Cultivating a Heart of Gratitude
In this heartfelt message, the preacher unpacks what it truly means to live with gratitude toward God, drawing from the story of the ten lepers and other scriptures to show that thankfulness must be expressed, not merely felt. The congregation is challenged to remember God’s goodness, resist the forgetfulness that steals gratitude, and respond to His blessings with worship, obedience, and generous giving. It’s an encouraging call to never take God’s grace for granted and to let a grateful heart shape how we live each day.
Overview
Preaching from Luke 17:11-19, the account of the ten lepers, the Apostle calls the church to cultivate a heart of gratitude — defined as the heartfelt recognition and appreciation of God's goodness that must be expressed, not merely felt. Using the Samaritan leper who alone returned to give thanks, alongside Luke 7:36-50 and personal testimonies, the message identifies forgetfulness as gratitude's chief enemy and argues that true thankfulness always produces a visible return: expression, giving, and worship.
Key Scripture Passages
- Psalm 136:1 (cited in the sermon as "Samuel 36:1," clearly the text of Psalm 136:1) — "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever," the foundational call to thanksgiving.
- Psalm 103:2 — "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits," used to expose forgetfulness as gratitude's enemy.
- Luke 17:11-19 — Jesus heals ten lepers; only one, a Samaritan, returns to give thanks and is told his faith has made him whole. The sermon's central text.
- Luke 7:36-50 — The sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet with tears and ointment in the house of Simon the Pharisee; the parable of the two debtors illustrates that greater forgiveness produces greater love.
- Psalm 116:12 — "What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?" — the psalmist's model response of grateful giving.
- Luke 15:11-32 (referenced) — The parable of the prodigal son, used as a picture of "coming back to oneself" and returning to the Father.
- John 3:16 (referenced) — God's giving of His Son as the supreme model of love expressed through giving.
- 2 Samuel 6:14-16 (referenced) — David dances before the ark with such abandon that Michal despises him, illustrating unrestrained, expressive worship born of gratitude.
Sermon Outline
- Defining Gratitude
Gratitude is the heartfelt recognition and appreciation of God's goodness, and it must be expressed — through thanksgiving, praise, worship, obedience, and giving.
- Illustration: a husband who cleaned the house daily went unappreciated until he stopped — revealing how easily human beings take blessings for granted.
- Society conditions people to fixate on negatives ("let somebody fall... that's all we remember") rather than rehearse God's goodness.
- Gratitude is grounded in the recognition "I did not get here by myself" — acknowledging God's grace and mercy in survival, deliverance, and preservation.
- The Enemy of Gratitude: Forgetfulness
Rooted in Psalm 103:2 — believers are commanded to "forget not all his benefits," including ordinary mercies like health, breath, and provision.
- Illustration: a formerly homeless man, elevated by a CEO, secretly wept each morning over his old clothes to stay grounded in gratitude — his remembrance fueled his diligence.
- Illustration (via Bishop Duncan Williams): a man blessed by God progressively moved from the front pew to the back, then vanished, then returned five years later in the same worn clothes — pride and comfort eroded his gratitude.
- Application to the prodigal son: he had to "come back to himself" before he could return to his father — gratitude requires self-awareness.
- Gratitude Always Returns
True gratitude compels a person to return to the source of blessing, not merely move on.
- Illustration: Jewish congregants return weekly to their rabbi with tithes/offerings, understanding the rabbi's intercession sustains them — they give proactively, not by public appeal.
- Personal testimony: the preacher returns yearly to "Potters" (a place of past deliverance) to say thank you, envelope in hand, remembering hours of prayer during a near-death season.
- Exposition of Luke 17:11-19: the ten lepers cried out loudly for mercy, but only one — a Samaritan, an outsider with no covenant claim on Israel's God — returned with a loud voice to glorify God and fell at Jesus' feet.
- Key contrast: "the same voice that cried out for mercy is the same voice that should return for thankfulness."
