LET'S GET THE JOB DONE

FINISHING THE UNFINISHED TASK

ACTS 1: 1-11

Introduction: September 11th, 2001 just past 9:00 am, Stanley Praimnath, Vice President for Fuji Bank, was in his office in the South Tower at WTC when his phone rang. “Are you watching the news?’ asked a woman from the Chicago office. “Are you alright?” “I’m fine,” he said wondering why she had called. Just then he turned to gaze out the window at the Statue of Liberty, as had been his routine. The surreal sight of a low-flying commercial jet, heading straight for his tower disrupted his view. He dropped the phone in mid-sentence and dove to the floor. Curling under his the desk he began praying to God, “Lord, help me” he prayed desperately as the aircraft smashed into the tower.

            The smell of jet fuel in the air, equipment scattered all around, rubble covering the floor, dust in the air, he began clawing across a mound of debris. “Lord, I have to go home to my family,” he gasped. “I have to see my daughters.” Just then he saw a light.

            “I am here to help you.” He thought, “This is my guardian angel! The Lord sent somebody to help me!” Brian Clark, a Christian who was an executive three floors below. The two miraculously climbed out of the rubble to safety. Praimnath stated, “My Lord has some unfinished tasks for me.” “I took the tattered clothes I was wearing that day, put them in a box, and wrote DELIVERANCE all over it. I told my wife, ‘if I ever get spiritually cold, I want you to bring this box to me, open it up, and show me what the Lord brought me from.”[1]

            Could it be the reason why you and I are still alive today while many others have passed away is that the Lord might be having some unfinished task for us to complete? Let’s look from our passage what that Unfinished Task is all about and how we might get the job done.

            Remember, on the cross what did Jesus mean when he said, “it is finished!”? He was referring to the accomplished mission of bringing salvation to humanity. Jesus left the remaining task of carrying the gospel of the Kingdom to his disciples. In the passage we read, what Jesus was continuing to do after his resurrection until the day he was taken up into heaven.

I POST RESURRECTION TASKS (1-5)

            After Jesus rose from the dead, did he hang up his coat and said, “this is it! Now all is over I can sit back and relax” No! Instead, he got himself busy completing some of those unfinished tasks. The apostle records them in the passage we read. Vs. 1-2, “In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit.” These verses tell me that our Lord never took retirement, but kept working until he was taken up.

            The standard way of living for many is to work hard after a certain age retires from work and spend the remaining days in ease and comfort. But I wonder if there ever was such a thing called retirement for the Children of God when there is so much still to do in this world?

            What was it that Jesus busy with, till the end and expects the same from all of his followers at all times? Vs. 3, “During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.” This verse tells us a few things.

            Talking about the Kingdom of God was very important to Jesus. His inaugural speech if you will was about the Kingdom, and he continued to talk about it and demonstrate it throughout his ministry. But that is not the end; he spoke about it for forty days after his resurrection. If the Kingdom God was so important to Jesus, what do you think it should be for us? If Jesus spent most of his energy for the sake of the Kingdom, where should we spend our energy and time?

II THE UNFINISHED TASK

            One of Jesus post-resurrection tasks was to meet up with his remaining eleven disciples on a designated mountain in Galilee. When he met them, some worshipped him while others doubted. To this somewhat semi doubtful yet worshipping group of disciples, he gave the unfinished task saying, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

            Jesus picked up the message of the Kingdom from where his cousin John the Baptist had left. He continued with it until he was taken up into heaven, but before that he passed on the unfinished task into the hands of his disciples to complete it. What is that unfinished task?

            It is to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all of His commands. One would think it is a distinct command to His disciples, and they should be excited and committed to complete the job, right? But it was not the case. The disciple's minds were somewhere else.

            While all along Jesus was talking about a heavenly kingdom, ironically the disciples were thinking of an earthly kingdom. So, with that concern, they kept asking him like little children, “when is the time, is this the time, that you are going to free Israel and restore their kingdom?           Jesus had to turn their attention back, to what mattered, so he said, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

In other words, “Boys don’t worry about it! Get busy! You got some Unfinished Job to do!”

