Gratitude Things I can thank the Lord for Part 2

I think it is hard to be in sin and in gratitude at the same time. Think about that for a minute.

That is when gratitude is properly placed in Thanksgiving to the Lord.

Good News

Luke 17:11–13 HCSB

11 While traveling to Jerusalem, He passed between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As He entered a village, 10 men with serious skin diseases met Him. They stood at a distance 13 and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

They stood at a distance

Leapers are compelled by the law to keep their distance

These guys are outcast. The must stay away from the rest of the public. Because they were all outcast together then that meant they would live and travel together.

No one else wanted to be around them so they would be around each other.

They recognize the King of Kings and Lord of Lords

They start to raise their voices shouting to Jesus coming.

They said Jesus, Master, Have mercy on us

Master or Lord: The one who is superior in rank or the one in charge.

Have Mercy on us

Mercy: to show leniency and compassion toward someone. Have pity on. To have compassion.

Their prayer was not for healing. Their call to our Master was that he would have Mercy on them. Show compassion towards us.

Luke 17:14 HCSB

14 When He saw them, He told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going, they were healed.

Jesus instructs them

He does not touch them

He does not proclaim to them that they are healed.

He gives them the instructions to go and show yourselves to the priests

The Priest as inspectors

The priest acted as a kind of health inspector to certify that the cure had in fact taken place.

While they were going

They were healed while they were going.

As they obeyed so it happened that they were healed

Luke 17:15–16 HCSB

15 But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and, with a loud voice, gave glory to God. 16 He fell facedown at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan.

One of them does not make it to the priest

He sees that he has been healed in route to the priest to get the public certification that he had been cleansed realizes that it has happened.

He immediately returns to the Lord in the learning of this good news.

With a loud voice

Gave glory to God

This ONE new who had healed him.

He knew that it was Jesus, Master and Lord who had compassion on him and cleansed him.

He knew where the credit was due. It was due to the Lord

He didn’t think wow look at my faith because I went to the priest like he told me to.

He come running to the Lord Jesus and proclaimed Glory to God.

He fell facedown at His feet, Thanking Him

Gratitude for Jesus showing compassion and healing him.

Gratitude to Jesus for this good news of healing

What areas of your life have you got good news and you need to pause and return thanks where credit is due to our Lord and Savior?

Promotion, health news, grades, classroom test result, sports accomplishment, financial news, encouragement from someone else?

He was a Samaritan

Scripture adds this piece in. Out of all the 10 men that are healed. Plot twist: No one thought that a samaritan would be the one to come back and thank Jesus the Jewish healer.

He was not only the first one to give thanks as a Samaritan but he was the ONLY one out of the 10 to come and give thanks.

If you don’t return thanks quickly, then it is likely you will not do it at all.

Luke 17:17–19 HCSB

17 Then Jesus said, “Were not 10 cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well.”

Luke: An Introduction and Commentary Q. The Ten Lepers (17:11–19)

Jesus encouraged the man who came back; he told him to get up and go on his way and he assured him that his faith had made him well. Presumably the other nine had faith also, for this was the common (though not invariable) prerequisite of Jesus’ miracles. But certainly this Samaritan had faith and he had gratitude. It is possible that we should take the verb to mean more than cure: it is literally ‘has saved you’. It may be that Jesus recognized in this man the faith that issues in salvation and so he sent him off with the assurance that it was well with his soul as it was with his body. Full restoration means a saved soul as well as a sound body.

Jesus provides healing to many physically that never return to Him for healing of the Soul.

Thank the Lord for Good News in your life.

Death

Two things we can thank God for in Death

1. Deliverance from Death

2. The Promise of Eternal life for believers

I want us to shape our view of death from scripture.

This has been a challenge in our community.

Our struggles

We place to much emphasis on the individual who passed and not enough on the sovereignty of God in death.

We struggle to believe the truth that if you trust Jesus as your Lord in Savior then death is not the end.

So we want to change our view of this in Gratitude. We want to show Thanksgiving when God delivers us from Death and we want to Thank God in death that he has conquered Sin and Death.

Deliverance From Death

Psalm 30:8–12 HCSB

8 Lord, I called to You; I sought favor from my Lord: 9 “What gain is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it proclaim Your truth? 10 Lord, listen and be gracious to me; Lord, be my helper.” 11 You turned my lament into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, 12 so that I can sing to You and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise You forever.

2 Samuel 24:13–14 HCSB

13 So Gad went to David, told him the choices, and asked him, “Do you want three years of famine to come on your land, to flee from your foes three months while they pursue you, or to have a plague in your land three days? Now, think it over and decide what answer I should take back to the One who sent me.” 14 David answered Gad, “I have great anxiety. Please, let us fall into the Lord’s hands because His mercies are great, but don’t let me fall into human hands.”

The Angel of the Lord relented (God is Sovereign over Death)

2 Samuel 24:16–17 HCSB

16 Then the angel extended his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, but the Lord relented concerning the destruction and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough, withdraw your hand now!” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 When David saw the angel striking the people, he said to the Lord, “Look, I am the one who has sinned; I am the one who has done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let Your hand be against me and my father’s family.”

Promise of Life Eternal

Psalm 116:15 HCSB

15 The death of His faithful ones is valuable in the Lord’s sight.

Hebrews 2:14–15 HCSB

14 Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through His death He might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the Devil — 15 and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.

Sin leads to death

Genesis They are placed out of the Garden so that they can’t take from the tree of life.

James 1:14–15 HCSB

14 But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. 15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.

God is sovereign over death

Satan has power over death only in a secondary and derivative sense.

He tempts people toward sin, which brings death.

Through his death He might destroy the one holding the power of death-that is the Devil-

Jesus was not guilty of sin, so once our sin was atoned for, the grave and death had no right to hold Him!

Acts 2:24 HCSB

24 God raised Him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it.

Christ went through death, exhausting its power and might, freeing us from it and from Satan himself.