November 19, 2017 NOTES NOT EDITED
ThankFULLness
ThankFULLness
Luke 17:11-19
Life can be quite difficult at times. In difficult times of challenge or tragedy,
it is harder to be grateful to God. When
life has taken so much from you, it is hard to feel full to overflowing.
I think of a story I heard about two children who were playing in the country. It was a beautiful day and they were having fun just running and rolling through pasture fields of thick soft grass. Unknowingly, they had wandered into a farmer’s pasture where he kept his prize bull. One of the boys spotted the menacing-looking creature and yelled to his friend. Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence. The bull snorted and stormed toward them, following in hot pursuit. The boys soon realized they were not going to be able to outrun the bull and reach the safety of the fence. Terrified, the one shouted to the other, "Put up a prayer, John. We’re in for it!" // John answered, "I can’t. I’ve never made a public prayer in my life." // John’s friend protested saying, "But your daddy was a preacher – surely he taught you some sort of prayer! So pray John, pray! The bull is catching up to us." // "All right," panted John, "I’ll say the only prayer I know, the one I hear all the time as we sit around the table.” Still running at a full speed, John began to pray, ‘O Lord, may we be truly thankful for what we are about to receive.’”
I think of a story I heard about two children who were playing in the country. It was a beautiful day and they were having fun just running and rolling through pasture fields of thick soft grass. Unknowingly, they had wandered into a farmer’s pasture where he kept his prize bull. One of the boys spotted the menacing-looking creature and yelled to his friend. Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence. The bull snorted and stormed toward them, following in hot pursuit. The boys soon realized they were not going to be able to outrun the bull and reach the safety of the fence. Terrified, the one shouted to the other, "Put up a prayer, John. We’re in for it!" // John answered, "I can’t. I’ve never made a public prayer in my life." // John’s friend protested saying, "But your daddy was a preacher – surely he taught you some sort of prayer! So pray John, pray! The bull is catching up to us." // "All right," panted John, "I’ll say the only prayer I know, the one I hear all the time as we sit around the table.” Still running at a full speed, John began to pray, ‘O Lord, may we be truly thankful for what we are about to receive.’”
There are many times in life it is
quite a challenge and takes a strong measure of true devotion to be “thankful.”
Often we don’t feel thankful. We feel worried. Many times in life it feels like the bulls are
catching up with us. Rather than feeling
“filled up to overflowing, we feel
drained and empty.”
We’ve become accustomed to thanking God for what we have. It doesn’t always occur to us that we should thank God for what, “we do not have.” Sometimes, what we “do not have,” helps us appreciate even more what we do have.
Consider a family that I read about this week. They are a large family-nine in all. They live in a small rented house. Mom works overtime in the home just to care for seven children. Dad takes as much overtime as possible, and does odd jobs on the side just to keep food on the table and clothes on their backs. One day, feeling overwhelmed to the point of exhaustion, the man went to see his pastor. The pastor listened to the man’s story and felt compassion for him. The pastor said to the man, “Get a goat, and move him into the house.” The man, was shocked by the advice, considering nine of them were already squeezed into the tiny rental home. But, feeling overwhelmed by life and stuck in a negative rut of deep depression, the man “got a goat.” The goat was smelly and had a bad disposition. In just a week the children were terrified and the home was turned upside down by the smelly goat with a bad disposition. The man went back to see the pastor and told him how bad the situation was at home with the goat. The pastor said, “Get rid of the goat.” The man felt relieved. Immediately upon arriving home, he gathered up the goat and returned it to the farm where he found it. A week later at church, the man spoke with the pastor. His face was glowing. He seemed full of joy and did not seem to have a care in the world. He said to the pastor, “"Life is beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there’s no goat--only the nine of us."
Sometimes, we need to realize that thankfulness also includes what we do not have. Another way of saying it is this: sometimes we can be more thankful for the sheep we have when we don’t have a goat!
We’ve become accustomed to thanking God for what we have. It doesn’t always occur to us that we should thank God for what, “we do not have.” Sometimes, what we “do not have,” helps us appreciate even more what we do have.
