Gratitude - Living in Gratitude leads to fullness of life

Gratitude

Fullness of Life

Big Idea -Gratitude is an essential ingredient on the journey to a full life, to the abundant life promised in Christ.

Prayer - Fill our hearts with gratitude Lord, for all you have done, are doing now, and will do in and through our lives.

Scripture - Luke 17:11-19, Romans 1:20-32

INTRO

Sometimes funny situations teach great lessons.

It was the usual schedule: up at 4:30 a.m., out the door by 5:00 a.m. to take my son to ice hockey practice, pickup another hockey team mate on the way to the rink, dash home, get ready for work and head out the door again. On this morning though, I realized Thanksgiving was just days away and I had not done the grocery shopping. At this point, I had cooked on Thanksgiving for so many years I knew the menu and the grocery list by heart. So as I drove the boys to hockey practice I realized I’d be very close to a grocery store that was open 24 hours a day. So I made a mental shopping list and headed straight to the grocery store from the ice rink.

There were only a few shoppers in the store, but the aisles were full of staff stocking the shelves for the rush of grocery purchases. I zipped along. My shopping basket brimming with the fixings for our feast. The last aisle was the frozen food section. As I stood in front of the glass door contemplating the frozen vegetables, I noticed my reflection in the frame of the freezer door. I WAS IN MY PAJAMAS!! I laughed out loud!

As I drove home with my groceries I decided I needed to rediscover the thankful part of Thanksgiving. I realized that in my hurry, hurry life I was not living graciously. I was like the plate spinner at the circus. Recognizing that something needs to change and actually doing it can be a true challenge. In my daily prayer practice, I changed something. Instead of listing all of the day’s activities and then asking for help to accomplish them, I took a different approach. I began my prayer with gratitude that God was an ever-present, all power of good; I listened more. This change wasn’t just for a day or a week, it became my regular daily prayer. And life became less frenetic and more joyful.

Each year as I get ready to enjoy this holiday with family and friends I think of this story and laugh. But I continue to be grateful for the lesson learned.

There is a Jesus story in the Bible that ends with a shocking one liner which leaves the reader wondering, what exactly does Jesus mean?

Read or retell Luke 17:11-19

Luke 17:11–19 LEB

And it happened that while traveling toward Jerusalem, he was passing through the region between Samaria and Galilee. And as he was entering into a certain village, ten men met him—lepers, who stood at a distance. And they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” And when he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And it happened that as they were going, they were cleansed. But one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. And he fell on his face at his feet, giving thanks to him. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were not ten cleansed? And where are the nine? Was no one found to turn back and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Get up and go your way. Your faith has saved you.”

In other versions this verse reads:

And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:19 ESV)

“Stand up and go on your way. You were healed because you believed.” (NCV)

“Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.” (NLT)

Upon reading this, we cannot help but wonder: Was the man not healed before? What about the others, weren’t they healed as well?

Or, we may ask questions of this nature: Was the healing not permanent? Did Jesus only offer temporary physical healing? Is Jesus speaking of physical healing or something more?

Or, we may wonder, “Is Jesus implying that healing is not a one-step process?

In order to understand this passage and to what Jesus is inferring, we have to jump back a few verses.

Luke 17:15–18 LEB

But one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. And he fell on his face at his feet, giving thanks to him. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were not ten cleansed? And where are the nine? Was no one found to turn back and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

Jesus verbally points out that one out of the ten returned to offer eucharisteo (give thanks for God’s grace). He actually wonders aloud why the others would not do the same? (Why would you not be thankful for God’s grace?)

The answer is found once again, in our special word. There was only one leper who fully received God’s grace and offered it back with thanksgiving and praise. Only one accepted the free gift – charis - and freely offered back the same.

The Bible is filled with the word charis, eucharista, eucharisteo. Grace, grace and more grace. One leper returned to his Savior to express his gratitude, the other nine offered nothing to their Savior. And it seems, the others missed out on something more than just physical healing.

Main Teaching

Thanksgiving is an extension of our belief in Jesus. Not just good manners.

What we see here, in this passage, is a replica of other accounts and teachings in the Bible.

It is the theology of God’s grace, which is accepted through the practice of eucharisteo, via belief. We see that the lepers fully believe they are healed. They see their healing, they feel their healing, they believe they are healed, and they go and show it (to the priest). Bigger picture, they want back into society…to live a full life! That’s what Jesus is offering…providing. Bigger than just leprosy.

But, instead of showing their belief to Jesus, for Jesus, in Jesus, they show it to others without so much as a thank you to the Jesus himself.

Showing it to the priest would have allowed them back into society....did Jesus just want them healed or did he want a life restored? What did he really give them…freedom from the caves, from being outcasts, from being looked down on?…just healed or more? I would say more! Lot’s more! Think about what Jesus offers you today.

One leper gets it. He turns back, falls on his knees, confesses his belief in Jesus through thanksgiving and praise, and shows Jesus that he has received God’s grace. His gratitude, expresses His belief in God and God’s grace towards him....it isn’t just manners…it is a response of belief.

This leper, not only believed that he is healed and received the healing, but by his actions, we read that he believes in the one who healed him.

His thanksgiving for his healing was a confession … I know who you are … truly master.

