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Thank Him Because He Gathered The Broken Pieces

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Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

The Duke of Norfolk once sent the King of England a priceless treasure as an expression of his love and esteem.

It was the Portland Vase, a rare antique. Because he wanted to share his treasure with the nation, the King had the vase place in the British Museum.

At a later date, so the story goes, came disaster. It began in the Duke's own home. His chief servant, puffed up with pride, began to plot to overthrow the Duke. He was caught, and dismissed from service.

Eaten up with hatred, the servant vowed to get even with the Duke. His bitter mind brooded on a scheme that he knew would bring personal distress to the Duke and his household, a scheme centering on the Portland Vase.

The servant packed his goods and left for London. He went to the British Museum to find the exact location of the Portland Vase. While unobserved, he worked out his plan of action.

Eventually, visitors left that area of the museum, and attendants were out of sight. Quickly and quietly he climbed over the barrier. At last his moment of revenge had come. Hatred blinded him to caution...

A quick check showed that nobody was in sight. With both hands he grasped the beautiful masterpiece and raised it high above his head. Then with all his might he sent it crashing to the ground. His evil work was done.

The crash echoing through the corridors of the museum quickly brought attendants to the scene. Too late! The priceless Portland Vase was smashed into a thousand pieces. Shocked and grieved, the attendants swept up the shattered pieces. The antique was broken beyond repair - or so it seemed.

"Save every piece," the King said when hearing of this tragedy. "This is my most precious and treasured gift. We'll search for the man who can repair it, no matter what it costs."

So the search for a craftsman to repair the precious masterpiece began all over the land. For along time it proved fruitless, the task impossible. But, at last, in the far north of Scotland, a man was found who could do the work. He was a distant relative of the original creator of the Portland Vase.

He came to London and for months he labored. Working with great skill and endless patience, he picked up each broken fragment, found its place in the original peace, and delicately fixed it back where it belonged.

You may see the Portland Vase in the British Museum today, very very faintly marked by restoration. Though this story is reputed to be true, I cannot vouch for its authenticity.

However, as a parable it offers a powerful illustration of the story of Man's fall, and God's great love in giving His Son Jesus Christ, to rescue lost mankind.

Biblical accounts tell of an angel who lived in Heaven. Second to God, he was brilliant, beautiful and majestic. He was the chief musician in Heaven. His name was Lucifer, son of the morning star.

He also had a problem with pride. Wanting to overthrow God, Lucifer said, "I will ascend into Heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High" (Isa. 14:13,14).

Lucifer - or Satan - changed from an angelic being into the Devil, the father of lies and evil. He wanted to be God. But his pride was his downfall.

Isaiah wrote, "How are you fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How are you cast down to the ground . . . you shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit" (Isa. 14:12,15).

Anger, hostility and aggression are often expressions of fear, guilt or jealousy - and so with Satan. Hatred possessed this fallen angel's being. He determined to get even with God, so he turned to God's most precious creation - Man.

Diabolically he plotted to entice man into pride and sin, so that he, too, would fall from glory. By destroying man, he would even his score with God.

Remember - In His love, God gave man free will either to love Him or not to love Him; to choose good or evil. Satan twisted God's gift of free will, telling man that if he disobeyed God he would not die, but become like God knowing both good and evil (Gen.3:4,5). He did not tell him that disobedience would bring alienation from God, and enslavement to evil and death.

Satan deceived man. He lifted him high as it were, and in a flash of Satanic revenge set him crashing to destruction. Satan's evil work was done. Sin entered the world - God's world. Man was eternally severed from God - or so Satan believed.

God could have thrown away the pieces of broken humanity and started again. But He didn't. His love for man was far too great. His priceless treasure must be redeemed.

So He searched the universe for someone who would come to earth and make mankind whole again. But He searched in vain. No one could be found. So He chose His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Only through Him could the Father's heart be satisfied. Only He could express the divine love and go the uttermost lengths to reclaim lost mankind.

"God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son . . ." (John 3:16).

