392 - Those Who Understand Grace Will Be Grateful#
392 - Those Who Understand Grace Will Know Gratitude
(JP Text Group - shalom 整理)
The topic of sharing is: Those Who Understand Grace Will Know Gratitude
Luke 17:11-19
11 Jesus was going to Jerusalem, and He passed through Samaria and Galilee. 12 As He entered a village, ten men who had leprosy met Him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When He saw them, He said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him; and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then He said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Let’s start with a prayer together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You. Thank You for leading us to receive provision in You. We believe we will see Your grace, and You desire for us to see You more, experience You more, and live out the likeness of Jesus, not only to receive this grace but also to give it to those in need, to the weak, so they can also experience the wonders of Christ. Bless every brother and sister who seeks You to receive Your personal nourishment. We commit the time below to the Holy Spirit to renew and supply us. In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.
Speaking out gratitude will lead to seeing even more things to be grateful for! This is how our God blesses us. Many people receive blessings but do not express them; it may be hard to see God’s grace later. It’s not that God has stopped giving, but they leave after receiving.
Indeed, I have encountered some people who previously had illnesses or faced significant family problems and came to seek Jesus. We prayed for them, their illnesses were healed, and their problems were resolved, but then they disappeared. Did they experience God’s grace? Yes, they did. If this person returned and continued to receive God’s word here, do you know what would happen? They would see more of God’s grace! Now they have only tasted the goodness of the Lord. God does not want us to be mere tasters; He wants you to be filled in Him, Amen.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Those who thirst for God’s word and desire to know Jesus more will see their lives filled with grateful things. This article is interesting; ten men with leprosy came to seek Jesus.
In verse 11 of chapter 17, Jesus was going to Jerusalem, passing through Samaria and Galilee.
He was walking from the north to the south, passing through a village. We don’t know what kind of village it was, but there were ten men with leprosy who met Him, standing at a distance. Do you know why lepers had to stand far away? Because leprosy is highly contagious; being too close could cause problems. Especially in today’s environment, many people are afraid and want to maintain a safe distance, right? What is our safe distance? One meter is enough, but lepers in the Old Testament had to maintain much more distance; one meter wouldn’t work. A sneeze could be fatal.
Let’s first look at what they were supposed to do. In Leviticus 13:45-46:
45 “The person with leprosy must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ 46 As long as they have the leprosy, they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp.”
This means that in Israel, anyone with leprosy had specific characteristics. Their clothes had to be torn; they couldn’t wear clean clothes. The first thing was to tear their clothes, making them look ragged. They also had to let their hair be unkempt, looking somewhat like beggars. They had to cover their mouths and loudly proclaim, “Unclean! Unclean!” The purpose of this shouting was to prevent spreading the disease to others, to inform others, “I am unclean; please stay away from me.”
Brothers and sisters, do you know how large the shadow in the hearts of such people can be? They are already sick and are not accepted by others, feeling very lonely inside, right? Once, a leper came to Jesus and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” What did Jesus do at that moment? He reached out and touched him. Why did Jesus touch him? Since he had leprosy, very few people would talk to him up close, let alone touch him. But Jesus touched this leper, and the Bible says the leprosy immediately left him, Amen!
Let’s think about this: under the Old Testament law, when a person got leprosy, they had to keep their distance from others. In a headwind situation, they had to maintain a distance of 50 meters; in a tailwind, it had to be 100 meters. They didn’t want their disease to spread to others. Under the Old Testament law, people had no ability to resist leprosy; it was an incurable disease, and they couldn’t overcome it.
But Jesus came and brought hope. Jesus is more powerful than leprosy. After Jesus touched the leper, it wasn’t Jesus who disappeared; it was the leprosy that disappeared, Amen! No matter what problems you encounter, even if your problems seem overwhelming and your illness seems incurable, there is always a way with Jesus! When you seek Him, when Jesus reaches out to touch you, your disease will disappear.
The Bible mentions a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She visited many doctors but was not healed. However, when she touched Jesus, she was healed, Hallelujah! This is the Lord you believe in; He is greater than any problem you encounter, Amen.
When we partake in communion later, we can reflect on the fact that we are touching the body of Jesus, Amen! Even leprosy, even an incurable disease, will disappear when we touch the body of Jesus because Jesus is greater than all sin, Amen!
Do you remember when Jesus was on the cross? He said, “It is finished,” bearing all the sins of humanity on Himself. After He absorbed this sin, He died for our sins and rose from the dead three days later, proving He has overcome evil, Amen.
Although Jesus has the power to heal physical diseases, what about the diseases of the heart? People are unwilling to follow Jesus and unwilling to express gratitude to Him; what can Jesus do? God created the heavens and the earth easily. With just a word, everything was created according to its kind. However, He wants to save our hearts so that people willingly follow Him, which required the sacrifice of His only Son! To manifest this love, yet people still ignore it, that is the problem of humanity. Brothers and sisters, it is truly difficult for God to gain the hearts of people.
Looking at this article, there were ten men with leprosy who stood at a distance, not daring to approach Jesus. But they longed for healing! These ten men are interesting because their leprosy created a common consciousness among them. Among the ten, one returned, a Samaritan, indicating that the other nine were of the same ethnicity, right? We can understand that the nine were Jews, and one was a Samaritan. After they fell ill, those who were originally incompatible became united. Before they were sick, they had nothing to do with each other.
Previously, it was mentioned that when Jesus went to Samaria to preach the gospel, He was thirsty, and a woman came to Him, saying, “You are a Jew; why do you ask me for a drink?” This shows that Jews and Samaritans had no interaction. Now, the issue is that when they contracted leprosy, they no longer distinguished between Samaritan and Jew; there was no longer any distinction of status or class; they all lived together.
The Samaritans were actually formed after the division of the Israelite kingdom into the northern and southern kingdoms. The capital of the southern kingdom was Jerusalem, while the capital of the northern kingdom was Samaria. Each kingdom experienced twenty kings, with half of the southern kings being good and doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord, while almost all the northern kings did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. Later, in 722 BC, the northern kingdom was invaded by Assyria, and most of the Israelites were taken captive, leaving only a small number of common people behind. These people, after being settled in foreign lands for a long time, intermarried with the locals, resulting in mixed-race offspring, which we refer to as Samaritans.
Due to differences in faith, their understanding of God became vague and confused. Orthodox Jews did not associate with Samaritans. However, with the emergence of this incurable disease, these people were united, and they had to develop a common consciousness. They forgot their identities and achievements, and in their suffering, they could accept each other.
When people share the same suffering, they can support each other. Once the problem is solved, they no longer interact. Where did the nine Jews go? We don’t know, but it’s clear that after they were healed, they divided into two groups: the Samaritan and the Jews. If they hadn’t been healed, they would have stayed together. Is it better to be sick or to be healed?
Let’s first look at how they were healed. These men called out loudly, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” Because they had an incurable disease, they were very attentive to the news of someone who could heal it. When a person has a certain illness, they will go to great lengths to find an expert in that area. At that time, leprosy had no other means of treatment, but since Jesus appeared, people began to be healed of leprosy.
Let’s look at Luke 7:21-23:
21 At that time, Jesus healed many who had diseases, sicknesses, and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So He replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 23 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
This indicates that when John the Baptist was still alive, Jesus was preaching, and during His ministry, many testimonies began to emerge, including the cleansing of lepers. If you have a certain illness and hear that there is an expert who is very skilled in that area, would you be willing to seek him out? Of course, you would want to find that person.
Have you noticed that testimonies often come in situations where there seems to be no way out? Jesus becomes their only way. Why do some people not receive? Some often ask me, “Why have I prayed for so long and still not received? I really want my illness to be healed. I lay hands on others, and they get better; why am I not healed?” Do you know the reason? One reason is that they still have other paths to take, while the person they laid hands on had no other options.
