Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

Today, we are wrapping up our One series. It has been an incredible four weeks. And I’ve gotta tell you that last week was a foretaste of what the worship service in heaven is going to be like. We witnessed a powerful move of God in this place last week.

Today, we are going to wrap up our One series by coming together with one heart. Our nation just celebrated Thanksgiving. Some of you are still in a turkey-induced coma this morning.

By the way, I learned something amazing right before Thanksgiving this year. I learned that, when you add up the calories and then you compare that to the amount of nutrients, pumpkin pie is just about the healthiest dessert you can eat. (Praise God!) I lost count of how many pieces of pumpkin pie I had this year. Just trying to be a health conscious guy.

I do hope that you had a great holiday this past week. But what we need to realize is that, for God’s people, Thanksgiving isn’t a one day deal. It’s an everyday deal. It’s not the last Thursday in November. It’s everyday of every month of every year.

Gratitude is the fuel in the engine of God’s people. And today, we are going to celebrate and we are going to thank our God with one heart.

Listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 15. “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5-6, NIV)

This is what today is all about. We are coming together with one heart to give God the honor and praise and gratitude that He deserves.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this service has been very different. We haven’t asked God for a one thing in this service today. In our prayers, in our songs, in anything that has been said or done, we haven’t asked God for a single thing today.

We haven’t sung a single song that asked God to do anything for us. If you think that was easy, go talk to Brian after the service. His desk was covered with song lyrics as he tried to find worship songs that thank God, but don’t ask anything from God.

This morning, we haven’t prayed, “God, bless us.” Or, “God, please…” or anything like that. We have set aside this day to do nothing but thank God.

The scary part is how hard that is. Putting this service together has been really difficult. It’s frightening how unnatural this feels.

We are so conditioned to ask God for things, when in reality we ought to be even more conditioned to thank God for everything He has already done.

I don’t mean that we can’t ask God for anything. In fact, we are commanded to bring our needs and desires to God. But an attitude of gratitude has to be pervasive in our lives. Gratitude should be our natural language. Not something that is awkward and forced.

But gratitude is not something that often comes naturally to us. And it’s always been this way. Listen to this story from Luke 17.

“Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:11-19, NIV)

Jesus is on a journey when ten men called out to Him. These ten men had leprosy, one of the most dreaded diseases in the ancient world. People with leprosy had these oozing, open sores. Because of these open wounds, people with leprosy would often go to sleep only to wake up and find that a rat had come and gnawed off a limb. It was the most disgusting, most physically painful disease you could ever imagine.

But leprosy was more than just physical pain. Because it was so highly contagious, people with leprosy were completely ostracized. They couldn’t live in cities. They had to live in leper camps far outside the city walls. Anytime someone approached them, they had to yell out, “Unclean! Unclean!” to warn people to stay away. No family contact. No friends. No hugs. No handshakes. No contact at all. That’s why the Bible tells us that these men yelled at Jesus from a distance.

They knew Jesus was passing by. They had heard stories of the incredible healing miracles that Jesus could perform. So they cried out to him, begging him to heal them.

Now, we need to notice something here. These men are never criticized because they asked Jesus for healing. I don’t want you to get me wrong today. It’s not wrong to bring your needs and desires to God. In fact, we’re commanded to do that. But the problem shows up later in the story.

After these men were healed…after their prayers were answered…only one came back to thank Jesus. One out of the ten. And this one was a Samaritan, not a Jew. In other words, the least likely one to come back to worship and praise and thank Jesus was the one who actually did it.

And you can hear the shock in Jesus’ voice when He said, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

10% of this group lived with gratitude. 100% of them asked for something. 100% received it. 10% showed gratitude.

I don’t think those numbers have changed much in the last 2,000 years. I think those figures are just as accurate today as they were then.

100% of God’s people will ask Him for something. Especially during a crisis. When things are spinning out of control, we’ll beg and plead for God to do something about it. It’s a spiritual 911 call.

But then, when God delivers us, about 10% will stop long enough to be grateful.

That’s why we are dedicating this entire day to gratitude. We aren’t asking for anything today because God has already given us so much. And we are stopping to thank Him.

A few weeks ago, I talked about some challenges that our church is facing. Challenges like a tight budget in the middle of a poor economy. You know what? I can name you a lot of churches who have it a lot rougher than we do. A lot.

We have the challenge of an aging building that is deteriorating. You know what? Today, there are churches in China and Iran and North Korea that can’t meet in buildings because they have to meet in secret. Their lives would be in jeopardy if the government found out about their church.

There are people in Haiti who walked for miles today in blazing heat. All so they could be part of an outdoor church service.

We are grateful to God for what He has given us. Period.

We are not only grateful for the things that God has given us, but we are grateful for the people that God has given us. Only one came back to thank Jesus for what He had done for Him. Will you be the one to thank someone who has done so much for you?