III. THE FINAL WORDS OF JESUS

            Last words have always fascinated people. Perhaps they hold an echo of wisdom, advice challenge, warning or a wish. The loved ones pay close attention to those words and do their best to fulfill the desires of the person who was departing from this world into the next.

            What were the final words of Jesus to his friends and followers who had been with him from the beginning of his ministry? His last words were, Vs. 8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

            After saying those words, Jesus was taken up into heaven right in front of his disciples. In shock and bewilderment, the disciples kept looking into the sky, two angels appeared to them and said, “Men of Galilee,” Why are you standing here and staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go.” In other words; “stop staring and start working, you got some unfinished Job to do.”

IV. FINISHING THE UNFINISHED TASK

            Fast forward over two thousand years, since that moment when Jesus was taken up into heaven until today the whole Christian community has been looking for Christ’s return as the angels promised. But where is the promised return of Christ? When will he come, or will he ever come back? No doubt! These and many other questions about Jesus’ return plague the minds of both skeptics and saints alike. Why is the delay? When would Jesus Christ finally return?

            The delay is because the unfinished task of preaching the good news of the Gospel to all nations remains unfinished.  When the unfinished job is finally completed Jesus will indeed return to the earth, and establish his Kingdom. However, here is the challenge. Who will get the job done? Finishing the unfinished job is now left for the Church in every generation.

            The missiologists believe that we are within range of finishing the job, with more momentum than ever before. "For the first time in history, it is possible to see the end of the tunnel when there will be a church movement within the language and social structure of every people group on earth, powerful face to face evangelism taking over within all peoples.

            Biblical faith is growing among more people in more places than ever before. In the last thirty years, dedicated believers increased from 5% to over 11% of the world population. The gospel is being preached all over the world as Jesus said would happen. From across the globe evangelists and missionaries are going forth to be a part of it."[2]

            However, "The unfinished task" will continue until we have "preached the Gospel of the Kingdom in the whole world as a witness to all nations [people groups]" and there are true believers in Jesus Christ "from every nation, tribe, people and language..."(Matt. 24:14 and Rev. 7:9). The unfinished task calls each new generation to a sense of urgency to "speed up the coming of that day" (2 Peter 3:12).

            What an excellent opportunity for us to co-labor with our Lord Jesus Christ to see this world won back to the father? On this second Sunday of Easter; if Jesus were to come into Hope Church what would be his words for us?  I don’t think they will be any different than what He told his disciples before he was taken up to heaven.

            Jesus would say to us, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere beginning in Sharon. It is a great privilege to be called as the witnesses of Christ.  Our life is short, and it will soon be over, but what we do for Christ will last a lifetime.  Therefore, let’s get ready, put our work boots, pull up our sleeves and get to work! We have a lot of ground to cover before our Lord returns. Amen!

           

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[1] https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon-illustrations/9659/forgiveness-in-jesus-by-james-botts?ref=TextIllustrationSerps

[2] http://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/article/an-overview-of-the-unfinished-task

Why I Believe in The Resurrection

WHY I BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION!

(Matthew 28:1-20)

Introduction: A pastor friend of mine was recently in Romania. In his blog, he recounted a brief conversation he had regarding Romanian Easter. “During the communist era, even though the government sought to quash any Easter observances, still mothers and grandmothers encouraged the coloring of eggs, the buying, and wearing of new clothes, the baking of special bread and cookies, and the repeated refrain: “He is risen indeed!”

            Although they tried, the governmental authority could not suppress the power of tradition. Admittedly, the underlying significance of that tradition might have been lost, and yet, like a parable, the tradition still invited questions: Why do we color eggs? Why do we wear new clothes? Why do we eat special bread—does anyone know?

            He further notes, “I was more keenly aware of the interconnection between Scripture, experience, and tradition. That is, like a three-legged stool, if we remove one or another of these from our faith, then that faith is greatly weakened or “functionally impaired.”

            I love traditions. We know that Easter is more than Easter bunny and Easter eggs, and it is about the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. On this Easter Sunday morning, we are gathered to celebrate an age-old rich Christian tradition, and to recount, and reflect on one of the fundamental tenants of Christian faith: The Resurrection of Christ!

