Received With Thanksgiving

Good morning! You guys can be seated for just a moment. I'm going to make you stand in a few minutes, but I have a few things to announce before we get into the Scriptures.

Wasn't it so nice to have some beautiful fall and winter weather this last week to celebrate Thanksgiving? There was a nice little chill in the air, which was beautiful. It's just not a chill in the air here. We were playing some Christmas music the other day, and there's that song, "It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas." I just looked at it and thought, "Really, not at all."

Would you look in your bulletin and grab the card that looks like this? It says "Why Christmas" at the top of it. Take it out for just a moment. This question, "Why Christmas?" you may or may not realize, is something that a lot of people in our area actually don't know the answer to. I know that because a few years ago, we went out and did some interviews with people and asked that question: "Why Christmas?"

Then, Pastor Nick and I, on Black Friday just a couple of days ago, went out to one of these fine retail establishments and stood outside with a camera and a microphone, asking people why they celebrate Christmas. I got some wonderful answers, and we'll show some of those to you in the coming weeks as we start this series called "Why Christmas," starting next week.

This card is in your bulletin not for you, but for you to give to a neighbor, co-worker, friend, or family member—someone who maybe does not go to church—to invite them to come out for these Sunday services in December. As we ask and answer the question, "Why Christmas? Why do we celebrate this holiday every year on December 25th?"

It's a great opportunity to invite someone to come to church for this series that we're going to be starting next Sunday. So make sure you take that card. We have more of these out at the Connection Point if you need some. If you'd like to take some, you can have as many as you'd like. You're going to get one of these in the bowls next week too, so just make sure you take this and give it to someone. Don't just throw it away; give it to someone and invite them to come to church.

I realize that for some people, it can be kind of nerve-wracking to invite someone to church. You might be fearful about talking with them. So we just have a real quick video to show you to maybe help you out.

Let's move on to Sunday tournament play. However, losing today may not be the worst thing for Joe, considering his love of the game is outweighed by his love for going to church with his family on Sunday mornings. He's a true inspiration for all of us here on the tour. Although he may not advance to another tournament today, the real tragedy won't be that another Sunday will go by without Joe McElhaney advancing to the final round. The real tragedy is that another Sunday will go by without him inviting his best friend in the whole world to church.

You'd think after all these years that Joe would consider the fact that his buddy Steve may want to go to church to cleanse himself from a selfish, sinful, heathen lifestyle. But enough about that; Joe's got a 12-footer to sink here. Do you want to go to church with us tomorrow?

Thank you. Joe seems a bit distracted today. He really needs to make this putt, or he's going to have to buy his pagan friend lunch.

Alright, don't put it off. One other announcement: I've mentioned this a number of times over the last several weeks, but we now have all the information for two trips that are coming up over the next couple of years that are available to you if you're interested in going. One of them will be next year in November; it's a trip to Turkey to see the seven churches of Revelation. If you read through the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, it begins with letters from Jesus to the seven churches of Asia. We will be visiting the ruins of those churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamon, and several other places.

We have a brochure out at the connection point for you if you're interested in going on that trip next November. Also, backed by popular demand, in 2019, we're going to be doing a trip with David Guzik and Enduring Word, the ministry that Pastor David Guzik oversees. We're doing a cruise in the Mediterranean that will begin in Athens and end in Rome, going through Israel as well. There will be a lot of great sites, and Pastor David will be doing the teaching on that.

Also available is a trip that is going to fill up really quickly because we have four different churches participating. If you're interested in this, even though it's two years away, you'll want to take a look at this and plan for it quickly, as it will be sold out very fast. Those details are available at the connection point after the service, so grab those if this is something that interests you.

With that, would you open your Bibles with me to the book of First Timothy? This is the book we've been studying over the last twelve weeks or so. First Timothy is near the end of your Bible. If you open to the end, to Revelation, and turn to the left, you'll eventually find First Timothy. If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will gladly bring you one.

As you're opening there, if you wouldn't mind standing with me, we will read beginning at chapter four, the first five verses. Again, if you don't have a Bible, raise your hand high, and they'll find you to bring you one.

First Timothy, chapter 4, verse 1: "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer."