Did the lepers have any other options? They had no way out. They heard about a man named Jesus who had healed lepers, which gave them faith. Their faith was that as long as they saw Jesus and He said a word to them, they would be healed. If you have such faith and want to receive Jesus’ blessings, it’s very simple! In fact, what they received was just a word from Jesus!
When they called out loudly, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” Jesus did not touch them or pray for each one individually, saying, “I am anointed, I am full of power, I am the Son of God…” He didn’t promote Himself first; Jesus simply said one sentence: “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”
Brothers and sisters, does this relate to their healing? It seems like it doesn’t, just like when we go to the hospital feeling unwell, and the doctor says, “You can go home!” What would we think? “Are you joking? I came all this way to see you, and you’re telling me to go home!” This is disbelief.
What is faith? In our Christian faith, it emphasizes believing, even when you don’t understand, that the words spoken by Jesus will surely come to pass in your life. Whether you understand or not is not important. The key is that Jesus knows His words have power. Many times, we doubt the reliability of what Jesus says and cannot fully accept it. But why could these ten men believe what Jesus said? Because they knew that since Jesus said it, they would do it and receive it. After all, this was a word from Jesus; He had healed lepers in the past, and now He spoke this word to them, so they just needed to receive it!
It seems different from how others approached Jesus. Others sought Jesus, and He said, “You are clean; the disease has left you!” At least He could say something related to their illness. But now, Jesus’ words seemed unrelated, yet He was still powerful, Amen!
Many people fall into the misconception that when they are sick, they should seek teachings about healing; when they have financial problems, they should listen to teachings about financial revival; when family relationships are poor, they should hear teachings on how to handle relationships well. Some pastors even enthusiastically separate teachings on parent-child relationships, healing series, financial turnaround series… Whatever the issue, they go to listen to that teaching. This can easily lead to extremes and strange cycles. For Jesus, even if He gives you a word that seems unrelated to your current situation, if you believe, you will see results that exceed your expectations. As long as you hear the word of Jesus, it can solve all your problems, Amen.
Let’s look at why Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests, Leviticus 14:1-8:
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “These are the regulations for the leper who is to be cleansed: After they have been brought to the priest, 3 the priest shall go outside the camp and examine them. If they have been healed of their leprosy, 4 the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed. 5 Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. 6 He is then to take the live bird, the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn, and the hyssop and dip them into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7 He shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed seven times and pronounce them clean. Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields. 8 The person to be cleansed must wash their clothes, shave off all their hair, and bathe with water. Then they will be clean. After this, they may come into the camp, but they must stay outside their tent for seven days.
It’s interesting; especially in our current environment, many regulations are similar to this, right? When there’s a problem, you first isolate for a period, and after that period, if it seems okay, you can return home. Brothers and sisters, God has already written the methods for healing and disease prevention in the Bible, right?
This means that the Bible contains methods for all matters in the world, Amen! This example is particularly special; after being cleansed from leprosy, Jews must see the priest. Why must they see the priest? Because only the priest can certify that you are clean. Can you say you are clean? No. Just like today, if you have a fever, you need a professional to confirm it. You can’t just say you’re not burning; it requires an authoritative person to verify it, right?
When a Jew is cleansed from leprosy, they must see the priest. What does the priest do? He acts as a mediator between God and man. When people sin, the priest atones for their sins, and the priest also checks whether the person is clean, whether the problem or disease has been eliminated. This is all part of the priest’s work. At the same time, the priest has the job of declaring someone clean or unclean, condemning or declaring freedom; this is the work of the Old Testament priest. God uses them to see the true condition of the people. If someone is cleansed, they must offer a gift, killing one bird in that place, sprinkling the blood seven times on that person, declaring them clean. Why am I telling you all this? This means that to prove oneself clean, one must have an authoritative person to verify it.
