The Posture of Gratitude

Luke 17:11–19 KJV 1900

11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Introduction: Gratitude is one of the simplest expressions of faith, yet one of the rarest to be found in our world today. We live in a time where people are quick to request but slow to recognize. We text our wants, post our frustrations, and rarely pause to whisper a genuine, “Thank You, Lord.”

You can see it in every area of life. Parents do so much for their children—only to watch them rush through the day without a word of thanks. Teachers labor to prepare lessons, only to be met with eye-rolls and sighs. God pours out blessing after blessing—daily mercies, new mornings, undeserved grace—and yet, if we’re honest, we often walk right past them as if they were ordinary.

We live in what someone has called “the age of entitlement.” Everyone believes they deserve more. But the entitled heart can never be the thankful heart. Gratitude begins when we realize that everything we have—everything—is a gift of God’s mercy.

“What hast thou that thou didst not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)

If you woke up this morning with breath in your lungs, clothes on your back, and food in your kitchen—you are a recipient of grace. And yet, many of us still grumble. We have full refrigerators and empty hearts. We enjoy answered prayers but forget to return and thank the One who answered.

A story is told of a soldier in World War II who lay wounded on the battlefield. A medic risked his own life to carry him to safety. When the soldier finally recovered, he never looked up the man who saved him. Years later, he said, “I always meant to thank him—I just never did.”

That is how many Christians treat God. We mean to be grateful, but life moves on, and the moment passes.

Gratitude isn’t merely politeness; it’s perspective. It’s the ability to recognize the hand of God in every good thing and to give Him glory for it. Ingratitude blinds us to God’s work; gratitude opens our eyes to His grace.

And that’s exactly what we see in Luke 17. Ten men stood on the outskirts of society—outcasts with leprosy, cut off from their families, their communities, and their temple. They cried out for mercy. Jesus heard them. He healed them. But only one turned back.

One recognized what God had done. One returned to give thanks. One rejoiced in the presence of Christ.

Ten were cleansed, but only one was changed. Nine received a blessing—but one received the Blesser.

So the question before us today is not, “Has God blessed you?”—because He surely has. The question is, “Have you returned to say thank You?”

In this first message of our series, “The Guide to Gratitude,” we’re going to study this story and discover three characteristics that define a truly grateful believer:

Ten men were touched by God’s mercy, but only one stopped to notice it. Gratitude always begins with recognition—seeing what God has done. Let’s look first at The Recognition of Gratitude.

I. THE RECOGNITION OF GRATITUDE - (Vs. 15)

“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back…” (v.15)

Gratitude begins with seeing. Many are blessed by God, but few stop long enough to recognize His hand in their lives.

A. He Saw His Healing

All ten were cleansed, but only one noticed…

Ex. Understand what these lepers went through… The Leprosy in this passage was the type that would attack a person at their joints, their knees, elbows, and even their wrists. Often times body parts such as their fingers would become so deadened because of the corrosion of skin. Often times when they would work with a tool or carry a blunt object they would be cut and infection would set in and many times that infection would be similar to gangrene and limbs would be lost because of leprosy.

Gratitude starts when you become aware of what God has done. Too many of us move on without taking a moment to look back.

📖 Psalm 103:2

Psalm 103:2 KJV 1900

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits:

James 1:17 KJV 1900

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Illustration: A little boy prayed, “God, thank You for my bed, my blanket, my dog, and my momma. Oh—and thank You for the light switch, because I don’t like the dark.” Even a child knows how to see small blessings.

B. He Remembered His Misery - (Vs. 11)

“Afar off” Leprosy was a life sentence of isolation—cut off from family, worship, and community…

These men were quarintined if you will. And lepers throughout Bible times were to be avoided, they were exiled from all forms of contact…

One thing we must remember about leprosy in the Bible is it is often a picture of sin… and as we study leprosy it must be said that all of us fall short of God because of the leprosy of sin in our lives as individuals.

Isaiah 64:6 KJV 1900

6 But we are all as an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; And we all do fade as a leaf; And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

The filthy rags in Isaiah are the type of rags that would be wrapped around someone with leprosy and taken off sometime later filled with puss, and disease. A very putrifying type of a rag.

The Bible says my best is like a putrifying rag… If you have yourself convinced this morning that you are on your way to heaven because you are a good person then you are missing the point of how the Bible truly describes our best…

Romans 3:10 KJV 1900

10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

We have been separated by a spiritual leprosy and these men had the physical form of leprosy…

They stood afar off and they could not approach Jesus…

Leviticus 13:45–46 KJV 1900

45 And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. 46 All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

That’s how it was for a leper… They were unclean and separated from their loved ones.

The disease was so dredded that it was said that on a windy day you were stay 150 feet away from someone who had this particular disease… WIthout wind you could get maybe 6-10 ft from someone but no closer.

