Psalms 73:1-5, 21-28

“Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure. 2 But as for me, I almost lost my footing.     My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. 3 For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. 4 They seem to live such painless live; their bodies are so healthy and strong. 5 They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else. 28 Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. 22 I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. 23 Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. 26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. 27 Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. 28 But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.”

The Psalms are songs of poetry written by men of God that detail both the difficulties and delights of this life. They describe different times in Israel’s history, from David on the run from King Saul, to the Jews returning after their captivity in Babylon. Some were written after great victories while others came after devastating defeats. Psalms 73 was written by a man named Asaph a skilled musician and one of the leaders of David’s choir, 1Chronicles 6:39, as well as a prophet of God 2 Chronicles 29:30. Asaph also experienced the blessing of watching his children serve as they led God’s people in song, 1 Chronicles 25:1 records that four of his sons participated in conducting the chorus that sung at the temple dedication. Even though he was used by God in many ways, he still struggled with the temptation to give in to bitterness, anger and envy. Asaph started out not only seeing but also saying how good God has been to Israel. He doesn’t just witness the goodness of God he is a witness to the goodness of God. At first he is able to clearly recognize God’s hand of blessing but when bitterness sets in he becomes blind to the blessings of God. Asaph was well aware of how far the nation of Israel had come from slaves serving the Egyptians and a homeless vagabonds wondering in the wilderness, to a people with their own land that flows with milk and honey. The land that God had given them as a possession was a prosperous land. While he focused on God he saw the goodness but the moment he took his eyes off of God all he could see was the garbage. Asaph starts by sharing God’s faithfulness but slips and falls because of envied. Rather than being caught up in the wonder and worship of God he allows himself to be concerned with what the wicked are doing. His praise turns to pouting because he focuses on the prosperity of people instead of the provision of God. Here we have the worship leader focused on the world instead of the works of God. Envy is what blinded him from the truth and bound him up in bitterness. Envy is that monster of resentment that rises up within us because we believe that we deserve to have what others have and they don’t. We justify our jealousy by believing that we have worked harder and longer. But the blessing that Asaph started out seeing was a gift from God not something that he had made happen. Envy isn’t just dangerous it is deadly because it draws us away from God and destroys our relationship with Him.  Notice how warped and tainted his thinking becomes in verse 4 and 5: “They seem to live such painless live; their bodies are so healthy and strong. 5 They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.” His reasoning isn’t just ridiculous it’s wrong; he is replacing truth with a lie. Envy causes us to rest and rely on lies. When we allow envy to invade our hearts; we only see what envy allows us to see. Converting will cloud your thinking. Asaph comes to the conclusion that people who don’t serve God don’t struggle, that the worldly don’t worry because they live a problem free life. The more he allows envy to control his thoughts the less he thinks about the goodness of God and the more he thinks about greed. Envy is like rust on iron it always ruins. Bitterness doesn’t just blind it also binds. Asaph has gotten to the point that all he can think about is what he is envious about. His polluted thinking results in him believing that the way he has been living his life has been a waste, that doing the right thing has turned out wrong. He is starting to think that a righteous life should result in riches, this prosperity philosophy is from the world not the Word. Jealousy leads us away from Jesus and we end up trading His peace for pointless possessions. Asaph slipped on the sin of self-gratification, The belief that I am here for my happiness. Life started to revolve around the riches of this life instead of the relationship with the Lord. He hasn’t just fallen he has become foolish, here he is saved and full of the Spirit of God yet unable to get ahead. Instead of seeing the blessings he is looking for benefits. This is where envy becomes pure poison to the human mind and happiness becomes nothing more than a memory. Not only is the envious person rendered unhappy by their envy, but they also desire to inflict the same misfortune on others. If I’m not happy, nobody should be happy. This is one of the reasons why many have a hard time rejoicing when others are blessed, because they can’t see past their envy. They get mad when they see a happy marriage because they’re not happy with their marriage. To them a happy family is a frustration because they’re not happy with their own family. When you walk around whistling it makes them mad because they are unhappy with the fact that you are happy. Are you struggled and reacting to the prosperity, pleasures and privileges of other people? Are you allowing yourself to become jealous over the junk because you have forgotten about the joy you have in Jesus? No matter how mature we are in our faith we can all become mired down in the bog of bitterness and experience the crippling effects of envy. When we stop focusing on the faithfulness of God we quickly loose perspective, envy will get you to look to people and possessions as the evidence of blessing. Is your witness one of joy or jealousy? Stop comparing yourself to people and come back to Christ, remember what Jesus told Peter when he tried to compare his lot with that of John in John 21:15-20. Jesus said to Peter, “If I want John to remain until I come, what is that to you. You follow me.” Stop focusing on others and start focusing on the Author. As the old hymn says “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” Stop looking to riches as a reason to rejoice and look to your relationship with Jesus.