Will you be the one to thank someone in the children’s ministry or youth ministry today? Will you thank them for faithfully ministering to your kids every week?

Will you be the one to thank an elder for the countless hours of work they do behind the scenes? You don’t get to see the endless meetings. The hours of prayer and wrestling with big decisions. And usually it’s all done without a single “thank you.”

Will you thank the people who lead you in worship every week? You will never know the amount of time and work that goes into every single service each week. They give everything they have every week, not only to glorify God, but also to serve you. Will you thank them today?

Will you thank the person who greets you with a smile every week and brightens your day? Will you thank your teacher or small group leader for everything they are doing for you each week? Will you thank the person who sent you a card or came to visit you when you were hurting? Will you be the one?

Here’s the harsh reality of this. Most of you will walk out of here today without doing this. It’s just the reality of it. Only one came back to thank Jesus. Today, I’m challenging you to be in the minority. Be the one. You be the one.

It’s not easy to live with this kind of gratitude. Maybe that’s why we have to set aside a day each year to remind us, because it’s not easy to live with gratitude everyday of our lives. And it’s because we live everyday with a competing force in our culture.

That force is called entitlement. Entitlement and gratitude are mortal enemies. They cannot coexist. One with choke the other to death. The key is that we get decide the winner. It’s like a UFC fight in our minds and hearts. But ultimately, we get to decide who wins. Entitlement or gratitude.

I recently heard a story about a consultant in Boston who was working with a bunch of college graduates. He told them, “Everyone in the workforce today uses one word to describe this emerging generation that is graduating from college. The word starts with the letter ‘e.’”

All these college grads started guessing what the word could be. They said things like, “energetic,” “excellent,” and “exceptional.”

“Actually,” he told them, “the word is entitled.”

The millenials have been labeled as the entitled generation. Everyone owes us and we deserve more. That’s the mantra of our younger generation.

But, before those of us who are older start saying, “Yep, that’s what’s wrong with young people nowadays,” we need to remember that we created this generation. They feel entitled because of what they have been taught.

Let’s just call a spade a spade here. We have raised spoiled kids. For a couple of generations, we have done nothing but spoil our kids. We have catered to their every whim and desire.

That’s why 16-year-old kids are driving around in brand new cars. Cars that they are most likely going to wreck. 16-year-old drivers have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age. But we still give them brand new cars because it’s what they want.

You’ve got 10-year-old kids walking around with iPhones. The minimum you will pay for an iPhone 4 over the span of the two year contract is almost $1700. And that’s before taxes and all the various fees. But Junior wants one. He said his phone is no good because he can’t surf the web. He NEEDS a smart phone.

We can get mad at the entitlement mentality of the younger generation, but it really makes no sense because we created it.

You know one of the greatest words you can say to your kids? “No.” Moms and Dads, say it with me. “No.”

Kids today live with an entitlement mentality because it’s what they’ve been taught by their parents. And their parents got it from their parents. Almost all of us, regardless of age, live with an attitude of entitlement instead of an attitude of gratitude.

I heard Craig Groeschel preach a message on the Prodigal Son story recently. In that message, he pointed out a couple of things that I hadn’t thought about before. This story really illustrates two mindsets of entitlement that will destroy the gratitude in our lives.

Let’s read this story that Jesus told in Luke 15. “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.

"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father.

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'

"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' " (Luke 15:11-32, NIV)

This is one of the most famous parables that Jesus ever told. But I want to look at it through a different lens than we normally do. Think about this story through the lens of entitlement vs. gratitude.

First of all, think about the younger son.

The younger son said, “I want it now.”

He went to his father and said, “I want my share of the inheritance now.” In this culture, this was the equivalent of saying, “Dad, I wish you were already dead so I could get my money. I want it now.”

Tell me that this “I want it now” attitude isn’t pervasive today???

If the fast-food drive thru takes longer than a minute, we’re ticked off.

If that video doesn’t download right away, we’re mad.

If the car in front of you dares to drive 1 mph under the speed limit, we’re yelling, “Come on, move it grandpa!”

It’s ridiculous how true this is of us. I want it. And I want it now.

This isn’t going to be politically correct, but it’s true. You want to know one of the biggest reasons for the financial crisis our country is in? I want it now.

People are drowning in debt because, “I want it now.” Dave Ramsey said that debt is really financial whining. “I want it now!”

There is an old school way of thinking that sounds so out-of-date that we don’t even think about it anymore. You want to know how your great-grandpa and great-grandma approached this stuff? If they didn’t have the money, they didn’t buy it. And if there was something they wanted, they saved up their money to buy it.

What? Why didn’t they just charge it and pay 29% interest for the rest of their life? Because they hadn’t lost their minds! That’s why.