Father, we come before You today asking for You to continue to sanctify us by Your Word and through prayer. Lord, we thank You that You are at work in us. Every single one of us is in process; all of us are under construction. We can be confident of this very thing: that You, who started that good work in us, will be faithful to complete it until the day that we stand before You, the day of Christ Jesus.

So, God, work in us today, making us more and more into the men and women that You desire us to be for Your glory and for Your name's sake. Speak to us through Your Word. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

Forty-six million. It's a pretty big number. Forty-six million—that is the number.

Approximately 46 million turkey carcasses were thrown into trash cans this last Thursday night in the United States of America. Every year, on the fourth Thursday of November, we celebrate a holiday where the tradition has come to be that we eat turkey. That’s a lot of legs, wings, and breasts, and a lot of tryptophan, along with mashed potatoes, carrots, and all the other fixings that go along with it.

Did you know that there is a 46 Million Turkeys Project? This is a group that wants to make Americans aware and mindful of all the turkeys that are given in tribute at Thanksgiving. As they say, every turkey is an individual. It’s an interesting consideration.

Even though the holiday we just celebrated is now in our rearview mirror, we are quickly moving on to other holidays that are coming up. I wanted to take some time to think about and talk about the topic of Thanksgiving. We can easily become distracted by all the things that go along with it, especially the meal, or by the other activities happening during this holiday season. A lot of people get pretty stressed out by family coming over, getting everything ready, cleaning the house, and putting up decorations.

I think it’s important for us, especially those who are seekers of God and His Word, to discuss this important topic of Thanksgiving. I don’t think it’s too far off to say that Thanksgiving is uniquely Christian. The great author G.K. Chesterton, in the 20th century, said that pagans could make an alternative to Christmas, but they could not make a substitute for Thanksgiving Day. Half of them are pessimists who say that there is nothing to be thankful for, and the other half are atheists who have nobody to be thankful to.

As we look at our culture today, there are more and more people who fall into that category of not really knowing who to be thankful to, even though we live in a nation with incredible abundance. We have so much to be thankful for, and we have this holiday set aside for Thanksgiving. Many people who don’t know God or don’t believe in God still gather and celebrate Thanksgiving, but often it’s just focused on college football and a big meal.

Maybe people are getting ready for some big shopping that’s going to happen the next day or even that night with Black Friday. There are a lot of other details that absorb people's minds. Even those who are thinking about the aspect of Thanksgiving and actually giving gratitude may not know who they are giving thanks to. They might say, "I have a lot of things to be thankful for," but who do they actually thank? Who do they give gratitude to?

I know that this is the case for some of my family members who don't go to church and who are not believers. As I talked with them, they still expressed love for Thanksgiving. We were over at their house this last week, and yet when I started to ask them some questions, they would give me a blank stare when I asked, "Who are we thanking?" They would respond, "I don't really know."

It’s important for us, as followers of God, to acknowledge that our gratitude is to be directed towards God. The Apostle James in the New Testament reminds us that every good and perfect gift comes from God. I think it’s really important that we be reminded of this. As I look at my own life, I see my lovely wife, my wonderful kids, and the house that God has given us. We have so much to be grateful for, and I have to remind myself as a Christian pastor that God is the one who has given every one of these good gifts.

We want to be grateful; we want to be thankful. Of course, the passage we just happen to be in has this topic come up twice. We just finished First Timothy chapter 3 last week, and we will continue on through First Timothy chapters 4, 5, and 6 after the holidays and the new year. So, we are going to take a brief detour around First Timothy for a little while as we talk about Christmas and the new year.

In the passage we are currently in, you may have noticed that Thanksgiving comes up twice in the five verses I read. The Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, was looking forward into the future. He wrote this about 2,000 years ago, and as he sat in his position, looking at the church that God was growing and building, he foresaw a day, by the Spirit's inspiration, in which there would be people who were part of the gathering of Christians—the church, followers of God—who, for one reason or another, would depart. He says, "The Spirit expressly says that in latter times," and whenever that is, maybe we are living in that moment right now. We just might be in the latter times.

Will depart from the faith. I foresee a day when people are going to be leaving the gathering of God's people. One of the things that's going to happen as they depart is that they're going to refuse and reject. Paul says down in verse 4 that they're going to reject those things which God has created to be received with Thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. Then again in verse 5, nothing is to be refused if it is received with Thanksgiving.