So, at this time of year when we most of us are as thankful as we ought to be year around.

Nearly two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the One who created all things, the One who with His mighty power flung the stars, the planets and the galaxies across the heavens to the farthest ends of the universe, the One who created the tiniest atom and the largest sun and man with his complex mind and spirit, laid aside His glory to become a man Himself. He came on a rescue mission from Heaven to earth to make each person whole again.

He searched for all the pieces.

Down the hot, dusty streets of Jerusalem the son of God searched out the broken pieces. On the shores of Galilee, by a well in Samaria, in villages and at market places - always He searched.

That's why the Bible says Christ came to earth - "to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).

When Christ healed blind Bartimaeus, He was lovingly picking up a broken piece of His creation and gently placing him back into God's master design. And there were many others - a leper, a harlot, a despised tax-gatherer, children, religious people, rich people and poor people - all were part of lost mankind.

All were of infinite value to God.

When God found me, another piece of broken humanity, He also picked me up, forgave my sin, and placed me back into His great plan.

Today Christ the Savior is still seeking the lost and calling to men and women, boys and girls everywhere to be forgiven and made whole.

"Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest,"Christ says, and "whoever will may come' (Matt. 11:28; Rev. 22:17).

Christ's invitation is also to you. He is calling you to come to Him and find forgiveness and wholeness.

How can you come? Very simply. By confessing your sin to Him, accepting His forgiveness, and asking Him into your life as Lord and Savior. In so praying, Christ will come into your life and place you back into His great plan for mankind. He will give you a new heart

II Cor. 5:17 2CO 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

II Timothy 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

As in the story of Jesus and the ten lepers, we too often find ourselves in a modern dilemma of human ungratefulness toward God. As our society and even our own fallen flesh demands of us almost complete refusal to recognize God as the giver of life and everything good, it is critical that we make the proper choices.

Ten desperate men petitioned Jesus for healing from their leprosy. All of them healed by Him.

Only one of them took the time or the trouble to thank Jesus.

Jesus' reaction:

The root of the problems of an ungrateful heart:

True Thanksgiving reminds us who our source is.
True Thanksgiving provides a needed encouragement to the body of Christ.
True Thanksgiving protects our hearts and minds against oppressive thoughts.
True Thanksgiving honors God before unbelievers and provides an important witness to them of the nature and goodness of God.
True Thanksgiving honors our relationship with God and keeps us from disrespecting Him, ignoring Him, taking Him for granted.
True Thanksgiving reminds us how much God has done for us and how good He really is.
How do we come to a worthy God in and with True Thanksgiving?

TIP: The word "think" and "thank" come from the same root word. If we will THINK more about Him more we can learn to THANK Him all the more.

Oh give thanks unto the Lord, give thanks unto His holy name. Thank Him for the morning, thank Him for the rain, thanks Him for the sunshine, thank Him for life, and for breath, and for every good thought and for every friend and for every opportunity to be a friend, thank Him for your job, and for your church and for your Pastor and for this class, and for every good gift that comes from above.

Thank Him for every trial that ever slowed you down that you might remember how good God has really been to you. Thank Him for every difficult child, that He gave you the opportunity to teach them His ways and His love and that He might give you the endurance and strength to raise them in the admonition of the Lord.

The next time it rains, thank Him for the goodness of springtime and new life. The next time a loved one dies, don't complain about what He took from you. Thank Him for the gift of enjoying them while they lived.

Don't complain about the parent who wasn't there for you, thank Him for the person who was. Don't complain about dark days, thank Him that during every one of them He was there to see you through.

Thank Him for every storm in your life. Thank Him for every breath in your lungs, even breath that you used to breathe in someone's face whom you had no right being that close to.

Thank Him for the finances that you and I have taken gladly but squandered on the things of this world and the things that have no lasting value. Thank Him sacrificially in everything you do.

Thank Him for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g for He is Worthy. He is Worthy. He is Worthy!

Oh Bless Him, bless His holy name.

Psalm 116:17 "To Thee I shall offer up a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call upon the name of the Lord."

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