Give Thanks To God Series

Give Thanks to God

Give Thanks Part 1

Luke 17:11-19

Today, we are starting a new message series, Give Thanks.

As we approach Thanksgiving, we want to prepare our hearts for gratitude toward God.

If you know anything about the history of Thanksgiving, you know that it began as a really small community’s response to God’s provision and protection.

Then eventually it became our nation’s response.

It is because gratitude is a universal experience.

When good things happen, we automatically have feelings of gratitude.

For some, it is “Thank goodness.”

For others, it is “Thank God.”

But we become thankful even though we may express it in different ways.

This is why when we withhold the expression of our gratitude, we create a gap in the relationship.

And if it goes on for too long, it actually damages relationships.

Here is why.

Ingratitude communicates… I do not recognize your effort.

I do not recognize what you have done.

I do not recognize your sacrifice.

Sometimes ingratitude is expressed verbally.

We do something for someone.

Instead of saying, “Thank you,” that person says what we did not do right.

For example, we bought a shirt for someone, and that person says that we chose the wrong color.

But in most cases, ingratitude is expressed non-verbally.

We do something for someone.

That person forgets or refuses to say, “Thank you.”

When we get accused of being ungrateful, we tend to get defensive.

The reason why we get defensive is because we are grateful.

Someone asks, “Don’t you feel grateful?”

Then we immediately get defensive and say, “Of course. I am grateful.”

That means, “I am grateful on the inside, but I did not express it.”

This may be true, but it is meaningless to the others because others cannot know what is inside of us.

Unexpressed gratitude is experienced by others as the opposite of what we really feel.

This is why it is the expression of gratitude, not just feeling of gratitude, that counts.

And the expression of gratitude affects the relationship.

This is why we must be radically grateful.

We must express gratitude so liberally.

This is true for any relationship, including our relationship with God.

If we are grateful to God, we must express it.

This is what we can learn from the story in Luke 17.

In this story, we can learn these three lessons on expressing our gratitude to God.

I. We must express our gratitude in advance (vv. 11-14).

Verses 11-14 say this.

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 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.

Jesus was going toward Jerusalem.

Luke did not mention the exact place where the healing took place.

But the “village” lied somewhere in the border territory between Galilee and Samaria.

This was a very remote area.

It was in the middle of nowhere.

Therefore, Jewish and Samaritan lepers shared their common misery at this place.

As Jesus was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met Him.

In ancient times, people thought that leprosy was highly contagious.

So, people with leprosy were removed from others.

The law required people who had leprosy to live on the outskirts of town in a designated area.

And any time they came near others, they had to warn others that they were approaching.

These lepers maintained their proper distance.

They called Jesus “Master,” and ask for pity.

They must have known Jesus by His reputation.

They called Jesus “Master,” which was really unusual because this was a term only used by His disciples.

They knew that Jesus was their only hope to be healed.

When Jesus saw them, He shouted back to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priest.”

To which, they must have thought, “Go and show what?”

There was nothing to show because they were not healed yet.

According to the law, anyone with any kind of skin disease had to go to a local priest.

After being healed, the local priest had to declare them clean before they come back into society.

Therefore, Jesus was saying, “By the time you get there, you will be healed.”

What will do you do in a situation like that?

Jesus said, “Go,” and they went.

Not because it made any sense, but because Jesus told them to go.

His command required obedience based on faith in Him.

And as they obeyed and went, they were cleansed.

They responded to the promise of Jesus before they knew the outcome.