Luke 17, let's read these verses
again, starting in verse 11. And it came to pass, as he went
to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria
and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain
village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood
afar off And they lifted up their voices and said, Jesus, master,
have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said
unto them, go show yourselves unto the priest. And it came
to pass that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them,
when he saw that he was healed, turned back and with a loud voice
glorified God and fell down on his face at his feet giving him
thanks and he was a Samaritan." Now is that not precious? Don't
you enjoy that? I have been enjoying that for
six weeks or more. I ran across this portion of
scripture and When I read that, it made me
want to literally fall down on my face and give him thanks for
everything that he's done for us. That is right and good and
precious. So precious. And I've been dwelling
on this and it has really become impressed on me that As important
as it is for us to cry out to our Lord, it is so important
that we make our petitions known to Him and pray to Him. It is
so important. Our Lord said, you have not because
you ask not. He said, ask, you'll receive. And it is so important that we
cry out to Him for help. But as important as that is,
it is more important, not even equally as important, it is more
important for us to go back after he answers our prayer. How often
do we realize, he answered my prayer. How often do we realize
that? Not as often as we should, I
know. But after He answers our prayer, it is more important. Our Heavenly Father knows what
things we need of before we even ask Him. We make our petitions
known and we cry out to Him, but He knows our frame and He
knows what we need. And it is more important after
He answers our prayer that we go back. for the same thing,
the same issue that we brought to Him and thank Him for it. Give Him thanks. I want to use
verses 15 and 16 for a text tonight, but we're not going to look at
this story. Tonight's message is about turning
back and giving thanks. Turning back. This man right
here is our example. He was eaten up with a flesh
eating disease. And we know what that represents
in the scripture. Sin. This man had the sentence
of death on him. By way of man, incurable. Absolutely
incurable. In this flesh, no hope. Is that not all of our condition
before God? All of the sudden, though, this man saw Jesus Christ. Here he is. You think about them.
They had to be without the city. And they stood afar off these
10. It said this one was a Samaritan,
you know, Jews and Gentiles and people who normally would shun
each other had nobody else to go to. They all had to be together. And they stood afar off, and
they saw the Lord Jesus Christ, and they ran as close as they
were allowed to run to Him, crying, Lord, Master, Savior, have mercy
on us. Have mercy on us. You see my
condition. You know what I am. You know
that there is no hope for me. You know where I stand. And so do I. And I'm begging
you, Lord, help me. Help me. Somebody help me. Like that leper that that missionary
Paris Reed had came up on. Somebody help me. And the Lord
said what the Lord says every single time. this ought to be encouraging
to us sometimes he may not answer us immediately some usually it's
not when we want him to answer us he answers us in his time
but he said the same thing that he says every single time that
somebody's truly crying out from the heart help me They cried,
have mercy on us, please have mercy on me. He said to them,
I most certainly will. He says that every single time,
every time. He said, go show yourselves to
the priest. The priest, according to the
law, had to confirm that they were clean. The law had to say,
yes, you are clean. The law had to be satisfied.
And the Lord told them, you're clean before they ever saw any
change in their flesh. They never saw any change in
their flesh. Verse 14 says, when he saw them, he said unto them,
go show yourselves unto the priest. And it came to pass that as they
went, they were cleansed. He said, you're clean. Go show
yourself to the priest. And they didn't see any difference
in their flesh. And that's something we can relate to. In Christ,
He says, you're clean. And here we stand looking at
this flesh going, I don't look clean. I don't feel clean. But they went. And that tells
us that He put faith in them. He gave them faith to believe
His Word. At His Word. Nevertheless, at
Thy Word. They went and they were cleansed. The end of verse 14 says, it
came to pass that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of
them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back and with
a loud voice glorified God. Can you imagine? This man is
rotting from leprosy. And all of a sudden, here he
is, the master said, go show yourself to the priest. They've
waited to hear that for who knows how long. They know that's what
has to be done. Oh, I just wish I could go show
myself to the priest. How many times did they go to
the priest and say, look again, look again, are you sure? And
he said, go show yourself to the priest. And all of a sudden,
he's running and he goes, I got a whole hand. And he stopped
and, oh, he turned back and with a loud voice glorified God. Verse 16 says, and fell down
on his face at the master's feet, giving him thanks. And he was
a Samaritan. Tonight, I'd like for us to do
just that. let's do just that tonight's message is about taking
a minute just to give thanks just to give thanks just listen
to these scriptures psalm 92 verse 1 says it is a good thing
to give thanks unto the lord and to sing praises unto thy
name, O Most High." It is such a good thing. This is from me
to you. This is from David to us, from
God to all of his people. But I pass along, it is such
a good thing. You want to do something good?