Luke 17:11-19

11 “As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you. ”

Not only did they all have the same problem but they also had the same:

2. Prayer

When they saw Jesus all ten utter the same prayer, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Now there are two things that we need to note here, first their observation. They not only sensed their need but they saw the solution, Jesus the Savior. They realized their need for Jesus because they recognized that they had a problem. You only call out for help if and when you see your need for it. If we never acknowledge our real problem we will never recognize God’s provision. The reason sinners don’t come to Christ for salvation is that they don’t see their sin as a problem, and without recognition of sin we will never see the need for a Savior. How about you, do you see your need for Jesus? The loneliness of leprosy and the sores from their sickness made them fully aware of their need for help. So they cry out to the Messiah for mercy. Who are you going to cry out to for a cure? The second thing we see is their obedience, they do what Christ commands.  Prayer without obedience is useless. Don’t pray and expect to experience God’s power if you won’t pursue His plan. Jesus tells them to go to the priest not because the priests had the power to cure but because they had the authority to declare them clean when they were cured. This certificate of cleanliness meant that they could come back and join their community. But one of the most often overlooked aspects of this story is that they were not healed immediately. Only as they went were they healed, verse 14: “And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.” As they were obedient to the command of Christ they were changed and became clean. Why don’t we experience lasting life change because we don’t obey Christs commands. Their healing was not just a matter of hearing but also heeding. Do you hear Christ’s commands, do you heed them? They all had the same problem, they all prayed, they all experienced physical healing but only one:

3. Praised

Verses 15-19: “One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done.” Notice that they all prayed but only one praised. We are quick to cry out in prayer over our problems but are we quick to praise? They all observed the problem and cried out, they all obeyed Christs command, but only one took the opportunity to praise. Jesus didn’t tell them to come back and say thanks so why did he return, because he saw a reason to praise God. He praised because he saw the difference that Jesus made in his life. For nine of them it was only about the results but for this man it was also about the relationship. We are quick to run to Jesus with our problems yet slow to return with praise. Many see their need to pray but don’t see their need to praise. All ten had a reason to praise God, but only one saw it. Only one took the opportunity because only one saw the true object of our praise. Are you praying to Jesus only for the results or is it also about relationship. Many people try to pursue the power without the person. So where were the other nine, where did they go after they were declared clean? Did they return to their family and friends? Were they caught up in all the blessings brought into their lives by being clean? We don’t really know but I bet they didn’t use their new found freedom for sin. I’m sure that what they chased after when they were clean was good but it just wasn’t God. The one who returned and went first to Jesus loved his wife and kids just as much. He longed to hug and hold them just as much as the other nine. Wanted to see and spend time with his friends just as much and wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others. So why did he pursue praise first, priorities. He didn’t get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser. He put family, friends and fellowship on hold to worship the One that made being with family and friends possible. He didn’t just slip in and secretly say thanks, scripture says he shouted his praise to God. With the same volume and intensity that he had voiced his problem, he now cried out in praise. Why do we seem to cry loud for help yet low with praise? Do you cry out in praise with the same intensity that you cry out in pain? This man didn’t just put Jesus first he also fell face down at Jesus feet. This is prostrate praise, praise that brings us low before the Lord, not because we are unworthy but because He is worthy. Now hear me loud and clear, praise is not a matter of our physical position but of our heart position before Him. It’s not about falling face down or following some formula, but true forgiveness will always create a heart of humility. One of the results of God’s mercy is meekness, true healing should humble. So what about my heart is it humble? Here was a Samaritan healed of his sickness, a foreigner who experienced forgiveness. This was a man who got more than the others did. They received physical healing from a distance but this man did life with the Lord. They experienced mercy he experienced the Messiah. They all experienced God’s healing hand but only one experienced His heart. This leper teaches us that thankfulness completes our healing. Healing is about being made whole, and while all ten of the lepers found physical healing, only this one found wholeness. Today many are quick to cry out over their problems yet seem paralyzed when it comes to giving praise. We are takers but are we thankers? What has Jesus done for you? Are you returning regularly to rejoice? What am I thankful for, and how is it being expressed through my life and the way that I live? Praise is practical it’s not something we preach but something we practice. Thankfulness is not theory, it’s not something that we think but something that we do. Who in your life do you need to thank? What about those who have sacrificially served our country, are you thankful for their service, if so when was the last time you visited the veterans home? Or what about the police, we are quick to point out their problems but do we ever praise. We are blessed by the men in blue but do we ever say thank you? What about parents, we spend a lot of time protesting but do we ever praise. Why are people so rude today, why are we rotten because we don’t rejoice, we are continually taking yet calloused to thanking. When a person can’t see past self they become short sighted and spoiled. What about your heart is it one of taking or thanking? Taking makes it hard but thanks keeps it tender.