An Attitude of Thankfulness

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT

Introduction: Most of us who read this passage are probably healthy and have a great life. We find it easy to say, “Yeah, I can be thankful.” At the same time, others are battling for their very lives. If that’s you, you may say, “Is Paul crazy?” “How can I be thankful in all circumstances?’” You wouldn’t see a cushy, plush life if you looked at Paul's life. You would see someone who definitely suffered for the cause of Christ.

Life is full of circumstances that can take a person through a series of emotional responses. The birth of a child can be one of the most wonderful times in a person’s life. But the loss of a loved one can bring times of great grief and misery. Today’s message should encourage us to develop an attitude of thankfulness, no matter our situation.

As we prepare to celebrate the national holiday of Thanksgiving, we, as Christians, should be thankful each and every day.

Let's look at the Gospel of Luke as Jesus tells His disciples a story about One Man who was thankful:

11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.” Luke 17:11-19 NLT

PRAYER

This morning, as we let this word get ahold of us, there are 4 observations that I want to make.

1. An attitude of thankfulness is the correct response to what Jesus has done for us.

Verse 15 says that one of them, when he saw he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!”

This scene plays out in my head so many times when I think about how good Jesus is. Jesus was there when the foundations of the earth were made. He knows the geography, the map, and the direction of every place on earth.

When the Bible says He went to this place or that, the writer is making special mention of that place because there is significance.

This place was significant because there was someone who needed the touch of the Master, and He felt compassion where no compassion was to be given.

As Jesus and His crew entered the village, there were 10 men who had leprosy. We know a lot more about leprosy today than they did back then. It is a skin disease caused by bacteria and affects the nerves. It is highly transmittable. The Law of Moses has an answer for this problem; Lev 13 tells us that a person with a serious skin disease will be pronounced “ceremonially unclean” by the priest. They would go through a process of being quarantined and evaluated. Verse 45 hits hard as we discover what happens if the skin disease doesn’t go away.

45 Those who suffer from a serious skin disease must tear their clothing and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their mouth and call out, “Unclean!” As long as the serious skin disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean. They must live in isolation in their place outside the camp.

What sadness for those who are cast out and not able to feel the touch of a loved one? They can never again feel what it is like for their spouse to hold their hand or touch their face. They can never feel what it's like to feel the embrace of a loved one.

The story of Father Damien in Moloka’i

The first modern recorded case of Hansens’s disease (Leprosy) was in 1848.

It swept through Hawaii at a rapid pace. They established Kalaupapa on Moloka’i as a leper colony.

It is so remote that they only receive supplies from a barge once a year.

The first patients were abandoned there in 1866, left to fend for themselves, men, women, and even children without their families.

It wasn’t until 7 years later that Father Damien, a Roman Catholic priest born in Belgium in 1840, had compassion and went to minister to the outcast people. He built homes, churches, and even coffins. He became a parent to the community and devoted his life to serving the “unwanted” of Kalaupapa.

He himself contracted Hansen’s disease and died at the age of 49 in 1889.

Father Damien felt compassion on the people, very likely because of this encounter between a man with leprosy and the Master, Jesus Christ our Lord.

This man was healed just like the other 9 men, yet he returned to Jesus. What Jesus did for him required more than just a distant “thanks, buddy.” It required more than a soft whisper from a distance. He had to get back to Jesus and tell Him, “Thank you!”

Just one man went back while the other 9 went on.

Giving praise to God may be unpopular at times, but it is always the right thing to do!

Because of the salvation that God has given me, I must get to Him and let Him know how much I appreciate it.

We were condemned to die a sinner’s death for what we’ve done, and Jesus took the punishment and gave us life.

When you realize exactly what He’s done for you, you will get to Jesus like this man.

Where are you today?

2. An attitude of thankfulness sees who is the source of supply.

One man came back after seeing he was healed while the other 9 continued on.

There was one guy who knew that God was the source. Like Job, He could say, “Though He slay me, Yet I will praise him.” God giveth, and God taketh away. He was now clean and had plenty of reason to rejoice. He doesn’t follow the ritual pattern as established by the law of Moses; instead, he goes straight to the source.

You don’t need to tell me as the pastor about it so that I can tell God about it; You can go straight to Him. I’ll join you in the celebration, but God is the one who made it happen.

We tend to look at all kinds of reasons for our healing, but God is the one who should get the glory.

I believe that God gives grace to doctors and to scientists. But it is always God who deserves the glory.

Ten men were healed, but 9 of them only saw Jesus as the solution to a physical need.

Are we like that today?

3. An attitude of thankfulness is developed in prayer.

There were 10 men healed, yet one man returned to Jesus and fell to the ground at His feet, thanking him for what he had done.

This one man spent time with Jesus, while the others spent time with the priests.

It is at the feet of Jesus that He truly found his healing. Yes, the others were healed, but there is notably something different about this man. Luke goes out of his way to tell us about him. Though he may not be named, he gives us an important principle to follow: Get to the feet of Jesus.

I can tell you that prayer is an important part of the Christian life and should be a regular practice.

I like what the Saint of God, Corrie Ten Boom, said about prayer, “Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it.”

It is in the crying out to God that things happen. When you spend time before the feet of Jesus, your perspective changes. You begin to see that there is more to all of it than just what you are going through.

It's hard to pray and not be thankful. A major part of praying is listing all the things, big and small, that you can thank God for.

What are you thankful for today?

4. An attitude of thankfulness takes us to deeper places with Jesus.

There were 10 men healed, yet only one came back to Jesus.

This man realized something very powerful. The 9 others went on to the priest, while this man went to the King of kings.

He was healed as he believed, not when he went back to Jesus. He went back to Jesus for more.

Look here at verse 13 - “[they] crying out, Jesus have mercy on us!

They got the mercy! The curse was gone. They could all now go and live a normal, productive life, feeling the warmth of another human’s touch. Oh, what a blessing to have the curse removed.

While 10 men received mercy, one man received grace to go with it!

Mercy is not getting what we deserve, while grace is getting what we don’t deserve. It’s the undeserved merit. You can’t earn it, and you don’t deserve it. It’s a gift from God!

This man got a physical and spiritual healing and kept the company of the Master.

More than any physical healing, I want the company of the Master.

When we practice the attitude of thankfulness, we become more like Him and learn to love like Him.

Where are you today?

Do you want to develop an attitude of thankfulness?

As I close out today’s message, I want to give you the opportunity to respond.

1. If you are here or at home and haven’t surrendered your life to Jesus, that is the first step. You can do that by praying with me.

Lord, I recognize my need for you. I admit that I am a sinner and have been wrong. I ask you to be Lord of my life; I surrender it to you now. I commit to following you for the rest of my life. If you prayed that prayer today, I ask you to simply raise your hand. It’s important that you let someone know what has happened. We’d love to pray for you here at these altars.

2. If you have let things get in between you and God, you can get things right with him today. We’d love to pray with you.

3. If you want to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, you can come, and we’d love to pray with you.

4. If you need anything from the Lord today, it's your time to respond.