Thankful Heart

Lepers and Communion

Body given for you

Matthew 26:26 NASB95

While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

Blood poured out for you

Matthew 26:27–28 NASB95

And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.

FAITH SHOULD MAKE US A THANKFUL PEOPLE.

Luke 17:11–19 NASB95

While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? “Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”

Are you thankful?

Does THANKFULNESS CHARACTERIZE YOUR LIFE?

Today as we read through this passage we are going to see a thankful person.

As a people of faith we should be the most thankful people out there.

Here are two reasons why FAITH Should make us a thankful people:

1. Because we had an incurable disease (11-13).

Luke 17:11–12 NASB95

While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him;

Now let’s just think about this for a second. There were ten lepers. Leperosy especially during this time would be the worst disease you could have. It was contagious and many times you would be banished to a place with other lepers.

These ten men had been ostrasized from society, they most likely had no or little hope, they were isolated and lonely.

Magic Johnson was my favorite basketabll player as a kid. When he got HIV, this would be similar. He had to leave the NBA and people looked down on him.

Now notice something Jesus did not run from this disease he went dirctly to them. Isn’t it awesome that God comes to us right where we are?

Luke 17:13 NASB95

and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

Now Jesus had not healed them yet.

As awful as leperosy was, we have an even worse disease, an disease that cannot be healed.

There is only one who can heal it and who did heal it.

If these lepers should be thankful for what is about to happen how much more should we be thankful. We have a God who healed the unhealable.

FAITH SHOULD MAKE US A THANKFUL PEOPLE because Jesus has the answers (14-19).

Luke 17:14 NASB95

When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed.

Now I don’t know why Jesus said go show yourselves to the priest for sure. Priests were the ones who would declare things clean or unclean. But Jesus could have just went pow and they would have been healed. But the point is that he told them what to do, they listened and it worked.

Isn’t it awesome that we can have a relationship with the God of the universe and what he say to us is true.

Luke 17:15–16 NASB95

Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan.

Notice only 10% were thankful.

Notice he glorified God-This is what you are I were created for to GLORIFY GOD-

We were created to enjoy and glorify God. Now this man did not just kind of do this he did it with a loud voice, he was all in to glorify God. He was loud about it and he fell to the ground and gave thanks. IN other words he wanted the whole world to know what God had done for him.

He was a unlikely candidate-

The Bible puts an interesting detail in there. He was a Samaritan. In other words if any of the people who were going to glorify God you would not think it would be the Samaritans.

Explain who the Samaritans were.

I was an unlikely candidate to glorify God-I like to do things on my own. I don’t like to ask for help.

Thankful people glorify God.

Luke 17:17 NASB95

Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they?

Only one came back and even acknowledged the healing.

Why do you think only one came back?

Luke 17:18 NASB95

“Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”

Notice who it was that came back: It was a foreigner, the one you would not have thought would have.

The foreigner could have felt unworthy to come to Jesus. I am not a Jew. But he came and Jesus healed him.

Maybe you are here today and you have grown up in church your whole life and you have lost the AWE of God.

God loves unlikely candidates.

Luke 17:19 NASB95

And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”

This verse is so telling, why was this a thankful man. Because of his faith.

This year maybe your circumstances are not good at all.

Our faith can still give us a grateful heart.

This year maybe your circumstances are great.

9 of the lepers had great circumstances but were not thankful.

Today let’s be reminded that our faith is a faith of thankfulness.

Today Magic Johnson has not trace of any HIV or Aids. Medicine is that powerful that it has been able to take it away completely. I bet he is pretty thankful for that.

If you have faith in Jesus he has taken away completely all of your sin, shame and guilt.

If this is not a reminder to be thankful, not much can. Let’s live in thankfulness this week.