I am the One !

Introduction:

in the first week we discover that thanksgiving is more than a feast, it is a spiritual practice.

We learn how to come into his presence with shouting and singing.

God is good he made us we did not make ourself.

to be thankful and praise God is the foundation of much of our spiritual practice.

Text:

Luke 17:11–19 NKJV

11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, 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 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

1. Thanksgiving is more than lip service, it is the saying thanks while feeling thankful.

Fion and Clara (at this time five and three) where at the house, when I give them things there parents tell them “say thank you to gram pa, of course they say thank you, I agree that that is the way you should raise children.

when it comes to the Lord; He is not accepting “lip service.”

that kind of lip service is what Jesus was talking about in (Matthew 15:8-9) when He said vain worship. This kind of worship is without substance.

Matthew 15:8–9 NKJV

8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

In His own words Jesus said they draw near to me with their mouths and lips, but their hearts are far from me.

2. We struggle with more than lip service because of the flesh that we live in.

Galatians 5:16–17 NKJV

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

Our Father is so good to us that we often forget that the grace of God is how we got here.

We forget what we deserve as sinners. I don’t know about you but I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about where I would be if it were not for Jesus.

I think many of us if we would take the time to think about it we would realize that nothing we have comes from us.

Get your own Dirt Joke

why do we so easily forget this. because we are flesh.

we have all the confidence in the flesh. we see the world through our senses. so, how do we deal we have to learn how to be.

3. The one that came back to say thank you.

what does it mean to be a leper?

it means to be an outcast

it means to be unclean.

to be unclean means:

outside of the of the community.

no family

no worship

no ability to interact with non- lepers.

Luke 17:15–19 NKJV

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, 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 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

see how the leper responds?

this is thankfulness!