- Gratitude Requires Knowing the Depth of Deliverance
Drawing on Luke 7:36-50 — the sinful woman's extravagant devotion flows from her awareness of how much she was forgiven.
- Parable of the two debtors (500 pence vs. 50 pence): the one forgiven more loves more.
- Simon the Pharisee gave Jesus no water, no kiss, no oil — but the woman washed His feet with tears, wiped them with her hair, and anointed them with costly ointment.
- Personal application: preaching from a place of personal unworthiness ("I don't deserve to even stand here") produces humility and gratitude rather than pride.
- Gratitude Expresses Itself
Genuine gratitude cannot stay hidden — it shows up in tangible, sometimes costly, action.
- Illustration: a grateful congregant purchased a first-class ticket for the preacher, an unprompted expression of appreciation.
- Illustration: members continue tithing and giving even while physically absent from services, trusting that the ministry (and its obligations, like a mortgage) must still be sustained.
- 2 Samuel 6: David danced before the ark without restraint — gratitude expressed boldly in worship, regardless of how it appears to others (contrasted with Michal's contempt).
- Practical marks: walking boldly into church, participating in praise, saying "amen" aloud — versus sitting mute and unmoved.
- Gratitude Gives
The capstone principle: love and gratitude are ultimately demonstrated through giving.
- John 3:16 as the pattern: "God so loved... that he gave."
- Psalm 116:12 — "What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?" reframes giving as a grateful response, not an obligation.
- Personal testimony of giving a specific financial gift ($3,000) out of awareness of mortality and grace — "if I had died... I won't survive nothing."
- Closing corporate declaration thanking God month by month through the year, including "for the prayers you answered and prayers you did not answer because you knew better than I did."
Theological Insights
- Gratitude as active, not passive: Scripture consistently pairs thanksgiving with tangible response — Psalm 116:17 ("I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving"), Colossians 3:15-17, and 1 Thessalonians 5:18 ("in every thing give thanks") echo the sermon's insistence that thankfulness must be enacted, not just felt.
- The theology of "benefits": Psalm 103:2-5 lists God's benefits — forgiveness, healing, redemption, renewal — suggesting that gratitude requires a deliberate, itemized remembrance, not vague sentiment.
- Outsider faith versus insider familiarity: The Samaritan's response echoes a recurring Lukan theme (cf. the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37) in which those outside Israel's covenant community often model faith and gratitude more fully than covenant insiders — a rebuke to religious familiarity breeding spiritual dullness.
- Cleansing versus wholeness: All ten lepers were healed of their disease, but only the one who returned in gratitude is told his faith has "made him whole" — suggesting a distinction between physical healing and the fuller restoration (relational, spiritual) that gratitude and faith unlock.
- Grace preceding gratitude: The sermon's repeated refrain ("I didn't get here by myself") reflects the biblical pattern that gratitude is always a response to prevenient grace (Ephesians 2:8-9; Luke 7:47, "she loved much, for she was forgiven much").
- The prodigal motif: Luke 15's prodigal son is used analogically — gratitude requires first "coming to oneself" (self-awareness of one's condition) before one can return to the Father in worship and dependence.
- Corporate and cultic thanksgiving: The "sacrifice of thanksgiving" (Psalm 50:14, Psalm 107:22) frames giving/tithing not as transactional but as worship — consistent with the sermon's linking of financial giving to gratitude rather than obligation.
Word & Context Study
- "Gave thanks" (Luke 17:16): The Greek verb underlying such thanksgiving language in the New Testament is eucharisteō (εὐχαριστέω), "to give thanks" — the root from which "Eucharist" derives, tying grateful response to worship and remembrance.
- "Made thee whole" (Luke 17:19): The Greek term here is sōzō (σῴζω), meaning "to save, heal, or make whole" — broader than katharizō (καθαρίζω, "to cleanse") used earlier of all ten lepers' healing (v.14, 17). The wordplay suggests the returning Samaritan received something deeper than physical cure.