Before the ten lepers went to see the priest, Jesus first told them, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” At this moment, they needed to receive it by faith. If your heart is filled with condemnation, you might think, “I am full of leprosy; why should I go to the priest? If I go, the priest will surely declare me unclean.” What I mean is, if you come to worship with a heart full of condemnation and complaints, you will feel that God is not working; why hasn’t He answered my prayers after so many times?
In such a case, you won’t receive anything in church; or if you go to a church that operates under the Old Testament law, what you will receive is condemnation, telling you that you are unclean. How many people, who thought they were clean, after hearing a sermon, felt they were unclean and that their lives were a mess? After hearing Jesus say this, the ten men went to see the priest and received the same faith: “I am clean!”
Do you understand? They had to receive it by faith. They still had leprosy, but now they had to walk towards the priest by faith. As they walked, the ten men were cleansed. How are many people healed by God? How does their situation turn around? Before they sought Jesus, before they even opened their mouths to ask God, they already believed that God would answer their prayers. Just like you, before you came here, you believed that you would receive God’s grace today, and you will surely receive it. If you think, “Oh, it’s Sunday again; I have to worship God. How tiring!” then you won’t receive anything; you might receive condemnation. When these ten men walked back in faith, they found they were all cleansed. The next part is interesting; only one person returned. Where did the nine go? It’s clear that the one who returned was a Samaritan.
I want to emphasize why this Samaritan returned while the Jews did not. In fact, under the law, even when seeing God’s grace, as long as they offered a gift, they quickly forgot the grace. Because under the law, there is a characteristic: when they see what they have given, they see that God has left them a little grace, they will forget it instantly because they think they have done what they should do for God. Just like I said earlier, when going to see the priest, they couldn’t go empty-handed; the priest would kill that bird and offer a sacrifice. Once they completed these tasks, they would think they had done what they needed to do for God and owed Him nothing.
Many people living under the law have this way of life. Even if God gives them a little grace, they do not see it as God’s grace; they see why there are still so many other areas that have not been accomplished. This law-based mindset is very frightening. So brothers and sisters, whether our hearts are under grace or under the law is very important; it directly affects our lives. Look around you; after receiving a little grace from God, does that person express gratitude daily, or do they say, “What’s this little grace worth?” If it’s the latter, it will be hard to see other graces.
Why did the Samaritan return? The Samaritan’s place of worship was not in Jerusalem; he had no priest. His place of worship was on Mount Gerizim. After being healed, he went to find the priest, but his priest was gone. The only places to see priests were in Jerusalem and those priests below, and only Jews could enter those places. The Samaritan had no right to see the Jewish priest. He wanted to prove he was clean but could only return to one person: Jesus. Do you understand?
Brothers and sisters, if you have a disease healed by God and cannot find someone to thank, because it is not something humans can do, only Jesus can do it, you will return to thank Jesus, Amen. When this Samaritan returned, he could only give thanks to Jesus. There was no priest to prove he was clean; he could only go to Jesus and let Him tell him he was clean.
Under the Old Testament, under the law, this was a very complicated matter! Can’t you see if you are clean or unclean? But your word doesn’t count; it must be confirmed by the law. So this person went to Jesus to prove it. Let’s see what this person did after he returned.
In verse 15, one of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.
The other Jews went to the priest to give thanks and offer sacrifices, and that was it. This person, having no priest, could only come to Jesus, praising God loudly and falling at Jesus’ feet to thank Him. Thanking Him, the horror of being under the law is that as long as they offer a gift, they feel they owe God nothing. But this person did not offer a gift; he knew it was Jesus who healed him, so he fell at Jesus’ feet to thank Him.
Brothers and sisters, what revelation does this bring us? If a person receives grace and miracles but continues to return to the law, they will not know gratitude. I spent about ten years under the law. Although God performed many miracles in my life and saved me countless times, during those ten years, I really didn’t think to thank Jesus. Most of the time, I would think about what Jesus had done for me on Thanksgiving Day, but at other times, I mostly complained to God.
