Blessings

We are starting a new three week series leading up to Thanksgiving.

This series addresses how we can develop a heart of gratitude to God, which in turn leads to generous giving. Thankfulness is not an occasional act but a lifestyle of intentional and spontaneous appreciation that leads us into the presence of God, empowers us to be grateful in all circumstances, and generates an overflow of generosity.

This week we will be looking at a passage in Luke 17:11-19. If you have your bible go head and turn there. If not you can follow along on the screen in a few moments.

Before we look at today passage I have a question for you. So think for a moments.

Have you ever thought better choice for something?

maybe a job, a promotion, or a pick for a sport team in school, or a scholarship.

I would have to say the answer to this question is yes for most of us. We all have had a time when we thought we were the best choice for a certain thing but in the end we find out that we were not.

We find out that there was someone else that was better choice.

How do we try to stay grateful in all circumstances? Lets take a look at what Jesus say about this. Join me has I read

Luke 17:11–19 CSB

11 While traveling to Jerusalem, he passed between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten men with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going, they were cleansed. 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. 17 Then Jesus said, “Were not ten 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 saved you.”

Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem

He as on his way to Jerusalem for passover. The time when he would be taken and killed. Has he was head that way he would preach and teach to all the town along the way. Its important en there that he was so close to Samaria. You see Samaria was not a place many Jews people visited. There was deep setted hate between the Jews and Samaritans. Which goes all the way back to the old Test. when the Israel splited into two nations.

So he ran across

Ten men who had leprosy

Leprosy is a “generic term applied to a variety of skin disorders from psoriasis to true leprosy. Its symptoms ranged from white patches on the skin to running sores to the loss of digits on the fingers and toes”

Chad Brand et al., eds., “Leprosy,” Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary [Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003], 1025)

This men did not come near Jesus. The reason being it was the law. Those with leprosy were quarantined from the community and lived as outcasts. They could not interact with others and had to alert anyone who was approaching them.

Jesus tell this men to go and show themselves to the priest. He did not heal them right then and there. We do not know how long it to for them to be heal. But has they followed Jesus instructions they were healed.

Out of all ten

Only one came back

out of all this men that Jesus healed only one came back and he was a Samaritan. The ones that hated the others. He returned to thank Jesus and worship him with a “loud voice” v. 15.

He paise Jesus for what he did. This man worship Jesus with all of his heart.

You have to be like the 1 not the other 9

Psalm 9:1 CSB

1 I will thank the Lord with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous works.

You have to be like the 1 not the other 9

One of the ways we can express our gratefulness to God is through intentional thanksgiving. That is, we can set aside deliberate times and practices to give thanks to God such as the following:

(1) Keep a gratitude journal by writing out five things each day you are thankful for.

(2) Set aside time with God exclusively devoted to thanksgiving and praise.

(3) When you pray over meals, take time to give thanks to God for things other than the food, such as family, friends, and other blessings of God.

(4) Write God a thank-you note for his goodness and lovingkindness.

Another way we can develop an attitude of gratitude is through spontaneous thanksgiving. This was the response of the one leper who returned to Jesus. Spontaneous thanksgiving is developing an ongoing practice of giving thanks to God as you go throughout your day.

Ask the Holy Spirit for help in giving thanks throughout your day

We have the choice to choose to be grateful or to not be grateful. We can ask the Holy Spirit to help but end the end its up to you to choice to be grateful or not.

The other 9

In our story, Jesus heals all ten lepers. However, only one of them returns to give thanks to Jesus.

Luke 17:17–18 CSB

17 Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?”

The other 9

We do not know why the other nine did not return to Jesus to thank him. Maybe they took off to show their families, perhaps they kept going to the priest, or perhaps the nine lepers had other things they wanted to do now that they were healed. But their lives demonstrate how easy it is for us to receive the blessing of God without stopping and offering up thanksgiving to him.

Ungratefulness can leads us away from God’s presence.

Romans 1:21 CSB

21 For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened.

IN Closing,

We can develop a lifestyle of thankfulness

by intentionally expressing our gratitude and practicing spontaneous appreciation throughout our day.

We can be like that one that came back instead of the other 9 that disappeared.

We can develop this lifestyle by doing the thing we talked about earlier.

1We can Keep a gratitude journal by writing out five things each day you are thankful for.

(2) Set aside time with God exclusively devoted to thanksgiving and praise.

(3) When you pray over meals, take time to give thanks to God for things other than the food, such as family, friends, and other blessings of God.

(4) Write God a thank-you note for his goodness and lovingkindness.

Asking the Holy Spirit for help you be thankful doing the day.

Will you develop a heart of gratitude?

Will you be like the one or will you be like the 9 others that never came back.

in order to for the holy spirit to help you have a heart of gratitude you must first receive the Holy Spirit. you can do this by asking Christ into your life right now. its very simple. Addment, Believe and Conceive.