An Attitude of Gratitude
We’ve finally reached the end of the year and with that we are starting a new sermon series focused on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Giving thanks to God is something that we can simply overlook but this week’s passage Luke 17:11-19 brings into perspective what real gratitude towards God really looks like.
We all have a problem only Jesus can fix (v.13)
Just like the lepers we all have the same problem - a fatal problem. Not to take away from the seriousness of leprosy, we suffer from a terminal disease known as sin. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). We are reminded that the cure for this fatal problem is Jesus. Just like the lepers had no shame calling out to Jesus for healing, we need to realise that we should have no shame looking to Jesus for all our problems. It is clear that the lepers were aware of Jesus’ power and authority as they were the only ones outside of the disciples that had called Jesus master. In the same way, we need to come to Jesus knowing that he is our only hope to be cured of this terminal disease. Jesus has all the power and authority to heal us. At the same time, we should be giving thanks to God everyday because of all that he has given to us even to the point of saving us from death. When we have this realisation of all that God has done for us, we need to know how to respond which is also illustrated by the ten lepers in this passage.
Feeling Thankful does not mean Giving Thanks (v.17-18).
There are two responses that we can see from this passage as shown by the ten lepers after Jesus has healed them. There is the proper response, which is shown by the Samaritan that came back after presenting themselves before the priest as Jesus’s instruction and thanked Jesus face to face. There is the impromper response, which was shown by the other lepers who did not come back and give thanks to Jesus with a grateful heart like the Samaritan. These responses show us that real gratitude is more than just a feeling but it is a response or action that we take to show how thankful and grateful for all that God has given us. We need to make our praise for God known when we thank Him, we need to glorify him. It is clear that the response of the other lepers indicates that they were ungrateful because they only came to Jesus for a temporary benefit, they didn’t want to go beyond just being healed physically. When we have the same response as the other lepers, it’s clear that we can’t see all the things that God has given to us and we carry on thinking that we don’t need to thank God. It’s easy to carry this type of attitude as we live in a society that is always ungrateful and always looking to be satisfied instantly. However, the proper response to giving thanks to the Lord is shown by the Samaritan leper, who returned to Jesus promptly, praised God passionately and worshipped Jesus publicly. This too should be our response in giving thanks to God, we need to stop and take time to come to God with humility and we need to glorify Him by letting everyone know what he has done for us. Let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased (Hebrews 13:15-16).
All of them were healed, but only one was saved (v.19)
Based on the two responses shown by one leper compared to the others, we can see that the Samaritan is the one who is saved. He is saved because he has chosen to praise and glorify God with a thankful heart. He has chosen to respond to Jesus. We know that Jesus came to this earth to seek and save the lost. In this life, blessings are all around us whether we are believers or not but it doesn’t mean we belong to God (Matthew 5:45). It’s clear that we belong to God when we respond to what Jesus has done by living each day to glorify Him with thankful hearts. We need to remember that only those who have placed their faith in Jesus are saved.
Father God,
We are so thankful and grateful for all that you have done to care for us and love us. We are also thankful for the gift of salvation and grace. I pray that every day that we can show our gratitude by praising you daily with a thankful heart.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen