WEBVTT 00:00:09.699 --> 00:00:13.300 Hello, and welcome to the Kalamazoo church of Christ podcast. 00:00:13.539 --> 00:00:14.839 Thank you so much for listening. 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:16.199 We're startup church. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:23.460 We just planted in September, 2020 and at the Kalamazoo church, we believe that Christianity is done best when it is done together. 00:00:23.539 --> 00:00:32.299 And so if you live in the Kalamazoo area, we would love to connect be it coming to a Sunday service, one of our small groups, or even just grabbing coffee with a member to learn more. 00:00:32.539 --> 00:00:36.439 You can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. 00:00:37.100 --> 00:00:40.380 We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. 00:00:40.799 --> 00:00:43.920 In a, uh, in a church this size, there just needs to be a lot of people that serve. 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:45.140 And so you guys are some of them. 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:46.179 We're so grateful. 00:00:46.280 --> 00:00:48.659 Joe and Ingrid, I think are serving right now. 00:00:49.140 --> 00:00:58.539 Um, the cool thing is the, the more children we have, the, uh, younger churches, obviously, which is good, but also, uh, the, the more kingdom kids teachers we need. 00:00:58.600 --> 00:01:02.359 And so again, thank you to everybody for, for all, all your service. 00:01:02.560 --> 00:01:15.260 Um, we're going through a series on questions that Jesus asks and, uh, you guys, you guys know, but you guys understood that you guys realize there's, Jesus asked questions all of the time in almost every setting. 00:01:15.260 --> 00:01:19.799 And you can point to, we're going to look at, uh, we're going to look at one question Jesus asked. 00:01:19.859 --> 00:01:20.040 Yes. 00:01:20.060 --> 00:01:21.260 At three different times, actually. 00:01:21.260 --> 00:01:28.760 And just this one little section, just to start the PowerPoint, our AV team, uh, forgot to bring, um, a charger. 00:01:28.799 --> 00:01:30.359 So the PowerPoint might die. 00:01:30.420 --> 00:01:30.780 It's okay. 00:01:30.799 --> 00:01:31.420 We got the Bible. 00:01:31.480 --> 00:01:31.620 Amen. 00:01:32.060 --> 00:01:32.280 Awesome. 00:01:32.519 --> 00:01:34.099 So if it does, you don't got to freak out. 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:35.659 You know, I, I've got it right here. 00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:36.659 We've got the Bible. 00:01:36.780 --> 00:01:37.620 We're going to worship God. 00:01:37.700 --> 00:01:38.019 Still. 00:01:38.140 --> 00:01:40.000 My prayer was that it lasted through the songs. 00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:45.840 Cause I know you guys don't bring songbooks anymore and God answered that prayer, right? 00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:48.540 We're, we're, we're one, one and I want to know a hundred percent right now. 00:01:48.540 --> 00:01:51.319 Uh, we're in, we're in Luke 17. 00:01:52.040 --> 00:01:55.599 I'm speaking of wanting to know, I've got, uh, the Green Bay Packers mug right here. 00:01:55.939 --> 00:01:57.579 I was embarrassed to bring it up. 00:01:57.700 --> 00:02:04.379 So I, but I did anyways, um, I was going to just bring a water, but we didn't, we didn't have a water back there today. 00:02:05.780 --> 00:02:10.620 Uh, anyways, um, uh, we'll get there in just a sec. 00:02:10.680 --> 00:02:10.979 Cool. 00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:16.060 So today we're going to look at a question that I think it, I hope it challenges us. 00:02:16.060 --> 00:02:20.740 It'll challenge you to question, uh, where, where your gratitude level for Jesus is. 00:02:20.800 --> 00:02:26.479 I think it'll, I hope it'll, it'll challenge you to question where your entitlement level is. 00:02:26.580 --> 00:02:32.740 Uh, if nothing else, it's going to, uh, going to force you to, to, to be challenged in your faith. 00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:37.139 And that's really the goal of times that we meet on Sundays is that we can be challenged right here. 00:02:37.159 --> 00:02:40.659 And so we can go, go into the world and make changes with our lives. 00:02:40.699 --> 00:02:40.879 Amen. 00:02:41.319 --> 00:02:47.840 Uh, certainly it's to be encouraged, but if, if all we are is encouraged, then we're not going to, we're not going to end up, uh, growing too much with God. 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:55.120 If that's, if that's the extent of it, or if the encouragement, how we view it is just positive talk and positive thoughts and saying good things. 00:02:55.280 --> 00:02:59.379 And if there's never any challenging, uh, conversations, then we're not going to grow today. 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:00.319 I think we'll be challenged. 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:01.039 We're, we're in Luke. 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:02.159 We're in Luke 17. 00:03:02.240 --> 00:03:03.960 We're going to read this whole passage. 00:03:03.960 --> 00:03:06.120 Then we're going to break it down in three and three little sections. 00:03:07.479 --> 00:03:18.300 Um, let's see, this was a little bit early anyways, we'll learn Jesus right now is, uh, he's going through, uh, he's, he started right here in Luke nine. 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:20.759 And then this is Beth, Beth Seda. 00:03:21.199 --> 00:03:22.800 He's going to end up in Luke nine. 00:03:22.819 --> 00:03:25.819 It says he resolutely set out for Jerusalem, which is right down here. 00:03:26.060 --> 00:03:27.539 It's about 80 miles. 00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:32.039 And so there's Luke nine, we're picking up in Luke 17 and he's only made it about this far. 00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:34.219 Uh, but this is what we're going to read about. 00:03:34.280 --> 00:03:36.500 He's between Galilee and Samaria. 00:03:36.500 --> 00:03:41.180 And there's a town here, uh, where there's some people that he's going to interact with, but he's here. 00:03:41.219 --> 00:03:41.539 He's here. 00:03:41.539 --> 00:03:41.659 He's going to end up here. 00:03:41.659 --> 00:03:46.759 I don't even know necessarily why I'm doing this, but I thought it was kind of cool to look at Jesus being here. 00:03:46.900 --> 00:03:47.819 He's going to end up here. 00:03:48.139 --> 00:03:53.500 Uh, the reason why he said that he resolutely set out for Jerusalem is because he knows that's where he's going to die. 00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:58.800 And so, uh, again, our, our savior is one that didn't just happen chance by happenstance. 00:03:58.840 --> 00:04:01.319 Oh, I just, oh man, I didn't know what I was doing. 00:04:01.439 --> 00:04:03.800 No, he decided to do it and then he rose from the dead as well. 00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:05.360 Uh, we're in Luke 17. 00:04:06.479 --> 00:04:09.900 The title of the lesson is we're not all 10 cleansed. 00:04:10.539 --> 00:04:21.279 It says in verse 11, now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee as he was going into a village, 10 men who had leprosy met him. 00:04:21.660 --> 00:04:27.120 They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, Jesus master have pity on us. 00:04:28.060 --> 00:04:31.040 When he saw them, he said, go show yourselves to the priests. 00:04:31.420 --> 00:04:33.399 And as they went, they were cleansed. 00:04:33.959 --> 00:04:38.639 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back praising God in a loud voice. 00:04:38.639 --> 00:04:43.120 He threw himself at Jesus's feet and thanked him. 00:04:43.279 --> 00:04:44.579 And he was a Samaritan. 00:04:46.970 --> 00:04:50.769 Verse 17, Jesus asked, we're not all 10 cleansed. 00:04:50.850 --> 00:04:52.269 Where are the other nine? 00:04:52.670 --> 00:04:55.930 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner. 00:04:56.810 --> 00:04:58.910 Then he said to him, rise and go. 00:04:59.170 --> 00:05:01.529 Your faith has made you well. 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:05.160 So there's, there's a lot here. 00:05:05.240 --> 00:05:06.100 There's a lot in the Bible. 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:08.980 We're just gonna, we're going to focus on them in little sections. 00:05:08.980 --> 00:05:10.839 It'll be digestible for us this morning. 00:05:10.839 --> 00:05:13.019 Let's focus on 11 to 13. 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:20.759 Again, the Bible says Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and he knows he's going to die and be resurrected there. 00:05:21.500 --> 00:05:22.879 We saw the map. 00:05:23.060 --> 00:05:26.480 He started in Bethsaida and then he moved his way down. 00:05:27.939 --> 00:05:30.420 But we see there's 10 men who have leprosy. 00:05:30.759 --> 00:05:37.360 And what we understand, I did a little bit of research and I'm not going to put any pictures up because it was, it was a bit horrifying. 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:42.939 So leprosy today is a really, we understand it in that time. 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:48.060 It just encompassed a lot of different ailments and specifically with, with your skin. 00:05:48.879 --> 00:05:56.399 And so today it's, it's still the same kind of leprosy, but it's a little bit, they've been able to specify what they're talking about. 00:05:56.439 --> 00:05:58.360 Back, back then it was just this general term. 00:05:58.740 --> 00:06:00.579 Here they've specified, this is what we're talking about. 00:06:00.600 --> 00:06:04.259 It's actually a disease that affects your nervous system. 00:06:04.259 --> 00:06:12.819 And so certainly your skin gets messed up, but you could see, you know, certainly Jesus interacted with people that had crippled hands or messed up hands and stuff like that. 00:06:12.819 --> 00:06:15.519 And he just touched them and his hand was outstretched. 00:06:15.560 --> 00:06:19.740 It says, this is, this would have been somebody who was suffering with, who had leprosy. 00:06:20.459 --> 00:06:29.759 It was a disease of the nervous system because over the course of time, what would happen is you would lose sensation in your fingers or your, your, your, your, your limbs. 00:06:29.980 --> 00:06:33.740 And so you might just grab something that's hot and your hand would get burned. 00:06:33.740 --> 00:06:36.180 You wouldn't realize it and now your hand's useless to you. 00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:39.399 And so this would have been something that wouldn't have gotten better. 00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:41.420 It would have just been, this is your plight. 00:06:41.540 --> 00:06:44.939 These people would have had to congregate outside of the city because it was contagious. 00:06:45.100 --> 00:06:50.899 And so there was no hope for them to go back into this place of good standing with their people. 00:06:53.180 --> 00:06:54.680 It was, it was horrifying. 00:06:54.899 --> 00:07:03.259 Again, if you, if you have the stomach for it, go ahead and look up some pictures on online in your free time of what it, what it looked like. 00:07:03.259 --> 00:07:13.740 There was, there's stories or there's cases of people, there's records of it, of people getting, getting their fingers eaten by mice and such because they can't even feel what's, what's going on. 00:07:13.779 --> 00:07:15.899 And yes, it's, Asha's face says it all. 00:07:16.019 --> 00:07:21.120 She's just, you know, like that, that emoji and that's, that's the extent of, of, of these people. 00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:21.680 So think about it. 00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:22.600 These 10 right here. 00:07:23.839 --> 00:07:27.540 I wonder when the last time they had a conversation with someone who didn't have leprosy was. 00:07:28.680 --> 00:07:30.220 It was extremely contagious. 00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:41.459 The truth is there's an obvious parallel between the leprosy, the physical ailments, physical ailment and ailment in that day. 00:07:41.600 --> 00:07:48.800 And what we're going through on a daily basis in our, in our battle against sin because sin is broad. 00:07:48.819 --> 00:07:50.439 It is, it is striking. 00:07:50.560 --> 00:07:52.240 It's obvious when you see it. 00:07:53.259 --> 00:07:56.439 It affects us by, by just like leprosy does. 00:07:56.439 --> 00:08:06.740 It affects us by lessening our sensitivity to, to what is going on in the outside world until too much damage or perceiving, or we perceive too much damage to be done. 00:08:06.740 --> 00:08:14.839 And it becomes increasingly difficult to, to make it back to, to a good standing with God or to a good standing with society at all. 00:08:15.060 --> 00:08:17.480 The scripture says it's Ephesians four. 00:08:18.860 --> 00:08:23.560 It talks about this struggle against sin and he says, don't live how these other people did. 00:08:23.720 --> 00:08:25.399 I will pick up in verse 18. 00:08:25.399 --> 00:08:26.339 I just got 19 on there. 00:08:26.439 --> 00:08:35.120 It says they're darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 00:08:36.038 --> 00:08:45.019 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity and they are full of greed. 00:08:47.019 --> 00:08:49.480 We understand this is the battle against sin. 00:08:49.559 --> 00:08:52.620 What the devil wants us to do is to just lessen our sensitivity. 00:08:52.620 --> 00:08:57.139 And it's not, you know, and you, you understand this is true though. 00:08:57.279 --> 00:09:05.240 Uh, you, you understand that sin doing things that don't feel great in the moment or doing things that feel great, but right away they don't. 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:08.779 You understand that that, that doesn't, that, that it only spirals. 00:09:08.799 --> 00:09:13.480 It doesn't, it's not just a cycle because you think about the first time you, you told a lie. 00:09:13.519 --> 00:09:16.100 I don't know how old you were, but I maybe I've told this. 00:09:16.139 --> 00:09:19.700 I distinctly remember being five years old and telling a lie for the first time. 00:09:19.740 --> 00:09:21.720 Well, this lie was, well, okay. 00:09:21.720 --> 00:09:30.320 So what happened was we were, I think we were, we were worshiping in Milwaukee in a hotel and I think it was a hotel, but anyways, it had a vending machine. 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:30.620 Okay. 00:09:30.860 --> 00:09:35.919 And I knew that there were some people that got vending machine candy, but I knew that we weren't a family that got vending machine candy. 00:09:36.500 --> 00:09:41.019 And so I, it was a midweek service Wednesday and I had the great idea. 00:09:41.100 --> 00:09:46.159 I'm just going to take, take some money from, from my seat on my dad's dresser all the time. 00:09:46.159 --> 00:09:53.059 I'm just going to take some money and, and I just took it and I'm like, I got vending machine money now and I'm ready to go. 00:09:53.659 --> 00:09:56.340 And I remember my dad asking me, he was looking for the money. 00:09:56.460 --> 00:10:01.000 This was before the, the, the Wednesday service and he said, Hey, Jared, did you see my money at all? 00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:02.799 I said, I hadn't seen that money. 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:03.139 I don't know. 00:10:03.240 --> 00:10:04.120 I've never seen it. 00:10:05.960 --> 00:10:09.580 And so we get, I went all the way through the Wednesday church service. 00:10:09.639 --> 00:10:10.600 My dad's talking to somebody. 00:10:10.659 --> 00:10:11.480 You don't remember this at all. 00:10:11.580 --> 00:10:11.759 I bet. 00:10:11.799 --> 00:10:12.440 Do you? 00:10:12.700 --> 00:10:13.059 Yeah. 00:10:14.320 --> 00:10:18.399 My dad's talking to somebody and, but I'm with my mom. 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:22.940 And so I just said, Hey mom, dad said, uh, dad said we can get something from the vending machine. 00:10:23.019 --> 00:10:23.519 And I just pulled out. 00:10:23.580 --> 00:10:24.860 I have no idea how much money it was. 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:27.820 It might, it was, it was absurd because it was probably 20 bucks or something. 00:10:27.879 --> 00:10:29.100 You don't need 20 bucks for a vending machine. 00:10:29.159 --> 00:10:29.320 Right. 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:31.200 And, and she said, did he really say that? 00:10:31.299 --> 00:10:33.960 I said, yeah, no, he really said, he said, well, you can just get vending machine money. 00:10:35.240 --> 00:10:36.159 And I was fine. 00:10:36.179 --> 00:10:36.840 I'm telling the story. 00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:37.059 Okay. 00:10:37.080 --> 00:10:38.240 Don't look down on me yet guys. 00:10:38.340 --> 00:10:38.460 Okay. 00:10:41.019 --> 00:10:46.379 Uh, later on you can, but then, but I, and I remember I, I didn't understand sincerely. 00:10:46.379 --> 00:10:50.019 I didn't really understand any of that was bad from when I was five. 00:10:50.100 --> 00:10:50.879 I really didn't. 00:10:50.960 --> 00:11:01.659 I remember having a conversation then with my dad and mom afterwards, uh, where they just explained, Hey, when you take something that's, that's stealing, but also when we asked you, that's called lying. 00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:05.139 And that was the first time that I realized that was what a lie, a lie is. 00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:12.039 Um, and from that point on, uh, you know, maybe trust me, there's, there's, there's ignorance. 00:11:12.259 --> 00:11:12.700 That's fine. 00:11:12.700 --> 00:11:14.980 But from that point on, I understood what lying was. 00:11:16.220 --> 00:11:21.259 So that means that every lie that I've told afterwards is me having a full understanding of this is what, this is what lying is. 00:11:21.500 --> 00:11:22.620 Uh, this is not good. 00:11:23.159 --> 00:11:27.240 Um, and the first time I lied afterwards, it hurt and it felt, I felt something. 00:11:27.580 --> 00:11:34.379 But as you, as you go, and as you go, you, you can, uh, you can, you, you realize that the first time you lied, it hurt a lot. 00:11:34.419 --> 00:11:39.759 And the second time hurt less so, and so on and so forth, uh, sin is not a cycle. 00:11:39.759 --> 00:11:40.399 It's a spiral. 00:11:40.460 --> 00:11:55.340 And the only solution, uh, is Jesus for, for you guys though, your greatest struggle in this entire, this, this life is going to be against yourself. 00:11:55.519 --> 00:11:57.240 Uh, that, that's, that's just a truth. 00:11:57.600 --> 00:12:12.679 Um, and you can, you, you can try to get well, uh, by many means by willpower, by self-help books, by therapy, uh, by talking to somebody, there's, there's a time and place for all of these things, but there's a finite limit to how much they can help you without the healing power of Jesus. 00:12:12.679 --> 00:12:22.159 And, and these men realize that because they're going through something and they just say, they call him master and master is used six times in the new Testament, only in the book of Luke. 00:12:22.179 --> 00:12:25.879 And it's different than what other people call might call him rabbi, teacher, help us. 00:12:26.080 --> 00:12:29.080 They're saying, master, you have full authority to do whatever you want with this. 00:12:29.159 --> 00:12:33.080 G uh, Peter says, master, because you say, so I'm going to let my, my net down. 00:12:33.139 --> 00:12:35.480 He said, you, you got your king over the fish. 00:12:35.500 --> 00:12:36.120 You can do it. 00:12:36.220 --> 00:12:39.759 And these guys say, master have pity on us. 00:12:39.840 --> 00:12:41.600 You're able to, we trust you. 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:42.860 We know you can do that. 00:12:43.240 --> 00:12:47.440 And this is, this is the truth about any of any of your sin in your life. 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:54.740 You can try a bunch of different things and you can get a little better, but it, but it's not going to last forever if you're not calling on the name of Jesus. 00:12:55.580 --> 00:13:00.120 Uh, so let's, let's keep, let's keep going here. 00:13:03.399 --> 00:13:07.600 Jesus, Jesus sees them and says, when he saw them, he said, go show yourself to the priests. 00:13:07.899 --> 00:13:10.299 And as they went, they were cleansed. 00:13:11.019 --> 00:13:18.360 You know, what's incredible is that these men, uh, these, these men were not healed yet, but they were acting like they were healed. 00:13:18.460 --> 00:13:25.940 If you were to go to the priest, that would mean that you would, that you wouldn't basically, you wouldn't go to the priest unless you were already, you were already clean. 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:27.759 That was a normal practice. 00:13:27.759 --> 00:13:41.460 But before you were clean, you wouldn't, you wouldn't go there, uh, in order to get back in a good standing with society, you would have had to go to the priest and show yourself and then you'd be, be clean and you'd be able to be back in full standing, uh, with, with your people. 00:13:43.179 --> 00:14:05.059 These men acted in such a way to say, I, I trust I'm going to be clean or I I'm acting like I'm clean, although I'm not yet, uh, you know, there, there's a, there's a couple of a couple of things this communicates, I think for, for you and I, one is, I don't know if you've ever heard it said, or maybe you've even thought it that I can't go back to church until I stopped this in my life. 00:14:05.059 --> 00:14:10.360 Or I can't, I can't turn, I need to get this better and then I can go to church. 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:23.559 I need to end this relationship or I need to, uh, be, have integrity in this relationship or I need to, uh, I need to give up my money or I need to, I need to work this stuff out and then I can go to church, then I can get back in good standing with God. 00:14:24.840 --> 00:14:31.580 Maybe you've thought it, maybe you're in the, maybe you're in the middle of it, but that's like saying, uh, I want to get strong and then I'm going to go to the gym. 00:14:31.580 --> 00:14:36.559 Um, it's like saying, that's like saying, I want to get smart and then I'm going to go to school. 00:14:36.559 --> 00:14:36.919 Right? 00:14:37.100 --> 00:14:37.259 Yeah. 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:40.720 You don't, you don't wait to stop sinning and then follow Jesus. 00:14:40.840 --> 00:14:46.759 No, there, there's, there's no way to stop sinning unless you follow Jesus. 00:14:50.259 --> 00:14:59.279 These men, these men were acting like they were good and then, and then God made them so they were, they were acting like they were listening to Jesus and then, and then they were healed. 00:14:59.919 --> 00:15:03.500 Uh, and so you can say, well, in regards to sin, that's, that's true. 00:15:03.500 --> 00:15:23.840 But I, I think it shows up for, for you and I in, in our circumstances as well, uh, because outside of sin, our circumstances can quickly convince us that there's a better time to follow or there's a better time to listen, or it's going to be more convenient a little bit later on, uh, these men just obeyed and listened. 00:15:23.840 --> 00:15:46.179 But you think about, uh, the, these are, these are just things that I've heard maybe in the last, probably in the last six months, um, conservatively in the last year though, when I've invited people and we've started to get serious about following God, or maybe I've just invited them and they haven't been interested, but, but some that have been interested or they're like, I can't yet because, uh, you know, when I get to college, then I'm going to get serious in my faith. 00:15:46.600 --> 00:15:49.860 Uh, when I graduate college, then I'm going to get serious in my faith. 