A Prelude To Thanksgiving

A Prelude To Thanksgiving Day Luke 17.11-19 Jesus was on His Way to Jerusalem. We read in back in Luke 9.51 "As the time approached for Him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem." So on His way to die, on that final journey of His ministry in Galilee to die in Jerusalem, He encounters these 10 lepers on the outskirts of a village. His popularity had grown in the 3 1/2 years of ministry in Galilee and the surrounding area. People knew about Him. Lepers, especially, held Him in high regard and believed that He was indeed the Messiah. No one could heal a leper except Jesus. They were hopeless outcasts. They still are. In the book about Bob Pierce, Let My Heart Be Broken With the Things That Break the Heart of God, Elmer Kilbourne, of the Oriental Mission Society, is quoted, "The worst part of leprosy is the social isolation connected with it... it happens all over the world, wherever there are lepers. Leprosy can arrested. In many cases it can be cured. But even though a man may survive it, once he has been driven from his home he can't go back. His relatives, friends and neighbors simply will not accept him. So he has to live with other lepers." My daughter, Theresa, spent half the summer of her Junior year of college working in a leper colony in southern India. In Israel in the first century provisions were made for a return in the law. Verse 13 "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" It noteworthy that Jesus didn’t bargain with them. You know, “If I heal you do you promise to follow Me?” Healing is a gift from God. It is given without strings attached. Many have been healed by Him but have not followed Him. Many. These lepers believed Jesus could help them. They were asking Him to come to their aid in their affliction. The fact He could heal lepers had spread among those afflicted with the disease. He was their only hope. At the beginning of His ministry we read in Mark 1. 40 A man with leprosy came to Him and begged Him on his knees, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 41 Jesus was filled with compassion. He reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. From the beginning of His ministry in Galilee He was filled with concern for the sick and diseased. Luke 17. 12 As He was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When He saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then He said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Now we see the healing here and the subsequent ingratitude. We see it as a horrible thing- this scarcity of Thanksgiving. If you are a person who likes to give to others you have no doubt encountered this issue giving complete when there is that appreciation expressed. Did they like the gift? Was it discarded? Did they get it? Before we tackle the obvious here let's think about Thanksgiving for... 1. Blessings Seldom Thought Of. v.11 These are blessings we often take for granted. For example, if you received a public school education being thankful for those who paid the taxes so you could go. That is not the case in many places throughout the world. The ability to read and write is a priceless gift. I am discovering that more every day. The disciples were walking with Jesus. We walk with Him. Sometime we need to be reminded of His Presence with us, particularly when things are going well! How about your health? Give thanks you are able to be here this morning. John wrote to his friend, “To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” II John 1-2 Being thankful for our bed, our pillow, covers for warmth, a roof to keep out rain and wind. The pastors from Ecuador without blankets. Cold. Laura Sluyter told us about them shortly after I came to this church as pastor. We took up an offering for them. How about being thankful for our country. With all its flaws, we have freedoms that the majority of the 8.2 billion people on the earth today do not enjoy. Blessings taken for granted, seldom thought of…. Like hot showers or clean water. Indoor plumbing, heat, automobiles Blessings here much of the world does not enjoy. How about some past blessings Photo of JetBlue/ Haiti Thankful for them The longer we walk with the LORD’s, the more we have to be thankful for! Last night I had a great time with the LORD. He brought up times when He blessed me. These were times I am still giving thanks for! * My childhood and youth * My Journey to Bible College and how someone paid $100 on my bill anonymously so I could continue. * My detour to Kentucky, working 2 jobs to make ends meet, groceries loaded in our car, $50 bill when we didn’t have gas to get back home. God was teaching me. * Pastoring in southwestern part of the state… spoke to people from there this week, some joining us today on livestream * My return to the Island after 10 year hiatus * God’s Hand upon this church * Haiti $4,000 and $19,000 for the roof unsolicited * This church maturing into a House of Prayer for All Nations * Seeing us become a church with a worldwide ministry Surprise Blessings Indian Village Mission photos December visiting us and sharing a report As we think about Thanksgiving... 2. Give Thanks for the Obvious. vs.14-16 Jesus was giving them instructions from Leviticus 14.1-3 The Samaritan man came back praising God in a loud voice and threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked Him. Thanksgiving springs from humility- an acknowledgment that everything good in my life has come from the Hand of my Father in Heaven Who loves me. (James 1.17) Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, Who does not change like shifting shadows. Often there is a continent of blessing in our lives and just an island of praise. Gigabytes of blessing and kilobytes of thanks. These 10 men were all touched by God. They were healed. It is wrong to pray for blessings, receive them and fail to thank God for them. Things right in front of us- v.15 when he saw he was healed... obvious blessings: food, shelter clothing, people. Psalm 103.3 Praise the LORD, O My soul, and forget not all His benefits. We could go all the way thru that Psalm. More, much more receive benefits and than thank Him for them. It is all to easy to enjoy the benefits and forget Who gave them to us! Finally in this prelude to Thanksgiving we see in this passage... 3. A Lesson For All Who Serve. vs.17-19 This man by passed the priest and went to the Great High Priest. The percentage of people who appreciate the work of God through your life will be low. Look to Jesus for approval not to men for appreciation. Look to be pleasing to God, let people do what is in their hearts. So often someone gets something from the LORD what they want and they never come back. Excitement overwhelms them and they forget to give thanks. The Questions of Jesus, the Master Teacher, the Son of God: 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Undeniably Where are the other nine? Too busy, on their way to their hometowns, certificates in hand 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Obviously and take note! If you look for people to appreciate your hard work you will be disappointed. Look for commendations from God at the end, at the Last Day. Deflect the praise to God when they do. Your treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue! Matthew 25. 34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in,36 I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘LORD, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.’ Listen to Paul, the apostle His words to Timothy II Timothy 4. 6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing. Blessed are those who do not expect much appreciation for they will not be disappointed. However the rewards of serving Jesus are overwhelming! There is much to give Him thanks for as you serve. Give Thanks to God for His Indescribable Gift! The LORD’s Supper