It is such a good thing to give thanks to the Lord. I pray this
would become a practical application because it'll lift our spirit. The next time you're down, the
next time you're sad, the next time you're depressed, start
thanking the Lord. And don't stop thanking the Lord
until your spirits are lifted. It'll lift your spirit. It is
such a good thing. Colossians 3 verses 15 and 17
say, let the peace of God rule in your hearts of everything
that's going on inside here. We have a lot going on in here
of everything that's going on. Let the peace of God rule in
your hearts to the which also you are called in one body. and be ye thankful. Be thankful. And verse 17 says, whatsoever
you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. Let the peace of God rule in
your hearts and in whatever happens. Let's give thanks. 1 Thessalonians
5.18 says, In everything, everything give thanks. And I want us to
see this one. Go with me over to Revelation 11. Revelation chapter 11. revelation 11 verse 17 says saying
we give thee thanks oh lord god almighty which art and wust and
art to come because thou has taken to thee thy great power
and has reigned. We give you thanks, O Lord God
Almighty, because in your great power you've reigned. We give
you thanks for your sovereignty in all things. We give you great
thanks because you are sovereign over all things. While I was
studying these verses, they reminded me of a story that I told you
not too long ago. about a man from the early 1900s
named Josh Gravett. And he was just a hard-working
country man. And God taught that man the gospel
and called him to be the pastor of a small group of people. And
they said he was a faithful man. He was a faithful studier and
a faithful preacher. People loved him that he preached
to. But he always said this in his messages. He was known for
making this statement. He said, God is sovereign and
we'll be thankful. God is sovereign and we'll be
thankful. One night in 1920, Josh Gravitt
was driving down the road with a younger pastor named A.D. Mews. And A.D. Mews was born in 1890, so he
was 30 years old, and I don't know how old Josh Gravitt was,
but he was older than that. And they had a blowout on the
front tire of their car, and it flipped the car. It flipped
off the road, landed upside down. Josh Gravitt was thrown from
the car. He had broken ribs. He had a
punctured lung. And A.D. Mews could see him out
there laying, he could see he was in pain, so he opened the
upside-down door of the car, crawled out of the car, crawled
over to Josh Gravett, put his arm around him, and he said,
Brother Josh, are you hurt badly? And he said, in all that pain
and agony, he said, Archie, God is sovereign, and we'll be thankful. Even in this. Even in this. God is sovereign and we'll be
thankful. It is a good thing. No matter
what comes our way, things are going to come our way and we're
not going to understand them. Here's two pastors of two congregations
driving down the road. God caused the tire to blow out. God flipped the car. God threw
that man out of the car. God punctured his lungs. And it's a good thing, no matter
what comes our way, to give thanks to the Lord God Almighty, because
in His power, He has reigned. Now, I jotted down a few things
that I believe we all can give thanks for, and I'll show them
to you in the Word, and then maybe our Lord will let us just
dwell on them, be thankful for them. Go with me over to 1 Chronicles
16. First Chronicles 16. And I have a little side note. If you'd like something good
to read this week, read First Chronicles 16. I love this chapter. But let's begin reading in verse
34. It says, this is David singing and praising the Lord. He said
in verse 34, Oh, give thanks unto the Lord For he is good,
for his mercy endureth forever. And say ye, save us, O God of
our salvation, and gather us together and deliver us from
the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name and glory
in thy praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
forever and ever. And all the people said, Amen,
and praised the Lord. Let's enter into a true heart
of thanks for the fact that God chose to have mercy on us. I can't imagine anything that
we take more for granted than that. I can't imagine anything. To say that and to know that,
we just check that off as, yep, that's true, and then set that
to the side. Of all the souls on earth, out of every generation
through time, God said he was gonna choose a remnant, just
a remnant, to show mercy to. And he included us in that remnant. He included us in the remnant. Thank you, dear Heavenly Father. We pray, dear Heavenly Father.
That's all we can say. That's all we can do. And that's
all we can offer Him in return. To think out of all eternity,
all of mankind, how many souls have been on this earth? How
many people all over this world and He just selects a few here
and there, scattered abroad, and He chose us. He chose us. We know we're not worthy to be
chosen, but He chose us. And we say thank you. Verse 34,
O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy
endureth forever, and say ye, save us, O God of our salvation. Who's that? That's the Lord Jesus
Christ. God the Son. Let's take this
moment to be so thankful. May the Lord truly make us to
be thankful for the fact that God the Son was willing to come
to this wretched place to endure the torment and endure the pain
and endure the suffering of the cross. To give His life, His
body, His blood a ransom for our souls. Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable
gift. Thanks be unto God. Thank you,
dear Heavenly Father, for choosing us. Thank you, dear Lord Jesus,
for dying for us. How do you say that in the way
it ought to be said? Thank you for dying for us. Verse
35 goes on to say, and gather us together and deliver us from
the heathen that we may give thanks to thy holy name and glory
in thy praise. That's the work of God's Holy
Spirit. Aren't we thankful for the fact that God's Holy Spirit
has called us and brought us? Aren't you so glad you don't
have to work up a feeling of holiness inside you? How holy
do you feel at the moment? really aren't you so glad does
it ever hit you i don't have to make myself feel spiritual
enough to keep this thing going aren't you so glad for that god's
holy spirit that's his job he will round up all of god's people
he will hedge them about in the fold He'll keep them. He'll bring them. That gives
me so much relief in what I've been called to do. It is not
in myself to keep myself. It is not in myself to convince
myself to come to Christ. I can't convince myself to come
to Christ. Much less anybody else. But God's
Spirit will. He will. He'll do all of the
work and we all say thank you thank you all the people i love
this at the end of verse 36 all the people said amen and praise
the lord look with me at psalm 30 Psalm 30 verse 4 says, Sing unto
the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance
of His holiness. We are truly thankful for the
fact that He is holy. What that means is He must do
right. He must do what's right. Shall not the judge of the earth
do right? Everything he does is right. Everything. Everything that happens
is good and right. It is so perfect. I'm looking
forward to one day seeing all of this tapestry from the other
side. Somebody gave that illustration. We're looking at all of this
tapestry of our lives from the backside, all those threads,
loose threads. One of these days, the Lord's
going to flip it around and we're going to see how perfect every bit of
this was. Every single thing that happens
is good and right. And that's why we give thanks
in everything. Everything. It's perfect. It's holy. It's
just. It's good. It's right. And we
can quote this, but let's see it again with our own two eyes.
