Sermon: November 18, 2001 By Tom Maines – Pastor of Harmony Free Will Baptist Church
Title: Why Christians Should Give Thanks To God
Text: Psalms 95:2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him
with psalms.
Introduction:
Have we, as Christian, expressed our gratitude for the bountiful blessing of the Lord. Much too often, we find ourselves whining and complaining like the children of Israel. God has given the Christian unimaginable blessings and promises. As the old song says, “Count your blessings, name them one by one.” It is time to remember what great things God has done for us.
Everything that we have comes as a result of God’s love, mercy and grace.
Illustration:
Thankful for all things
"I do not have to thank anyone for anything I have," an old miser grumbled. "Everything I have I got the hard way--by the sweat of my own brow." "But who gave you the sweat?" asked his neighbor.
The old miser hung his head in guilty silence. He could not ignore the fact that God had given the "sweat," the strength to work hard and gain material wealth.
Yes, everything that we are or that we possess is because of God’s lovingkindness. Therefore, it is good for us all to pause and say, "Thank You, God."
Mrs. Green thanked Tom, the grocery boy, for delivering a loaf of bread. "Do not thank me. Thank Grocer Jones," Tom smiled. "He gave me the loaf to deliver." But when she thanked the grocer, he said, "I get the bread from Baker Brown. He makes it, so he deserves the thanks." So Mrs. Green thanked the baker. But he told her that Miller Milligan should be given the gratitude. "Without Miller Milligan’s flour, I could not make bread," Brown replied. The miller told her to thank Farmer Foster because he made the flour from Foster’s wheat. But the farmer also protested, "Don’t thank me; thank God,"
Foster said. "If He did not give my farm sunshine and rain, I could not grow wheat."
Yes, even a common loaf of bread can be traced back to God, the Giver of "every good and perfect gift"
Let’s consider why we should come into God’s presence and worship with thanksgiving and praise:
1. It is the right thing to do.
2. It will magnify the blessings of the Lord in
yourlife.
3. It will change our prospective of life.
4. It will bring to remembrance God’s indescribable
love and mercy.
5. It will cause Christians to lose sight of their
earthly problems.
6. It will become a way to witness to those around us.
I. Giving thanks is the right thing to do for every
Christian.
A. We must learn to give thanks.
1. Children must be taught to say “thank you”.
a. Children must learn to show gratitude for
acts of kindness shown to them.
b. Children should also be taught to be
thankful to the Lord.
2. We, as the children of God, need to learn
how to show gratitude to the Lord.
B. Thanksgiving is recognizing and thanking the one
who has provided a gift.
1. God has given the most priceless gift of His
own Son.
2 Cor 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his
unspeakable gift.
2. As Christians, we are richly blessed by this
gift.
2 Cor 9:11 Being enriched in every thing to
all bountifulness, which causeth through us
thanksgiving to God.
C. Christians should give thanks for all things.
1. It is easy to be thankful for the good
things that comes our way in life.
1 Thess 5:18 In every thing give thanks:
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you.
2. We are to be thankful in spite of the bad
that comes into our lives.
Psalms 27:5 For in the time of trouble he
shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret
of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he
shall set me up upon a rock.
3. The Devil will use severe circumstances to
pull you away from God.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because
your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour:
II. Giving thanks will magnify the blessings of the
Lord in your life.
A. Learn to thank God for the little
things.
1. A little can be used to bless
thousands
Matt. 14:19 And he commanded the multitude
to sit down on the grass, and took the five
loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up
to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave
the loaves to his disciples, and the
disciples to the multitude.
2. We must first give all we have to the
Lord.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service.
B. Lean on the truths that God has established.
1. Some catastrophe event could take away all
we have in a moment
Look at what happened to Job.
2. Nothing can rob us of the spiritual things
that we have in Christ.
a. We have eternal life (Jn. 10:28)
b. We have forgiveness (1 Jn. 1:9)
c. We have God’s presence (Heb. 13:5)
d. We have access to the Lord through prayer
(Heb. 4:15-16).
C. Love of God will prevent us from losing.
Illustration: Thank God for What We Cannot Lose
When we express our gratitude to God, it’s easy to emphasize material prosperity and the qualities
of life that are wonderful to have but easy to lose. Good health is a great blessing, but it could be
gone tomorrow. Into the most loving families and friendships, death intrudes when we least expect it.
Our tables may be loaded with food today, but we could be out of work tomorrow and wondering
about our next meal.