Specifically, in the passage, we'll talk about this more when we come back to 1st Timothy chapter 4 in about eight weeks. He says that they're going to depart from the faith of Christ and they're going to say that there are certain foods that we need to abstain from. Paul says, well, nothing is to be rejected or refused if it is received with Thanksgiving. There is this great concept here of receiving things with Thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

This brings us to point number 1 on your sermon guide in your bulletin: those who know the truth and believe should be the most thankful. The attitude and actions of gratitude and Thanksgiving should be clearly seen in Christians above all others in society. When people in our circle of friends, in our neighborhoods, or in our families look at the landscape of our culture, they should see that among those of us who believe in God or trust in God, we should be the most thankful people.

While others in our culture may get hung up on football games, turkey dinners, and Black Friday shopping deals, or be distracted by all these other things going on around them, we who are seeking God or know Him through His Word should be those who are really the most grateful. That gratitude and Thanksgiving should not be set aside to just one day. Three hundred sixty-five days is not sufficient, which is why I'm taking this time after the Thanksgiving holiday to talk about Thanksgiving and gratitude.

Maybe I should have talked about it a week ago, but the passage we were in I wanted to focus on to get us ready for Thanksgiving. Even with Thanksgiving the holiday in our rearview mirror, we need to be reminded, if you're a follower of Jesus today, that going forward we shouldn't just think that, okay, well, we'll just...

We should not wait until the end of November next year to be grateful. Instead, we should be those who champion the reality that gratitude towards God is to be publicly expressed. Why? Because the Scriptures command us to do so. The Apostle Paul, the same one who wrote this letter to Timothy 2,000 years ago, also wrote a letter to the church at Ephesus. In Ephesians chapter 5, he said that we are to be giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Christians are to be those who give thanks always, not just one day out of 365. We are to be grateful at all times for all things. This can be a real challenge, as there are certainly things that have come into our lives in the last 11 months that we may not feel thankful for. Yet, Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 5:20 to be thankful always for all things. This challenges us to look into our circumstances and ask God what it is in these situations that He desires to teach us to be grateful for.

Even in the difficult things of life, I have found that there are lessons and truths that God reveals, which I ultimately find myself grateful for, despite the challenges. Paul emphasizes that we are to give thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In another letter, 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, Paul writes, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." One of the most frequently asked questions that many pastors receive from followers and seekers of God is, "What is God's will for my life?" People want to know what God wants them to do or what He has planned for them.

I think we can all agree that if God were to show us every detail of His plan for our lives, we would probably object very quickly. If He laid out a map and said, "This is everything that's going to happen over the next 18 months," I guarantee that within 30 seconds, we would say, "No."

I don't like this turn, not this one. Thankfully, God doesn't show us all the details of everything He has willed and planned for our lives over the next 18 months or five years. However, there are some general things that we find in the Scriptures where God says, "This is My desire; this is My will for you."

One of those passages is 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. It says, "This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." What is the will of God? That you would rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks. Do you realize that God's will for you is that you be grateful? He desires that you give Him gratitude, Thanksgiving, and praise for who He is, what He's done, and how He's worked in your life.

This praise should not just be private; it should not be something that you keep in your own heart as you go to the Lord and say, "Thank You for this thing that You did in my life." It should be very public. It should not just be on one day a year, but it should be always, in all things, and for all things that we would be thankful.

We see this truth in Ephesians 5:20, again in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, and then in Colossians, another book written by the Apostle Paul. In Colossians chapter 3, verse 17, Paul says, "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

Whatever you will do this week, whether they are words that you will speak or activities that you will engage in, in everything that you are doing, God says you should be grateful, seeking to be thankful. We are to give thanks always. We are to give thanks for things, to God, and in every situation. We are to give thanks because it is God's will.

All of these things reveal, just in these three verses—Ephesians 5:20, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, and Colossians chapter 3, verse 17—there is so much to meditate upon. It is not just about thinking but also about asking God, "Will You help me make this a part of my life this week?"

I encourage you to take some time this week to look at those verses: Ephesians 5:20, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, and Colossians chapter 3, verse 17. Spend a little bit of time thinking on them. That is what meditating is—thinking about these things and just praying.

