Title: Demonstrating Gratefulness Script: Lk. 17:11-21
Where: GNBC 1-29-17 Type: Series – Part II
Intro: A story is told of a man who was lost in the woods. Later, in describing the experience, he told how frightened he was and how he had even finally knelt and prayed. Someone asked, “Did God answer your prayer?” “Oh, no,” the man replied. “Before God had a chance, a guide came along and showed me the way out.”Like that man, many people are blind to the many blessings that God daily showers upon them. They awake to see the sun shining, and do not give thanks to God. They hear the birds chirping and see beautiful flowers and trees, but they don’t give it a moment’s thought that God has given those blessings and given them the senses to enjoy them. They grumble about having to eat the same old cereal, forgetting that many would gladly exchange places with them and eat anything for breakfast. They complain about their jobs, forgetting that many would be grateful just to have a job or even to have the bodily strength to go to work. They complain about their lack of money, forgetting that they spend more on entertainment each month than many around the world earn as their total income.
Whether you are a believer in Jesus Christ or a person who does not even believe in God, the fact is, God has blessed you far more than you realize and far more than you deserve. It is important to understand how to respond properly to God’s abundant blessings.
Prop: Examining Lk 17 will give us opportunity to learn three lessons about Gratefulness.
BG: 1. Gratefulness is being thankful and appreciative of the benefits/blessings received, it means to express gratitude.
2. Nothing turns us into bitter, selfish, dissatisfied people more quickly than an ungrateful heart. And nothing will do more to restore contentment and the joy of our salvation than a true spirit of thankfulness.
3.
Prop: Examine w/me Lk 17 as we learn 3 important lessons on gratefulness.
I. Opportunities to Demonstrate Gratefulness can be found in Unlikely Places and among the most Unlikely Individuals.
A. Jesus came across such a case in an unlikely person in an unlikely place.
1. Both the location and the individuals Jesus interacted with do not normally elicit a response of God-honoring gratefulness.
a. v. 11 Jesus and His disciples are traveling the border that ran between Samaria and Galilee as they were heading south towards Jerusalem. Due to the deep hostility the Jews had towards the Samaritans, most Israelites would never actually walk through Samaria on route from Galilee to Judea, but would rather walk around. The Samaritans were despised because in the Jewish mind they were “half breeds”, Jews, who 100’s yrs earlier were deported by Assyria and forced to mix physically, culturally, and religiously, with pagan nations. Religion was syncretistic and not honoring of God, the Law or the Prophets. Idolatry. (We often use term “God forsaken”. No such place! Not Samaria then. Not anywhere today. God does not forsake men. Men forsake God.)
b. Some of you may wonder what this disease was like. Leprosy is a terrible condition where a person’s skin begins to rot and fall off. Many lepers lose all of their fingers and toes because of the disease. It is very painful and smelly. You could tell if a person had leprosy because their body would be covered with sores. People with these sores are commonly referred to as lepers. Leprosy was a common skin disease a long time ago, and there are still people in some parts of the world today who have leprosy. There are lepers in India, China, and Japan as well as in parts of Africa and the West Indies and in South America. Leprosy is very contagious. It is very easy to “catch” leprosy. Even just touching a person who has leprosy or touching something that they touched could make you get the disease. So whenever a person caught leprosy in Bible times, they had to live outside the community. In fact, one of the laws that God gave the Israelites in the Old Testament says, “As long as he has the infection [of leprosy] he remains unclean. He must live alone. He must live outside the camp.” - Leviticus 13:46. Leprosy seemed to be a curse from God.
2. Consider the stigma this disease carried with it.
a. While the physical disease was horrible, the terrible social consequences in ancient Israel only added to the misery. According to Josephus, lepers were treated “as if they were, in effect, dead men” (cited by Barclay). The Mosaic Law prescribed that the person be cut off from society, including his family. He had to wear torn clothing, have his head uncovered, cover his lips and shout “Unclean! Unclean!” wherever he went to warn others to keep their distance (Lev. 13:45).
Jesus encounters ten such wretched men who had banded together. If the nine were Jews, their common tragedy had broken down the traditional separation between the Jews and the half-breed Samaritans, who were considered as Gentiles. They were all outcasts, separated from the common worship and separated from their own people, seemingly under God’s curse.
b. Illust: Back in SC my adoptive Grandmother was a little old woman by the name of Maetrude W., sweet lovely little frail woman. One of the most godly individuals I have ever known. Maetrude was frail because as a Jr. in HS, she and whole family contracted TB. In those days you were segregated into TB sanitoriums for the safety of the rest of the community. Maetrude spent the next 20 yrs of her life in the TB sanitorium! Treated like a leper. Missed out on HS prom, grad., college, having a family, etc. Social consequences of the disease.