Consider a family that I read about this week. They are a large family-nine in all. They live in a small rented house. Mom works overtime in the home just to care for seven children. Dad takes as much overtime as possible, and does odd jobs on the side just to keep food on the table and clothes on their backs. One day, feeling overwhelmed to the point of exhaustion, the man went to see his pastor. The pastor listened to the man’s story and felt compassion for him. The pastor said to the man, “Get a goat, and move him into the house.” The man, was shocked by the advice, considering nine of them were already squeezed into the tiny rental home. But, feeling overwhelmed by life and stuck in a negative rut of deep depression, the man “got a goat.” The goat was smelly and had a bad disposition. In just a week the children were terrified and the home was turned upside down by the smelly goat with a bad disposition. The man went back to see the pastor and told him how bad the situation was at home with the goat. The pastor said, “Get rid of the goat.” The man felt relieved. Immediately upon arriving home, he gathered up the goat and returned it to the farm where he found it. A week later at church, the man spoke with the pastor. His face was glowing. He seemed full of joy and did not seem to have a care in the world. He said to the pastor, “"Life is beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there’s no goat--only the nine of us."
Sometimes, we need to realize that thankfulness also includes what we do not have. Another way of saying it is this: sometimes we can be more thankful for the sheep we have when we don’t have a goat!
Today, we meet Ten Lepers. All ten had something very special to be
thankful for, but only one recognized the great blessing he received and was
truly thankful. All ten received the
same great blessing, but nine went away empty—only one went away FULL—thank. .
.FULL!
A relationship with Jesus fills our heart up to overflowing and we cannot help but be thankful. Let’s read about ThankFULLness.
LUKE 17:11-19
There are three aspects to this story that show us how, and why, we should always feel “filled up to overflowing in our life”—we should be truly, “Thank . . . FULL!”
1. Consider the Gravity of Their Ingratitude
A relationship with Jesus fills our heart up to overflowing and we cannot help but be thankful. Let’s read about ThankFULLness.
LUKE 17:11-19
There are three aspects to this story that show us how, and why, we should always feel “filled up to overflowing in our life”—we should be truly, “Thank . . . FULL!”
1. Consider the Gravity of Their Ingratitude
11 While traveling to Jerusalem, He
passed between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As He
entered a village, 10 men with serious skin diseases met Him. They stood at a
distance 13 and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master,
have mercy on us!”
The level of one’s ingratitude is
directly proportional to the blessing they received. If someone opens the door for us because we
have an armful of groceries and perhaps a toddler or two in tow, we should say,
“Thank You!” This act of kindness may
not be earthshaking, but it certainly demands a gracious response.
If a person is rushed to the hospital, their heart about to take its last beat, and the emergency room personnel and cardiac surgeon jump into action and save your life, that certainly warrants a “Thank You!” It is no small thing to save a life.
Take a moment to reflect on our text here in Luke 17, especially verse 12 and the three words, deka leproi andres—ten leprous men. It is hard for us to understand the horror of being labeled, a leper. The closest we can come, perhaps, in this modern day is to hear our doctor say, “you have cancer.” Only a few years ago, the diagnosis of “cancer” was nearly always a “death sentence.” We’ve made great strides in medicine, but that word still instills fear in patients.
Leprosy, particularly that these men suffered from, was hideous. It is the equivalent of the popular science fiction character, a zombie. Lepers were the “literal walking dead of the ancient world.” One traveler to this described meeting a group of lepers.
If a person is rushed to the hospital, their heart about to take its last beat, and the emergency room personnel and cardiac surgeon jump into action and save your life, that certainly warrants a “Thank You!” It is no small thing to save a life.
Take a moment to reflect on our text here in Luke 17, especially verse 12 and the three words, deka leproi andres—ten leprous men. It is hard for us to understand the horror of being labeled, a leper. The closest we can come, perhaps, in this modern day is to hear our doctor say, “you have cancer.” Only a few years ago, the diagnosis of “cancer” was nearly always a “death sentence.” We’ve made great strides in medicine, but that word still instills fear in patients.
Leprosy, particularly that these men suffered from, was hideous. It is the equivalent of the popular science fiction character, a zombie. Lepers were the “literal walking dead of the ancient world.” One traveler to this described meeting a group of lepers.
“Sauntering
down the Jaffa road,” says Dr. Thomson, “on my approach to the holy city, in a
kind of dreamy maze, with, as I remember, scarcely one distinct idea in my
head, I was startled out of my reverie by the sudden apparition of a crowd of
beggars, without eyes, nose, hair. They held up to me their handless arms, unearthly
sounds gurgled through throats without palates; in a word, I was horrified.” (P/C).