However, now that I am in grace, I have discovered that my thinking has changed. I am not living under the law but completely relying on Jesus’ provision. Every day, I can see the wonderful things Jesus does in my life, and I am renewed every day.
What is grace? Romans 11:6 says, “And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.”
This Samaritan knew his actions were not good; he was not accepted by the Jews and had no priest to prove it. He could only seek Jesus, acknowledging that all of this was given to him by Jesus. It is this kind of heart that allows him to see greater grace. How did he thank Jesus? He had no way to offer birds or sacrifices to the priest; he could only offer thanks to Jesus.
Psalm 50:23 says, “Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless, I will show my salvation.”
This is what the Samaritan received. When he was healed and returned to find Jesus, he received life, the abundant life of Jesus Christ. When he returned to seek Jesus, he was looking to Jesus with his heart. What he received from Jesus was not just physical healing but healing of life, something the other nine did not have, Amen.
Just like we often say, when non-believers encounter problems and come to seek Jesus, and we pray for them, and they are healed, isn’t that a good thing? It is a great thing! But then how do you get them to come to church? Does it hurt us? No, it doesn’t hurt. If they don’t come, they have already received God’s grace before. But if they return, they will receive more abundant provision from God.
Just like when you come to seek Jesus, to hear His word and these truths, it can not only heal your life but also transform every area of your life. So what you will receive is more grace and greater gratitude! But the nine went back, returned to the law, and may not see anything afterward.
It is said that anyone who offers thanks as a sacrifice, what does Jesus need us to offer? We always feel that God seems to want something from us. Many non-believers say, “If I go to church, do I have to offer something to God?” Brothers and sisters, this mindset needs to be opened! Doesn’t the world belong to our God? What can we offer to God? Just like Solomon said, “Everything is Yours; I am just offering back what You gave me.”
When we do this, God’s heart is joyful, proving that we acknowledge this is what God has given us. How do we understand this? For example, if you give your child ten candies, they don’t eat them all at once. Of course, if they do, you won’t blame them; they were given to them. But if the child takes one of the ten candies and says, “Dad, here’s one for you,” how do you feel? You see that they have a grateful heart; you see that they know this is what you have given them. Wouldn’t you be willing to give them more? It’s like that, brothers and sisters. God wants us to offer to Him, to offer thanks as a sacrifice to Him, not because God is lacking, but because God hopes we become grateful people. Only grateful people will see more things to be grateful for.
Many people always convey negative energy, frequently complaining about this person or that place, focusing on the dark side. What they say and think is all dark; they have no gratitude. But if they often look at Jesus, see what God has done in them and in me, the more they look, the more grateful they become, Amen!
Offering thanks as a sacrifice to God is glorifying our Lord. What is the right path? The way of Jesus Christ is the right path; it depends on how you live. Why do others always see shadows? It’s simple; because you are facing away from the sun, you see your shadow. To not see those shadows is very simple; just turn 180 degrees, and you will see the sunlight, and the shadow will disappear!
Always focus on Jesus’ grace, always focus on what God has given you to be grateful for, collecting these things; the more you collect, the more you will find. Conversely, if you keep searching for why others did not receive healing, constantly gathering negative information, your heart will be filled with negative energy, and you will find that believing in God is the same as not believing. It all depends on where your focus is!
And this Samaritan did not go to find the priest, listening to the priest’s words, and then never returned. He directly sought Jesus. What did Jesus give him?
Luke 17:19: “Then He said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’”
This foreign Samaritan believed in no one else but Jesus. When he sought Jesus, he found greater grace; he received the life of Christ. The more you get to know Jesus and experience His grace in life, focusing on Jesus, the more you will see Jesus’ grace! Jesus said, “Your faith has made you well.” This is a phrase Jesus often says. We often tell others that they need to have faith, that they need to have great faith to accomplish everything. What is this faith? It is not about how much faith you have that allows you to do things; it is about believing in the words of Jesus.