00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:53.059 Uh, when I'm solidified in my career, then I'll get serious. 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:57.080 When I find the one, my spouse, then I'm going to get serious in my faith. 00:15:57.559 --> 00:16:00.620 When I get a better job, then I'm going to get serious in my faith. 00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:07.379 Uh, when we, when we have kids or when we get married, then, then I'm going to get serious in my faith and give my kids this background. 00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:10.980 When our kids grow up, then I'm going to get serious about my faith. 00:16:11.500 --> 00:16:20.279 Uh, you can wait for your circumstances to get more convenient, but it's never going to be more convenient to follow God than right now. 00:16:20.460 --> 00:16:26.000 And the reason is because you're going to keep building up sin in your life and the sin is going to tell you to turn away from God at every step of the way. 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:28.940 So following now is going to be the most convenient time. 00:16:29.080 --> 00:16:31.419 And also it's, it's never convenient, right? 00:16:31.419 --> 00:16:34.820 It's never going to be convenient for you to do the most difficult thing you've ever done in your life. 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:49.639 You know, you know, it's the, the more convenient thing that the Bible says, Peter writes, he just says, his divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:52.259 The Bible saying, you, you've got everything you need. 00:16:52.740 --> 00:16:59.500 If you're, if you are living and you are breathing, you have the word of God, you've got everything you need to live a godly life. 00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:01.100 Is it more convenient at another time? 00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:02.159 The answer is no. 00:17:02.220 --> 00:17:03.200 You can convince yourself. 00:17:03.318 --> 00:17:05.539 Yes, but you've got everything you need right now. 00:17:07.500 --> 00:17:13.980 If these men would have, would have given the excuse of their circumstances, they, they never would have gotten physically well. 00:17:14.900 --> 00:17:17.799 They listened to what Jesus said and their circumstances changed. 00:17:17.960 --> 00:17:19.880 They didn't change their circumstances first. 00:17:20.818 --> 00:17:22.539 Let's, let's focus in on this last part. 00:17:22.539 --> 00:17:27.759 Then this is probably, uh, this is, this is the most fun part to look at the most, maybe the most challenging. 00:17:27.980 --> 00:17:29.500 It's in verse 15. 00:17:29.599 --> 00:17:34.880 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back praising God in a loud voice. 00:17:36.220 --> 00:17:38.319 He threw himself at Jesus's feet and thanked him. 00:17:38.339 --> 00:17:39.240 And he was a Samaritan. 00:17:40.220 --> 00:17:41.799 Jesus asked, we're not all 10 cleansed. 00:17:42.220 --> 00:17:43.160 Where are the other nine? 00:17:43.799 --> 00:17:46.880 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner? 00:17:48.180 --> 00:17:51.660 Then he said to the, then he said to him, rise and go. 00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:54.119 Your faith has made you well. 00:17:56.180 --> 00:17:57.759 This man was a Samaritan. 00:17:57.880 --> 00:18:00.380 And if you've read the Bible, you understand that. 00:18:00.640 --> 00:18:06.799 I don't know why, but maybe you've think, I mean, I don't know why, but God, you know, Jewish people and Samaritans, they don't get along. 00:18:07.059 --> 00:18:22.359 I see a lot of negative, basically, uh, there's, there's, it goes back, it goes back hundreds of years, even old Testament times, there's, uh, there was a couple of God's people really had a desire to be ruled by just in the same way that the other nations were ruled. 00:18:22.400 --> 00:18:27.019 It started out and God said, you don't need to be ruled like the other nations I'm, I'm your King and I'm your leader. 00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:30.519 And they said, no, I really want to be, to be, we really want to be ruled. 00:18:30.619 --> 00:18:31.980 Like other nations have rulers. 00:18:32.099 --> 00:18:32.940 We want rulers too. 00:18:33.220 --> 00:18:53.619 And you can read the book of judges and it's a horrifying book of what, what happens when, when God allows his people to go down, uh, to the depths of their sin anyways, though, there's a separation that occurs between, uh, the kingdom of Israel and there's a Southern kingdom and there's a Northern kingdom, uh, that the Samaritans were, uh, part of this, this Northern kingdom. 00:18:53.619 --> 00:18:56.259 That's why when you saw the picture up there, it was, it was North. 00:18:56.319 --> 00:19:04.519 If you, if you remember, um, and these people, they, they intermingled their Jewish religion with their neighbor's religions. 00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:09.140 Uh, they only identified, uh, the first five books of the Bible is scripture. 00:19:09.559 --> 00:19:18.160 They were, they were, they were viewed as half breeds and every, in every sense of the word, if you were a Jewish person, you look down on them and they knew you looked down on them. 00:19:18.220 --> 00:19:23.160 You think the racism is bad, even in, even in the darkest stretches of American history. 00:19:23.400 --> 00:19:30.599 And, and dare I say it might be, it was probably even worse, uh, in, in that day regarding Jews and Samaritans. 00:19:31.240 --> 00:19:39.339 Uh, and so to hear that the Samaritan was the one guy that came back and praised God was something that would have been horrifying for the people. 00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:42.880 Uh, it's powerful though, isn't it? 00:19:42.880 --> 00:19:48.900 When he, when he, he goes and he looks at Jesus and you get the impression, he doesn't even need to see Jesus's face ever again. 