- Samaritans: First-century Samaritans and Jews shared ancestry but were estranged over worship location (Mount Gerizim vs. Jerusalem) and scriptural authority (Samaritans accepted only the Torah). Deep mutual hostility existed (cf. John 4:9, "Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans"), making the Samaritan leper's return especially striking — a religious and ethnic outsider models exemplary faith.
- "Show yourselves unto the priests" (Luke 17:14): Under the Levitical law (Leviticus 13-14), a priest alone could formally declare a leper ritually clean, permitting reentry into community and worship life. Jesus's command tested the lepers' faith — they were healed only as they obeyed and went, before any visible change occurred.
Application
- Regularly rehearse specific "benefits" God has given (health, breath, provision, relationships) rather than letting negativity dominate your attention.
- Don't wait for someone to ask — proactively express thanks to those who bless you, whether God or people, through words, presence, and action.
- Examine your own posture in worship: are you as vocal in thanksgiving as you are in petition?
- Let remembrance of where God brought you from (not just where you currently are) fuel humility and diligence rather than pride or complacency.
- Give — of finances, time, and service — as a deliberate act of gratitude, especially in seasons when you are tempted to withhold or coast.
- Extend blessing and kindness even to those outside your immediate faith community, recognizing that gratitude and grace are not confined to "insiders."
Reflection & Discussion Questions
- The sermon defines gratitude as something that must be "expressed." What is one concrete way you have (or have not) expressed gratitude to God this week?
- Read Luke 17:11-19. Why do you think only one of the ten healed lepers returned, and why does Jesus specifically note that he was a Samaritan?
- What "benefits" from Psalm 103:2 do you tend to overlook or take for granted in your own life?
- In Luke 7:36-50, the woman's extravagant love flows from her awareness of how much she was forgiven. How does understanding "the depth" of what you've been saved from shape your worship?
- The message warns that comfort and blessing can quietly breed forgetfulness or pride (illustrated by the man who kept "changing seats"). Where might you be at risk of this in your own walk with God?
- Psalm 116:12 asks, "What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?" How would you answer that question honestly right now?
Conclusion
At its heart, this message calls believers to break the cycle of the "nine" who received mercy and moved on, and instead become like the "one" who turned back — loudly, humbly, and tangibly grateful. Gratitude is not a private feeling but a lived response: it remembers, it returns, it expresses itself in worship, and it gives. The central call is simple but searching — having received far more mercy than any of us deserve, will we be found among those who came back to say thank you?
Tap any point to jump there — notes highlight as the message plays.
Full transcript — tap a timestamp to jump in the video.
unanswered prayers but i need to let everybody know that in samuel 36 verse 1 let's go there
samuel 36 verse 1 it says oh give thanks unto the lord for his good and his mercy and dure
forever amen i'll give people time to give testimony but i just if you have a testimony
just let the leaders know and then i'll give you time to come and give the testimony okay amen
but he said all give thanks unto god for his work his good and his mercy and do it forever
so when we talk about gratitude if you are taking those what is gratitude is the heartfelt
self-recognition and appreciation of God's goodness expressed through thanksgiving praise
worship obedience and giving listen to this so we come to realize that gratitude has to be
expressed you can be no pastor Terry yesterday when we met on the sponsors met on the line
she shared a story but I know she already told me she said my husband used to clean a lot he said
used to clean everywhere he's every day he's getting up and cleaning but she said i was not
thankful every time he cleaned i said but you've missed it and then you missed it then one day this
man one day he caught she called me i don't know what she said you know apostle he stopped cleaning
i said what did you do amen but he said immediately this is the one day the man decided that
he's not gonna clean no more then now she was wishing the man is cleaning oh but do you know
that's how we are because we are living in a society that we only remember the bad things
when we come into the sanctuary right now all the praise and worship all the bible sunday school we
won't remember let somebody fall right now that's all we remember we always remember the negative
but the saying that gratitude is what heartfelt recognition you recognize and you appreciate or what
god's goodness and when you appreciate what you do you express it gratitude you cannot keep it to
yourself you have to express it oh i'm thankful but i just don't want to call you honey you are
