Sermon Tone Analysis

*I AM THANKFUL*

 

*TEXT: Luke 17:11-19*

 

*INTRODUCTION: *This is the time of the year that we focus especially on the matter of giving thanks.

Thanksgiving Day, national holiday in the U.S. commemorating the harvest reaped by the Plymouth Colony in 1621.

The first national Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed by President Washington for Nov. 26, 1789.

President Lincoln revived the custom in 1863.

In 1941 Congress decreed that Thanksgiving should fall on the fourth Thursday of November.

The customary turkey dinner is a reminder of the four wild turkeys served at the PILGRIMS' first thanksgiving feast.

Thanksgiving should be a way of life for the child of God.

It should not be a once a year matter, but a daily sending up of thanks to God out of a heart grateful for the blessings of God.

In our Scripture, we find Jesus on the border line between Galilee and Samaria.

There was a band of ten lepers that met him there.

Normally the Jews had no dealing with the Samaritans at all but in this group of ten lepers, there had to be at least one Samaritan among the group.

*SAMARITANS: *So the Samaritans were a "mixed race" contaminated by foreign blood and false worship.

The Jewish historian Josephus indicates that the Samaritans were also opportunists.

When the Jews enjoyed prosperity, the Samaritans were quick to acknowledge their blood relationship.

But when the Jews suffered hard times, the Samaritans disowned any such kinship, declaring that they were descendants of Assyrian immigrants.

When a group of Jews, led by Zerubbabel, returned from the Babylonian Captivity, the Samaritans offered to help Zerubbabel rebuild the Temple.

When their offer was rejected, they tried to prevent the Jews from finishing their project Ezra 4:1-10.

When Nehemiah attempted to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, he was opposed by Arabic and Samaritan groups Nehemiah 2:10--6:14.

The breach between the Samaritans and the Jews widened even further when Ezra, in his zeal for racial purity, pressured all Israelite men who married during the Captivity to divorce their pagan wives Ezra 10:18-44.

The final break between the two groups occurred when the Samaritans built a rival temple on Mount Gerizim, claiming Shechem rather than Zion (Jerusalem) as the true Beth-el (house of God), the site traditionally chosen and blessed by the Lord.

There is a beautiful picture here.

Thought animosity existed between the Jews and the Samaritans, Jesus saw that they were men in need.

He was touched by their needs.

*THE LEPERS STOOD AFAR OFF *Why?

We do not know for sure how much of a distance that was to exist between them and normally healthy people.

One authority said, if the leper was windward of a healthy person that he was to stand at least 50 yards away.

The lepers had to live in isolation, for it was felt that leprosy was a highly communicable disease.

The leper had to wear "mourning" clothes, leave his hair unkept, kept his beard covered, and cry,” Unclean, unclean" to give folks warning.

He was to make it clear that everyone was to avoid him.

He was an outcast from society as long as he lived.

No account in the gospels so clearly shows an ungrateful heart.

The lepers came to Jesus for a cure-- he healed them, and one came back to give thanks.

That is not a very high percentage- that is one out of ten or only 10%.

That is the way that men are most of the time.

They get what they want and they tend to not come back after that.

*WE ARE SO UNGRATEFUL IN OUR GENERATION.*

*1- Ungrateful to parents*

In the early years of a child, there was a time when a day or weeks neglect would have meant our death.

There were years that we were totally dependent on our parents, yet the day can come when an aged parent becomes a nuisance.

Many young folks are unwilling to repay the debt that they owe for the nurture and care by their parents in those early years.

One said "How sharper it is than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child."

Children should show gratitude to parents.

Best way is to listen to them--cherish their advice.

*2- Ungrateful toward one other*

We owe much to those who have been a blessing to us and nurtured us in the Lord.

Provided encouragement and strength.

Sometimes we do not know how to appreciate those who show their love toward us.

*3- Ungrateful to God*

In the time of bitter need we cry out to God for help, and then when things are going good we many times do not even say thanks before our meals.

*/Psalm 103:2/*/ Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: /

*Let’s look at some things from this passage that we can be thankful for in life:*

!

I.           I AM THANKFUL FOR GOD’S LOVE

!! A.    There was nothing at all in society that said the Lord had to pay any attention to these men crying for help.

No one could force the hand of God.

Though he did not have to care, he did care.

!!! 1.    His love was manifest toward a vile, dirty, wretched looking person.

!!! 2.    The lepers were an unkept people.

Their bodies stank due to the putrefying sores that would appear all over their bodies.

No one was to touch them and was to keep their distance from the stricken people.

!!! 3.    The Pharisees did not prompt Jesus to action.

They were better than the lepers, or at least they thought so.

!!! 4.    Society did not prompt Jesus to action, because they were in favor of segregating the lepers and keeping them totally separate.

!!! 5.    The Jews did not encourage him to do anything, for they had no dealings with the Samaritans.

Wanted nothing to do with the half-breeds.

!! B.    What is it that moved the Lord?

!!! 1.    Something called compassion.

It came out of a heart full of divine love.

!!! 2.    Jesus cared so much for the stricken men, that he was moved when they came to him.

Years ago a person visited a camp of gypsies.

The Christian lady found a dying boy in one of the tents.

She knelt by his side, and quoted slowly John.

3:16, three times.

The dying eyes opened up and the words feeble came out--"Tell it again."

She read the words again and the feeble voice said, "I never heard that before.

You mean God loves me, a poor gypsy boy?

God gave his Son.

Whosoever, that is men.

I love him for that!

Then with his last voice the young boy whispered, "Tell it to the rest", and he went out into eternity.

!

II.

I AM THANKFUL FOR THE CLEANSING POWER OF CHRIST

!! A.    These men had a very serious problem.

!!! 1.    Leprosy was an incurable disease.

!!! 2.    In the days of Christ, only the Lord could do anything with leprosy.

!! B.    Leprosy is a picture of sin It was incurable

!!! 1.

There was no medicine at all that could touch it.

!!! 2.    When a person had the disease they would die with it.

!!! 3.    All efforts to provide a cure were in vain.

!!! 4.    If they possessed a box car load of LYE SOAP they could not wash it away.

!!! 5.    It was much like the HIV virus of our day-there is no known cure.

!!! 6.    Sin is much the same way.

!!! 7.

There is no cure for it in anything that man can do.

!!! 8.

Not by works of righteous which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.

!!!! a)      Some try joining the church and think that will take care of sin.

!!!! b)      Being a part of the zoo does not make you an animal.

!!!! c)      Others try to wash it away in the baptistery waters, but that will not work either.

!!!!! (1)   It is Christ’s blood that washes away sin, not water.

I am not a "dunk em’ and save em’ preacher."