            On Easter Sunday morning, for centuries Christians around the world, sang “Christ is Risen! Alleluia” exuberantly to proclaim that our Lord has risen from the tomb, but what evidence do we have?  How do we know without a shadow of a doubt that the resurrection of Christ is the absolute truth? This morning we will be focusing on the scriptural evidence.  I title this message, “Why I believe in the Resurrection.”

            Once there was a zealous Jew, a Pharisee of Pharisees who vehemently opposed to this truth of Jesus’ resurrection, and tried his best to squash the existence of the believers of this truth until he had an encounter with Jesus on the road of Damascus. This is what Saul who became the Apostle Paul had to say about Jesu’s resurrection. I Corinthians 15:14, “And If Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.”

            Eyewitness testimony plays a crucial role in the American criminal justice system as they help to clarify what happened by telling the judge or jury everything they know about an event. In order to support my claim why I believe in the Resurrection, I would like to introduce to us, several key witnesses. Some are first-hand witnesses, others are prime witnesses and, in the end, I will close the argument by presenting a supreme witness. Let’s get started.

I THE WITNESS OF THE WOMEN (Vs 1-8)

            The women had played an important role during the ministry of Jesus. Here again, the women were the first witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. From the four gospels, we gather a group of women, Mary Magdalene out of whom Jesus had driven seven demons, Mary the mother of James, Salome, and Joanna (Luke 24:10), early on Sunday morning went out to visit the tomb. On the way, they wondered who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?

            Their job was made easy, an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled back the stone and sat on it. Listen to the conversation between the angel and the women, Vs 5-6 “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”

            The women were horrified yet delighted with this encounter. As they were about to leave, Vs 9-10, “Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee and they will see me there.” The women went and told the eleven disciples everything they had witnessed, but their words did not make sense until they themselves went to the tomb.

II THE WITNESS OF THE GUARDS

            The day after the burial the chief priests and the Pharisees went up to Pilot and requested that the Tomb be secured. They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ So, we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.” Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.” (Matt 27: 62-65).         The Roman Guard was a 16-man security unit. Each man was trained to protect six square feet of the ground. Each guard had four weapons on his body. If the Pharisees didn’t believe that Jesus might be raised from the dead then why would they take such trouble to secure the tomb? Would it be possible for eleven fearful disciples to come secretly and steal the body of Jesus in the watch full eye of the powerful Roman Guard? Yet that was what circulated.

            On the resurrection day, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. In order to squash the truth of the Resurrection, the leaders gave a huge bribe to the soldiers and asked them to spread a lie saying, “Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.” Unfortunately, that lie has been in circulation till today. But who can discount the stories of whose lives were transformed forever by the personal visitation of the risen Lord? I refer to them as the prime witnesses.

III THE PRIME WITNESSES.

            During his ministry, many people followed Jesus for all kinds of reasons, but only the disciples who were also known as the apostles stood with Jesus till the end. To them Jesus said, John 15:27, “And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.” Simon Peter was the first one to follow Jesus. He is the only one who denied Christ three times, but when repented and forgiven he became the strongest witness.

            This is how the apostle Peter under the power of the Holy Spirit has to say about the resurrection of Christ. Acts 2:31-32, “David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah’s resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave. “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this.”      

            Another prime witness, the apostle Paul mentions scores of other witnesses. I Corinthians 15:3-8, “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then to the twelve.

            After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.”

            The Jewish Law of Moses required at least two or three witnesses required especially when issuing a death sentence. Deuteronomy 17:6, “But never put a person to death on the testimony of only one witness. There must always be two or three witnesses.” So far, we listened to the testimonies of hundreds of witnesses who said they saw the risen Lord. Yet some skeptics would say none of them are credible. But who can challenge and refute the supreme witness who would speak of his own resurrection?

IV. THE SUPREME WITNESS

            Listen to the powerful testimony of Jesus who himself prophesied about His own resurrection "Listen," he said, "we're going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day, he will be raised from the dead."(Matt 20: 18-19).