00:19:48.900 --> 00:19:50.319 He jumps down. 00:19:50.380 --> 00:19:52.079 He's on his, on his hands and knees. 00:19:52.079 --> 00:19:55.759 His whole posture is prostrate and he's praising God. 00:19:56.400 --> 00:19:58.380 And Jesus asked, we're not all 10 cleansed. 00:20:01.410 --> 00:20:02.490 Where, where are the other nine? 00:20:02.589 --> 00:20:03.430 That's a fair question. 00:20:03.509 --> 00:20:04.150 We don't know the answer. 00:20:04.190 --> 00:20:06.450 I'd have to imagine maybe they're with their family. 00:20:06.529 --> 00:20:11.309 I don't, they probably don't have much money, but maybe they're trying to find, find a meal or they're talking to somebody. 00:20:11.569 --> 00:20:14.710 They're just happy to be involved with society again. 00:20:15.309 --> 00:20:21.829 Um, if you ask all the other nine, are you grateful for what Jesus did to you? 00:20:21.869 --> 00:20:22.769 Let's say you could just interact. 00:20:22.769 --> 00:20:24.490 They say, are you grateful for what Jesus did? 00:20:24.569 --> 00:20:25.309 What do you think they would say? 00:20:26.569 --> 00:20:26.890 Absolutely. 00:20:27.930 --> 00:20:28.450 That's absolute. 00:20:28.589 --> 00:20:30.109 You say, are you grateful? 00:20:30.190 --> 00:20:32.190 They say, yeah, I'm very grateful for what Jesus did to me. 00:20:34.369 --> 00:20:40.769 And yet, if you, if you look at Jesus's response, it's, it's, it's pretty clear that he didn't view their gratitude in the same light as the one who came back. 00:20:45.339 --> 00:20:59.099 For, for you and I, you, you can go on the street and you can see it on Instagram bios, you can see it just talking and sharing your faith or you can see it interacting and you say, man, I want to tell people about Jesus and what a lot of people, especially in the Western part of Michigan are saying, Jesus is awesome. 00:20:59.900 --> 00:21:00.079 Jesus. 00:21:00.119 --> 00:21:00.680 He's great. 00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:02.059 He's, he's my savior. 00:21:02.180 --> 00:21:02.279 Yeah. 00:21:02.279 --> 00:21:13.779 I was just listening to, uh, I was just listening to two boxers and, um, I don't know, whatever it was a couple of boxers and one of them is talking about, you know, I praise my, my God and savior, Jesus Christ. 00:21:13.779 --> 00:21:17.380 And then in the same sentence is like cursing left, left, right, and center. 00:21:17.400 --> 00:21:20.180 And I'm like, I don't know if you can do both of those things in good conscience. 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:20.779 You know what I'm saying? 00:21:20.819 --> 00:21:29.680 I, I, uh, you, you're, you're not going to find a shortage of people who are going to want to give thanks to Jesus or at least appear that way. 00:21:30.140 --> 00:21:31.779 Um, or at least say they're very grateful for Jesus. 00:21:31.799 --> 00:21:47.740 And yet, uh, the, the question begs then, well, what is, what is it, what does it necessitate of us if we are going to be grateful for what Jesus has done for us, uh, again, you ask anybody and they say they're grateful, but, but this man is commended and his faith makes him well, because he goes and does something. 00:21:50.039 --> 00:21:51.380 Uh, gratitude, giving thanks. 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:57.799 It's a foreign language for you and I, not because we're bad people, but because we live in a society where it's, it's just not natural. 00:21:58.339 --> 00:22:01.059 Uh, anyone who helps us, well, we deserve their help. 00:22:01.359 --> 00:22:03.299 Anyone who doesn't show us extra attention. 00:22:03.480 --> 00:22:04.480 I don't know what they were thinking. 00:22:04.519 --> 00:22:06.660 They, they must've misunderstood me. 00:22:07.039 --> 00:22:16.140 Uh, the, the, the truth is this, this pride, we talked about it a couple of weeks ago, um, one of the best ways to fight pride is by being grateful, uh, gratitude. 00:22:16.140 --> 00:22:18.240 It's one of the most obvious gauges of your humility. 00:22:18.240 --> 00:22:19.799 You wonder, am I humble? 00:22:19.839 --> 00:22:20.700 How do I be humble? 00:22:21.480 --> 00:22:24.279 How grateful are you is a, is a question to ask yourself. 00:22:24.279 --> 00:22:26.359 There's a couple of, uh, there's a couple of scriptures. 00:22:26.559 --> 00:22:27.700 This is thematic in the Bible. 00:22:27.799 --> 00:22:28.660 I'm not just making it up. 00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:35.359 It says in Proverbs 29, uh, 23, pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor. 00:22:35.460 --> 00:22:47.680 And then Jesus even says in Matthew 23, for those who exalt themselves will be humbled, those who humble themselves will be exalted, uh, a humble person is, is one that's going to be grateful, right? 00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:49.380 I didn't deserve, I don't deserve it. 00:22:49.400 --> 00:22:50.660 And so I've got to be grateful. 00:22:50.880 --> 00:22:56.160 Uh, I, I, I actually, when I think about this, I was just thinking, and just this week it's, and it's happened a couple of times. 00:22:57.460 --> 00:23:01.880 Um, but Samuel, uh, me and Samuel went out and we got some, we got some, uh, we got an Indian buffet. 00:23:02.039 --> 00:23:05.660 Actually, they just brought the buffets back in, uh, the Indian, Indian restaurants. 00:23:05.819 --> 00:23:06.740 So we had to try them out. 00:23:07.200 --> 00:23:16.460 Um, we, we went and we tried an Indian buffet and then, you know, we were talking, it was a great time to fellowship and to connect and then, um, then later on that evening, Samuel texted me. 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:17.619 He said many times, thank you. 00:23:17.640 --> 00:23:17.900 Thank you. 00:23:17.920 --> 00:23:22.160 Then later on that evening, he just sent me a text message, you know, thanks so much, grateful for your time. 00:23:22.200 --> 00:23:23.460 Thanks for, for the meal. 00:23:24.220 --> 00:23:26.440 And, um, and that's not the first time Samuel's done that. 