Title: Faith in Thanksgiving 2 (March 15, 2009)
Contents
Subject : Gratitude Faith Ⅱ
Word: Luke 17:11-19
[11] As Jesus was going to Jerusalem, he was passing between Samaria and Galilee.
[12] As he entered a village, ten lepers met Jesus, and stood afar off.
[13] And he lifted up his voice and said, Jesus, Teacher, have mercy on us.
[14] And when he saw it, he said, Go, show yourselves to the priests.
[15] When one of them saw that he was healed, he returned, glorifying God with a loud voice
[16] And he fell at his feet and gave thanks, for he was a Samaritan.
[17] Jesus answered and said to them, Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the nine?
[18] Has no one returned to glorify God except this Gentile?
[19] And he said to him, Arise and go, for your faith has made you well.
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Gratitude is not exclusive to Christians, nor is it just the teachings of the Bible. Other religions and world ethic also teach and emphasize gratitude. The problem is that not everyone is grateful. We have so many things to be thankful for. But the Bible says that the object of thanksgiving is 'God'.
Today, I wish you a blessed time to share grace through the three examples of thanksgiving in the Bible.
▶First of all, there is the thanks that I give alone.
[Luke 17] Today's text is the account of ten lepers who met Jesus and were healed. At that time, lepers were legally prohibited from contacting residents. So, I had to separate from my family, and I had to live outside the neighborhood. And when I met someone, I had to cover my lips with my hand to reveal that I was a leper.
It appears that the ten lepers in the text were engaged in collective action after leaving their homes and neighborhoods. Then one day I met Jesus on the road. In verse 13, they lifted up their voices and cried out, "Have mercy on us." It's begging you to fix it.
Most commentators interpret that when they raise their voices to ask for mercy, they are praying.
I hope you believe that the winner of life is a person who prays. The ten lepers also solved their misfortunes through prayer. Then and now, this leprosy is an incurable disease. But they did not give up their faith and cried out.
Jesus heard their voices and saw their plight. And you say “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” You said: At that time, there were no specialists, so the priest could determine whether it was leprosy or not, and even if the leprosy was cured, the fact could only be confirmed if the priest publicly acknowledged it. Therefore, to tell the priests to go and show yourselves was the Lord's declaration that leprosy was cured. As they went they found out that leprosy had been cured.
How amazing and how thrilled would you be? The problem is then. Only one of them returned to Jesus and said, "Thank you, Lord." We must pay attention to the words of the Lord as we look at the man who returned alone among the ten and gave thanks.
He said, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Has no one returned to glorify God except these Gentiles?"
This case is our story. Who among us has not received the grace of God? We have been forgiven of our sins, have been saved, have become children of God, and have been enjoying good health until today.
There is a lot to enjoy with what you have. But are we nine out of ten? Or is it one?
Ten people received grace and blessings, but only one was thankful. To him the Lord declares, "Rise and go, for your faith has saved you."
We find here that faith and gratitude are not separate. He came back because he had faith, thanked him, and gave thanks to the Lord. That is why the Lord said that faith has saved you.
Everyone! Gratitude is an expression of faith. It is evidence of faith. Conversely, a person who lacks gratitude and is always filled with resentment and complaints is evidence of lack of faith. I hope you believe that you will receive greater grace and greater blessings through gratitude.
▶Secondly, there is a thanks that we give together.
[Exodus 14] is the story of the Israelites miraculously crossing the Red Sea and leaving Egypt, and [Exodus 15] is composed of the thanksgiving that Israel gave to God after crossing the Red Sea while looking at the Red Sea. Israel's emotions must have been great. Their fate was that they had no choice but to be pierced by the sword of an Egyptian soldier or drowned in the Red Sea. But the Red Sea parted and formed a wall of water and crossed between them like land. The soldiers of Pharaoh who were pursuing them were all drowned and buried as the water was filled. The people who had seen this majestic, such a great and miraculous event with their eyes sang a song of thanks with Moses.
Its contents are as follows.
{You have cast into the sea those who pursued them on horseback. Jehovah is my strength! My Song! my salvation! my God! The Lord is a mighty man. You have crushed your enemies with your right hand. The waters are piled up in your nostrils, and the waves rise like hills. You have caused the wind to cover them. Your arm is great; You have led it. You rule this people forever.}
What a majestic and moving song it must have been.
We will have the same thanks to share with you. Couples, families, churches, and peoples will give thanks together. After Israel crossed the Jordan River under the guidance of Joshua, they set up the 12 stones they brought from the Jordan River in a place called Gilgal, and gave a song of thanks saying that God made us cross the Jordan River just as God made them cross the Red Sea. They also thanked each other.
Everyone~ I hope you believe that it is a blessing and happiness for a married couple to pray together and say that they can give thanks to God. thank you! I hope you all do.
▶Thirdly, there is the thanks given from the ruins.
[Habakkuk 3:17-18] If you look at the words, “The fig tree does not bud, the vines produce no fruit, the olive trees produce no crop, the fields produce no food, there are no sheep in the pen, and there are cattle in the stalls. There is none; I will rejoice in the LORD, I will rejoice in my God.'
Even if there is this and that and nothing, we will give thanks to God, we will rejoice in God, we will rejoice in God.
Looking at [verse 18], we can see that we are rejoicing before God even in these difficult circumstances. 'I will rejoice in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation' Great faith! great song! great thanks! is. Nevertheless, thank you.
[Psalm 107:42] says, 'The upright will see and rejoice; all the wicked will shut their mouths'. People who have faith and honest people rejoice, praise, and give thanks while looking at God's salvation and miracles, but the wicked say that people without faith keep their mouths shut and say nothing. will be
If you look at this verse, it is said that the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, those who have faith, and those without faith, is divided into those who have gratitude and those who do not.
This generation is not comfortable. But we will have to find a way out. That's what we call 'faith and gratitude'. Nevertheless, nevertheless, however, I hope you all believe and be grateful.
Paul and Silas opened the prison gates in Philippi with prayers, thanksgivings, and hymns. Sometimes things keep getting messed up. There are many cases, but in the case of those who believe in Jesus, if they grumble and complain, things get more complicated.
☞Dear Sandoll Saints~
Everyone, I hope we can turn our thinking into gratitude thinking. We hope we can turn our language into a language of gratitude. We hope that we can renew our lives with gratitude.
'Rejoice always, give thanks without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.' I earnestly pray in the name of the Lord that you will always live a life of gratitude.