not you are not grateful because when you're grateful you do what you express it and and
how do you express it through what talents giving praise worship obedience and giving amen when you
you know the husband was clean what was he doing he was giving off himself he's showing appreciation
for the home that he's in so when you appreciate nobody has to beg you to even do anything you just
come in and you come to give hallelujah amen hallelujah amen so gratitude say lord i recognize
that i did not get here by myself somebody have you ever come to a place where you say i have not
been here i didn't get here by myself oh how many of us have messed up and god is the one that pick
us up do you know that there are some secrets that you might never share but you know some
somebody could be in jail right now oh somebody could be in prison right now do you know that
somebody could be in the hospital can't get up right now there are some mistakes that our friends
did that we did with them that could have ended up something else but because the grace of god
was able to show us mercy oh somebody that is how we were here hallelujah that is why we're here
hallelujah so we know that we have we have to show gratitude onto god recognizing and we are
just saying oh somebody shout thank you jesus or somebody shout again thank you jesus
hallelujah so psalm 103 verse 2 let's go there psalm 103 verse 2
psalm 103 verse 2 is let's read it together bless the lord oh my soul and forget not all
his benefits if it is your bible can you underline all because sometimes we just remember some we
don't realize that healing is a benefit we don't realize that do you know that we some of us think
that we pay in our bills it's not a benefit do you know that some people go to the same job get
the same pay that you get and and i know at the end of the company their bills oh somebody hallelujah
oh so if you paying your bills it a what it a benefit oh somebody hallelujah forget not all his what his benefits so he don want us to remember only the negative things that is happening to us he wants
us to remember his what his benefits one of right listen one of the enemies of gratitude is
forgetfulness sometimes we easily forget something you know that is why there's a man that apparently
he was so poor that he was in the street and one millionaire picked him up but when the millioner
picked him up and put him in front of his business and put him in charge you know that this man took
off his own homeless outfit and put it in the back and kept him in the room in the in the company so
every day when he came in the morning they said he entered into that secret room people started
talking about him maybe he's doing some voodoo to the ceo that's why he's getting promoted like this
so one day somebody went in there snuck a camera in that same office so that they can watch him
when they snuck the when they look in the camera every morning the man goes and begin to cry
and say my god look at what you have done for me this is what i used to wear this this is how i am
in the street oh somebody and today you have delivered me oh so i am grateful for this job
and you know when this man said the more he did this every day he's energized to do the work that
he has been given to do some of us how ungrateful we can be after the lord has blessed us we can find
excuses even not to come to the house of the lord do you know that we can be so ungrateful to god
that we start saying oh we don't take all that that we forget you forget that the day i remember
duncan williams was preaching a sermon one day he said there's a man that came to their church and
he was homeless he said the man used to sit in front because he wanted to hear all the message
god begin to bless him begin to become large he begin to have get a job he begin to have his own
house don't you know he was changing seats what do we do we change seats but we don't know that when
we are changing seats we are actually operated in pride he changed it until he was in the last seat
that's how pastors we know when people are going to leave the church see them changing seats when
they start changing seats watch they are getting ready to go out the next time you know the door
will be open you'll not see them oh my god so duncar william said as they kept changing
seats changing seats they didn't see him anymore the next time they saw him it was five years
five years but when he came back he was in the same tatted clothes like when he came in since
let me tell you something about the glory of god you see when it comes upon you you take it for
granted do you know that when he departs sometimes you don't know oh you don't know as long as it
will take you a little bit of time then before you know you realize that like the prodigal son
i need to go back to my father oh somebody hallelujah i need to do what go back to my father
because he said he came back to himself today i pray that somebody you come back to yourself
oh hallelujah and be grateful and remember how he started with you how did he start with you
when you wanted to run into the house of the lord how did he start with you but today what has
happened is it because of people that will stop you from being grateful to god oh someone hallelujah