God, would You help me to become this kind of person who is publicly grateful to You for all the things that You have done? One of the awesome things about public thanksgiving and public gratitude is that it points people's attention to God, which is evangelistic. God has called you, and He has called me, to share the good news about who God is with this world. One of the best ways that you can do that in a very practical way is to publicly give thanks to God for the things that He has done in your life.

One of the passages that I think deals with this topic better than any other is found in the Gospel of Luke. It may be a familiar passage to you because we've talked about it before, but it's in Luke's Gospel, chapter 17. If you wouldn't mind turning there, you're in First Timothy; just turn to the left. You'll pass some books like Ephesians, Colossians, Romans, and First and Second Corinthians, and then you'll get to John. Just before the Gospel of John is the Gospel of Luke.

In Luke chapter 17, there's a great story that gives us some important ideas, concepts, and instruction about this whole topic of gratitude and thanksgiving. It's found in verse 11.

Now it happened, as He—Jesus—went up to Jerusalem, that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. They lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us."

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.

Now, one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned and with a loud voice glorified God. He fell down on his face at Jesus's feet, giving Him thanks, and he was a Samaritan.

So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" And He said to him, "Arise, go your way; your faith has made you whole."

The story here begins with these simple words: "Now it happened," which is a good reminder for us that these moments of gratitude can happen in our lives as well.

Things actually happened. You see, sometimes we can open the Scriptures, open the Gospels, and just read them as if they were some sort of novel that we’d pick up at a bookstore or on Amazon.com. We might think, "Oh, here’s some fictional story about this guy who lived thousands of years ago." But these things happened, and it’s good for us to be reminded that these events were actual events that took place. Yes, they took place a long time ago in a place far, far away, but they actually took place.

Here in the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John specifically—we have the story of how Jesus's life and ministry impacted the lives of other people. It is such a good revelation to us that the life and ministry of Jesus impacted the lives of people 2,000 years ago, but His life is still impacting the lives of people today. Many of you have a Gospel story about how the life and ministry of Jesus has impacted your life in a very specific way.

Just in the same way that these stories can be an encouragement, a strength, and a challenge to us, the way in which God has worked in your life—the Gospel account of how God has affected your life—will also be an encouragement, a strength, and a challenge to other people. Do you realize that in the same way we can be encouraged and strengthened in our faith in following Jesus by reading the Gospels, people can be encouraged in their lives by hearing your story about what God has done in your life? Sometimes we refer to it as a testimony, and a testimony is your experience of what God has done in your life.

This is really important because sometimes you might feel like you don’t have all the answers to the hard questions that people will bring you about faith and about following God. I see some of you nodding your heads, agreeing that you don’t always feel strong in answering those questions. But the one thing that you are really strong in is your story. You know that story better than anybody else, and you can tell it better than anyone else.

Here’s the awesome thing: when someone brings to you a difficult question of faith that you don’t fully know the answer to, you don’t always have to give an answer. You can just tell your story. Does that really work? Yes! The Gospel of John has a great story about this. There was a man who was born blind who was...

Healed by Jesus, the man can now see. The religious leaders are bombarding him with hard questions: How did this happen? Who did this? What happened in your life? All he says is, "Listen, I don't know the answers to your questions. All I know is I was blind, and now I see." He tells them his story, and their questions all went out the window with his testimony. They couldn't say anything against that; he was blind, and now he sees. How do we discredit that?

Your life is a testimony of how the life and ministry of Jesus has impacted you. You need to share that, just as we have this story here in this passage. The life and ministry of Jesus radically impacts people, and He wants to radically impact not just your life, but the lives of those around you—people in your family, your neighborhood, your workplace, and on your school campus. Wherever you are, whose lives have not yet been radically impacted by Jesus? God wants to radically impact their lives through you, just like He did in this story.

This event happened as Jesus went to Jerusalem. If you read through the Gospels, you will see that Jesus bounced back and forth between an area called the Sea of Galilee in the northern part of Israel, both then and now, and the city of Jerusalem. We are going to visit both of these places when we go on this cruise in 2019; we will stop in Galilee and in Jerusalem.