Multiply that miserable scene by infinity and you can begin, perhaps, to grasp the desperate situation of our sin from which the Lord rescued us. Therefore, the gravity of our ingratitude to God for our salvation is infinitely more grievious and contemptible than that of the Nine lepers. When we simply take what God offered in our glorious salvation and go our own way, we are many more times despicable than these Lepers who marched along their own way after taking the healing they had received at the direction of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Multiply that miserable scene by infinity and you can begin, perhaps, to grasp the desperate situation of our sin from which the Lord rescued us. Therefore, the gravity of our ingratitude to God for our salvation is infinitely more grievious and contemptible than that of the Nine lepers. When we simply take what God offered in our glorious salvation and go our own way, we are many more times despicable than these Lepers who marched along their own way after taking the healing they had received at the direction of the Lord Jesus Christ.
While, it may be no legal
requirement to say, “Thank You,” for someone opening the door for you, or no
social compulsion to say, “Thank You” to a doctor or nurse that gives you
life-giving care, there is something extremely “grave, to the level of depravity” to be given the gift of
salvation, and treat it with such disdain as to be contempt.
Notice in verse 16 the Word emphasizes the nationality of the the one returning to give thanks: 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
This means that the other nine were “of God’s chosen people--Jews.” Jews despised Samaritans as foreign idol worshippers. It would have been a grave matter for the hated Samaritan, and outcast not only by disease but by national designation, to treat the gift from Jesus, the Jew, with contempt. It is infinitely more grave that the Nine Jewish lepers treated the gift from Jesus, the Jew, with contempt.
In Shakespeare’s play by the same name, King Lear at one point bestows the great gift of his kingdom upon two of his daughters who had showered the king with flattery. The king only asked to be afforded honor in the kingdom and the maintenance of a small military contingent. After receiving this great gift, the daughters treated the king with contempt, even threatening his life. King Lear responds to this contempt of such a great gift by saying:
“Sharper than a serpent’s tongue is a thankless child.”
How it must grieve God to have so many ungrateful children. The gravity of one’s ingratitude is directly proportional to the gift one received. The lepers literally received their lives back. They were drawn out of the community of the “walking dead” and given place again among the living—yet, they felt no gratitude.
How much more grievous and grave is it that so many people sitting in pews around this nation who have received eternal life, but treat that gift with such apathy and contempt. This is the gravity of ingratitude.
2. Consider, also the Impotency of Their Religion
Notice in verse 16 the Word emphasizes the nationality of the the one returning to give thanks: 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
This means that the other nine were “of God’s chosen people--Jews.” Jews despised Samaritans as foreign idol worshippers. It would have been a grave matter for the hated Samaritan, and outcast not only by disease but by national designation, to treat the gift from Jesus, the Jew, with contempt. It is infinitely more grave that the Nine Jewish lepers treated the gift from Jesus, the Jew, with contempt.
In Shakespeare’s play by the same name, King Lear at one point bestows the great gift of his kingdom upon two of his daughters who had showered the king with flattery. The king only asked to be afforded honor in the kingdom and the maintenance of a small military contingent. After receiving this great gift, the daughters treated the king with contempt, even threatening his life. King Lear responds to this contempt of such a great gift by saying:
“Sharper than a serpent’s tongue is a thankless child.”
How it must grieve God to have so many ungrateful children. The gravity of one’s ingratitude is directly proportional to the gift one received. The lepers literally received their lives back. They were drawn out of the community of the “walking dead” and given place again among the living—yet, they felt no gratitude.
How much more grievous and grave is it that so many people sitting in pews around this nation who have received eternal life, but treat that gift with such apathy and contempt. This is the gravity of ingratitude.
2. Consider, also the Impotency of Their Religion
Impotence means, “powerless,” and
that is what religion is: powerless.
Look at verse 14:
14 When He saw them, He told them, “Go
and show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going, they were
healed.
There’s an old story many of us
read in elementary school called, “The Prince and the Pauper.” Mark Twain spins this tale of a
poverty-stricken, abused young man living a horrible life in London where he is
abused by a wicked uncle, and the Prince of Wales, Edward IV. These two young men are identical in
appearance and the Prince (one day, king) through a chance meeting decides to
change places with the impoverished, abused look-a-like. Though a King, dressed in the rags of a
pauper, nobody recognizes the Prince. He
is likewise abused by the wicked uncle and shunned by those he would meet. All the while, being a king, nobody who met
him treated him as a king—for he was dressed in the common, soiled rags of a
pauper.
People met the king and treated him like a pauper.
The Nine Ungrateful Lepers are like those who met the Prince (soon to become king) but did not recognize him as such. So many people meet Jesus, but go away unchanged. The Nine Ungrateful Lepers were healed by Jesus, but not changed.