he said in all things give thanks unto the lord oh somebody hallelujah he said in also one of the
enemies of gratitude is forgetfulness amen we pray intensely when we need something you know
even in church when we say praise and worship we don't want to be active enough but let's bring a
prayer point where we are killing the witches and warlocks in our families because that is where our
energy is but somebody can our energy be in a place where we are grateful to god today pastor
terry walking said pastor it's true you know even the the breath that we are breathing you know we
have to be grateful to god oh somebody there are people in the hospitals right now if you go and
see them right now and i'm telling some of them their bank accounts are loaded oh some of them
they have beautiful homes some of them they have beautiful marriages some of them they have beautiful
children some of them they have beautiful cars but today they cannot breathe some people are
working with oxygen when they take how many steps oh my god i went to visit a woman in her house i
said huh she and she don't have the money to even pay for home care for somebody to take care of her
i said how is this woman going to do it because as she's she can't breathe at the same time she's
peeing on herself just walking to the bathroom is a problem jesus christ somebody can we just be
grateful to god somebody are you here can you be grateful to god so we might not be where we want
to be but our situation is not like what it used to be i might not have everything that i want but
i have to appreciate him because where where he has brought me oh somebody he has brought me far
by his grace hallelujah hallelujah so today i want you to stop to remember like the man who put that
garment in his closet i want you to stop to remember the day some of you remember the day
you walked through this door the situation that you are in you were in at that time
i'm not pointing to nobody but there were people that walked in here with snakes running through
on their skin people were there are people that walked through this building my brother that
people didn't even want to be friends with today they are friends with people who tell them not to
come to church the same people that they didn't want to be friends with them my god today they
are friends with the people that didn't that didn't even want to be friends with them somebody
don't let us forget somebody hallelujah tell to your neighbor say don't forget
hallelujah because we are forgetful beings hallelujah we forget easily what the god has done
how he has pulled us out hallelujah how he has delivered us how he has removed the garments of
shame from us hallelujah we might not be where we want to be but somebody we are not where we used to
be oh somebody shout thank you lord hallelujah number two so i said do not forget number two
gratitude always returns so if you see let me tell some the jewish people they have rabbis
and they are in new york do you know that do you know what they do every saturday mommy every weekend
they go to the rabbi and you know what they do they want go to give for the federation of the
gospel for for the rabbi to be able to take care of the house for the rabbi to be able to have food
to eat do you know why because they go out there they know that the rabbi is praying for them
so they come back to give so that you don't see the jewish do you see them looking and begging
and raising funds no they go and see them with their envelopes they are already prepared they
know that they have a back end they have an what an altar so what when you are grateful what you do
you return
because the word of God says that
when the prodigal son
came back to himself
he returned back to his father's house
so
when you remember the goodness of God
what do you do? you return
you return back to your God
father I am grateful
the same altar that blessed you
you come back to the others
since in the altar you are not coming to man
you are coming to the king of kings
and the lord of laws
hallelujah so gratitude that's what return i have pastor mary picked me up and dropped me up the
other day went to we went to shopping i got home god said don't take it for granted that she picks
you up and take you and bring you and all that first of all pastor mary is older than me maria
she's older than me she's no is this america that dishonor has taken over us we don't know age we
don't know we think everybody's our level but if somebody's one year older than you you got to give
them respect i have never called them mary terry mary i don't do those kind of things because
honor the people for who they are so when i got home what did i do i called her back and i said
thank you for taking me because she's not supposed to do her do it are you hearing me somebody
hallelujah so gratitude that's what always come back look chapter 17 let's go the 11 to 19
that what jesus jesus met these 10 lepers let's go there look chapter 17
if there is no way if you have gratitude that god has blessed you like this and you just go
nobody sees you you don't call nobody you know nothing happens we don't know you you just doing
