BEING GRATEFUL
Luke 17:11-19
INTRODUCTION
ILLUSTRATION Five years ago before he succumbed to cancer, Tony Snow, former political commentator, speech writer and White House press secretary, said the following to the 2007 graduating class at the Catholic University of America: “Wherever you are and whatever you do, never forget at this moment, and every moment forward, you have a precious blessing. You’ve got the breath of life. No matter how lousy things may seem, you’ve got the breath of life. And while God doesn’t promise tomorrow, He does promise eternity.”
Maybe we should take Tony’s advice and look beyond our momentary troubles to see both this life and the life to come as precious gifts for which to be grateful. Our text for today reminds us the importance of being grateful. Please open your bibles to Luke 17:11-19. This passage says that Jesus healed ten lepers but only one came back to thank Him.
EXPOSITION
What was Jesus’ reaction to the nine lepers signified? Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" (vv. 17-18) Jesus was surprised that only one out of ten came back and gave praise to God. Jesus demonstrated his mercy and surely did not expect something in return. He showed his fair mercy on everyone – Jews and Samaritan alike. However, Jesus was not pleased to see the ungratefulness of some of His beneficiaries.
Psalm 103:2–5 (NIV) 2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Psalmist said that we should not fail to praise the God who forgives all our sins and heals all our diseases, who redeems our lives from the pit and crowns us with love and compassion, and who satisfies our desires with good things so that our youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Many times God uses human benefactors and we should not forget to express our gratefulness to them – parents, siblings, friends, military, employers, strangers, co-workers, fellow believers, and others.
There are many ways to show our gratefulness to them and to God – words, service, goods, prayers, commitment, obedience, love, kindness, etc.
Why did the nine lepers fail to return and thank Jesus?
We do not know. But we all know some of the reasons people failed to show their gratefulness.
1. Self-righteousness – “I deserve this!”
Deuteronomy 8:17 (NIV) 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.”
Ungratefulness occurs when we think that we deserve the help or blessing or we think that it is someone’s duty and responsibility to make our lives happy.
2. Forgetfulness – “I did this!”
Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV) 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
We fail to give the honor to whom it is due. We think that our success or achievement was due to our own strength and wisdom.
3. Commonness – “It is always accessible!”
Sometimes we no longer show our appreciation for the good things or people easily accessible and available to us. The so called “normal” provisions never excite us anymore to give thanks to God.
4. Discontentment – “This is not enough. I want more.”
When one has a discontented heart, gratefulness is absent. No matter how much they receive, it would always be short and therefore no reason to say thank you. But a contented heart will always say thank you no matter how little he receive from others.
ILLUSTRATION There is a story told of two old friends, Bob and Eddie, who bumped into one another on the street one day. Bob looked miserable, almost on the verge of tears. Eddie asked, "What has the world done to you, my old friend?" Bob said, "Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, my long lost uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars." "That’s a lot of money" Eddie replied. Bob continued, "Two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand dollars." "Sounds like you’ve been blessed...” Eddie began to say. "You don’t understand!” Bob interrupted. "Last week a distant aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million from her." Now Eddie was confused, "Then, why do you look so gloomy?" Bob responded, "This week... no one died!" (copied)
What can we learn from the example of the grateful Samaritan?
1. Gratefulness PRIORITIZES the Giver than the gift. (v. 15)
When the Samaritan learned that he was cleansed, he delayed his visit to the priest. It was customary that a person who was healed from a skin disease to present himself to the priest for clearance and rituals before he can go back to the community.
For someone who had been sick for some time and outcast in the community, it would have been easier to just enjoy the experience of being healed than go and thank the person responsible.
ILLUSTRATION Take for example a child who just receive a gift or toy from his parent; immediately the child will open the gift and go to his room or sit on a corner and savor the pleasure of owning that thing. That is why, we need to remind them to say thank you.
The Samaritan however set aside his personal pleasure and went back to praise God. And he did it significantly: Did it personally – “he came back”; Did it explicitly – “praising God in a loud voice”; Did it promptly – “he saw… came back”
Always delight on the presence and goodness of the Giver. The gifts would not last but Giver will always be there for us to sustain us.
Psalm 73:25–26 (NIV) 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
2. Gratefulness GLORIFIES God, the Giver. (v. 18)
When we thank God, we testify to His goodness and loving kindness. We give Him the credit and honor for the benefits that we enjoy. We are encouraging people to turn to God and trust him for their needs and desires. Every time we give the credit to God for any blessings or good experiences, we are actually witnessing for the Lord.
1 Chronicles 16:8 (NIV) 8 Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
When we failed to give thanks to God and to his instruments, we are actually robbing them the credit and honor due to them. When we give thanks to God, we declare his power, his wisdom, and his love before the world. We declare the reality of His presence and existence. We acknowledge that He is the power behind all those successes.
ILLUSTRATION Notice the actors and actresses who receive an Oscar or Grammy awards; in their speech they enumerate the people behind their success and thank them.
3. Gratefulness RESULTS to greater blessing from God. (v. 19)
After the Samaritan expressed his gratefulness to God, Jesus declared that his faith has made him well. The other nine were simply cleansed physically but the Samaritan was also cleansed spiritually.
ILLUSTRATION A U.S. News and World Report article said, “People who made a daily and/or frequent habit of being thankful were not only more joyful; they were healthier, less stressed, more optimistic, and more likely to help others."
Since gratefulness give priority to God and glorifies Him, He would not hesitate to continue blessing our lives. Gratefulness is an evidence of good stewardship too. And good steward receives greater opportunities in life.
ILLUSTRATION There was this man who had just separated from his wife and he went to a small restaurant to drown his sorrows.
Many similar people were there sitting alone but a mother and a little girl came in and sat at a nearby table. Before eating the little girl asked if she could give thanks for the food. The waitress, hearing this, said, ’Yes honey, we don’t mind you doing that’. The little girl announced loudly for all in the restaurant to hear, ’Everyone, bow your heads and close your eyes, I’ll give thanks to God for the food’. Everyone complied and she prayed, "God is great, God is good, We thank Him for all this food!" Immediately the atmosphere in that little restaurant changed and people started smiling. Some even got up to talk to others. The little girl’s heart of thanksgiving brought honor and salvation that day.(Copied)
4. Gratefulness DEMONSTRATES faith in God. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NIV) 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
When we thank God not only for the good things or person, we demonstrate our faith in God’s goodness and wisdom. We believe that in God’s own ways and time, he will deliver His blessings to you and me. In fact, every need and difficult situation is an opportunity to show His greatness and loving kindness.
ILLUSTRATION There was a man who found a barn where Satan kept his seeds ready to be sown in the human heart. He found that the seeds of discouragement were more numerous than the others and he learned that those seeds could be made to grow almost anywhere. But when Satan was questioned, he reluctantly admitted that there was one place in which he could never get them to thrive. “And where is that?” asked the man. Satan replied sadly, “In the heart of a grateful person.” (Copied)
CONCLUSION
ILLUSTRATION The famous Bible scholar Matthew Henry was once robbed of his money. Later, he wrote these words in his diary, “First, let me be thankful, because I was never robbed before. Second, let me be thankful that although they took my money, they did not take my life. Third, let me be thankful that even though they took all I had, it was not much. Fourth, let me be thankful that it was I who was robbed, and not I who robbed others.” (Copied)
Always be grateful promptly – God, family, friends, military, and community.