He went back and forth between Galilee and Jerusalem over a period of about three and a half years. This event takes place on Jesus's last journey to Jerusalem. He is making that last trip up to the city, and it would be his last because he would be arrested by some people who did not like his ministry. They had an issue with the things he was saying, as they were challenging to the religious establishment of the day. Ultimately, they got false witnesses to speak against him, charging him with sedition against the Roman Empire, which was occupying the area. He was ultimately crucified.

This is just before he is getting to Jerusalem for the last time. He is on his way there, and he is not unaware of the events that are about to take place: the arrest, the trial, the conviction, and the killing of Jesus. He knows this is about to happen. He has been telling his disciples all the way from Galilee to Jerusalem that this is exactly what is going to happen.

Matthew chapter 16 states that from that time, Jesus began to show His disciples how He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes. He would be killed and raised again on the third day. At least three times in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells His disciples that they are going to Jerusalem and that He is going to be crucified. He is very explicit; He knows what is happening. One of the other accounts in the Gospel of Luke says that He had set His face toward Jerusalem. He is on a mission, and nothing is going to keep Him from that mission.

As He travels from Galilee to Jerusalem, there is a group of people in a village in Samaria. Samaria is the region between Galilee in the north and Jerusalem in the south. As He passes through Samaria, the villagers express their desire for Him to stay, but He replies that He cannot; He must go to Jerusalem. He is on a mission, and nothing will deter Him from it.

Even though He is on this mission, one of the beautiful things we see in the story of the ten lepers in Luke chapter 17 is that He never overlooks the needs of those who seek Him. This is both instructive and encouraging for us. It reminds us that He never overlooks the needs of those who are seeking Him. You might feel today, like Alice, that with all the problems and issues going on in your life, God doesn’t have time for that. He is so busy with so many other things that He doesn’t have time for your needs.

Perhaps today, when Pastor Mark was speaking about the prayer cards, you thought, "I have some things going on in my life, but I’m not going to give one of those prayer cards. The church has so many other things to do than to worry about my prayer needs." You might think that God has so many big things to handle that He doesn’t need to think about your situation. However, what we see in this passage is that Jesus never overlooks the needs of those who seek Him.

Here are these outcasts of society, the ten lepers, who come to seek after Jesus. Even though He is on a mission and has a plan to accomplish, He does not overlook their need and their issue. This is an encouragement to us, but it is also a challenge. I can tell you that even just this last week, there have been several times when I have gotten tunnel vision on the tasks I am trying to complete. In focusing on what I need to get done, I can easily overlook the other things that are happening around me.

There are so many needs around me, and there are many times during my week when I feel convicted. I often ask myself, is that trip to Walmart really that important compared to the pressing issues and needs taking place around me? I must confess, as a pastor, there have been numerous occasions when I am on my way to a meeting, and someone stops me, asking, "Pastor, can you pray for me?" In my mind, I think about how I have somewhere to be and something to do. Yet, I respond, "Yes, I'll pray for you." It is challenging because Jesus never overlooked the needs of those who sought Him out. Even though He was on a mission and had a purpose, He made allowances for these opportunities.

As Jesus traveled to Jerusalem, He entered a certain village where ten men who were lepers met Him. We do not know the name of the village; we only know it was somewhere between Galilee and Jerusalem. It may have been in Samaria, the region between those areas, or perhaps near Jericho, which is close to Jerusalem in the southern part of Israel. Regardless of the location, we know that as Jesus was traveling, He came to this village, and there were ten men who were lepers.

Let’s take a moment to discuss leprosy. Thankfully, this is not a significant issue in our area today. However, it remains a problem in many other parts of the world, particularly in developing nations where access to antibiotics and medical care is limited. While leprosy is not a major concern in the United States or Canada, it was a huge issue two thousand years ago.

In the Bible, leprosy encompasses a variety of conditions, most commonly associated with some sort of skin disorder that is visibly apparent. Generally speaking, leprosy is a bacterial condition that affects a person's nervous system. As it impacts the nervous system, it causes a person's sense of touch to be deadened. They begin to lose feeling in their hands, feet, and limbs. As they lose feeling, it is not uncommon for them to cut or burn themselves without realizing it, leading to further complications over time.