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:27.799 It's a few different settings. 00:23:28.880 --> 00:23:32.500 Um, Samuel's Samuel's went out of his way to say thank you. 00:23:32.500 --> 00:23:40.019 And it's, and it's been certainly face to face, but then through a text and later on in the evening, I think it's happened at least two or three times, uh, in our, in our, you know, year of knowing each other. 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:47.579 Um, I just began to think about how, how often am I, anyone asks anyone pays for my meal, I'm grateful. 00:23:47.859 --> 00:23:50.619 Uh, how often do I over-communicate my gratitude though? 00:23:50.980 --> 00:24:01.200 Uh, there's, there's a quote by, um, by a theologian, uh, and he, and he says, uh, external religious exercises are easy enough and common enough. 00:24:01.200 --> 00:24:05.500 Uh, so going and showing yourself, he's saying, it's not impressive to go show yourself to the priests. 00:24:05.559 --> 00:24:06.339 They're common enough. 00:24:06.380 --> 00:24:18.380 That's a religious exercise, but the internal matter, the drawing out of the heart and thankful love, how scarce a thing it is nine obey ritual where one praises the Lord. 00:24:20.269 --> 00:24:31.150 This praising the Lord led to what led to his faith, making him well, uh, faith is going to be the difference between you having true healing and just healing where you feel good on this earth. 00:24:31.369 --> 00:24:33.750 Uh, you can go to church and you can go to church and feel good. 00:24:33.809 --> 00:24:34.410 You really can. 00:24:34.809 --> 00:24:41.150 Um, but if you're going to, if you're going to follow God, then, then there's going to be some, some, some struggle that you're going to have to go through. 00:24:42.210 --> 00:24:43.930 If you just show up to church, fine. 00:24:43.970 --> 00:24:47.769 You can, you can get the, this religious activity and you can do this religious exercise. 00:24:47.769 --> 00:24:50.450 And maybe on this earth, you feel good about yourself. 00:24:51.289 --> 00:24:55.529 Uh, but if, if, if you're not well, according to your faith, then it really doesn't matter. 00:24:58.900 --> 00:25:01.440 You follow Jesus for impure motives, for wisdom. 00:25:01.740 --> 00:25:04.720 I just want to get, I just want to be so, so, so wise. 00:25:04.720 --> 00:25:06.160 And then I can tell people what to do. 00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:08.920 Uh, I just want to feel better about myself. 00:25:10.200 --> 00:25:15.539 I just, I just want to learn how to spend my money wisely and then create generational wealth. 00:25:16.480 --> 00:25:18.039 All of these, they're going to yield results. 00:25:18.039 --> 00:25:23.019 If you follow the Bible, all you're going to yield results in all of that stuff, but it's going to fade eventually. 00:25:23.099 --> 00:25:24.339 And it's not going to be worth it in the end. 00:25:24.819 --> 00:25:36.650 And so as we, as we, as we close up, I want to, I just look at a couple of, a few, few ways that we can grow in our faith, uh, let's see runway here. 00:25:41.299 --> 00:25:41.859 Give me one sec. 00:25:42.019 --> 00:25:53.390 And so you're wondering where, where, how do I grow in my gratitude? 00:25:53.390 --> 00:25:55.509 Then I realized that I want to be humble. 00:25:55.509 --> 00:25:59.829 I realized that I, because I want to be exalted one day, uh, by, by God in heaven. 00:25:59.829 --> 00:26:02.710 Um, I don't want to be prideful. 00:26:02.829 --> 00:26:03.569 So I go low. 00:26:03.670 --> 00:26:05.170 I I'd rather be lowly in spirit. 00:26:05.710 --> 00:26:08.789 And so God will get, and then, then I will gain honor in the eyes of God. 00:26:08.809 --> 00:26:10.029 That's, that's my ultimate goal. 00:26:10.049 --> 00:26:12.789 And if you're wondering how to do that, there's a lot of ways to do that. 00:26:12.930 --> 00:26:16.849 Uh, here's just a few, here's just some, how do I grow practically? 00:26:17.369 --> 00:26:18.569 Well, I think you can praise God. 00:26:18.730 --> 00:26:21.509 Uh, there's, there's, uh, seven Psalms right there. 00:26:21.970 --> 00:26:26.470 You can, you can pray through each of those every day, um, or one of those a day. 00:26:26.549 --> 00:26:33.750 Um, and that's not an exhaustive list there that you can, you can just, honestly, if you open the book of Psalms, you're going to be able to see so many opportunities for you to praise God. 00:26:34.329 --> 00:26:36.890 Um, you can praise God for, for, for the Bible. 00:26:37.069 --> 00:26:39.289 Psalm 119, you can listen to a red. 00:26:39.349 --> 00:26:40.470 It's about 15 and a half minutes. 00:26:40.509 --> 00:27:10.869 If you listen on one of the versions, if you listen to a red and it's just David talking about how much he loves God's word, uh, maybe you just be intentional about thanking people, take the Samuel challenge, if you will, um, or you can show your gratitude or, and you can show your gratitude by partnering with God to do a lot of things by, if you're, if you're truly grateful, then you're going to partner with God to tell people about your gratitude, uh, tell people about what Jesus did for you, you're going to partner with God to, to serve the poor. 00:27:10.950 --> 00:27:13.549 You're going to partner with God in so many ways, shapes, and forms. 00:27:14.269 --> 00:27:16.150 Um, let's, let's, let's close up here. 00:27:16.170 --> 00:27:17.549 Let's go to Psalm 34. 00:27:28.059 --> 00:27:29.220 You know, I didn't put it up there. 00:27:29.220 --> 00:27:31.059 It's actually, uh, it's mother's day next week. 00:27:31.059 --> 00:27:35.859 So one of the ways you can grow in your gratitude is by getting mom a great present for mother's day and showing her your gratitude. 00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:42.299 Um, it says in thought, and I had it in my notes. 00:27:42.339 --> 00:27:43.339 I just didn't put it up there. 00:27:43.380 --> 00:27:49.420 Uh, it says in Psalm 34, just think about the gratitude that David has. 00:27:49.779 --> 00:27:52.819 Um, and this is this crazy time. 00:27:52.940 --> 00:27:55.779 It says, I will extol the Lord at all times. 