your own thing no gratitude will always do a return what are you returning to say father do
what thank you oh somebody somebody said i have returned to say thank you oh hallelujah you know
every time i go to ghana i go to potters do you know what i go to do thank you that's all i go to
say so when i go i'm already prepared with my envelope just to go to say what thank you because
there was a time i was dying if it wasn't potters i don't think i would have survived oh hallelujah
so i remember all those hours of prayers and i go back and i say thank you this man anthony you
know now he's now living in new york but today he's here to say the word thank you that's what
he's here to say oh are you clapping your hands for jesus hallelujah hallelujah we said what thank
you so he says that and this thing that we are this ingratitude it's been in the past you know
look at this he said and it came to pass as he went to jerusalem that he passed through the midst
of samaria and galilee and as he entered into a certain village they met him 10 men that were
lepers which stood afar off and they lifted up their voices and said jesus master have mercy on
us since i believed at that time they screamed with a loud voice do you know that's how we are
when we want something from god father heal my child father deliver me i want a car i want a house
i want a job i want this i wonder that one we scream that's what i'm saying look at us even
when we have prayer points when the prayer point that says thankfulness you see everybody's voice
is slow father thank you everybody but let's start oh let everybody open your mouth and break that
thing oh my god all our energy but how about we use that energy to thank him for the things that
he has already done oh hallelujah hallelujah thank him for the things that he has already done
oh somebody thank him for the things he has already done
oh somebody thank him for the things he has already done oh hallelujah
and he said and when he saw them he said unto them go show thyself unto the priest
and it came to pass that as they went they were cleansed uh-huh let's go and one of them
when he saw that he was healed turn back and with a loud voice since the same voice that he cried out
for mercy is the same voice that he came for thankfulness why is it that you are thankful
but this time you are quiet but when you needed somebody everybody saw how you were in the church
crying out father help me but when he came to thanksgiving all of a sudden you are mute
come out of your muteness hallelujah hallelujah because the same energy because look at this
the wonder was grateful he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified god
uh-huh oh hallelujah and look at this and he fell down on his faith at his feet giving him
thanks and he was a samaritan do you know what i begin to research about samaritan and he says
samaritan people they don't believe the god of israel there are some parts that they believe and
there's some parts they don't believe like everything that the jewish people believe
you see sometimes it's us that are sitting in church some of us that are raised in church
some of us that think we are so familiar with anointing that we lose that what we lose that
our attitude of gratitude but this man he was a sarah maritan so he did not he didn't feel like
he deserved it some of us we think that the air that we breathe we deserve the 20 of oxygen that
is flowing through our body we think that we deserve we think that when you get up and we
move your body now you see what pastor terry showed her testimony she said i move slow but i am
grateful to god hallelujah you have not come to a place where you have to move slow then that is
when you appreciate the divine health that god has given you oh somebody you are not clapping your
hands oh somebody you are not clapping your hands oh somebody you are not clapping your hands oh
somebody you are not clapping your hands i remember when this man anthony called me and said i got
diagnosed with cancer today he is standing here and he's grateful to god oh god delivered him from
the cancer let the cancer that oppress somebody it touches you but they will not enter oh somebody
you come out as fine go or somebody to the glory of the lord somebody thank you
hallelujah not only did he come out of the cancer he got married too
oh hallelujah oh somebody hallelujah oh somebody shout i am grateful
he said and he fell down his at his feet giving him thanks and he was a samaritan go to the next
verse uh-huh and jesus answering said were there not ten clients but where are the nine so this
ungratefulness that we are showing it's not that it just started though it's in the it's been a long
time in the times of jesus he killed ten lepers only one came somebody say i am the one that has
oh oh somebody i am the one that has come oh hallelujah my god and jesus answered said were
there not ten cleans but where are the nine let's go to the next verse there are what not found that
return to give glory to god save this stranger so these days i've i've been careful how i i pray
for people and bless people these days i'm blessing if i meet the muslim they need blessing i bless
