Full
Pt. 2 - Thank Full
I. Introduction
At the start of new year I have challenged you to examine your own life and determine whether or not you are full. Your "fullness" will determine what overflows to every area of your life. Our difficulty is that we will do our very best to fill anything that is empty . . . Space, time, relationships, etc. and unless we know what we should be full of then often our lives are crammed with clutter, the trivial and the unnecessary to the point that we have no room left for that which God intended to fill us. Make no mistake He does intend for us to be full!
John 10:10
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance - to the full, till it overflows. (Amplified Version)
Colossians 2:9-10
You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness.
The accurate and mature understanding is knowing that salvation was only part of the picture. He came to save but He also came to enable us to experience fullness in life!
So I want to clearly state for us some of the things that should fill us so that we are able to experience this fullness that Jesus came to give us.
Luke 17:11-19 (Message)
It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance but raised their voices, calling out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Taking a good look at them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” They went, and while still on their way, became clean. One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus’ feet, so grateful. He couldn’t thank him enough—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus said, “Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?” Then he said to him, “Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you.”
We must be thank full!
Jesus goes out of His way - actually traveling to an off limits area for Jews - adjusts His travel route, detours, and breaks rules to bring a healing, life changing, hope restoring touch that changes a death sentence, terminal situation for 10 men.
We can focus on the 9 that received this touch and continued with life and say that their actions and response is indicative and the most accurate picture of our society and unfortunately most of us as Jesus touched people. We find ourselves living in and often living like those around us - we are consumed by an attitude and position of entitlement which then leads to a lack of gratitude and thanklessness. Desperate for help, receive help and continue on our way. No pause. No hesitation. No gratitude. The unexpected . . . expected and demanded. However, I want us to only take enough time to view the 9 as a cautionary tale and instead focus our attention on the 1 who got it right.
I think the attention must rest on the 1 because although the different version from which I read the account is accurate it may also diminish the contrast of what Jesus did and said. Listen to verse 14 in KJV - Vs. 14 - And it came to pass that as they went, they were cleansed.
Notice all 10 are cleansed. But now read what Jesus says to the one who returns thank full.
Vs. 19 - And He said unto him, "Arise; go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole."
Did you catch it? 10 were cleansed . . . 1 was made whole. The key to being whole or full was thankfulness. I must challenge you because you have the choice to settle for touched, healed, blessed, favored or you can choose to take the steps to have the right attitude and posture that will produce wholeness or in other words you will be "full". Healed or whole?
Here are some key things about being thank full.
To be thank full we must leave the crowd.
This man walked away from the thankless. He went against the flow. In order for us to be thank full we must distance ourselves from an entitlement mentality. You will not be full of gratefulness if you think you deserve what you have only gained by grace and mercy. This means we can't be like others and allow ourselves to believe we deserve what Jesus has done for us. Like Paul, we must remember we are the chief sinner. We didn't earn healing. We didn't earn a blessing. We didn't earn the unexpected. It is by grace alone and so we must leave the crowd and return with a heart filled with gratitude. In order for you to be full, many of us are going to have to distance ourselves from the thankless.
To be thank full we must be willing to stop.
This man stops on the path, recognizes he has been changed, and then returns to say thanks. He went back because he was mindful of where his healing came from.
How many of us receive blessings from people or our Father but aren't mindful of the source? Too often (SLIDE 17) we aren't thank full because we are forget full.
So many of us fail to stop in our journey to acknowledge His touch much less the human hand He uses to do the touching. We literally act as if we have always been saved, always set free, always on the path to heaven, and always in right standing. This guy comes to a stop and reflects on his changed condition and it produces gratitude in his heart.
I want to challenge you this year to stop. Remember what you were like before Jesus touched you. Reflect on life without salvation. For a moment, not to produce shame, embarrassment, or guilt . . . Stop and recall the addicted, abused, hungover, broken, crushed, depressed, suicidal, unloved, unwanted condition He found you in.
Maybe once again we need to dust off an old refrain . . . Count your many blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done.
Let's take time this year and stop and allow what God has done to cause us to be thank full! In fact, right now stand up and find 2 people and tell them what God has done for you. Then let that also bleed over into what God has used them to do for you.
Thankfulness must invade our language before fullness will invade our life.
This man opened his mouth and declared his gratitude and it produced fullness in his life. His willingness to express gratitude caused him to graduate from healed to whole!
I am concerned that too many of us go days without expressing any gratitude to anyone spouse, parents, friends, or the waitress who served us and then that bleeds over onto Sunday and we come into the presence of the King and we can't even open our mouth and declare that He is good. The worship team can't get a peep out of you. Our silence keeps us empty. David declares let everything that has breath praise the Lord. And then he says in Psalm 51:15 - Open my lips Lord and my mouth will declare your praise!
Open your mouth and declare your gratefulness and it will produces a fullness in you. Our mouth must be filled with thankfulness and it won't be long until we will also discover that our life is full of fullness!
Let it start with those you can see!
Practice all week so that when given the opportunity to express gratitude to God you can't hold it in . . . You are a willing thanker!
Need some starting place . . . Maria. Teresa Shepard (cards). Sound/video while you are enjoying they are serving. Nursery. Kids workers. Pantry volunteers. Youth team.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Did you catch it? Gods will is that we be thankful. In fact, He doesn't allow for circumstances to change His will for us.
In order for us to be full this year we must stop and go out of our way to express gratitude. You may need to go back to someone. This year we must become not only more intentionally thank full, but we must also become intentionally vocal in our thanks!
Passion must be thank full!