Notice the phrase in verse 14, “And while they were going, they were healed.” The Lepers’ healings had nothing whatsoever to do with the priests—the religious leaders of the day.
The custom in ancient Judaism in regard to leprosy, or any skin condition which might be contagious, was to have their condition “evaluated” by the priest, and any healing verified by the same.
The priests did not heal the lepers, but simply certified that they were healed, and thus, no longer a threat to society. It is like the popular T.V. commercials for LifeLock Credit Protection, that distinquishes “credit monitors” from “credit protectors.”
VIDEO
People met the king and treated him like a pauper.
The Nine Ungrateful Lepers are like those who met the Prince (soon to become king) but did not recognize him as such. So many people meet Jesus, but go away unchanged. The Nine Ungrateful Lepers were healed by Jesus, but not changed.
Notice the phrase in verse 14, “And while they were going, they were healed.” The Lepers’ healings had nothing whatsoever to do with the priests—the religious leaders of the day.
The custom in ancient Judaism in regard to leprosy, or any skin condition which might be contagious, was to have their condition “evaluated” by the priest, and any healing verified by the same.
The priests did not heal the lepers, but simply certified that they were healed, and thus, no longer a threat to society. It is like the popular T.V. commercials for LifeLock Credit Protection, that distinquishes “credit monitors” from “credit protectors.”
VIDEO
That’s how religion works: it may “monitor” your situation, but it cannot
fix anything.
There is no shortage of “religion” in America. Quantifying churches in America is not as easy as it might seem. For example, there are more Southern Baptist churches than Catholic churches, but there are more Catholics than Southern Baptists. But, all that aside, there are a LOT of churches in America! Depending on what numbers you use there are upwards of 384,000 Christian churches, with another 100,000 plus non-Christian churches. There are well over 500,000 churches in America. Let me put that into some perspective. There are only about 14,000 McDonalds in America—but, most people have no problem finding a place to get a Happy Meal!
The problem in America is not “too little religion.” The problem in America is TOO MUCH RELIGION! There is absolutely no problem for anybody finding a church in America of some kind.
Let me state the matter again: “The problem in America is not TOO LITTLE religion, but TOO MUCH RELIGION.” Religion is absolutely powerless to transform a person’s life. Religion is like a “rocking chair”—it will give you something to do, but it won’t take you anywhere!
The priests had no power to heal anybody of anything.
I don’t think I can state the matter strong enough: religion (I’m talking about apart from a relationship with Christ), is BAD! Without any doubt in my mind I would say that religion will be responsible for more people in hell than atheism—by far!
Just last week, when I was outlining the decline of morality in America, I shared this verse with you—it’s been a week, so let me refresh your memory(2Tim. 3:5):
5 holding to the form of godliness but denying its power.
Religion is impotent because it has a “program but no power.” The power of Christianity is a relationship with the Crucified Christ. Paul said, 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.
There is no shortage of “religion” in America. Quantifying churches in America is not as easy as it might seem. For example, there are more Southern Baptist churches than Catholic churches, but there are more Catholics than Southern Baptists. But, all that aside, there are a LOT of churches in America! Depending on what numbers you use there are upwards of 384,000 Christian churches, with another 100,000 plus non-Christian churches. There are well over 500,000 churches in America. Let me put that into some perspective. There are only about 14,000 McDonalds in America—but, most people have no problem finding a place to get a Happy Meal!
The problem in America is not “too little religion.” The problem in America is TOO MUCH RELIGION! There is absolutely no problem for anybody finding a church in America of some kind.
Let me state the matter again: “The problem in America is not TOO LITTLE religion, but TOO MUCH RELIGION.” Religion is absolutely powerless to transform a person’s life. Religion is like a “rocking chair”—it will give you something to do, but it won’t take you anywhere!
The priests had no power to heal anybody of anything.
I don’t think I can state the matter strong enough: religion (I’m talking about apart from a relationship with Christ), is BAD! Without any doubt in my mind I would say that religion will be responsible for more people in hell than atheism—by far!
Just last week, when I was outlining the decline of morality in America, I shared this verse with you—it’s been a week, so let me refresh your memory(2Tim. 3:5):
5 holding to the form of godliness but denying its power.
Religion is impotent because it has a “program but no power.” The power of Christianity is a relationship with the Crucified Christ. Paul said, 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.