them if i meet a non-believer i bless them there was a point that i i get up in the morning i only
pray for my church prayer for my members but today i'm mixing about you know why oh because i've come
to do you never know who will help you you never know who will help you oh somebody you never know
who you help you oh somebody because strangers can help you hallelujah strangers he said accept
the stranger let's go to the next verse uh-huh mama and he said unto him arise go thy way thy
faith has made thee whole hallelujah this man came to so gratitude also tells us that we are working
by faith amen gratitude shows that we are what working by faith one way for you to show that you
are grateful is that what you operate by faith and you believe that this has already been done
amen so somebody say the church i want you to say this after me father i thank you for january
thank you for february thank you for march thank you for april thank you for may
thank you for june thank you for july thank you for august thank you for bringing us into september
praise the lord oh somebody praise the lord
oh somebody said i am grateful
thank you lord so i want you to jump to look chapter 7 36 to 50 because sometimes you see
we don't if you the only way you can appreciate is actually knowing the depth in which god has
delivered you do you know that when you come to a place where you know the depths how many of us
sometimes we don't acknowledge the depth of how what he has done for us amen it says and one of
the pharisees desired him that he would eat with him and he went into the pharisee's house and sat
down to meet uh-huh and behold a woman in the city which somebody said which was the sinner
when she knew that jesus sat at meat in the pharisee's house brought an alabaster
baths of ointment uh-huh and stood at his feet behind him weeping and began to wash his feet with
tears and did wipe them with the hairs of a head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the
ointment uh-huh now when the pharisee which had beaten him saw it he speak with himself saying
this man if he were a prophet who have known who and what manner of woman this is that touched him
for she's a sinner oh and jesus answering said unto him simon i have some what to say unto thee
and he said master say on uh-huh there was a certain creditor which had two deptes the one
owed 500 pence and the other 50 uh-huh and when they had nothing to pay he frankly forgave them
boat tell me therefore which of them will love him the most you see some of us we don't see the depth
in which god has delivered us if you know that you could have died you would have been grateful to him
you won't have any reason to come to me him and behave any kind of way this woman because she
knew that she was a sinner some of us let me tell something i am the sinners and the most sinners
and i know that let me tell i don't deserve to even stand here to preach
so most time when i finish ministry what do i do i go home and i live flat on my ground and i say
father if it wasn't you i couldn't have done it some of us think that is because we can speak the
gibberish oh hallelujah oh some some of us think we are from the best families no i didn't come
from i come from a broken home hallelujah and he just picked me up and he has made something out of
me so when anytime i come before him i have nothing nothing to do but to prostrate before him
and frankly say unto him praise the lord he said because listen which of them will love him the
most let's go to the next verse uh-huh mama mama simon answered and said i suppose that
he to whom he forgave most and he said unto him thou has rightly judged
hallelujah some of us if god can just open our eyes for us to see
that there was an accident that he delivered us from
some of us if god will open our eyes to see that we wouldn't be alive today oh somebody hallelujah
let me tell you let me tell even if you have a mansion it will all pass away oh somebody are you
hearing me mama the only thing that we can glorify god in is for what he has done for us
hallelujah much that he has done for let's go to the next verse uh-huh mama mama and he turned to
the woman and said unto simon seet thou this woman i entered into the house thou gave me no water
for my feet but she has washed my feet with tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head
that gave me no kiss
but this woman since the time
I came in had not ceased
to kiss my feet
my God hallelujah
so I need to tell somebody that
gratitude expresses
if you are really grateful
you express it
my God
you see the person
you just want to hug the person
because you are grateful for what the person did for you
hallelujah
when you come to the house of the Lord
You are excited to come in because you are grateful for the Lord, what the Lord has done for you.
So I need to tell somebody that one of the biggest enemies of gratitude is forgetfulness.
Hallelujah.
And I tell you today that gratitude has an expression.
If you are grateful, you are expressing.
The woman poured the oil, the labraster.
There's a woman in this house.
One day she was so grateful.
I was getting ready to go to Ghana.
