"Being Thankful By Thursday"
November 24, 2002
FBC, Chester, Illinois Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
A. The world celebrates Easter with Easter bunnies & Easter eggs & new clothes & spring breaks - heralding the coming of spring. But Easter is a holy day for Christians, a time when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, His victory over sin & death, & our hope for eternal life. It is a very special day for us.
a. Christmas is another such holiday. For the world it is Xmas, & Santa Claus coming down the chimney, & toys. But for Christians, Christmas celebrates the miracle of the virgin birth. And we realize that God loves us so much that He came into our world to live & die among us, & teach us how to live both now & for all eternity.
b Likewise, for many, Thanksgiving has become just a "Turkey Day," a day to throw our diets into the wastebasket, engage in a ritual of overeating, & watch football until we’re fast asleep. But for Christians, Thanksgiving is a day to acknowledge that everything we have is a gift from God, & to lift our hearts in thanksgiving to Him.
B. Today’s message is entitled "Being thankful by Thursday"
a. 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. 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] Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" [19] Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." -Luke 17:11-19 (NIV)
b Of the ten leapers Jesus healed only one was made whole/well. (ETS)
C Being thankful is critical to being a whole/well person (ESS.)
a I hope you’ll see how you can chose to be thankful daily. (Objective)
b Who will be thankful by Thursday? (Probing Quetion)
T.S.: Lets look at two truths that can help us be thankful by Thursday.
I The first truth that can help us be thankful by Thursday is that we are needful. (vv:12/13)
A The Leapers need kept them at a distance from Jesus.
*Levitical law on leprosy. Lev. 13:45/46
"The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, `Unclean! Unclean!’ [46] As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp.
a They weren’t allowed to come near anybody (preists/family/friends), had to maintain a distance of at least six feet.
*Outcasts, forgotten, unmentionables,...guess where they spent thanksgiving? *How do you think they felt?
b What did the leapors need? (vv:13) Healing/Pity/Mercy
*The Jewish thought on leprosy was that God used it as a punishment. And if it God gave it..only God could take it away. (That’s why they are asking Jesus.)
B We don’t have leprosy like these men did, but we do have a spiritual leprosy.
a Started in the garden (Gen. 3:24) and it continues today (Romans 3:23)
b We need to be cured from the leprosy that is eating our soul/spirit/joy.
*We need to cry out to the one who can meet our need, "Jesus, Have pity/mercy on me."
C A pastor preached hard about God’s mercy/grace and need of our repentance.
a a man came crying to the alter and asked his pastor, "What can I do to get saved?"
b There is nothing you can do...it’s already been done at the cross!
T.S.: The turth is..all of us have a need. (Filthy rich or dirt poor..you have a need.)
II The second truth that can help us be thankful by Thursday is to be faithfully thankful. (vv:14/19)
A The lepers had to total faith in Jesus.
a Jesus sent them to the priests to confirm their healing, but the lepers weren’t healed immediately. (As they were going they were healed!)
*As they turned to make that first step towards town, nothing had changed!
b Did they receive healing? vv:14/Yes.
How many came back to thank Jesus? vv:15/16 One
Was Jesus hurt by the absence of the other nine lepers? (17/18)
Why didn’t they?
*One probably said, I was getting better any way.
....The priests would have done the same thing.
....decided he never had leprosy to begin with.
...waiting to see if the cure was real!
*10 lepers were healed...but only ONE was made whole/well.
B The thankful leper teaches us something about being "faithfully thankful."
a This man’s troubles are far from over.
*No job, no home, no interviews lined up.
*Rebuilding relationships with his family.....He was healed, but his life was far from perfect.
*Although his circumstance weren’t perfect....he thanked God!
b There is a big difference in the nine lepers and the one leper who returned.
(All ten were healed, only one was made whole)
*The difference? Attitude of gratitude. You can’t be completely well if you don’t have that spirit of thankfulness in your heart.
C Would you rather be healed or would you rather be well/whole?
Conclusion:
A Only one of the ten lepers were made truly well. Being thankful is critical to being a whole/well person (ESS.)
We’ve looked at two truths that can help us be thankful by Thurday.
a We are all needful. (Lepers needed healing. Spiritual leprosy)
b We are to be faithfully thankful. (All time, for all things)
B I hope you’ll see how you can chose to be thankful daily. (Objective)
a Go into thanksgiving believing you got all your basis covered. (You got needs)
b Go into thanksgiving with great worry, anxiety...or chose to be faithfully thankful.
C Who will be thankful by Thursday? (Probing Quetion)
a Max Lucado tells about living as an American in Brazil. 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. Turning around, he saw a little boy about 5 or 6 years old with dark beady eyes & a dirty little face. The little boy looked up at the big American & said, "Peo, Senor. Bread, Sir." There was a little beggar boy, & Lucado said, "There are always little beggar boys in the streets of Brazil. Usually I turn away from them because there are so many, & you can’t feed them all. But there was something so compelling about this little boy that I couldn’t turn away. So, taking his hand, I said, `Come with me’ & I took him into a coffee shop." He told the owner, "I’ll have a cup of coffee & give the boy a piece of pastry, whatever he wants." Since the coffee counter was at the other end of the store, he walked on, & got a cup of coffee, forgetting about the little boy because beggar boys usually get the bread & then run back out into the street & disappear. But this one didn’t. After he received his pastry, he went over to the big American & just stood there until Lucado felt his staring eyes. Lucado said, "I turned & 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 & 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 & said, `Thank you.’"
APPL. I wonder if God feels the same? I wonder if His heart bubbles inside when we, His children, beggars all, come to Him & say, "Thank you, Sir. Thank you very much."
***Notice: I have used Sermon Central sermons for a VERY long time. If this or any of my sermons are similar to a sermon that is already on Sermon Central by another pastor or teacher....chances are I have used it. Actually, there is probably absolutely nothing in this sermon that hasn’t been preached before! If I used your sermon and haven’t given you credit, please write me and I’ll give you credit by name. I have in no way intentionally withheld credit to any work I’ve used/borrowed from. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF I HAVE "USED" YOUR WORK IT WAS BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU HAD A SUPER SERMON! I prefer to preach with an outline and just rearranged your sermon. My intent is to make sermons relevant and easy for outline guys to use. If you use MY work, feel free to claim it. I do not care!! Simply realize that I have borrowed from other preachers, too.
Mike Fogerson, Pastor, Chester’s First Baptist Church