There’s an old gospel song by Lanny
Wolfe that laments, “I’m so tired of
being stirred but not being changed.” This
applies to those Nine Ungrateful Lepers to be sure. There life had been significantly touched by
the mercy of God for which they prayed . . . , but, their hearts had not been
saved.
Religion may give you emotional moments of spiritual awareness of God, but religion, alone, will always leave you short of becoming “whole.” That’s the Impotency of Religion.
3. Consider the Supremacy of Grace
18 Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well.”
All Ten Lepers had been “touched by God’s mercy” but only One had been “transformed by God’s grace.”
Every person on this earth that is living, has ever lived, or will every live deserves nothing but the unbridled wrath of God—immediate and consummate. But, God delays His wrath remembering His mercy. Habakkuk once prayed:
3:2 Lord, I have heard the report about You; Lord, I stand in awe of Your deeds. Revive Your work in these years; make it known in these years. In Your wrath remember mercy!
Religion may give you emotional moments of spiritual awareness of God, but religion, alone, will always leave you short of becoming “whole.” That’s the Impotency of Religion.
3. Consider the Supremacy of Grace
18 Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well.”
All Ten Lepers had been “touched by God’s mercy” but only One had been “transformed by God’s grace.”
Every person on this earth that is living, has ever lived, or will every live deserves nothing but the unbridled wrath of God—immediate and consummate. But, God delays His wrath remembering His mercy. Habakkuk once prayed:
3:2 Lord, I have heard the report about You; Lord, I stand in awe of Your deeds. Revive Your work in these years; make it known in these years. In Your wrath remember mercy!
In His mercy God is offering
mankind—you and I—His grace. His Amazing
Grace. He is offering grace now . . .
but not forever.
Often biblical scholars will talk about the great sacrifice of Jesus that made salvation “free.” Indeed, that is a great miracle—the greatest miracle of all. But, another great miracle, in many ways as incomprehensible as Jesus making salvation “free” is that the church has made it cheap! We’ve offered people a steady diet of froth and crème, when what they need is the meat of God’s Word.
We’ve offered them motivational speeches when what they need is gospel-powered sermons. We’ve offered people entertainment in the guise of worship when what they need is engagement with the Creator of the World. We’ve offered broken souls psychological bandaids when what they desperately need is a prophetic soul transplant.
We’ve allowed people to come to our churches and leave without ever encountering Jesus and being made whole, not just happy.
This is what the Nine Ungrateful Lepers did—they made the grace of God “cheap.” They walked on holy ground never removing the shoes of self-righteousness religion. They met Jesus, partook of His grace, and went their way without even acknowledging Jesus. They were touched by mercy but not transformed by grace.
What religion is powerless to do—grace has done. Jesus said, “Go, you have been made WHOLE.
In this season of the year when we think of Thankfulness, we need to think of these Ten Lepers—Nine who were only touched, and One who was transformed. Nine who left ThankLESS—One who returned ThankFULL.
In this story we witness the Gravity of Ingratitude. We come to understand the Impotency of Religion. Finally, we have witnessed the Supremacy of Grace. There is no excuse for any of us to leave here not “filled up to overflowing with gratitude to God for what He has done for us.” Not just thankful, but thankFULL.
Jesus said, “I have come to give you life, and that life filled up to overflowing” (John 10:10).
The Ungrateful Nine Lepers had the chance to be “whole” and the settled for being “healed.” They had a chance to establish a relationship with Jesus, but they settled for earthly happiness instead of eternal bliss. So many people live life and never experience “wholeness.”
A group of businessmen were meeting for a community breakfast, and the discussion at one table turned to retirement. These were all fairly successful businessmen, but many of them hated their daily lives. One man spoke up: “I can’t wait for retirement.” Another man said, “Why? What are you going to do when you retire?” The first man replied, “I’m going to lay on the couch and watch T.V. all day.” The other man spoke with a note of urgency in his voice. “Oh, you don’t want to do that. If you do that, you will be dead in a year!” The first man seemed puzzled and asked, “Why do you say that?” His friend answered, “Because, if the lack of purpose in life does not kill you . . . your wife certainly will!”
Ungratefulness leads to dissatisfaction and a sense of purposelessness in life. Nothing is ever enough. Nothing has true meaning. The Nine Ungrateful Lepers were satisfied for the moment, but will be disappointed for eternity because they wanted what God could do, but wanted nothing to do with God.
Gratitude, especially gratitude to God for His glorious salvation, will lead to a “life that is overflowing with thankfulness.” Not just thankfulness, but thank FULLness!
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