Be Grateful For What He's Done

Thanksgiving Day is four days from today, so let’s take a quick poll concerning thankfulness.

Raise your hand if you have ever received a gift that made you experience some degree of gratitude?

Raise your hand if you have ever received a gift that to this day you think is responsible for changing your life in some way?

Raise your hand if you have ever received a gift that resulted in permanent affection toward the giver?

Ok, let’s turn it around and make it personal.

How many of you have ever given someone a gift that was not received with gratitude?

How many of you have given someone a gift that they received with gratitude, but they didn’t express that gratitude in the way you thought was appropriate?

How many of you would say that this lack of gratitude damaged the relationship you had with this person?

Ok, let’s make it a bit more personal and honest.

How many of you would say that you have been given a gift, and you did not respond with proper gratitude?

How many of you would say that your lack of gratitude changed the relationship you had with the giver?

How many of you would say that you still live with regret about this?

[SLIDE: RECEIVEING MERCY DEPENDS…]

1. Receiving mercy depends on a proper acknowledgment of the Giver

So, to set the scene for this story, in verse 11 we read that Jesus’ encounter with the ten lepers takes place while Jesus is on a journey. Verse 11 says, “On the way to Jerusalem, he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee”.

Luke situates this story within the context of a larger story that runs all the way from Luke chapter 9 all the way to the end of the gospel. This is the story about Jesus’ final trip to Jerusalem, where He would be crucified. In Luke 9, Luke tells us in verse 51 that “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” For the next ten chapters, Luke records for us Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. And punctuated throughout those ten chapters are these repeated notices: Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. Four times in those ten chapters we read those words.

No other of the four gospels devotes this much space to Jesus’ last journey to Jerusalem. Why? Luke wants us to see our Savior’s resolve, our Savior’s courage, our Savior’s resolute determination to go to Jerusalem in order to be lifted up, that He might draw all men to Himself. You and I have been drawn to Him lifted up because He persevered steadfastly, refusing to become sidetracked or distracted as He journeyed toward His death that has brought us life.

But Jesus still made time for ministering to the real men and women who crossed His path. He may have been resolute and undeterred, but that doesn’t mean He had tunnel vision. And so when ten men with severe skin disease together lift up their voices in desperation, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13 ESV), Jesus makes time for Him. Jesus will always turn aside and hear our cries for mercy.

[SLIDE: WHAT IS MERCY?]

What is mercy?

Seeing a person’s misery

Feeling compassion

Taking action to help

Seeing >> feeling >> acting

What is mercy? What do you think mercy is? When I drive up to a stoplight and see a homeless person holding a sign asking for help, and I experience the feeling of pity or compassion, is that mercy? Probably not. When I send $30 each month to Compassion International, for the child that our family have “adopted”, is that mercy? Maybe. In the Bible, mercy is seeing another person’s misery which leads to the feeling of compassion, which then leads to concrete action. Seeing, feeling, acting. That is biblical mercy.

Were these ten leprous men in need of that? Oh, church, you bet they were. Most of us know some things about leprosy. Maybe it would help if I refreshed our memory.

[SLIDE: WHAT IS LEPROSY]

What is leprosy?

A range of skin diseases

Highly contagious

Made you unclean (isolated from others, not allowed to enter the temple for worship, etc.)

Alone, ashamed, and afraid

Leprosy wasn’t really just one disease. It was a range of skin conditions. There have been all kinds of attempts at identifying the exact bacteria that caused it; doctors and scholars have tried to identify it with some disease or another that we know of today. Really we don’t know, and it doesn’t matter a whole lot. Leprosy was a range of skin conditions that were painful, not easily treated, and very contagious.

But what really makes leprosy different from other conditions of that day is that it made you not only sick; it rendered you ceremonially unclean. If you contracted it, you were not allowed to live with people; you had to move outside the city, away from human contact. This is why the lepers in this story didn’t approach Jesus; they stood at a distance.

