done more in school

and the list went on..

But we know what that means to have regrets.

All of us have those regrets. Those things we wish we had done but didn’t.

Those are dreams that were broken.

Then there is guilt.

The guilt that we weren’t able to do enough to change a situation.