"The Thanksgiving of Grace"

The Thanksgiving Of Grace
What do we have to be thankful for?

A roof over our heads.

Food on our tables.

Clothes on our backs.

Grace!

In fact, that last one, grace, ought to be at the top of our list. Why?

Because it is by grace that we have all of those other
things.

Because it is by grace that we are saved.

We understand we would be nothing without grace. But while most of us understand grace, it is quite another thing to “embrace” grace. Many of us have been the beneficiaries of God’s grace, but perhaps have not embraced grace. To embrace grace is to allow it to change your life. This message will be about doing just that…allowing the grace of God to transform you!

Ephesians 2:3-9 (NLT)

All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. 4  But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,  5  that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)  6  For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.  7  So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. 8  God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  9  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

What is Grace?

Some of you here may not understand the concept of grace. It may be a brand new word to you, or one that you have heard used but never heard explained. So I will lay out the basic definition of grace as well as try to show you how God works in and through grace.

Grace is the undeserved, unmerited, and unearned favor of God.

Grace is the manner in which God has consistently treated mankind.

In its most simple terms, Grace is getting something you don’t deserve from God. But it is also much more than that.
Allow me to illustrate it in terms of my grandmother during the time of the Great Depression: Unemployed men would come to my grandmother’s door during the Depression looking for food. She would fix them a plate of food and ask nothing in return from them. Now while some of us would call that grace, it is a far cry from it. It is simply charity. However, if instead, that unemployed man approached her door and she recognized him as the man who had stolen her silver from her home the week before…and then, instead of calling the police, serves him a plate of food, with no questions asked or anything in return…then you might be able to categorize that as “grace.”

Sermon Title – The Thanksgiving Of Grace

You Ready… Let’s Go!!

Luke 17:11-19 (NKJV)

Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  12  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  13  And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14  So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. 15  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,  16  and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. 17  So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?  18  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”  19  And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

Even if we think we have nothing else to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, we can be thankful for God’s grace.
We see very clearly in the story of the Ten Lepers…

The Undeservedness of Grace (11-14)

Master Have Mercy On Us

This text opens with Jesus entering “a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.”

Leprosy is a “horrible disease.”

One form of it begins with brownish-red spots on the face, ears, forearms, thighs, and/or buttocks that later become thickened nodules and, losing their skin covering, become ulcers (“sores”) with subsequent loss of tissue and then contraction and deformity.

Another form of it is characterized by numbness of an affected area of skin and deformity such as fingers like claws resulting from paralysis and consequent muscle wasting (atrophy).
The lepers of ancient society were rejected.

They were treated as outcasts.

They were required to live outside the city in leper camps and were to cry out to warn others to keep away from them as they walked the streets.
Even though the text tells us that “they stood afar off,” it was unlawful for them to even get that close to Jesus.

It was presumptuous of them to even come within shouting distance of Jesus.

However, they had heard of Jesus, about not only His power to heal but of His compassion.

Their faith told them, that even though they were not worthy to be in His presence, He would not reject or turn them away.

So in faith “they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

The word “mercy” means to show kindness or concern for someone in serious need

Two things are essential in order to have mercy: seeing a need and being able to meet that need.

Jesus saw their need and did something about it. In verse 14 it says “So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.”

When Jesus tells the men to go to the priest to prove that they have been cleansed, it is clear that Jesus has acted to heal them.

Undeserved Gift

The story of the Ten Lepers is a clear description of God’s grace.

They were unworthy to come to Jesus, but he received them anyway.

They were unworthy of His mercy, but He gave it freely.

They were unworthy to be healed, but He healed them completely.

None of us deserve God’s grace. We can’t be:

Good enough

Kind enough

Generous enough

Even though we are not worthy of God’s grace, through the blood of Jesus, we have been made worthy.

The bad news is we will never be worthy on our own.

The good news is that we don’t have to be worthy, because Christ has become our righteousness.

That is the definition of grace!

The story of the Ten Lepers also clearly illustrates for us…
The Thankfulness of Grace (15-16)

One of Them
As they went to show themselves to the priests, “one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God.” He glorified God immediately.

He shouted at the top of his lungs with the loudest voice possible.

He witnessed for God. God had cleansed him and he wanted all to know the great mercy and love of God. Then, he “fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.”

He worshipped Jesus.

Note that he fell down on his face at the feet of Jesus.

This was both humility and recognition of the power of God in Christ, two essentials for true spiritual cleansing.

He didn’t care:

Who saw him

What they thought of him, or

What they said about him

All he cared about was that he once was a prisoner to a crippling disease, and now, through the power of Jesus, he was set free.

Before he had no life, but now he had new life.

2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (NKJV)

Now pay close attention to what it says at the end of verse 16: “And he was a Samaritan.”

Luke notes that the man is a Samaritan, which means he comes from racial roots that represent insensitivity to God.

As far as the Jews were concerned, the Samaritans were no good, half-breed, heathens.

Joy of Salvation

Illustration: This guy was like a lot of new Christians.

Big grin spread all over his face.

They walk around and sing from the top of their lungs “Oh, how I love Jesus!”
These kind of people are great to be around because they understand the joy of salvation. They are so grateful to have their names written in the Lambs Book of Life. They knew that before they were headed straight to hell, but now they are living on the “Hallelujah Side.” They once were lost, but now they are found. They once were blind, but now they can see. These people are great to have around because they understand grace!

However, on the other side of this is…

The Forgetfulness of Grace (17-19)
Where are the Nine?

Jesus then asks the question “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?”
Jesus had instructed the men to go to the priest. All of them had turned to do so, apparently.

Only one has taken the trouble to return and thank Jesus.

God’s graciousness is often ignored and unappreciated…taken for granted

In addition, often those who have been blessed forget to take time to thank those God uses. All the lepers were blessed and should have been thankful.

This was true of the ten lepers, and it should be true of every one of us.

Every one of the ten should have turned back and given thanks. Notice what Jesus says, “Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”

A word often meaning “pagan” or “heathen”.

Ten men had been healed, but only one, the foreigner, came back to give glory to God. So he tells the one who came back, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

This one man was freed, so Jesus sent him on his way with the knowledge that his faith had made him well.

He not only had a restored body, his soul had been restored as well.

But what about the other nine?

They forgot about grace!

Ungrateful

Illustration: Do you remember the “Oh, how I love Jesus” guy? Unfortunately, some of those people, after time goes by, became “Complaining Karen.”

They sit in the pew at church and say “I wish pastor would hurry up. By the time we get out of here and get to the restaurant all the food will be gone.”

They become critics instead of committed

They complain and become an “internal terrorist”

Where is the grace in that?

How did he go from “How I love Jesus,” to “Complaining Karen?” He forgot about grace! They have forgotten about the joy of their salvation.

They have forgotten that their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Instead of being on the Hallelujah Side, they’re on the wrong side of the tracks. They have forgotten that they once were lost, but now they are found. They once were blind, but now they see. They’ve forgotten about grace!

It’s time to remember again!

Conclusion

Who are you?

Are you “How I love Jesus”

Are you “Complaining Karen”
Have you forgotten:

The joy of your salvation

That your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life

Once you were lost, but now you are found.

This Thanksgiving, let’s remember about grace!!