When a wound becomes infected, it can lead to the loss of limbs and digits, resulting in horrible consequences. Leprosy was such a fearful affliction during this time that those diagnosed with it were set aside and removed from society. They were excluded from both civil and religious life. If someone was suspected of having leprosy, they would go to the priest at the temple for examination. Unlike today, there were no doctors in the same way we have now. The priest would determine whether the individual had leprosy, and if so, they would be told that they could no longer participate in civic life. They had to become outsiders and outcasts, and they were also prohibited from entering the temple due to concerns about the contagious nature of leprosy.

These individuals were outcasts, fully aware of their place in society. The Scriptures note that they stood afar off as Jesus approached the village. These lepers, likely positioned outside the village, understood that they could not interact with the multitudes accompanying Jesus. They could not gather with the crowds or follow Him; they had to remain outside. The only fellowship they had was with other sick individuals, confined to the company of those like themselves. They were the outcasts of society, often overlooked or avoided by others. Some people might have been blind to their presence, while others would actively instruct their children to stay away from them, saying things like, "Billy, stay away from that one over there; you don't want anything to do with that."

Imagine being in such a condition, living as an outcast. When Jesus approached the village, it is likely that these lepers had heard about Him. At least two other times in the Gospels, Jesus had healed individuals with leprosy. He did not overlook these men, even though many others would have been blind to their suffering or chosen to avoid them. We see at the beginning of verse 13 that they lifted up their voices and called out to Him.

They said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" Standing off at a far distance, they saw Jesus as He was coming into the village. These ten lepers, who could have no contact with their families or other people, were only huddled together with other sick individuals like themselves. They cried out with a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" This is a prayer of faith. One of the early apostles, James, says that it is the prayer of faith that saves the sick. These individuals, these ten lepers, were hopeful at this moment that perhaps this Jesus could help them.

Their prayer of faith recognizes three important things. First, they recognized the person of Jesus. They called out to Him as Jesus, acknowledging that this was the one they had heard about. They had heard His reputation and the good news about who He is, and so they recognized by faith the person of Jesus.

Secondly, they recognized the position of Jesus. By calling Him "Master," they acknowledged His authority. They recognized that He had the privileged position of lordship.

Thirdly, they recognized His power. When they said, "Have mercy on us," they knew that He was in a position to help them and that He had the power to do so. They cried out to Him with a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" Their prayer of faith was not the least bit ashamed to cry out to Jesus for help.

Quite frankly, many of us are often a little ashamed to ask for help. We hesitate because we don't want to look weak, we don't want to impose, or we have a long list of reasons why we can't possibly ask for help. We want to save face, whatever it is. But these lepers were in a situation where they knew there was no possibility for help beyond Jesus, the Master who could have mercy on them. Therefore, they were not the least bit ashamed to cry out to Him for help.

I believe that the heart of God is soft towards those who are not ashamed to cry out to Him for help. A perfect illustration of this is our youngest child, Elliott. He's four years old, and we're looking forward to the moment when we are beyond this stage. Hopefully, this will be the last time we ever encounter this, unless my wife gets her way.

Elliott is potty trained, but three or four times a day, you hear him yell, "Dad, come wipe my bum!" If you don't hear him the first five times, he just gets louder and louder. He is not the least bit ashamed to ask for help, even though all of us would be in that situation. He knows he needs help, and these lepers knew that they needed help too, so they cried out with zero shame.

When Jesus saw them—would you underline that in your neighbor's Bible?—He didn't overlook them or avoid them. When He saw them, He said to them, "Go show yourselves to the priests."

Point number two on your outline: Jesus sees and answers those who call to Him by faith. He says to them, "Go show yourselves to the priests." Why does He do this? In fact, this is what He does every time He interacts with a leper in the Gospels. He instructs them to go show themselves to the priest.

As I mentioned a few minutes ago, if it was presumed that you had leprosy, you would go to the priests, and they would inspect you. Once they judged that you had leprosy, it would be the priests who would declare that you could no longer be a part of civil or religious society. However, in the Book of Leviticus, chapter 14, it states that if a leper were cleansed or healed, they would have to reappear before the priest. The priest would examine them again, and once examined, the priest would declare them clean. Then, they would be reintroduced back into religious and social life.

Temple and offering, and offering to God, and offering a praise and thanksgiving to God for the healing and the cleansing. Here, Jesus says to these ten lepers, "Go show yourselves to the priests." These guys, who had been outcasts from society and had not been able to go to the temple or approach the priesthood, were now told to go to the temple once again and show themselves to the priests.