Have you ever had one of these moments? When you said, “This is because of God!” A realization…an…”I get it now!”

The man returned in praise.

SLIDE

Praise is important because it reestablishes our relationship with God on it’s proper terms. Once this man was far away…now he has been brought close. He is healed of leprosy, but the bigger point here is that he has come close to God through that healing. His posture is in gratitude…humble gratitude before the creator of the universe. He has experienced reality.

Atheism of the heart

Although the passage does not directly state the others were not made well through their faith, it is implied. The nine lepers responded with their lips, the one leper responded with his heart.

We tend to shy away from this word, atheism. By definition atheism is to not believe in God. However, to not believe in something, by its nature implies you actually do believe in something – you believe in not believing. It’s an old school theological riddle.

Atheism of the heart is to know of God and to choose not to glorify Him as God. It is to accept His grace, his healing, his provision, his goodness in our life, but never acknowledge they come from His hand.

In an atheistic heart there is no felt obligation to show a response for what God has freely given. There may be a belief in a God who freely gives, there may be an acceptance of His gifts, but there is no expressive response to His gifts.

● The boils that have overcome and crippled my body may be removed as a free gift, but I will not acknowledge in my heart who did the healing and offer a response.

Atheism of Life

Paul talks about this atheistic heart. Where it goes…how it doesn’t lead to a fulfilled life…how it tries to have a fulfilled life on its own.

Read Romans 1:20-23

Romans 1:20–23 (LEB)

For from the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, both his eternal power and deity, are discerned clearly, being understood in the things created, so that they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasoning, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God with the likeness of an image of mortal human beings and birds and quadrupeds and reptiles.

Paul is saying…there are those that are choosing an atheistic heart. And in doing so, living a not-full-darkened life. It is to receive God’s mercies and refuse God the thanks:

for although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened.

So how did they live? Unfulfilled…so in this feeling of…I need more…I need something else for life to be great…and in turning away from their creator…they chose to fulfill lives in different ways.

Read Romans 1:24-32

Romans 1:24–32 (NIV)

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness (un-righteous), evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

What Paul is outlining here is the idea that certain people trade what they think is a full life for a life that actually leads to death…and very much a non-full life here on this side. Things might look good…you may be encouraged to even live life these ways…but they’re illusions…Satan gives the illusion that living like this…leads to a full life....when it truly doesn’t…this type of life leads to death…why? Because by living apart from God, you can never receive the grace that brings full life.

1. An atheistic life trades an attitude of gratitude for a me, mine, and myself mindset.

Living a life without gratitude, is to choose to not practice faith and then your life becomes a petri dish for sin.

There are many sins we choose:

Spite

Pride

Opportunities to participate in evil

Envy

Hate

Deceit

Ill will towards others...

Whispering (Grumbling) Gossipping

Backbiting

Looking down on God’s ways

Slander

No love for your neighbor

We know we are living a life of gratitude when the fruits of the Spirit freely flow through us.

Read Galatians 5:22-24

Galatians 5:22–24 LEB

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh together with its feelings and its desires.

A believing heart has crucified the passions of the flesh (Romans 1:24-32) and lives out of the grace of God…in gratitude.

Where does crucifying the passions and desires of the flesh begin? With a response of gratitude to God (Romans 1:20-21) for his mercies. And from this place of gratitude, we find a strength to choose God above ourselves, a distaste for things not of God, and a desire for His gifts in our life (the fruits of the Spirit).

CLOSING

Assess your life for moment:

Have any of the sins mentioned taken root in your life?

Do you regularly receive God’s grace?

And, in return, do you practice gratitude?

Does your life resemble an atheistic or a believing heart?

If you are feeling the Holy Spirit tug on your conscience, consider what your life may look like if you added gratitude? Imagine, if instead of spite and frustration your life was filled with patience and joy. Imagine instead of anger over that broken relationship or that news event, you replaced the pain or irritation with kindness.

If you began practicing gratitude, what sin would you trade? Which fruit of the Spirit would you see as a result?

Imagine your life, your relationships, your home, your mental health… if you chose gratitude.

Gracious gratitude is not limited by life’s circumstances. In all stages of life, it’s possible to choose gratitude.

The 9 went on…taking the gift of a healed body…without gratitude towards God…without realizing it was Jesus/God’s son, who had healed them. They went on in a selfish kind of way. They chose not to recognize God, his grace, and His goodness.

The one, chose, to recognize…and worship God for what Jesus had done. And in doing so, realized what was most important in all the world…He believed.

One commentator said it this way about the one who was grateful…To understand the isolation that sin produces is to understand the freedom (full life) that salvation brings.

SLIDE

When the blessings of life are seen as a result of God’s grace, it makes us into gentler, more grateful people.

Pastor: Consider ending this passage in one or both of these ways. First, offer an opportunity to fully receive God’s grace and live life fully. Second, give ways in which your body can practice gratitude, together and/or individually.

Finally, make this personal to you and your congregation. End with a prayer gratitude;

● Specifically mentioning God’s graces in your congregation and celebrating them.

● Name names, name opportunities, events, births, and celebrations of life.

● Name moments of grace that you see take place that your body does not necessarily get to mention.

Let this series on gratitude, end with a service of gratitude.