11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, 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 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Luke 17:11-19 (kjv)

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Theme: The Danger of an Ungrateful Heart

Introduction

There is something powerful about the words “Thank You.”

Two simple words can reveal the condition of a person's heart.

In Luke 17, Jesus encounters ten men who were suffering from leprosy. They were separated from their families, their communities, and normal life. Their condition had taken away their health, their relationships, and their dignity.

When they saw Jesus, they cried out:

“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priests. As they went, they were cleansed.

All ten received the blessing.

But only one came back to say thank you.

Jesus asked:

“Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?”

That's a powerful question.

God can bless ten people and only one may come back with gratitude.

The question today is not simply, “Has God blessed you?”

The question is:

“After God blessed you, did you remember to come back and thank Him?”

1. DON'T FORGET WHO HELPED YOU

The ten lepers were in trouble, and Jesus was their answer.

They couldn't heal themselves.

They couldn't restore themselves.

They couldn't remove their condition.

They needed somebody greater than themselves.

And when Jesus came along, they cried out for mercy.

Sometimes trouble will make us pray differently.

When we need God, we know how to call His name.

When the bills are due, we pray.

When the doctor gives us bad news, we pray.

When the family is in trouble, we pray.

When the business is struggling, we pray.

When the door is closed, we pray.

When we need a miracle, we pray.

But the danger comes when God answers the prayer.

Sometimes we are faithful while we need something, but once we receive what we asked for, we forget the One who gave it to us.

Don't let your blessing make you forget your Blesser.

2. EVERY BLESSING DESERVES A RESPONSE

Luke tells us that as the ten men went, they were cleansed.

Imagine what they must have felt!

They could see their skin changing.

They could feel their bodies being restored.

They knew something had happened.

But only one stopped and turned around.

He didn't just receive his blessing.

He responded to his blessing.

He came back glorifying God with a loud voice.

Then he fell down at Jesus' feet and gave Him thanks.

There is a difference between receiving a blessing and recognizing the source of the blessing.

Some people receive God's blessings but never acknowledge God.

They thank everybody except God.

They celebrate the house but forget who provided the house.

They celebrate the job but forget who opened the door.

They celebrate the healing but forget who gave them strength.

They celebrate the success but forget who gave them the opportunity.

Don't become so excited about what God gave you that you forget who gave it to you.

3. INGRATITUDE CAN REVEAL A HEART PROBLEM

The Bible gives us another warning about ungrateful people.

2 Timothy 3:1–2

Paul says that in the last days people would be:

“lovers of their own selves... proud... unthankful, unholy.”

Notice that “unthankful” is included in this list.

Why?

Because gratitude is more than good manners.

Gratitude is a spiritual condition of the heart.

An ungrateful person can become so focused on what they don't have that they stop appreciating what God has already given them.

They complain about the one thing they don't have while ignoring the hundred things they do have.

They say:

“I don't have enough.”

But what about what you do have?

“I don't have the house I want.”

But do you have somewhere to sleep?

“I don't have the car I want.”

But can you still get where you need to go?

“My life isn't where I want it to be.”

But aren't you still here?

Sometimes we need to stop complaining about what is missing and start thanking God for what remains.

4. THE BIBLE WARNS US ABOUT FORGETTING GOD

Deuteronomy 8:10–11 gives another important warning.

After Israel had entered into God's blessings, Moses warned them not to forget the Lord.

The danger wasn't only that they would lose something.

The danger was that their blessings might cause them to forget God.

That's a word for us today.

Sometimes we think hardship is what will make us forget God.

But sometimes prosperity can be just as dangerous.

When we need God, we seek Him.

When God blesses us, sometimes we become too busy for Him.

When we are sick, we come to church.

When we get healed, we become too busy.

When we need the job, we pray.

When we get the job, we stop praying.

When we need the house, we pray.

When we get the house, we don't have time for church anymore.

When we need the miracle, we seek God.

When the miracle comes, we forget God.

Don't allow the blessing to become more important than the One who blessed you.

5. TEN RECEIVED THE BLESSING, BUT ONE RECEIVED SOMETHING GREATER

Jesus said to the one who returned:

“Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”

All ten were cleansed.

But the one who returned received something more.

There is a difference between being cleansed and being made whole.

The nine received a miracle.

The one who returned developed a deeper relationship with Jesus.

The nine received what they wanted.

The one came back to worship the One who gave it.

Never become satisfied with the blessing when you can have a relationship with the Blesser.

6. GRATITUDE SHOULD NOT DEPEND ON CIRCUMSTANCES

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says:

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Notice that Paul didn't say, “Give thanks for everything.”

He said, “In everything give thanks.”

That means even when everything isn't going right, we can still find something to thank God for.

You may not like everything happening around you.

You may not understand everything God is doing.

You may be waiting for something to change.

But you can still say:

“Lord, I thank You.”

Thank You for life.

Thank You for another day.

Thank You for mercy.

Thank You for grace.

Thank You for keeping me.

Thank You for opening doors.

Thank You for closing doors that needed to be closed.

Thank You for the lessons.

Thank You for the victories.

Thank You for the things I understand and the things I don't understand.

Lord, I still thank You!

7. DON'T BE ONE OF THE NINE

The question Jesus asked is still relevant:

“Where are the nine?”

Where are the people who cried out when they needed help?

Where are the people who promised God they would serve Him if He brought them through?

Where are the people who said, “Lord, if You make a way, I'll never forget You”?

Where are they now?

God made the way.

God opened the door.

God brought them through.

But somewhere along the way, they forgot to come back.

Don't be one of the nine.

Be the one who comes back.

Be the one who remembers.

Be the one who worships.

Be the one who says, “Thank You, Jesus!”

8. GRATITUDE KEEPS US HUMBLE

When we are grateful, we recognize that we didn't get here by ourselves.

Yes, you worked.

Yes, you sacrificed.

Yes, you endured.

Yes, you made wise decisions.

But don't forget that God gave you the strength to keep going.

God gave you the ability.

God gave you the opportunity.

God gave you another day.

The grateful heart says:

“I may have worked for it, but God gave me the strength to do it.”

That's humility.

Pride says, “Look what I did.”

Gratitude says, “Look what God has done.”

Conclusion: COME BACK AND SAY THANK YOU

Ten men were healed.

Nine kept going.

One turned around.

The difference wasn't the blessing.

The difference was the heart.

All ten had a reason to celebrate.

But only one recognized the source of his miracle.

Today, God is asking:

“Where are the nine?”

Don't let God have to look for you after He has blessed you.

Don't let Him have to search for the person who prayed when they were in trouble.

Come back and say thank You.

When God heals you—say thank You.

When God provides—say thank You.

When God opens a door—say thank You.

When God closes a door—say thank You.

When you don't understand—say thank You.

When you are still waiting—say thank You.

When you are going through—say thank You.

When you come out—say thank You.

Because your gratitude should not be based on what God does.

Your gratitude should be based on who God is.

He is still God.

He is still faithful.

He is still merciful.

He is still worthy.

And after everything He has done for us, we ought to be able to lift our hands and say:

“LORD, I THANK YOU!”

Don't be one of the nine.
Be the one who came back.

Don't Forget To Say Thank You