Notice this verse: "And so it was, as they went"—circle that in your Bible—"as they went, they were cleansed." The ten lepers had faith enough to call upon Jesus for healing, but they also had faith enough to follow His command. Do you realize that there are a lot of people who call out to Jesus, but there are far fewer people who obey His command? These lepers called out to Jesus, "Master, have mercy on us." Jesus said, "Go show yourselves to the priests," and they went.

Point number three on your outline: faith in Jesus must produce obedience to Jesus. Now, we do not know if their healing was dependent upon their obedience. All we know is that as they went, they were healed. Would the Lord have healed them if they had not gone? We don't know; the Scriptures don't say. But we do know that as they went, as they followed the command of Jesus, they were cleansed.

Finally, we come to what I think is maybe the most important part. When one of them saw that he was healed, he returned and, with a loud voice, glorified God. He fell down on his face at Jesus's feet, giving Him thanks, and he was a Samaritan. All ten obeyed the command of Jesus to go, but only one returned to Jesus to give thanks.

The great Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon, said, "The number of those who pray is greater than the number of those who praise." Sadly, that's often the case in our lives too. We offer far more petitions to God than we do praise and thanksgiving to God. Spurgeon went on to say, "Let us chide ourselves as we acknowledge that we offer so much more prayer than praise."

In this story, the number of those who obeyed and followed religious rituals was greater than the number of those who came and offered praise to Jesus. However, there was one, a Samaritan. The Samaritans were an ethnic minority in the Land of Israel, the most despised people group by the Jewish people. The Jewish people looked down upon all non-Jews, or Gentiles, but even beyond Gentiles were the Samaritans. In fact, they would take that label, that name "Samaritan," and apply it to their most despised people. In John's Gospel, they even derided Jesus by saying, "Oh, he must be a Samaritan." They hated the Samaritans.

Here is this former leper, a Samaritan. If he was outcast because of his leprosy, he was doubly outcast because he was a Samaritan. He comes and falls down before Jesus. Jesus answered and said to him, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"

Point number four on your outline: God acknowledges gratitude and ingratitude. He takes notice when we are thankful. He acknowledges when we praise Him and bring Him gratitude, but He apparently also notices when we do not. One of the reasons, as stated in the book of Romans, chapter 1, that wrath will one day be poured out upon an unrighteous world is because this world, although they knew God, did not acknowledge Him as God, nor were they thankful. He keeps track of our gratitude; He acknowledges it. But apparently, He also knows when we are not thankful.

So Jesus said to him, "Arise, go your way; your faith has made you well." The King James Version says, "Your faith has made you whole." I think there's a difference between being healed of leprosy and being whole. You see, all ten lepers were apparently healed of their leprosy, but only this one...

One received the added blessing of wholeness. Point number five on your outline: Jesus brings wholeness to those who praise the glory of His grace. There is an added blessing, I believe, the Scriptures reveal to those who acknowledge the glory and grace of God through Thanksgiving.

We give thanks because it acknowledges God's greatness, testifies to God's goodness, glorifies God's grace, amplifies God's glory, exalts His throne, and invites His blessing. As we prepare to step into this season of celebration, celebrating the coming of our Lord Jesus, who came to give us life and life more abundantly, may God stir our hearts to continue on from the Thanksgiving holiday with an attitude and mindset of Thanksgiving. Amen.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Father, thank You for the fact that You loved us so much that You gave Your Son for us, that whoever would believe on Him would have everlasting life. We thank You, Jesus, that You demonstrated Your love towards us, that while we were still sinners, You died in our place for us.

God, I pray that You would cause us to be publicly grateful, just like this former leper was publicly grateful before You in front of all people, that they would see his gratitude. Lord, I pray that that would be the testimony of my life and the lives of my brothers and sisters here today, that we would have a public testimony of gratitude for who You are and what You've done.

As we declare Your praises, may the people in our spheres of influence—in our neighborhood, on our school campus, at our construction site, wherever we are—be drawn to You, the good God, by our Thanksgiving. We praise You, Jesus. It's in Your name we pray, and all those who agreed said, "Let's sing praise to God."

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