The faith of these ten men was initially the same; they all believed in the words spoken by Jesus, that they had already been healed. Now, when this person returned to seek Jesus again, believing that what Jesus said would show him greater grace! So when Jesus said, “Your faith has made you well,” it meant his life was saved. This person truly gained, brothers and sisters.
Let’s look at a passage, Matthew 9:20-22:
20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the edge of His cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch His cloak, I will be healed.” 22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” He said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
What was this woman’s faith? “If I only touch His cloak, I will be healed.” Isn’t this her faith? It’s that simple. Can you have this faith too? You can have it when you take the communion bread; isn’t this the body of Jesus? Isn’t it touching Him? Some might say, “No, this is just a piece of bread.” Sorry, that’s why you won’t receive it.
Faith is believing that after I touch Jesus, I can also be healed. This faith is not given to you by others; it comes from within you, believing in Jesus, no matter what others say. When Jesus says, “Your faith has healed you,” it refers to the aspect of believing in what Jesus said. You believed, and that was the faith of the woman with the twelve-year bleeding issue; at that time, her faith was, “As long as I touch Jesus, I will receive.” After she was healed, she was still afraid because she had violated the law; according to the unclean regulations, she could not go into the crowd. She wanted to sneak away. Jesus knew she was worried and called her. After she revealed this matter, Jesus said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has healed you.” The Bible says that from that moment, the woman was healed.
But the Bible also says that at the moment she touched the edge of Jesus’ cloak, her bleeding source was already healed. Why mention it again? Here, healing refers to both her physical and psychological healing. When we experience certain things and see physical healing, through this miracle, you experience God and believe that no matter how big the problem is in the future, my God will not abandon me; He will not condemn me and will be with me. This shows that your heart has also been healed.
Some people are physically healthy but live in worry and fear every day, especially after experiencing such a significant event. You have also discovered this, right? People are so afraid! Previously, I posted a picture asking why Christians wear masks. Many said wearing a mask shows a lack of faith. You are wrong; it’s not that we lack faith; it’s to care for others’ faith because they are too afraid!
For a while, if you didn’t wear a mask while coming down from upstairs, you would scare others. You have faith, but others do not share that faith. Imagine if everyone in the world believed in Jesus; wouldn’t that solve the problem? Each person’s faith is different.
This woman was afraid, feeling that what she was doing was somewhat improper, violating the law. Jesus wanted to heal her heart, saying, “Daughter, take heart; your faith has healed you.” From then on, she could thank God with peace of mind, Hallelujah! Otherwise, she might feel like she had stolen God’s grace, feeling somewhat improper. Jesus confirmed that it was her faith that had brought her healing, so she should not worry. Thank God, she received Jesus’ faith.
Luke 18:35-43:
35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to Him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. 42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
This is a story we are very familiar with. Jericho was the first city Joshua attacked when entering Canaan. After attacking that city, it became a cursed city. It is said that at that time, the ground sank, and saltwater seemed to emerge, causing trees to stop growing, and the fruits would fall before ripening. The people in the city lived in great suffering, so Jericho was called the cursed city of God. When Jesus arrived, the blind man was begging and happened to hear a crowd passing by. He asked what was happening and was told that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. These people did not follow Jesus every day; they heard about Jesus through others, Amen. This is their faith!
Brothers and sisters, when you seek Jesus, you should carry this kind of faith, and you will see! If you see that over the past year, God has given so much grace in your family, coming to seek Jesus with a grateful heart will lead to seeing even greater grace! If every year you come to Jesus with a grateful heart, you will see more of Jesus’ grace every year! Hallelujah! It all depends on how you live. When this blind man heard that Jesus was coming, he finally had this opportunity and did not allow it to slip away. He shouted loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Even though others rebuked him and told him to be quiet, he did not care about how others spoke to him or tried to stop him.