There’s a guy in the Bible that knows something about the “I want it now” syndrome. His name is Solomon. Listen to what He wrote in Ecclesiastes 2.

“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, NIV)

Solomon chased it all. He was incredibly wealthy, and he never denied himself of anything. If he wanted it, he got.

And, near the end of his life, he said it was all meaningless. Chasing after the wind. It was all pointless.

Because an attitude of entitlement invites disaster in your life. It sets you up as the god of your own life. And you want to know something? When it comes to being god…you stink. You really do. You make a lousy god. But when you live with an entitlement attitude, that’s exactly who your god becomes: you.

Let’s go back to the story of the prodigal son. In the story, the younger son said, “I want it now.”

The older son said, “I deserve more.”

I want to go back to the story and look at the conversation between the father and the older son after the younger son had returned home.

Luke 15, starting in verse 28. “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'” (Luke 15:28-30, NIV)

There was a party going on in the house to celebrate the younger son’s return. The older son wouldn’t go in because he was busy having a party himself…a pity party.

And when his father comes out, the older son explodes. “You’re giving this son of yours a fattened calf. Steaks for everyone! But what about me? You never even gave me a goat. I deserve more!”

We never think like that today, do we?

How many of us have a closet full of clothes. Yet we walk into our closet (it’s so big that you can WALK INTO IT) and then we say, “I don’t have anything to wear.”

There are places in the world where they really don’t have anything to wear.

Or, “I don’t like my car. I mean, it’s three years old. It doesn’t have a place to plug in my iPod. It doesn’t have heated seats. I want a better car.”

Do you realize that you’re among the 3-5% of people on this planet who own a car? Most of you own more than one. Some of you have 3 or 4 cars.

We get conditioned with this attitude that, “I deserve more. What I have is not good enough. I deserve more.”

I deserve a bigger house. My kids have to share a room. I don’t have a basement. I deserve a bigger house.

Tell that to the people in Indonesia who recently saw their pitiful little houses destroyed in a tsunami.

I deserve a better job. This job is beneath me. I’m better than this. I deserve a better job.

Go talk to your neighbor who doesn’t have a job and has been looking for over a year. I bet he’d take your job off your hands if he could.

You see where we’re going, here? You will be conditioned by our culture to believe that you deserve more than you have. And if you constantly believe you deserve more, you will never be grateful for everything you already have.

Instead of believing you deserve more, start conditioning yourself to thank God for what you already have.

Every blessing that doesn’t become praise becomes pride. If you don’t thank God for your blessing, you start to believe that you deserve your blessing. That’s pride. And God gives us a strong warning about pride.

In Proverbs 16, God reminds us that, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18, NIV)

Pride will destroy you. It will destroy your life. It will destroy your family’s life. It is absolutely devastating.

Now, for those of us who still believe that we really do deserve more, let’s talk about what you actually deserve. The Bible tells us in Romans 6.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, NIV)

Wages are a paycheck. When you go to work, you earn your wages. You worked for them. You earned them. You deserve them.

The Bible says that the wages of sin is death, meaning that we have earned death. We deserve death, which means that we deserve hell. If you want to get what you deserve…you deserve hell.

But the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. A gift is not earned. It is not deserved. It is freely given.

You do not deserve Jesus. You do not deserve heaven. You do not deserve grace. But it is given to you as a free gift.

God doesn’t give us what we deserve…and we need to praise Him everyday for that.

We have been given so much. We have been given so much in our individual lives. We have been given so much in our families. We have been given so much as a church.

Today, let’s unite together with one heart and say two very simple, but perspective-changing, life-altering words: thank you.

Last week we took time in our service to list what we are thankful for. Those papers are still hanging around this room today. If you have some time, go around and read some of these notes. They are incredible. Absolutely amazing.

The notes hanging on the walls of this room tell an incredible story. It’s a story of a God who is imminently faithful. A God who has never left you. On your worst day, He is there. He loves you. He gave up His own Son for you. Everyday is Thanksgiving Day for those of us who follow Jesus.

We thank God for everything that we have. But much more than what we have, we thank God for Who we have. Jesus.

That’s what Paul expressed in 2 Corinthians 9 when he wrote, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15, NIV)

That gift is Jesus. He gave up everything for us. He didn’t view Himself as entitled to more. Instead, He willingly gave up everything for you and for me.

How can we not live everyday of lives with gratitude? If you are not grateful, then you don’t get it. It’s really that simple. If you truly understand what God has done for you, gratitude won’t be about a holiday. It will become the everyday. Thanksgiving won’t be a day. It will become a lifestyle.

And if you haven’t ever crossed the line of faith and accepted Jesus as the Savior and Lord of your life, there is no better way to thank Him than by accepting the gift that He offers. We want to close by giving you the opportunity to do that today.

Mike Edmisten

Tags: gratitude, One, thankfulness, Thanksgiving, unity