B. Unlikely Individuals often Express God Honoring Gratitude.
1. It is often surprising to us the individuals who will praise and thank God for His blessings.
a. The main point of this passage of Scripture is not so much the healing of the 10 men by Christ, as amazing as that may be. No, the real point of the passage, the teaching truth that Christ applies is this: The gratefulness of the one man, the Samaritan. You see in my life I have noticed an uncommon truth, it is often the unlikely individual that will express his/her gratitude. Certainly that is what our Savior is highlighting in this encounter. 9 of the 10 lepers were Jews. They should have known better! But didn’t. 1 was a Samaritan. But he did what the others should have done. Stopped and thanked Christ.
b. Illust: In nearly 30 yrs. of ministry I have only seen a partial handful of people ever pay back something they have been given by the church. In fairness, I always tell people that when we give it is a gift from God and never consider a loan. However, most people will still usually say something to the effect that they will “Pay it back by next month.” About 10 years ago a young man by the name of Aaron had gotten in some trouble in IC on a Thursday night. Arrested and car impounded. Made bond and contacted me that needed to get car because had a job and needed to be to work that afternoon in Mt. Pleasant. Made arrangements with Doug Y. and got car out. Aaron said to me: “Thank you, Pastor. I will send you a check next week when I get paid.” “You don’t have to, but if you do you will be about the 2nd person who ever has.” The next Friday I had a letter in the mail from Mt. Pleasant. Enclosed was a check for $92 with a big, hand scribbled note, “Thank you!” Unlikely!
2. God wants us to see ourselves as Spiritual Lepers who will gratefully receive Christ’s provision of Salvation.
a. Illust: Common day phenomenon: “No, I am good.” (My kids know I HATE that phrase.) Now, here’s the kicker: The Bible wants all of us to see ourselves in our natural state before Christ as spiritual lepers in His sight. God wants us all to see that our hearts are deceitful and desperately sick (Jer. 17:9), sick with sin, unclean before the holy God. Furthermore, just as this awful disease of leprosy separated the leper from the community, so sin causes distance and rupture in human relationships, often among family members. Just as only God could heal this dreaded disease, so only God can heal and cleanse the human heart from the awful disease of sin.
The proud refusal to acknowledge our true condition as spiritual lepers is one of the main reasons people do not receive God’s salvation in Jesus Christ. We all are prone to say, “I may have my faults—after all, I’m only human—but I’m not a terrible sinner. I’m a basically good person.” That’s what the Pharisees said about themselves, and they missed God’s Savior. Indeed, who needs a Savior, if you’re a basically good person? That’s what the lukewarm church at Laodicea thought about themselves: “We are rich and have become wealthy and have need of nothing” (Rev. 3:17). To think that you are basically okay in God’s sight is a sure-fire way to receive nothing from Him. If these lepers had thought, “We may be sick, but we’re not all that bad,” they wouldn’t have cried out to Jesus for mercy.
b. Illust: On 21st February, 2003, a man sneezed in an elevator in a Hong Kong hotel and six weeks later, more than 2,300 people in 17 countries had been infected and nearly 80 people have died.” It was the start of an epidemic. True story Far greater epidemic - At the beginning of creation one man and one woman our ancestors chose to disobey God as a result of that one action every individual on the face of the planet has the hereditary disease called sin which was conceived in Adam and Eve.
C. Applic: Have you demonstrated your gratefulness to God for providing His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation? Have you thanked Him for daily blessings and gifts?