Coming back into human contact in required you to be healed, approved by the priest, shave your hair, undergo a ritual cleansing, and offer a sacrifice. So as a result, lepers were alone, ashamed, and afraid. So yes, lepers were in need of mercy.

[SLIDE: WE CRY OUT TO HIM]

A. How do we properly acknowledge the Giver? We cry out to Him.

But receiving mercy depends on a proper acknowledgment of the Giver. Do these lepers fit that criteria? Look with me at verse 13. What’s the first step in properly acknowledging the Giver? Crying out to Him. Check - verse 13 says “they lifted up their voices.”

[SLIDE: WE CALL UPON HIM BY NAME]

B. How do we properly acknowledge the Giver? We call upon Him by name.

The second step would be calling upon the Giver by name. Verse 13 again: “And they lifted up their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master...’” If you were to look at how Jesus is addressed in the gospel of Luke, most often non-disciples of Jesus didn’t call Jesus “Lord” or “Master”. They would call Him “Rabbi” or “Teacher.” But only the disciples call Jesus “Master”. This word for “Master” is a word that is only found on the tongues of Jesus’ disciples. They don’t just see Jesus as a wise religious teacher; He’s not just for them a man especially close to God; He isn’t just a Healer. He is Master. He is Lord. He is Savior.

[SLIDE: WE SEEK MERCY FROM HIM]

C. How do we properly acknowledge the Giver? We seek mercy from Him.

They cry out to Him. They properly identify Him. Lastly, they seek mercy from Him. “And they lifted up their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Jesus is not just Master. He is Savior. He He is Savior. He is the author of salvation. In other words, He is the Giver of mercy.

These ten lepers properly acknowledge the Giver. And He gives mercy.

What is mercy again? Seeing, feeling, acting. n the Bible, mercy is seeing another person’s misery which leads to the feeling of compassion, which then leads to concrete action. Seeing, feeling, acting.

[SLIDE: SHOWING MERCY?]

Showing mercy?

Jesus sees them

Jesus feels compassion for them

Jesus takes action to help them

Seeing >> feeling >> acting

First, Jesus sees. Verse 14, “When he saw them he said to them...” This doesn’t just mean that Jesus laid eyes on them. It means that Jesus really saw them — saw them and loved them.

Second, Jesus feels compassion for them. Jesus instructs them: “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” That was in the law. Jesus didn’t come to do away with the law. He expects them to obey the law. But when Jesus instructs them to obey the law, that means He has experiences compassion for them and has every intention to heal them.

Third, Jesus acts to help them. Verse 14, “As they went, they were cleansed.” They’re not healed yet. They have to take the first step of obedience. Then the healing comes.

Jesus is the Giver of mercy.

Give me your best ‘Amen’ if you’ve received mercy from God and you know it.

[SLIDE: RECEIVING MERCY RESULTS IN…]

2. Receiving mercy results in a proper response of gratitude to the Giver

Back years ago, when the kids were little, we were broke. How many of you can relate to that? The kids were little; so was our bank account. I was in seminary. I worked pretty much full-time and Shannon worked hard selling jewelry. It still wasn’t enough.

My dad had told me at one point, “Look, don’t struggle; if you need help, tell me.” But I didn’t want to ask for help. As a father and a husband, that was the last thing I wanted to do. Did I not trust his word? I don’t know.

But you have to do what you have to do, and eventually I had to ask him. I remember that day very well. It was in December, almost Christmas, very very cold sunny day. I even remember where I was when I called him. I was walking from the bank to my car. But what I’ll never forget was his response. He didn’t shame me; he didn’t ask me how this happened. All he said was, “How much do you need?” I said, “$200 will cover it.” He said, “I’m depositing $500. Don’t hesitate to call me back if it’s not enough.”

I know some of us have strong feelings about giving money. That’s not my point today. My point in telling you this story is to highlight how I felt after I heard him say those words. First, relief. Second, profound, intense gratitude.

