Sunday, June 25, 2023 AM
RETURN TO HOLINESS: Sin of Unthankfulness
Mike Teel, Pastor
FOCAL PASSAGES:
18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. —Ephesians 5:18-20
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. —I Thessalonians 5:16-18
JESUS MAKES A
OF UNTHANKFULNESS
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 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.” —Luke 17:11-19
1. THE DISEASE OF
—In Bible times, Leprosy was a terrible disease that ostracized its victims from family and friends.
—The Mosaic Law required that anyone with leprosy must continually cry out, “Unclean, unclean,” as he walked along the road, lest any passerby be contaminated by his disease. (Leviticus 13:45)
—Jesus in these passages was met by ten lepers who stood at a distance and cried out to Him, “Jesus, Master have mercy on us.”
—Jesus instructed them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” (Who were the ones who could officially pronounce a leper cleansed from his disease).
—As they went, they were cleansed.
—Of the ten cleansed, one, a Samaritan, when he saw he was healed, returned to Jesus, praising God, and thanking Jesus.
—Jesus exclaimed, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except for this foreigner?
2. REMEMBER OUR
—We read a story like this and think, “How could those nine men be so ungrateful as to not even turn back and say a word of thanks to Jesus?”
—Yet far too many times too many of us are guilty of the same sin of unthankfulness!
—Spiritually, our condition was once far more worse than the physical disease of leprosy.
—We were not diseased; we were spiritually DEAD. We were slaves to the world, to Satan, and to the passions of our own sinful nature.
—We were by nature objects of God’s wrath.
—God in His great mercy and love, reached out to us and gave us spiritual life.
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. —Ephesians 2:1-5
—He forgave us our sins through the death of His Son and covered us with the spotless righteousness of Jesus Himself.
FOR UNTHANKFULNESS
1. HOW THANKFUL ARE
?
—Christ giving us spiritual life is a far greater miracle, and its benefits are infinitely greater than healing form leprosy.
—Yet how often do we give thanks for our salvation?
—This means that every breath we draw is a gift from God. Everything we are and everything we have is a gift from Him.
—If you have intellectual or professional or technical skills, those skills are a gift from God. Yes, you might have studied diligently or worked hard to develop an innate talent, but remember who gave you the intellect, skill, and talent to do so.
2.
CAN LEAD TO UNTHANKFULNESS
—God warned the Israelites when they came into the Promised Land to be careful of the prosperity and a spirit of unthankfulness.
11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. —Deuteronomy 8:11-14, 17-18
—Most of us acknowledge that everything we have comes from God, but how often do we stop to give thanks to Him.
IS UNTHANKFULNESS A
?
1. WHEN THINGS ARE
—Many would not consider unthankfulness as a sin or if they do, it would fall into the category of “acceptable” since all of us are guilty of it and it is so prevalent in our lives.
—This is not what Paul had to say about it.
20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. —Ephesians 5:20
—Remember Jesus stated so clearly “Loving God with all our hearts, soul, and mind is the great and first commandment, then failure to give thanks to God as a habit of life is a violation of the greatest commandment.”
2. IN ALL
—What about when things are not good? When the circumstances, do not turn out as we had hoped?
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. —I Thessalonians 5:16-18
—Listen to what Paul says, “In all circumstances we are to give thanks, even when they do not turn out the way we had hoped.”
—This means those things we may not be thankful for; we are still to be thankful. Why?
—Consider what Paul says in
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. —Romans 8:28-29
—We must remember that God is working things out for our good and sometimes chooses to take us in a different direction.
—By faith in the promise of God in Romans 8:28-29, we obey the command of
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. —I Thessalonians 5:16-18
—Yes, even when it doesn’t make sense and certainly is not the way we had envisioned it.
LIVE IT OUT
—Would you say this morning you have been guilty of the sin of unthankfulness?
—What can you do to be more mindful of being thankful to God for His blessings?
—Are there those in your life you need to express your thankfulness to?
—Attempt to begin and close each day by thanking God for His provisions!