True Thankfulness
Notes
Transcript
True Thankfulness: Tipping God?
Luke 17:11-19
Thanksgiving Day was approaching and the family had received a card with a painting of a Pilgrim family on their way to church. Grandma showed the card to her small grandchildren, observing: “The Pilgrim children liked to go to church with their mothers and fathers.” “Oh yeah?” her young grandson replied. “So why is their dad carrying that rifle?”
Leprosy is a huge picture of our spiritual state in sin.
1) Outcast
2) Decomposing
3) Spiraling away from everything good
In our state of sin before Christ, we deserved the eternal condemnation of God. (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
The men cry out, “Mercy!” Lord, react to us not out of justice but out of your heart.
With just the spoken word, Jesus healed the men.
The nine went on….but the one came back.
C.S. Lewis – Things that keep us from adoration
1) Inattention
They didn’t realize who healed them. They ignored the Scriptures (Isaiah) that the Messiah would be the one to heal them.
2) The wrong kind of attention
They wanted to enjoy the gifts. Maybe it was family, maybe it was the rush of renewed senses, maybe it was the opportunity to return to the temple. THEY LOVED THE GIFTS!
3) Greed
Finally, I’ve been healed. Now I can enjoy life…I can experience all that I have been missing. I can finally be a Jew again.
4) Conceit
It’s about time God took care of us….we are his people. What an amazing picture of what happened to the Jews…Jesus himself said he came to seek and to save the lost of Israel….but how many have missed out?
True thankfulness always leads to….
1) A deep love of the giver.
2) A deep sense that Jesus is involved in my life.
3) A deep change in the way life is lived.
It’s the difference between tipping and tithing.
Tipping is done out of politeness…giving is done out of a sense of awe.
Tipping is done out of a sense of getting what I expected…thankfulness is beyond what I have received.
Tipping is control by my emotions….thankfulness is a by product a love relationship between you and God.