            Remember the encounter of two disciples on the Road to Emmaus? When they returned to the disciples and telling them how they recognized Jesus, Jesus himself suddenly appeared to them, Luke 24: 36-48, “Peace be with you,” he said. But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!

            “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do. “As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet…They gave him a piece of fish, and he ate it as they watched.

            Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day.”

            Dear friends, after looking at all these scriptural evidence, and based on my own personal experience of receiving the gift of salvation, I am more than convinced that Jesus Christ has indeed risen from the dead. This is the reason why we celebrate Easter. Jesus is not in the tomb. He has risen! Our risen savior is here to offer the forgiveness of your sins, and fill you with the power of resurrection, so that your life will become full of meaning and purpose. Amen!

           

Palm Sunday: (A fulfilled Prophecy & A Missed Opportunity)

PALM SUNDAY: LUKE 19:28-44

(A fulfilled Prophecy & A Missed Opportunity)

Introduction: A great crowd greeted him with joyful exuberance on the first Palm Sunday, could this finally be the king who would make things right? We are separated by time and space; therefore, it would be hard for us to understand the heightened expectations of the crowds that came from around the world into the city of Jerusalem during the Passover. In order for us to get a glimpse of the first Palm Sunday, let’s watch this video clip of Jesu’s Triumphant Entry.

            Last week we learned that Jesus set His face firmly towards Jerusalem, on the way he healed ten lepers, but only one returned to give thanks and praise to God for his healing. After that in Chapter 18, he took his twelve disciples aside and made his intentions clear to them.

            Luke 18:31-33, taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus said, “Listen, we’re going up to Jerusalem, where all the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of Man will come true. ³² He will be handed over to the Romans,^[a] and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon. ³³ They will flog him with a whip and kill him, but on the third day he will rise again.”

            Jesus was hinting to his disciples that some of the prophecies concerning him were going to be fulfilled right in front of their eyes, yet they didn’t understand any of this. The significance of his words was hidden from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about.” Palm Sunday is not about palms and a donkey but it is about a fulfilled prophecy regarding the Messiah and about people in spite of seeing many signs yet missed a golden opportunity.

I. BEHOLD YOUR KING! (A Prophecy fulfilled)

            As Jesus approached Jerusalem, he sends two of his disciples with specific instructions to a house to bring him a donkey. They brought him a donkey and threw their garments over it so that he could ride on the donkey. The crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. Matthew notes, “and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.”

            What does a donkey, and palm branches have to do in the redemptive story? Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey in fulfillment of a prophecy. Zachariah 9:9-11, Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey, riding on a donkey’s colt.

            I will remove the battle chariots from Israel…I will destroy all the weapons used in battle, and your king will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. Because of the covenant, I made with you, sealed with blood, I will free your prisoners...”

            The first and the last message that Jesus ever spoke was about the Kingdom of God. He gave many signs as to what the Kingdom of God was going to look like. By way of riding on a donkey, Jesus positioned Himself to be the future King of the universe. Jesus’ use of a donkey fits the description of a king who would be “righteous having salvation, and gentle.” Rather than riding to conquer, this king would enter in peace. This happened in fulfillment of the prophecy.

            What is the significance of the spreading of the clothes and the cut palm branches? This gesture was a sort of rolling out of an ancient “red carpet.” In the OT, when people took their cloaks or outer garments and laid them down in front of someone it meant that they respected the one who has the power and authority over them. In a way, the crowd was showing respect to Jesus as their King, and they were simply delighted at His Triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

            As Jesus’ entourage started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing praises to God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. Vs38, “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven.” It was taken from Psalm 118: 26, “Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”

            This phrase was often sung at the Passover with anticipation of God’s redemption, and an expectation of the rule of the Davidic kingdom on the earth. They also sang about “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven.” What is peace all about, and who brings peace?

II THE KINGDOM OF PEACE

            The Israelites once knew what it was to live in peace from all their enemies from all directions. It was during the reign of King Solomon. I Kings 5:4, “But now the Lord my God has given me peace on every side; I have no enemies, and all is well.” Can you imagine what it is like to have peace on every side, and not having any enemies and everything is going well?