00:27:55.859 --> 00:27:58.420 His praise will always be on my lips. 00:27:58.960 --> 00:28:05.839 I will glory in the Lord, let the afflicted here and rejoice, glorify the Lord with me. 00:28:05.839 --> 00:28:08.420 Let us exalt his name together. 00:28:09.779 --> 00:28:12.000 I sought the Lord and he answered me. 00:28:12.460 --> 00:28:14.480 He delivered me from all my fears. 00:28:15.920 --> 00:28:17.940 Those who look to him are radiant. 00:28:18.160 --> 00:28:20.980 Their faces are never covered with shame. 00:28:22.200 --> 00:28:24.480 This poor man called and the Lord heard him. 00:28:24.920 --> 00:28:26.900 He saved him out of all his trouble. 00:28:27.039 --> 00:28:31.500 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and he delivers them. 00:28:32.180 --> 00:28:33.980 Taste and see that the Lord is good. 00:28:33.980 --> 00:28:36.279 Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. 00:28:36.460 --> 00:28:38.819 Fear the Lord, you, his holy people. 00:28:38.980 --> 00:28:40.660 For those who fear him lack nothing. 00:28:41.299 --> 00:28:46.960 The lion may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. 00:28:48.039 --> 00:28:49.680 Come my children, listen to me. 00:28:49.740 --> 00:28:51.500 I'll teach you the fear of the Lord. 00:28:52.180 --> 00:28:55.180 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days. 00:28:55.299 --> 00:28:58.440 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. 00:28:58.640 --> 00:29:02.160 Turn from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it. 00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:06.900 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry. 00:29:07.380 --> 00:29:11.420 But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil to blot out their names from the earth. 00:29:11.880 --> 00:29:13.900 The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them. 00:29:14.299 --> 00:29:15.960 He delivers them from all their troubles. 00:29:16.140 --> 00:29:21.140 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 00:29:21.440 --> 00:29:26.339 The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all. 00:29:26.680 --> 00:29:27.980 He protects all his bones. 00:29:28.099 --> 00:29:29.420 Not one of them will be broken. 00:29:29.910 --> 00:29:31.319 Evil will slay the wicked. 00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:33.980 The foes of the righteous will be condemned. 00:29:34.519 --> 00:29:36.140 Lord will rescue his servants. 00:29:36.759 --> 00:29:38.960 No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned. 00:29:42.079 --> 00:29:44.140 David calling out to God. 00:29:44.220 --> 00:29:48.480 You know what is what an amazing truth is, is that there's only one person. 00:29:48.619 --> 00:29:49.700 We talked about this before. 00:29:49.740 --> 00:29:56.539 There's only one person who's ever lived, who's called on God's name and God hasn't answered him. 00:29:57.400 --> 00:29:59.460 And that's Jesus on the cross. 00:30:00.960 --> 00:30:10.440 Certainly we understand we will never be able to comprehend the connection between the father and the son and Jesus being fully God, but allowing himself to be nothing. 00:30:11.019 --> 00:30:14.140 But what we do understand is he asked for a way out. 00:30:14.619 --> 00:30:21.259 And God said, this is the father said this is the only way he was righteous and he cried out, says the Lord hears him. 00:30:21.400 --> 00:30:28.339 But then there's a scripture and Jesus says, Jesus says, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 00:30:28.339 --> 00:30:33.140 Pointing to this, this, this psalm in earlier on in the Bible. 00:30:35.119 --> 00:30:37.220 Says the Lord is close to the broken hearted. 00:30:37.539 --> 00:30:39.619 He saves those who are crushed in spirit. 00:30:40.119 --> 00:30:43.859 Jesus was crushed to give us an opportunity to be saved. 00:30:47.009 --> 00:30:48.109 Psalm 34. 00:30:50.890 --> 00:30:54.670 Jesus gives us an opportunity to to have eternal life. 00:30:54.730 --> 00:30:57.690 He gives us an opportunity because he died on a cross. 00:30:57.690 --> 00:31:01.769 And because of that, we're able to call out and he will answer us. 00:31:01.869 --> 00:31:02.009 Amen. 00:31:02.369 --> 00:31:03.490 Let's let's pray. 00:31:03.869 --> 00:31:05.390 And then the communion trail will be passed. 00:31:10.400 --> 00:31:14.519 Dear God, Lord, we we're grateful to be able to worship you. 00:31:14.819 --> 00:31:21.440 We're grateful at the example of of your of your of your son, Jesus. 00:31:21.579 --> 00:31:30.220 We we just we can't stand up before your holiness, Lord, to think about and to consider all that you've done for us. 00:31:30.220 --> 00:31:33.680 All we can do is is fall at your feet like the Samaritan. 00:31:33.799 --> 00:31:39.539 Father, we just want to ask that you will move in our lives to allow us to do that day by day. 00:31:39.579 --> 00:31:50.160 But Lord, allow us to grow in our gratitude today, specifically right now, our gratitude for the cross and what Jesus did for us, what he's continuing to do for us. 00:31:50.200 --> 00:31:58.160 But what he did once for all to give us an opportunity to be able to call out to you and for you to hear us, Lord, we don't we don't deserve it. 00:31:58.180 --> 00:31:59.200 We'll never deserve it. 00:31:59.200 --> 00:32:00.859 We're just grateful for it. 00:32:00.980 --> 00:32:03.079 We love you so much, Jesus. 00:32:03.380 --> 00:32:05.079 This is in your name that we pray. 00:32:05.220 --> 00:32:05.359 Amen. 00:32:06.400 --> 00:32:10.980 Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:32:11.559 --> 00:32:14.660 If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. 00:32:14.900 --> 00:32:22.279 Please go to Kalamazoo dot church and fill in your information to come to a Sunday service or any other event that we have going on. 00:32:22.420 --> 00:32:24.920 In any case, you'll be hearing from us next week. 00:32:37.700 --> 00:32:39.240 So busy saving souls.