Go to Romans 8. This is the light bulb moment. Great revelation right here.
Romans 8, 28 says, And we know that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to His purpose. All things work together for
good. It's because God is holy. Everything
is according to His purpose. His will is perfect. It's absolutely
perfect. All things work together for
good. Has God given us the faith to believe that? Lord, increase
our faith. Increase our faith. He said in
Philippians 1 12. Everything that has happened
to me has happened for the furtherance of the gospel. Every single thing
that happens is for the progression of the gospel. Everything is
good. Everything is for the good of
his people. Everything is for the progression
of the gospel. Whatever happened to you today
somehow directly relates to the gospel. Finding another sheet. Somehow, every single thing that
happens, and I'm so thankful for that. So thankful to know
that. The things that we see to be good things, the things
we see to be evil things. We mean things for evil, God
means it for good. Every single thing is for the
purpose of the gospel. Find in another sheet. over in Philippians 1, don't
turn there, but verse 3 says, I thank God for every remembrance
of you. I thank God for every remembrance
of you. I want to honestly be more and
more thankful for you. I want to be more thankful for
you and all of God's people. The Lord has given us mercy He's
given us grace. He's given us Christ. He's given
us salvation in his blood. He's given us his word. This
word is more precious than gold. How much would you take in order
to give up the word of God? He's given us the gospel preached. We have the truth of Christ. He's given us ears to hear it.
He's given us eyes to see it. A heart that believes it. A mind
that understands it. He's given us a building to worship
in. Freedom to worship Him. And He's given us brethren to
worship with. I could not imagine worshiping
the Lord. And it happens. We can worship
the Lord anywhere. Men have been alone or thought
they were alone, but I would not want to worship God without
you, my brethren. Couldn't imagine it. We only
have reason in this life to give him thanks. We only have reason
to give him thanks. All right, let me give you two
more things. Both of these are something to truly be thankful
for. Go with me to John 11. John 11 verse 25. Jesus said unto her, I am the
resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth
in me shall never die. Believest thou this? It is a
good thing to give thanks for the fact that there is life after
this life. This is not it. This is not it. It is not over after this life
is over. It's just beginning. It's only
beginning. And when we enter into that life,
not only will it be eternal, Not only will that life be eternal,
not only will that life be so vibrant, so full, so... It can't be described by man's
mouth. But not only will it be all of those things, there will
be no more sorrow. None. None. Are our lives not filled with
sorrow and pain? Don't they seem to revolve around
that? They hop from one stepping stone
of sorrow to the next one. In that life there will be, this
is a reason to give thanks, no more sorrow. No more sorrow. I mean no more sorrow. Not one flicker of disappointment. Nobody will ever say anything
that will disappoint you. Never. There will be no more
pain. No more pain. There will be no more tears.
Not one more tear shed. Nothing but eternal peace and
rest and joy. Nothing. And the reason is because
we're going to be sitting forever at the feet of the one who loved
us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. Can you imagine
being in his presence, sitting at his feet, having him, hearing
him, touching him, speaking with him, asking him questions, him
answering you before you actually get the question out? Can you
imagine that? The reality of that? Forever! Until that time comes, We can
be thankful for this too. That's reason to be thankful.
And until that time comes, we can be thankful for this. Last
one. Go to Matthew 28. Verse 20. Matthew 28 20 teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I
am with you always even unto the end of the world we're going
to be with him as soon as this world is over but we're with
him right now I mean right now he said I am with you always
even unto the end of the world. He said, I'll never leave you,
I'll never forsake you. He said, my peace I leave with
you, the peace of my spirit, the peace of my word. He said,
you'll never be without it. Never. I believe that is worthy
for us to take a minute and turn back. And with the loud voice
of these hearts, Glorify God, falling down on our faces, the
faces of these hearts, just to give him thanks. Lord, thank
you. Thank you. I pray one day, Lord,
you would enable me to truly say thank you from this heart
like I want to. like I truly want to. It's such
a good thing to give thanks. All right, let's all stand together
and sing the only song we can sing.