            That peace lasted as long as Solomon was King over the nation of Israel, and it became fragmented and completely disappeared after his death. As we read the history, we will know that the Jews were scattered all over the world, not having their homeland for a very long time, and they were more haunted and persecuted than any other people group in the world.

            We can’t blame them from wanting to return to their own place and live in peace from their enemies, so they sang expectantly for a King who could bring them to a place of Peace and bliss. Even today many Jews in Israel are longing for peace, but who can truly give them peace?

            Zachariah prophesied that one day a king will come riding on a donkey, and he is the one who will establish the Kingdom of peace, and bring forth peace to the nations. When the disciples saw Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, they couldn’t believe their eyes, they must have thought this is it! so they began to sing, “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven.”

            It sounds rather odd, they were looking for peace on earth, but they were singing saying “Peace in heaven.” In Luke 2:14, the angels proclaimed “peace on earth” here the disciples were singing, “peace in heaven.”

            The former proclaims that God intervened in the birth of Jesus that has brought peace, inviting humanity share in salvation. In light of the actual response to this invitation by people, however, “peace on earth” remains an intended future. “Peace in heaven,” then refers to the divine intention, the reality of God’s reconciling presence, its full manifestation on earth interrupted by opposition to Jesus.

            What does divine peace look like? God’s peace is the absence or end of all strife. It is a state of untroubled, undisturbed well-being. Consider these scriptures on the Peace of God:  Acts 10:36, “This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.” Ephesians 2:17, “He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near.”

            How could anyone achieve this state of bliss? It is brought about not by human efforts but by the grace and loving mind of God. It is the result of being reconciled with God. It is brought about by the atonement of Christ. That’s what Jesus came to offer to us.

            John 14:1-27, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me… 27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So, don’t be troubled or afraid.” By believing in Jesus one can be saved and live in peace with God. Unfortunately, many during Jesus time missed this opportunity for salvation.

III. A MISSED OPPORTUNITY

            One would wonder, how come after having been foretold that one day the future king would enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey, and after seeing those events unfolding right in front of their eyes, yet except for a few of his followers, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees, and many others Jerusalem have missed a golden opportunity? What caused them to miss that opportunity? It was their willful blindness. Bishop TD Jakes, notes, “sight is a choice.

            At times though we may be seeing certain things yet we choose not to see them. It is not that the Pharisees and Sadducees were ignorant of the prophecies. In fact, the Sadducees had a tradition in which they believed that the Messiah would show up four days before Passover. They kept the gates of the Temple open so that He could walk right into His rightful place.

            Yet when they saw Jesus entering Jerusalem, they choose to ignore the prophecy, whereby they missed a wonderful opportunity. The crowds in the city, on the other hand saw all the miracles that Jesus had performed right in front of their eyes yet they too were blinded to the fact that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, hence they too missed an opportunity.

            When Jesus saw this blindness and the hardening of hearts of people in Jerusalem, he wept over them saying, Vs 42-44, “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes.

            Before long, your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation.” As we know In AD 70, Jerusalem city was indeed destroyed.

            What a tragedy! Although the crowds (lower classes and outcasts) shout out praises to God and symbolically accepted Jesus as their king, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the learned have rejected him as their king. But who can truly silence the praises of God’s people? Who can truly oppose Jesus from establishing His Kingdom on the earth?

            The Pharisees may have ignored the prophecy and paid no attention to it and some in the crowd may have been blind sighted on the first Palm Sunday. But the Holy Spirit is speaking to us on this Palm Sunday, saying, today is the day of your salvation. Do not miss this wonderful opportunity to recognize, and invite Jesus to come into your heart and let Him rule your life.

            More than ever in history, today the followers of Christ and the students of God’s word are in greater advantage because the Holy Spirit has revealed to us how the world is going to end, and how Jesus is going to establish his eternal Kingdom on the earth and rule in righteousness and with Justice. In His Kingdom, there will be eternal peace forever.

