GRATITUDE 

FORGOTTEN VIRTUES—5

Luke 17:11-1811 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled

along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 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.

Luke 17:11-18 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?”

Gratitude:The quality of being thankful; readiness to

show appreciation for and to return kindness.

Isaiah 51:151 “Listen to me, you who pursue

righteousness and who seek the LORD:

Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were

hewn;

I. The Position Of All! (Notice the lepers’ condition)

Truths from this passage:

Numbers 5:2-32 “Command the Israelites to send away from the

camp anyone who has a defiling skin disease[a] or a discharge of any kind, or who is ceremonially

unclean because of a dead body. 3 Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so

they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.”

Eaton’s Bible Dictionary says of this disease. “Leprosy was“ the outward and visible sign of the

innermost spiritual corruption; a meet emblem in its small beginnings, its gradual spread, its internal disfigurement, its dissolution little by little of the

whole body, of that which corrupts, degrades, and defiles man’s inner nature, and renders him unmeet

to enter the presence of a pure and holy God”.

Like the leper, we too were isolated from true intimacy,

Like the leper, we too were outcasts (from the Kingdom of God),

Like the leper, we too were in the process of loosing everything to sin,

Like the leper, we too were being destroyed by that which was in our bodies, the law of sin and death.

Luke 17:11-18 11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along

the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a

] met him. They stood at a distance

We see here the position of the lepers.

Firstly, they were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off. The disease of lepers was a

painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder.

Lepers were separated.

Romans 5:66 You see, at just the right time, when we were still

powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. NIV

Here the Greek word for mercy is "eleeo" {el-eh-eh’-o} have mercy or compassion on.

Grace is getting what you don’t deserve and mercy is not getting what you

deserve.

II. The Prayer Of All!Note: The lepers’ cry

Truths from this passage:

Luke 17:11-18 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

Notice two things here quickly:

Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need. You don’t pray and call out for help unless you feel your need.

The reason sinners don’t come to Christ for salvation is that they don’t sense their need. But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus, whom they heard healed the sick. There is no doubt they need help, so they cry out for mercy

Notice two things here quickly:

Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need. You don’t pray and call out for help unless you feel your need.

Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless. Jesus tells them to go to the priest.

III. The Praise Of One! Notice: One lepers’ celebration

Truths from this passage:

Why did this one react differently?

There are three distinctions between him and the others.

A. Note the perception of gratitude.

There are three distinctions between him and the others.

B. Note the priority of gratitude.

If you don’t give God thanks, it won’t be long until your obedience just becomes a job to do, you lose the

meaning of what God is wanting you to do.

There are three distinctions between him and the others.

C. Note the perfection of gratitude.

As he drew near to where the Lord was, he glorified God.

The Greek means that he made the Lord glorious, he manifested the worth of the Lord. He came to Jesus and fell down before Him in perfect submission and gave Him thanks. The Lord asked the question, Were there not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Then note what He told this man, “Arise, go thy way, thy faith has made thee whole.”

III. The Praise Of One!Notice: One lepers’ celebration

Truths from this passage:

Luke 17:15-1915 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.”

Here is the key to the whole issue. All were in the same awful position. All prayed and all were healed. Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving. Notice: The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back. He saw a reason to praise. He saw a difference Jesus had made. He saw a change wrought by Christ. He saw an opportunity to praise God.

 WILL YOU BE THE ONE? 

This a true story: The Object Of PraiseOne day they came to the pastor and told him the

wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle. The pastor said, "That’s a wonderful

gesture on your part. He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was. So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in

memory of the dead son.On the way home from church, another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife, "Why don’t we give a gift because of our son?"

And his wife said, "But our son didn’t die in any conflict! Our son is still alive!" Her husband replied, "That’s

exactly my point! That’s all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to God."

UNGRATEFUL MINDSETS 

One man named Charles Brown, gave several suggestions as to why the other nine never returned to give thanks. These are only suggestions, but they reveal a whole lot about human nature.

· One waited to see if the cure was real.· One waited to see if it would last.· One said he would see Jesus later.· One decided that he had never had leprosy.· One said he would have gotten well anyway.· One gave the glory to the priests.· One said, "O, well, Jesus didn’t really do anything."· One said, "Any rabbi could have done it."· One said, "I was already much improved." And then there was one who returned to give God thanks.

I WANT IT NOW!

Luke 15:11-1211 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two

sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his

property between them. NIV

I DESERVE MORE!

Luke 15:2929 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders.

Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. NIV

EXPOSE ANY UNGRATEFULNESS 

MATERIAL  FINANCIAL RELATIONAL CIRCUMSTANCIAL  

 DECIDE TO TURN BLESSINGS INTO PRAISE 

A Grateful Aptitude – is simply a mindset of appreciation for the gift of life. This type thinking will allow a person to rise even when others think that they are standing on quicksand

Gratefulness is a mindset. You are thankful for everything. Appreciate anything – find good in each situation– and rejoice through every circumstance. This allows you to have peace in the midst of your mess because you are thanking God for never losing a battle yet!

EVERY BLESSING YOU POUR OUT I’LL TURN BACK TO PRAISE.

Philippians 4:11-1311 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I

have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need,

and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and

every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I

can do all this through him who gives me strength. NIV

EVERY BLESSING I DON’T TURN BACK TO PRAISE TURNS INTO PRIDE. 

Ungrateful – unsatisfied –displeased –discontented – unhappy – ill at ease - no peace….

Ungrateful attitude causes depression, grief, stress, disorientation, disillusion, desperation, dissatisfaction. unappreciative people - people who do not have an attitude of gratitude - are never satisfied. People who live with an ungrateful attitude are always waiting for something bigger and better before they’ll be thankful.

Ungrateful attitude erases joy

Proverbs 15:1515 All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.

NIV