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A Time To Be Thankful Introduction: This is the time of year when we traditionally take time to spend with our families and friends. A time to reflect and count our many blessings, and be thankful for all the blessings we have received. Actually it is late June and not November. We tend to celebrate the 4th of July and our freedom but do we celebrate our blessings? Should we not be as thankful in June as we are in November? How blessed have you been this year? Family, friends, health, wealthy, success, spiritually... I) There is a common occurrence in the Bible: A) . God Blesses Man -- Man Praises God -- Man starts taking for granted his blessings -- Man forgets and drifts away from God -- God punishes -- Man Repents -- God Blesses... B) Israel follows the pattern. 1. God Blesses -- Israel brought out of captivity, Exodus 14.13 2. Man Praises God -- deliverance through the Red Sea, Exodus 15.1ff, 11-18 3. Man starts taking things for granted, see Israel complaining about the food. 4. Man forgets God --, making the golden calf, Exodus 32.4 4. God punishes -- Exodus 32.27-28 5. Man repents -- Exodus 32.32 6. God blesses ---Exodus 33.19 II) Where Are The Nine? Luke 17.11-19 A) Ten men with leprosy were healed. 1. Begged for mercy, how many of us beg God for mercy in time of need? God heal our child, give me patience, make things work out for me... 2. They were to be isolated from others, Lev. 13.45-46 except for fellow lepers. 3. They were told to show themselves to the priest. According to the law, Lev. 13.1-3 4. Ritual for cleansing lepers in Lev. 14. Esp. verses 11-12. 5. Jesus asked the question of where are the nine? We are not told but... a. May they have not noticed they had been healed and blessed? b. May they have done what the law commanded but nothing else? c. May they have been ungrateful for being healed? Would seem to be incredible to take such a blessing for granted. Health had been restored and now a life to be lived with others. B) What about us? 1. Do we ask God for favors? a. May we have not noticed we have been healed and blessed? b. May we have done what the law commanded but nothing else? c. May we have been ungrateful for being healed? 2. Do we take our blessings for granted? If so, then watch out for the next step is forgetting God, followed by unfaithfulness, and then punishment. Conclusion: Notice that the one who came back was a Samaritan. So we need to thank God for all His blessings each and every day, Ps. 103.2.
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