II. The Samaritan Leper Recognized the Individual to Whom all Gratitude is Due.
A. Obedience is Required in order to Receive God’s Blessings in Life.
1. The Samaritan leper came to Christ, thanking Him for His blessings.
a. v. 14 - Jesus commands, according to the Law of Moses (Lev. 14:1ff) that the Lepers go and show selves to the priests. In the OT and even into the time of Christ, the priests served not only a spiritual role, but also served a medical role. They were the department of Epidemiology and The Center for Infectious Disease and Control! God gave, through Moses, a process whereby someone with skin disorders, including, but not limited to leprosy, could ultimately be declared clean. So, these ten men have just cried out to Christ who tells them to go and find the priests. The second half of that verse is beautiful: “And it came about that as they were going, they were cleansed.” Notice what they said to Christ as they approached: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (v.13) They were wanting mercy for healing, but friend, everyone needs mercy that is found only in Jesus Christ! You need it regardless if you have leprosy or not.
b. These men just passed the test of faith. Illust: In this, their situation was similar to that of Naaman the Syrian General, whom Elisha told to go and dip 7x in the Jordan River (2 Kings 5:10-15). Healing required obedience. 1-2-3-4-5-6 NOTHING! 7x healing! It was a test of faith for Naaman. It was now a test of faith for the lepers to go without any evidence of healing. We are not told whether the ten lepers had a debate about whether or not to go. I can well imagine one of them arguing, “We’ll look like fools if we show up before the priest in our present condition!” Another countered, “Yes, but we’ve got nothing to lose; this is our only hope.” “But it hurts to walk on these leprous feet!” “I know, but if we do what He says, maybe we’ll be healed.” “But this isn’t the way He healed the other lepers. Why doesn’t He heal us in the same way?” “I don’t know, but we must obey.” Maybe they didn’t have any such debate, since the text doesn’t record any, but at any rate, it says, “as they were going, they were cleansed.” I don’t know if it happened to all of them at the same instant, or if first one and then another got healed. But, suddenly by the Lord’s power, they all were restored to perfect health. If they had lost fingers and toes, they were restored. All of the devastating effects of this terrible disease were erased. It must have been a marvelous experience!
2. In Grateful Appreciation the Healed Leper Comes to Christ! Vv. 15-16
a. v. 15 – “glorifying God with a loud voice.” – glorifying – doxazo (doxology) – praise, to bring honor, to make glorious. Next he falls on his face at the Lord’s feet in an act of humble contrition. Illust: Spurgeon points out that while ten men prayed, only one praised. He says that even so, there are far more who are prone to pray in a time of need than to praise God when He meets that need. Oswald Chambers observed, “The great difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and it is His blessings that make it difficult. Troubles nearly always make us look to God; His blessings are apt to make us look elsewhere” (My Utmost for His Highest, Jan. 22nd). If the Lord has delivered our souls from judgment, we ought to let others know about it.
b. I do not know if the healing came gradually or all of a sudden. Regardless, when it did take place a grateful Samaritan leper turned and came back to thank the One Who had healed him.
B. Gratitude extends beyond Obedience in order to Truly Appreciate All that God Does for us.
1. Do you and I obey Christ as a Servant or obey and love Him as a son/daughter?
a. Do you serve Christ because you fear Him or believe you “owe” Him or because it is a duty you know you must fulfill, or do you serve Christ because you love Him and know that thru adoption you are now related to Him? The servant serves his master because it is his duty or responsibility to. The son or daughter serves his father or mother because he/she loves to and wants to! Let me ask you as I ask myself, “How do you serve Christ?” Because is a duty to fulfill or because you have a love relationship with Him? 9 lepers were fulfilling their duty. One came back because he had a love appreciation for the Lord and what He had done.
b. I have to remind myself that “Praise the Lord” is not just a slogan or something nice to do; it is a command. If my life is not marked by frequent praise to God for His many blessings, I am not being obedient. While prayer will last for this life only, praise will continue throughout eternity. Those who have experienced Jesus’ cleansing power should glorify Him
2. In grateful humility we demonstrate our love for Jesus Christ.
a. The man’s position on his face at Jesus’ feet also shows the proper attitude of humility that should characterize those who have been healed by His mercy. We owe everything to Him and can claim nothing as coming from ourselves. This leper wasn’t maintaining his dignity and self-esteem. He wasn’t claiming, “Jesus did His part, but I did my part.” He knew that he had been healed totally because of Jesus’ mercy, and so he readily fell on his face at Jesus’ feet. That’s where every saved person should camp out!
b. Illust: *With thankful hearts—The leper was “giving thanks to Him” (17:16). The Masai tribe in West Africa has an unusual way of saying thank you: They bow, put their forehead on the ground, and say, “My head is in the dirt.” Another African tribe expresses gratitude by sitting for a long time in front of the hut of the person who did the favor and saying, literally, “I sit on the ground before you.” (In Leadership Journal [Winter, 1993], p. 48.) These Africans understand what thanksgiving is and why it’s difficult for us: at its core, thanksgiving is an act of humility. It acknowledges our debt to the other person.
