The Thanksgiving that Doesn’t Count
STEVE MILLER, November 23, 2004
Luke 18:9-14 (NKJV)
Do you remember the television commercial for Citibank with the two ladies in the grocery store? The one puts her hand on the other’s tummy and asks when the baby is due? The woman looks at her like she’s crazy and says, “I’m not pregnant.” Not knowing what else to say the woman replies, “Thank you.” With a simple thank you all offense is forgotten and they embrace. Citibank’s tag says, “It’s amazing what a simple thank you can do.”
It is amazing what a “thank you” can do but the lady in the commercial was disingenuous with her thanksgiving. And it really didn’t count. Jesus once told a story that proves that even when we give thanks to God, it may not count for anything, unless we give thanks with the right attitude.
CORE CONCEPT: For thanksgiving to count, we must GIVE THANKS WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE.
The parable of the Pharisee and a tax collector tells us that both went to pray at the same place and same time but each came with very different attitudes. As a result, only the man who came with the right attitude went away right with God. The humble man cried in repentance while the arrogant man boasted in self-righteousness. The humble man’s prayer was a plea for help. The arrogant man thanked God that he needed no help.
1.) Verse 9 tells us to whom the story is directed. It says that Jesus spoke this parable to we who are arrogant to trust in ourselves for righteousness. Thus, THE THANKSGIVING THAT DOESN’T COUNT IS, first, ARROGANT.
We see this reflected in the Pharisee’s prayer, who said, “‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, I don’t sin, I don’t commit adultery, I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’” (Luke 18:11-12, NLT)
The Kershaw community gives its due to those who look the part and play the role but we tend to forget that… though the Pharisee boasted many religious badges of honor,… Jesus’ story tells us that in the end, the Pharisee’s thanksgiving didn’t count. And Jesus tells us that no matter how much thanksgiving is verbalized here tonight, if we do not come with humbleness, we will not leave here right with God.
This message floored its original listeners even more so then than now. The full impact is lost to us because we know too well that Jesus often condemned the self-righteous behaviors of the Pharisees. When we hear, “Pharisee,” we hear, “Hypocrite.” But when they heard “Pharisee,” they heard “hero.”
If we tried to modernize the characters, we could tell the story like this: Two men went up to church to pray, one was Billy Graham, and the other was a child molester… It was just that shocking for Jesus to say that a first century tax man would have been accepted over a Pharisee. But that is about the equivalent of what Jesus said.
2) We also notice that verse 9 tells us that Jesus is talking to people who trusted in themselves to be right with God AND Secondly, THAT THEY DESPISED OTHERS. So THE THANKSGIVING THAT DOESN’T COUNT IS ARROGANT AND ONE THAT DESPISES OTHERS.
You see, self-righteous arrogant types are also bigots. They’re intolerant about others receiving the same opportunity of God’s grace, which they believe they monopolize. Arrogance always leads to comparing ourselves to others around us. We would say, “Surely God must accept a Billy Graham.” The trouble is… I’m no Billy Graham. So to make ourselves feel better we say, “I may be no Billy Graham, but I know I’m better than him.”
The church of Kershaw is divided because we rate one another on our scales of arrogance and scorn. One may say, “Our church has the spirit,” —meaning others don’t. “Our church has mission hearts,” —meaning we care better than you. “Our church is theologically grounded”—meaning we don’t cater to shallowness like your church. And what of denominationalism? What of our competitive spirits when it comes to building projects? And what of our racism? Our Pharisaical hearts shout thanks that we’re good enough to come to an extra worship service on a Tuesday night; or because we can handle worshipping in a “mixed” crowd for an hour, once a year.
Without the right attitude, our thanksgiving has become nothing but self-congratulatory prayers that do not count. Jesus’ parable tells us that our arrogance and despise for our brothers and sisters will not be justified in His Church. We will not leave here right with God until we become humbled as the man who fell to his knees and saw his need was greater than all he could boast about.
3) In South America, the llama is a cultural metaphor for arrogance. To keep a herd of llamas corralled, you don’t even need a fence. All you need is one rope circling around the herd to keep them enclosed. Just by placing it at a height beneath the head and base of the neck, the llamas are secured in this makeshift pen. Rather than stooping beneath the rope, the proud llamas stand tall, but remain captive.(taken from E.R. McManus’ Uprising, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003, p.61)
We’re used to being called sheep, but perhaps a better picture for the Church of Kershaw is the llama. We are stiff-necked like the proud llamas, settling to be confined to where we are because we refuse to condescend to where we could be. We remain roped off from true righteousness and held as spiritual captives because we will not humble ourselves. We are not free to be where Christ would have us Not because of culture shifts, Not because of job-loss, Not because of poverty and Not because of the bigger church down the road but we are simply captivated because we as Christians are
Too full of ourselves and Too critical of one another.
4.) But there is hope for us found in Jesus’ example of the humble tax collector, who…
stood “afar off, and he would no so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’” I tell you, Jesus said, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for…”“Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, And he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
This works out in real life later in this same 18th chapter of Luke. The handsome, morally upright, rich, young ruler came seeking Jesus, expecting the Lord to tip His hat to his religious lifestyle. But instead of affirming his entitlement to heaven, the Lord asked the man to humble himself first with his riches. When the man refused, he went away sorrowful and unsure of his salvation.
Jesus knew that beneath the white-washed walls and the ceremonial religious lifestyle, was a small, thin, rope, encircling him and his riches that he was unwilling to cross. Sure, the young man did a lot of good things, he lived a good life but ultimately that doesn’t count because he refused to bow beneath the ROPE OF HUMILITY, falling before Jesus, saying I have nothing that hasn’t been given to me by your good hand. “Thank you for every provision.” “I haven’t earned anything to myself.” “It all belongs to you anyway.” He needed to simply give thanks with the right attitude.
It matters not if you come to God with righteous robes, filled with church role badges or whether you come with a jagged history without even a clean shirt, you can leave here right with God…If you come to Jesus with humble thanksgiving, not with arrogance, but with love for one another; not boasts of accumulation but with cries for God’s provision.
Consider this invitation wisely because Jesus’ parable was an indictment against seemingly righteous people who thought they were saved but in actuality were far from the presence of God. The Choice is clear: Will we continue to remain hostage to arrogance or will we choose to humble ourselves before Christ?
The promise of God is just as clear which says…If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV))
Conclusion) As we come together this year for thanksgiving with our families and our church dinners, we will sit at tables overstuffed with the finest food on earth. It’s at those times we come with the right attitude.
We would never look at the spread and say, “Look at what we have amassed for ourselves.” Or, “Look at that, three more pies than the Johnson’s have down the street!” No!, We would not boast about our accumulation, instead we say, “look at what the Lord has provided.” Without pretense, and without prejudice, we would look beyond what we have to the vision of where we could be if not for the great mercies of the Lord.
Now if we can have the right attitude of thanksgiving around the table, why can’t we continue that same feeling through the church lives of the Kershaw community? Let us come together giving thanks with the right attitude…With humble thanksgiving—not with arrogance, but with love for one another; Not boasts of accumulation but with cries for God’s provision. And the good news is that through the blood of Jesus Christ We can leave here right with God…only if we give thanks with the right attitude.