She said, Apostle, I don't want you to sit in economy.
i want you to sit in first class that was the first time i sat in first class
this is how grateful this person was she said apostle no i want you to lay down in the plane
and get up and i'm telling you there was
hallelujah she didn't know what to do with herself she said that's what i'm doing for you
amen because the person is what grateful you know there are some people here they are not
in the sanctuary they are working and all that they are so grateful that they will say oh apostle
I'm still sending my tithes and my offering
because they are grateful
they are grateful to God
they will not sit down for the door to close
hallelujah, they know that the bills
have to be paid, so they show the
expression by still giving for the
federation of the gospel, how do you think
that when you are not here for 10 months, who is
paying the mortgage, oh
somebody, who is doing it
hallelujah, my
my gratefulness, you even begin to think
how is the place running
how is it how is how are they doing it hallelujah because you are grateful to god for what he has
done amen hallelujah oh somebody shout i am grateful so when you are grateful what you do
you express it one day they said david was so grateful when he picked up the ark of the covenant
he danced until his his wife was even uh upset and say why are you a king and dancing like this
sometimes our gratefulness shows when we come to the house of the lord you walk in some kind of way
who forcing you
who forcing you to come to God
walking coming in
this is my church
because you are grateful
hallelujah
you walking boldly coming in
being a participant
I'm part of the prayer
I'm part of the praise
it's almost as somebody needs to pick you up
so that you can stand up
when the word of God is being preached
when everybody says amen
you are so prideful
you cannot open your mouth to say amen
But today I pray that the spirit of gratefulness will come upon somebody in the house of the Lord.
Because when you are grateful, you will express it.
Praise and worship, you will dance because you are grateful.
Hallelujah.
Oh, hallelujah.
Oh, somebody hallelujah.
Oh, somebody hallelujah.
I need to ask your neighbor, what does your gratitude look today?
what does your gratitude look hallelujah sometimes you clap your hands until you oh let me tell you
something sometimes you can dance in the presence and you can't stop because you are grateful to god
for what he has done and number four gratitude gives that is the one the dirty word in the church
gratitude that's what it gives hallelujah for god so loved the world so he did what
god loves us that he gave his what only because in sir he said that whosoever believe in him
will not perish but have everlasting life when you love somebody you give hallelujah
mama mama look at this hallelujah uh psalm 116 verse 12 i'm getting ready to close psalm 116
verse 12. let's go there gratitude gifts hallelujah he said he said what shall i what what
what shall i render unto the lord for all his benefits towards me hey what shall i render unto
the lord for all his benefits towards me everything that god has done for me am i going to be in
strife with his church am i going to be strife with the pastors i'm telling you am i going to be
strive for the members this one pushed me this way this one did not smile no no no you are too
grateful to do that because when the prodigal son returned you know that his brother was upset
he was not worried about his brother that's or saying all he knows that god has returned
and brought him back hallelujah oh hallelujah so somebody when you are grateful you give back
what can i give back the woman brought her ointment david brought her praise the samaritan woman
brought her thanksgiving hallelujah today we are bringing our so today we are giving out of gratitude
hallelujah ah mama i came i said i have three thousand because you know why if i had died
i won't survive nothing nothing my bank account some people will be sharing my gifts my blessings
right now so we have to do our will this made me go do my will too i said hallelujah some people
would have been sharing who say i want this one this one would say i want that one so this one
would say i want that one so what have we brought to the house of the lord today we have come with
a giving what a gratitude and thanking him for what he has done hallelujah hallelujah david said
what shall i what render oh somebody what shall i do what oh for all that he has done for me
oh lord you have been somebody said lord you have been good to me and i have not forgotten
so my somebody we all want to be one let's all rise up today hallelujah we have come back to
say thank you hallelujah somebody say thank you for my family thank you for my provision
thank you for protection thank you for protection thank you for grace international ministries
thank you for the battles you fought that we never knew thank you for the prayers you answered and
prayers you did not answer because you knew better than i did thank you for where i have been thank
you for where i have been thank you for where i am thank you for where you are taking me
in jesus name hallelujah
oh hallelujah
hallelujah