C. Applic: Have you ever recognized your absolute dependence upon “Jesus, Master”? Have you cried out for His mercy? Have you come back to thank Him for that mercy?
III. Realize the Undeniable Link between an active faith and Gratitude.
A. The Samaritan Leper demonstrated the link between active faith and Gratitude.
1. Gratitude was the natural outflow of the healed leper’s life. I want you to notice that each of these ten lepers demonstrated an active faith. In. v. 14 we see that the lepers were required to walk in faith in order to receive the blessing of healing that Christ had for them. “Show yourself to the priests.” They had to walk, by faith, towards the priests. Now again, think about their experience. For the last ? years, always having to yell out: “Unclean!” In their minds they were unclean. For the last ? years had to stay isolated from others…but now! For years have had to stay away from priests, but now being told to go to them!
2. Illust: II Cor. 5:17: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Is the experience of the lepers all that different from you or me? For years the devil or we ourselves have whispered into our ears: “You are unclean. You need to stay away from people. You need to wallow in your guilt, shame, separation! You can never be clean. You cannot be forgiven of… You cannot be healed of… You are divorced…you are an alcoholic…you are a felon…you have struggled with porn…you were abused as a child…you struggle with body image issues…you feel like have no worth… Start walking in FAITH! Believe what Christ says now and quit allowing your past to determine your future! You are free in Christ!
B. If you aren’t characterized by gratefulness, ask if you have an active faith in Jesus Christ.
1. See Christ in the life of faith lived out every day in your life.
a. James 2:14ff tells us that faith without works is dead. Many profess to be Christians, but their lives and priorities indicate otherwise. Jesus put it this way: “By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them. (Mt. 7:16ff) Let me, in all humility ask you, are you and I being known by our thankful/grateful fruit? Thanksgiving—the giving of thanks—to God for all His blessings should be one of the most distinctive marks of the believer in Jesus Christ. We must not allow a spirit of ingratitude to harden our heart and chill our relationship with God and with others.
b. Listen to what Pastor Tony Evans says: “God says to give thanks in everything. That doesn’t mean you need to give thanks FOR everything. You don’t need to give thanks FOR that bad day. Or FOR that bad relationship. Or being passed over at work. Financial hardship. Whatever it is – you are not to give thanks FOR the difficulties, but rather IN the difficulties. That is a very important distinction, and one I think we often miss. Giving thanks IN everything shows a heart of faith that God is bigger than the difficulties and that He can use them, if you approach Him with the right heart and spirit, for your good and His glory.” An active faith that is walking in obedience to Christ remembers to come back and thank Christ for all the gifts He daily give us!
2. Illust: Never forget the summer after I became a Christian I went for three days to a youth camp our church was a part of. Main speaker was good. Was a pastor in the either Wesleyan/Nazarene/Free Methodist tradition. One of the nights, however, his wife was given the time to speak. Now, I knew nothing about this woman other than was this man’s wife, very pretty yet dressed modestly. I sat that night as an 18 yrs old young man and listened to the former life of this 35 – 40 year old woman. Had been a Playboy playmate at Hugh Heffner’s mansion for 5 years! Got to live the high life…but terrible price to pay. Drugs/alcohol, 100’s of partners over the time so as to “entertain” guests who never cared for her. While out shopping one day with another “Bunny”, ran into a man witnessing in a mall. Impressed by this man’s kindness and gentleness. Looked at her as a person and not an object. Over period of a few weeks came to reject sinful life and lifestyle and money and wealth and pleasures and humbly asked Christ to save her. Had no place to go. Man had her stay with older woman in church. Over period of year, fell in love with evangelist and they married. She prayed that God would make her holy and pure for her husband. Was. All along way she had to take steps of obedience. Faith requires steps of obedience. Obedience then encourages gratefulness. This woman was one of the most grateful individuals I have ever known. You know why? “She who has been forgiven much, loves much.” She was, as was the leper in v.19 “Your faith has made you well/whole.” Gratitude to God makes us whole in Christ!
C. Applic: John MacArthur has said: "A thankful heart is one of the primary identifying characteristics of a believer. It stands in stark contrast to pride, selfishness, and worry. And it helps fortify the believer's trust in the Lord and reliance of His provision, even in the toughest times. No matter how choppy the seas become, a believer's heart is buoyed by constant praise and gratefulness to the Lord."