Brothers and sisters, if there are many people around you with illnesses and problems, I suggest you give them Jesus and quietly observe their reactions. Do you understand? Don’t go overboard! It’s still the same; don’t push too hard! For example, say, “Come to church with me; we have many testimonies here. You can come and be healed!” Your faith may be there, but if they don’t have that faith, dragging them along won’t help; they will receive nothing and might say, “See, nothing happened!” We shouldn’t do that; just tell them about Jesus, that Jesus can heal their diseases.
If they have a strong desire to seek Jesus, they will surely receive. Just like Bartimaeus, the people around him tried to stop him from making noise, but no one could stop him from seeking Jesus. This is also my pastoral approach; anyone who is willing to seek Jesus with faith will surely be able to hear. If someone is dragged along, they might not receive anything and waste each other’s time. Just tell them about Jesus and that He can do such things, Amen.
Finally, under his shouting, Jesus stopped and ordered that the man be brought to Him. Then He asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” Brothers and sisters, this is a blank check. Jesus gives you this question today: “What do you want me to do for you?” Think it over and fill it in. You hold a blank check with a stamp on it, and we still doubt, “What if I ask for too much, and He can’t provide that much?” Isn’t that overthinking? Don’t worry about God’s ability, family. The Bible says, “Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it.” It means no matter how wide you open your mouth, don’t worry; I will supply you. Don’t limit God’s power.
When God gives you a word, don’t doubt it. Just like those ten lepers, when Jesus said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests,” it meant they had already been healed and cleansed. Just receive it. Don’t say, “Jesus, why didn’t You lay hands on me? Why didn’t You say a few more words?” It’s really unnecessary.
When you are here receiving, it’s the same. When you read the Bible or listen to the word, even if there is one sentence that you feel is very important and enters your heart, hold onto that word, and God will let you see His grace poured out, Hallelujah! I give you this word: Jesus wants to say to you today, “What do you want me to do for you?” If Bartimaeus had said, “Jesus, give me some money,” would Jesus have been able to give him money? Of course not! But after Bartimaeus got this opportunity, he said, “Lord, I want to see.” Because he believed Jesus could accomplish this, he wrote on Jesus’ blank check, “Lord, I want to see.” Amen.
What do you need Jesus to do for you? This week, after going back, you can pray, “I want this and that,” and believe it. Write it down, and God will surely let you see it. Don’t doubt it, no matter how others rebuke you or tell you to be quiet; don’t give up on what you pray for. After this, the blind man immediately received his sight. What did he do after he could see? He followed Jesus. He followed Jesus, praising God all the way. This is essentially giving testimony, right? He told others, “I was blind, but Jesus healed me!”
Isn’t this person similar to the Samaritan we talked about today? After receiving healing, he didn’t say, “I need to hurry back home to see what my old house looks like…” He started following Jesus! I wish, brothers and sisters, that you remember the grace God has accomplished in your past prayers. Continue to listen to the word and follow Jesus; He will let you see greater grace! Hallelujah.
When the people saw this, they praised God. When you bring your testimony to our church and share these testimonies with everyone, we will also give glory to God. In a little while, when we are together, there will be time to share testimonies. This year, we have many testimonies, and you will also give glory to God, Hallelujah!
Let’s pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You. Thank You for granting us such abundant grace during this time. You are the God who blesses us; Your words carry great power. We receive by faith that there is no curse, no pain, no death in You, only God’s grace!
As the new week begins, I will live with this grateful heart and see greater grace from God! Everything is given to me by the Father through Jesus. Lord, open my eyes to see the world through Christ and see more of Your grace in my life.
In the new week, the Holy Spirit is with me and will guard my steps, allowing me to see greater grace from Jesus in what I do. I am willing to be a channel of this blessing and spread Christ. Thank You and praise You; all glory belongs to You. In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.