The second time was a few years later. This one’s not about money. Many of you know that Shannon has struggled with severe migraines over the years. God has been so good to us and they aren’t anything like they used to be. One day in 2013, I was pastoring in Louisburg, and Shannon was in the bed and had been for a couple of days. There was an older lady, a saint, in our church there who would come over and watch the kids. She had been there most of the day because I had to make some hospital visits in Durham. When I got home, it was about 4:30 or so and I had a meeting that night. Our babysitter left and Shannon got up.

But when Shannon got up, her headache was so severe, honestly, I thought she was dying. They say if you’re having the worst headache of your life, you should go to the ER. She was having the worst headache of her life and, for her, that’s saying alot.

Who would watch the kids? I didn’t want to call the same lady back. So I called our across-the-street neighbor. She was also a member of our church. She came right over.

While she was on her way, I started thinking: “I’ve been gone all day, Shannon’s been in the bed, the kids have been with a babysitter. I don’t know that I should leave them because Noah was old enough that he was getting anxious about Shannon.”

So I asked our neighbor: “Would there be anyway that instead of staying here and watching the kids that you would take her to the ER so I can stay here with the kids?” Without blinking an eye, without pausing, she said, with sincerity, “I’ll do whatever you need.”

I was so stressed that night and so worried and burdened about so many things, and still to this day to tell that story brings tears to my eyes.

Nine of the ten lepers didn’t return to give thanks. But one did. We’re told that he comes back to Jesus, rejoicing and praising God, falling at Jesus’ feet and thanking Him. What kindled his gratitude? Look with me at verses 15-16, and notice with me the moment at which gratitude is kindled in his heart: “Then one of them” — and here it is — “when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks” (Luke 17:15-16 ESV).

You see, the greater the sacrifice for us, the deeper the gratitude.

The deeper that our pain has been prior to being delivered, the deeper our gratitude for the deliverance.

That’s why when someone fails to show gratitude, it’s troubling. Why? I mean, don’t they see how much we did for them? Do they not care? Did it not mean anything? Did they think they deserved it, that we owed it to them? What’s wrong with them?

Unfortunately, I could also tell you stories about how I didn’t show gratitude, or even feel grateful. When I was a teenager, I grumbled far more than I was grateful. My parents did a lot for me — and they were treated so poorly by me.

[SLIDE: WHY SO UNGRATEFUL?]

Why do we fail to show or feel gratitude?

Why so ungrateful?

"I deserve what they did for me”

"They shouldn’t need to hear it”

“I didn’t ask for this/don’t want this”

How many of you take a vitamin or a daily supplement of some kind? Supplements and vitamins don’t really cure, do they? Some of you might debate me on that. Could we say that and supplements and vitamins can help to prevent disease? Lower your chances of developing some kind of condition?

For some of us, saying “thank you” is just about as hard as saying “I’m sorry.” Both of those sayings require us to humble ourselves.

Well, in the same way, saying “thank you” regularly, to God, and others, is a way of preventing pride from taking root. Regularly verbally expressing praise and thanksgiving to God and others is like taking a supplement to prevent a hardened heart.

You might think that’s silly, but think about it:

When I say thank you sincerely, I am forced to remember that I am not my own Creator.

When I say thank you sincerely, I am forced to acknowledge that I cannot meet all of my own needs. I am not my own Savior.

When I say thank you sincerely, I forced to remember that I am dependent on God for everything and dependent on others for at least some things.

In other words, saying “thank you” is not just about cultural convention or being polite or having good manners. Saying “thank you” on a regular basis is a way of I am not God. Saying “thank you” sincerely softens your heart.

You may not feel sincere in saying it, but something happens when you say it; your insincerity becomes sincerity. You may not have wanted what they gave you; you may feel like you deserved what they did for you.

