Giving Him Thanks

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 24th of November, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Today is the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  Preparing for this morning’s service, I realized that I used the same scripture passage last year that I was led to this year.  But the message I received from the passage this time is much different than before.  It centers once again on Jesus showing His great compassion and mercy for suffering people.  And what did He receive in return?

Listen and follow along to how the Apostle Luke recorded an incident between Jesus and ten men who suffered from one of the most dreaded diseases of the time, saved for us in chapter 17 of his Gospel account, verses 11 through 19, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…

11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, He reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As He entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him for what He had done. This man was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

--Luke 17:11-19 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, because He was Your Son, Jesus showed the same great mercy and compassion as You do while He walked this earth.  He healed people of all manner of illness, disease, and infirmity.  And while He did none of this for the appreciation He might receive from mankind, He nonetheless must have been surprised at the lack of gratitude He too often received.  Father, even today, so many are ungrateful for all the blessings You pour out upon us.  May we who follow Your Son never be counted among the ungrateful.  May our words of thanks be reflected in our deeds of service to You and to Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, through Your Spirit, with the message we need to hear this morning.  Show us how we can better express our appreciation for Your many blessings.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.


A mother wanted to teach her daughter a moral lesson.  She gave the little girl a quarter and a dollar bill for church.  "Put whichever one you want in the collection plate and you may keep the other for yourself,"  she told the girl.  When they were coming out of church, the mother asked her daughter which amount she had given.  "Well," said the little girl, "I was going to give the dollar, but just before the collection the man in the pulpit said that we should all be cheerful givers.  I knew I'd be a lot more cheerful if I gave the quarter, so I did."


Last week I told of Edward Spencer whose health was severely compromised when he rescued 17 people from the frigid waters of Lake Michigan, yet not one of them stopped to thank him.  I thought this week’s story should be a little cheerier.  But I’m not sure the young girl quite understood the point the preacher tried to make.  She might have been happier to keep the dollar and give the quarter, but only as the world might measure happiness.  We can be the happiest and most cheerful when we honor our Father in heaven, the God of all Creation.  Our cheerful giving is one way we can say, “Thank You, God!”, just as is our service to His Son Jesus.

There are many times we can see in our Bible where Jesus said, “Be of good cheer”.  The instance that should be of greatest significance to us is when He added, “for I have overcome the world”.  We should always be cheerful and generous in our giving, for it is one way we can show God our gratitude for His generous giving to us.  And it is one way we can loosen the world’s grip on us.


It could easily be said that our scripture reading this morning is a study of human nature.  As He entered a small town, ten lepers stood off a ways crying out for Jesus to have mercy on them.  By that, of course, they meant for Him to cleanse them of their disease.

Leprosy was a horrible, dreaded disease in that time and culture.  By Hebrew law, a leper could no longer live with their family or associate with the “clean” members of the community.  They were outcasts, shunned by all others.

Jesus did indeed have mercy on them.  He told them to go and show themselves to the priests.  This refers back to Leviticus and the law that describes the ceremony of purification from a skin disease.  As they went, they were healed, but only one came back to thank Jesus, and he was a Samaritan - not a “pure” Jew.

In verse 19 Jesus told this man that his faith had healed him.  But think for a moment…  Verse 14 says the ten were cleansed of their leprosy as they headed off to see the priests.  The Samaritan who gave thanks had already been healed of his disease, hadn’t he?

In the 1599 Geneva Bible, verse 19 is translated as “Your faith has saved you.”  By giving thanks, the Samaritan’s soul was also healed.  By giving thanks, he was saved.


Now, our Bible doesn’t specify that giving thanks is necessary for salvation.  But our assurance of salvation through Christ Jesus surely ought to make us want to give thanks.  And how can we show our thanks?

The Samaritan returned to Jesus, came back into His presence, fell to his knees praising God and thanking Jesus for what He had done.  Could we not do that every now and then, get down on our knees before Jesus, praising God and thanking Him for offering us forgiveness of our sins?  The author of the letter to the Hebrews says this, in chapter 13, verses 15 and 16…

15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to His name. 16 And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.

--Hebrews 13:15-16 (NLT)

Do you consider praising God to be a sacrifice?  If we do it as the author suggests, continuously praising God, it becomes a sacrifice of time.  And he adds for us to do good and to share with those in need.  Giving of our precious time to praise God, doing good in the community, sharing with others what God has given us…  these are the sacrifices that please God.

The Apostle Paul echoes this instruction in his 1st letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 5, verses 16 through 18, when we says…

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)

In everything give thanks.  Not for everything, but in everything.  We wouldn’t thank God for a fire that destroyed our home, but we could certainly thank Him that no one was injured in the fire.  In all situations, we can find something to give thanks to God for if we only take the time to look.

Paul carries this idea a little further, giving more meaning to how our giving thanks can enrich our lives.  Listen to what he wrote to the Colossians, in chapter 3 of that letter, verses 16 and 17…

16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

--Colossians 3:16-17 (NLT)

Let the Gospel fill our lives.  Help each other in our Christian walk.  Sing praises to God straight from our hearts that are bursting with gratitude!  And in all things, in everything we do or say, especially when out in public, we must remember that we are representing Christ Jesus.  We just might be the only Jesus someone will see.  So we need to represent Him well, giving thanks through Him to God our Father.

Let’s give thanks with more than words.  Let’s put our gratitude into action.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for everything!  If it were not for You and Your boundless generosity and mercy, we would have nothing.  Thank You especially for our salvation through Your Son Jesus.  Forgive us, please Father, when we are afraid to put our gratitude into action.  Please help us be great representatives of Jesus.  Help us show Jesus to others and teach them all about the Good News He brings.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our disobedient ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…

Lord Jesus, You commissioned us to spread Your Gospel to all the earth, telling them all about You, representing You to an unbelieving people that they might come to know You as their personal Lord and Savior.  May we never get so busy or so jaded by life that we don’t pause long enough to just say, “Thanks”.  And may our actions speak far louder than our mere words.  Help us, please Jesus, to properly represent You to an ungrateful world.  Help us be ever thankful in our service to You.  This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.