            In closing I want us to take a sneak peek into the book of Revelation 11: 15-17, “Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.”

            The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him. And they said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty,

the one who is and who always was, for now, you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign.” My prayer is that none of us will miss the opportunity to worship Jesus, along with the multitudes from every language, nation, tribe and people that will gather in front of the throne of God wearing white robes and holding Palm branches in their hands. (Rev 7:9) Amen!

Be Thankful!

BE THANKFUL!

Luke 17:11-19

Introduction: This past Wednesday I was at the Inter-Faith Clergy gathering. In the course of a conversation, my Rabbi friend told me that he was going to do a Webinar on gratitude. I asked him why gratitude and why now, this is not the season of thanksgiving? He said, nowadays young people want everything and, in most cases, they get what they want, yet they are seldom happy, due to this lack of attitude called gratitude. They take so many things for granted. It is important that we teach them to appreciate what they receive and to be grateful.”

            This Rabbi further said, “We are grateful for our freedom, during this Passover season. That made a lot of sense. One pastor notes, “If there is one sin that is most prevalent today, it is the sin of ingratitude. God does so much for us. Our indebtedness to Him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what He has done.

            We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man. The boy’s mother asked, “What do you say to the nice man?” The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said, “Peel it.” Michael Belcher Sermon Central. How are we teaching our children to be grateful for all that they receive from us? You may be wondering what does gratitude have to do with the lent season, Good Friday and leading up to Easter?

            Before Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem only to be rejected by all and handed over to the Pharisees to be crucified, he used a foreigner, a Samaritan, to expose and address the “entitlement attitude of the Jews and their ungratefulness. Whereby teaching them and us all, how not to take things for granted, but quickly to return to God in giving Him praise and thanks for all that he has done, is doing and will continue to do in our lives. Let’s look at the conversation between the greatest Rabbi of all time and the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19.

            In chapter nine we read, “When the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face towards Jerusalem. This begins a major section of Luke’s gospel. From here to chapter 19:27, Christ’s face was set towards Jerusalem, on his way he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered the village he was met by “Ten lepers.”

            What do all these Ten lepers have in common? All these ten lepers had a common affliction, a common cry, all of them received a common cure, however, one leper distinguished himself from the rest of the pack. What can we learn from this leper?  Let’s unpack this passage.

I A COMMON AFFLICTION Vs 11

            According to the OT Leprosy was a horrible disease, Leviticus 13:45-46, “45 “Those who suffer from a serious skin disease must tear their clothing and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their mouth and call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean! ’As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean. They must live in isolation in their place outside the camp.” This explains why these ten lepers were standing at a distance from Jesus.

            All these ten lepers had a common affliction called leprosy. According to the Old Testament, it was the most feared illness at that time. The term “leprosy” as used in the Bible, referred to a wide variety of infectious skin rashes, scales, sores, or eruptions, not just clinical leprosy as we know it today. Leprosy was incurable, disgusting, and revolting.

            I saw how leprosy could affect people of their physical and social lives in India.

The ten lepers in the story had a common affliction, we too have one common affliction called, “SIN.” Romans 3:23, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Leprosy in the story didn’t show any distinction it affected both Jews and Gentiles alike, similarly, sin shows no distinction, it affects all people all over the world.

            Leprosy or any other disease may physically kill us, whereas SIN destroys our joy, relationships, peace, and if it remains unconfessed and unrepented it can eternally separate us from God in hell. What is the remedy for Sin? Who can deliver us from the effects of Sin?

II  A COMMON CRY (Vs 13)

            Vs 12b-13, “ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” We often read in the Gospels several people crying out for mercy. For instance, “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity.” Luke 16:24; “The blind beggar began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Luke 18:38, “two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” Matt. 9:27;

            It was a common cry of those who were desiring to be healed. It was also the cry of the heart of those who were desiring to be forgiven of their sins. For instance, we hear this heart’s cry of a tax collector. Luke 18:13, “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.” How did Jesus respond to the cry of the Ten Lepers?