And those things may be true. But that doesn’t change the fact that they did it, and in that moment, you realize, “Hey, this is not about me; this is about building up the giver.” You build them up, and your heart is softened. That’s a pretty good deal — a win-win scenario.

Receiving mercy results in a proper response of gratitude to the Giver.

Lastly, a response of gratitude is a mark of the faith that leads to salvation.

“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee; surely his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee; ponder anew, what the almighty can do, if with his love He befriend thee.”

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him; all that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him. Let the Amen sound from His people again, gladly for aye we adore Him.”

[SLIDE: A RESPONSE OF GRATITUDE IS…]

3. A response of gratitude is a mark of the faith that leads to salvation

We’re not to the climax of the story yet. There is one detail that Luke has withheld from us up until this point — a plot twist. It’s a big reveal -- this man’s ethnicity. After Luke tells us that this healed leper runs back from the priest, rejoicing and praising God and falling at Jesus’ feet in gratitude — he’s not a Jew. He’s a Samaritan.

He’s a hated Samaritan. Samaritans were deficient in two of the most important ways you could be deficient in the first century Jewish world — religiously and racially.

Racially, they were half-breeds. Not really Jewish, not really pagan. And religiously, they didn’t worship God in Jerusalem or accept the entire OT as God’s word.

Look with me at verse 17 to see how Luke pulls all these pieces together for us and wraps it up: “Then Jesus answered, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ And He said to him, ‘Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well’” (Luke 17:17-19).

Samaritans were seen by the first century Jewish world — they were seen even by Jesus’ twelve disciples at this point — as good-for-nothings.

But Jesus doesn’t see him that way. His status as Samaritan doesn’t matter to Him. What matters is the man’s faith. And faith is exactly what this Samaritan has.

Jesus says “your faith has made you well”. Often if I start talking about Greek or Hebrew, about a dozen people immediately fall asleep. So I don’t do that often. But here I need to. You might be surprised to learn that that sentence literally says in the Greek, “Your faith has saved you.”

Which raises the question — did the Samaritan leper get healed, or did he get saved? Was only his leprosy cleansed? Or were his sins washed away also? I mean, the other nine lepers were healed too. [Calvin, Comm. loc. cit.]

But only the Samaritan leper hears the words, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” Only the Samaritan came back worshiping and giving thanks. Only the Samaritan is said to have faith. Only the Samaritan hears the words, “your faith has made you well — your faith has saved you.” Only the Samaritan responded properly to the mercy of God.

“Of the ten men who were touched by the healing power of Jesus, only one realizes that what has happened deserves a personal, heartfelt response to the Savior from whom that power has flowed; and the one thankful man is the Samaritan, the outsider.” [Michael Wilcox, The Message of Luke, p166]

From that, I conclude that a genuine, heartfelt response to the mercy of God will always be a grateful, worshiping response.

Conclusion and call for response

Faith and worship, faith and joy, faith and gratitude, go together. A response of gratitude is a mark of the faith that leads to salvation.

Do you have the faith that leads to salvation? Have you trusted in Jesus as your personal Savior? Do you desire to live for Him even if you know you’ll never be perfect?

If you don’t have the faith that leads to salvation, it’s as simple as four words: “I’m yours; save me.” “I’m yours; save me.” If you can say those words with sincerity, then you have the faith that leads to salvation.

Church, if God has shown you mercy, raise your hand. If you feel deep down that were it not for the mercy of God, you wouldn’t be who you are — give me an Amen.

Now if you feel that way, why wouldn’t you want to show it?

My response to this text yesterday as I was studying and preparing was, “Oh, I want to give God the heartfelt, personal response for His mercy toward me that He deserves. I want to be a grateful worshiper of Jesus.”

Too often, I’m not. But I want to be. And if you’ve trusted savingly in Jesus Christ, so do you. So as we worship this morning, as we sing “What He’s Done”, throw caution to the wind and worship the Lord this morning for His mercy — for all that He’s done for us.