Remembering where God brought you from deepens gratitude for where you are. You cannot fully appreciate the grace of healing without recalling the pain of affliction.

📖 Ephesians 2:12–13 

Ephesians 2:12–13 KJV 1900

12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

C. He Responded Immediately

“When he saw that he was healed, he turned back…” (v.15)

Gratitude delayed is gratitude denied… The right time to thank God is now. 

Psalm 92:1 KJV 1900

1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, And to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:

The moment this man realized he’d been healed, he couldn’t stay silent. True gratitude doesn’t just feel thankful—it acts thankful. Let’s see now The Response of Gratitude.

II. THE RESPONSE OF GRATITUDE - (Vs. 15b - 16

“And with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.” (v.15–16)

The man’s gratitude wasn’t quiet—it was expressed openly, passionately, and reverently.

A. His Praise Was Vocal - (VS. 15b)

“With a loud voice” —

Earlier he had loudly pled for healing, and now he was loud with his praise. The Greek for “loud voice” is recognizable to the English ear, for it is the two words from which we get megaphone, here reversed phonēs megalēs. He was mega-voiced in his praise to God.

he couldn’t hide his joy! Once again understanding what was taking place by the mercy of Christ…

Gratitude that stays silent isn’t gratitude at all—it’s appreciation left unspoken.

Ex. Lets shout Praise this morning…

True thanksgiving moves from the heart to the lips.

Psalm 107:2 KJV 1900

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; 

Hebrews 13:15 KJV 1900

15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Illustration: Paul and Silas sang praises at midnight in a prison cell (Acts 16:25

Acts 16:25 KJV 1900

25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

Their voices were not whispers—they filled the darkness with thanksgiving.

B. His Posture Was Humble - (Vs. 16a)

He “fell down on his face at His feet.” Gratitude bows before the Giver. Worship isn’t just words—it’s surrender. 

Psalm 95:6 KJV 1900

6 O come, let us worship and bow down: Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

“Pride slays thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow.” — H.W. Beecher

C. His Perspective Was Clear

He recognized that Jesus was the source of his blessing. The others received healing but missed the Healer. Gratitude always focuses on the Giver more than the gift.

At the very least, he recognized Jesus as an agent of God. More likely, he realized that Jesus was king. The Samaritans were well-acquainted with the messianic Scriptures, and this man saw Jesus in that light. He returned to Jesus with a heart giving glory to God and thanks to Jesus. He recognized God’s power in Christ.

Psalm 116:12 KJV 1900

12 What shall I render unto the Lord For all his benefits toward me?

Nine were healed, but one was made whole. When we live with thankful hearts, we experience blessings the ungrateful never know. Let’s close with The Reward of Gratitude.

III. THE REWARD OF GRATITUDE - (Vs. 17-19)

Ten were cleansed, but one was made whole. Gratitude didn’t just change his circumstances—it changed his soul.

A. Wholeness Over Healing

Healing touched the body; wholeness transformed the heart.

Gratitude invites a deeper work of God—beyond the surface to the soul.

Proverbs 17:22 KJV 1900

22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: But a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Philippians 4:6–7 KJV 1900

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

B. Relationship Over Religion (Vs. 14, 18)

The others obeyed the command to show themselves to the priest—but they missed fellowship with the Savior.

Religion can cleanse you ceremonially, but gratitude keeps you close relationally….

John 15:4 KJV 1900

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

The thankful man didn’t just follow the ritual; he pursued the Redeemer.

Psalm 16:11 KJV 1900

11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Nine men got their miracle; one man got the Master. Which are you?

C. Reward Beyond Recognition - (Vs. 17)

Jesus noticed his gratitude. “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” (v.17)

God takes note of thankful hearts. Gratitude always gets Heaven’s attention.

Psalm 50:23 KJV 1900

23 Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: And to him that ordereth his conversation aright Will I shew the salvation of God.

“When life is sweet, say thank You and celebrate. When life is bitter, say thank You and grow.” — Shauna Niequist

CONCLUSION – THE ONE WHO RETURNED

Nine went home healed but unchanged. One came back—and left whole.

Gratitude is not a reaction; it’s a reflection of our relationship with Christ. When we live with thankful hearts, we walk in joy, humility, and closeness with God.

Let me ask:

Are you one of the nine who received but never returned?

Or are you the one who stops, turns back, and says, “Thank You, Lord”?

PRACTICAL CHALLENGE

Recognize God’s daily mercies. Keep a list this week of three blessings each day.

Respond with worship. Take time in prayer to thank Him without requests.

Remain in fellowship. Stay close to the Savior, not just His gifts.

CLOSING VERSE

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” — Psalm 103:2

May we live not just with thankful lips—but with thankful lives.