III. A COMMON CURE: (Vs14)

            Vs 14, “He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.” The healing was sudden and immediately visible but occurred after they obeyed his command. Why were they to show themselves to their priests? According to Lev 14, to be declared clean and to reenter society as cleansed and healed people.

            Similarly, our sins have robbed us of the Joy of relationships, crippled us whereby rendering us less productive. The ten lepers were ostracized by society, rejected by the family, living in absolute isolation until they met Jesus at the entrance of the village. Jesus heard their cry for mercy and healed all of them. How did they respond to this unmerited favor? 

IV. AN UNCOMMON RESPONSE (Vs 15-16)

            Vs 15-16, One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.” All ten of them had a common affliction, they all cried out for mercy, and they all received the same miracle of healing, but all ten of them did not respond the same way.

            While nine of them went on their way, one of them responded in an unusual way, which caught Jesus’ attention. Unlike the nine this one saw his healing and recognized where the healing came from, without wasting a moment he returned to Jesus with these three actions: “Shouting praise God, falling at the feet of Jesus and thanking Jesus for what he had done.”

            What a powerful demonstration of gratitude by someone who was considered by the majority of Jewish people as an outsider? By falling at the feet of Jesus, this man recognized and submitted to  Jesus’ authority to heal and forgive sins. At this point in the story, Luke identifies this man, as a Samaritan. By doing so Luke makes it clear that healing and salvation were not exclusive prerogatives of Israelites but for all who would cry out for mercy and seek forgiveness.   

IV BE THANKFUL (Vs 17-19)

            Jesus wanted to teach his disciples a lesson on giving thanks so he asked,  Vs 17-19 “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”        It must have been a frustrating moment for Jesus, he healed ten, while nine went on their own way, only a Samaritan, a foreigner returned to give glory to God. This uncommon response of the Samaritan made him a recipient of God’s forgiveness. Jesus said to him, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you, it can also be read as “your faith has saved you.” This Samaritan may have returned to his home rejoicing not only as a healed but also a forgiven man.

            We see this irony playing out even in our times. Jesus heals so many people because they cry out to God for his mercy and beg him to heal them, but when they do receive healing how many will return to God to give Him the glory. Where do you belong among these ten lepers?          Are you like those ungrateful nine who had received a miracle yet walked away from Jesus? Or are you like the one undeserving Samaritan, who recognized Jesus as the source of his healing, worshipped Him by falling at his feet and giving  Him thanks?  Which one are you?

            If Jesus were to pass through our town of Sharon and walks into our Hope Church what would he ask us in regards to our thankfulness? The central essence of this passage is, don’t take your miracle for granted, but be quick to return to God and Be Thankful. 

            We all need to examine our hearts this morning and ask ourselves, how thankful I am for all what God has done for me? When last time did I fall at His feet and thank Him not for all what he has done for me but for who He really is? Why is it hard to be thankful? We take thankfulness as an obligation and take things for granted. We don’t realize that thankfulness actually makes us free people. Thankful people are often the happiest people.

            What else thankfulness can do to us? Thankfulness keeps our hearts tender and responsive, while ungratefulness is a state of an inattentive and hardening heart. There is a Hebrew word for thanks, Hodaah which means acknowledgment. Understanding this word gives us a better understanding of thankfulness.

            A thankful heart acknowledges God’s glorious gifts all around us and I am not talking about stuff you order on Amazon. I am talking about being attentive enough to notice a glorious evening sky and breathe a thank you to the Lord. An attuned heart takes note of budding trees, the twinkle in the eyes of your child.

            A grateful heart acknowledges and appreciates a place to return to after work, a table to sit down and eat a meal at, a warm shower the list goes on and on but I encourage you to practice gratefulness towards God and people. It is pleasant to be around grateful people. Being thankful is God’s will for us. I Thessalonians, 5:18 “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” Much can be said about, “Being Thankful,”

            But you get the point. This morning let’s check our barometer of thanksgiving. Are our hearts filled with thanksgiving or filled with grumbling and complaining? Let’s practice being thankful for big and small and in everything, then we will experience the peace of God.

            Let me close with this advice of Paul to the Philippian believers: Philippians 4:4-7, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Amen!