How about taking a new approach to giving thanks today? Instead of focusing on the traditional
areas of food, family, and friends, let’s thank God for what we cannot lose.
Romans 8:35-39 is a great place to begin. After considering the difficulties and calamities that can
strip away the externals from our lives, Paul concluded that none of them “shall be able to separate
us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (v. 39). God’s love is unfailing, unceasing,
unchanging, and unconquerable.
Heavenly Father, if we have to be away from home and family today, if we are frail in body or spirit,
if there is an empty place in our heart, if we have nothing to eat, we still give thanks for Your love in
Christ, because no person or problem can take Your love away. - DCM
- Our Daily Bread, Sept.-Nov. 1997, page for November 27
III. Giving thanks to God will change our outlook on
life.
A. Our spiritual focus will be on the bright side.
1. We will be able to see good in everything
that happens.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God,
2. We will be able to stay focused on the
goodness of the Lord
Psalms 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is
good: blessed is the man that trusteth in
him.
Illustration: See the bright side.
Robert E. Bruce relates the following incident: "While walking along a busy street one day, I heard someone singing. His sweet voice was distinguishable even above the noise of the traffic. When I located him, I noticed that he had no legs and was pushing himself through the crowd in a wheelchair. Catching up with him, I said, ’I want you to know, friend, that to hear singing from a person in your condition gives everyone else a lift.’ He answered with a grateful smile, ’When I stopped looking at what I had lost and began concentrating on all I had left, I found much for which I could rejoice and be happy.’"
Illustration:I am Thankful for.........
....the taxes I pay ....because it means I’m employed.
....the clothes that fit a little too snug ....because it means I have enough to eat.
....my shadow who watches me work ....because it means I am out in the sunshine.
....a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and ...gutters that need fixing ....because it means I have a home.
....the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot ....because it means I am capable of walking.
....my huge heating bill ....because it means I am warm.
....all the complaining I hear about our government ....because it means we have freedom of speech.
....the lady behind me in church who sings off key. ....because it means that I can hear.
....the piles of laundry and ironing ....because it means my loved ones are nearby.
....the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours ....because it means that I’m alive.....weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day ....because it means I have been productive.
B. We will be able to refuse the Devil’s pressure
and temptation..
1. The Devil will challenge your faith and
trust in the Lord.
2. The Devil will tell you lies such, “if God
really loved you, He wouldn’t let this
happen.”
3. It is God’s grace that will carry us through
the dark valleys.
Heb 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man
fail of the grace of God; lest any root of
bitterness springing up trouble you, and
thereby many be defiled;
IV. Giving thanks will call to rememberance God’s
indescribable love and mercy.
A. Thanksgiving will cause us to remember the price
of our redemption.
1. We will remember His sacrifice
Luke 22:17 And he took the cup, and gave
thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it
among yourselves:
Luke 22:19 And he took bread, and gave
thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them,
saying, This is my body which is given for
you: this do in remembrance of me.
2. We will remember that every good gift comes
from God
As the theologians put it God is "the
Source, Support, and End of all things."
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect
gift is from above, and cometh down from the
Father of lights, with whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning.
3. We will remember our vow.
Jonah 2:9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with
the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that
that I have vowed. Salvation is of the
LORD.
B. Ingratitude will change our focus.
1. We will forget the benefits of the
Lord.
Ps 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and
forget not all his benefits:
a. Thankfulness is the opposite of
selfishness.
b. The selfish person says, "I deserve what
comes to me! Other people ought to make me
happy."
2. We will begin to forsake the Lord
Isa 1:28 And the destruction of the
transgressors and of the sinners shall be
together, and they that forsake the LORD
shall be consumed.
3. We will falter (waver).
Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing
wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave
of the sea driven with the wind and
tossed.
Our spiritual life will become impoverished
and stunted because we give so little place
to gratitude.
4. We will fail spiritually
Illustration: We Get Accustomed to Our Blessings
I have felt for a long time that one of the particular temptations of the maturing Christian is the danger of getting accustomed to his blessings. Like the world traveler who has been everywhere and seen everything, the maturing Christian is in danger of taking his blessings for granted and getting so
accustomed to them that they fail to excite him as they once did.
Emerson said that if the stars came out only once a year, everybody would stay up all night to behold
them. We have seen the stars so often that we don’t bother to look at them anymore. We have
grown accustomed to our blessings.
The Israelites in the wilderness got accustomed to their blessings, and God had to chasten the people
(see Num. 11). God had fed the nation with heavenly manna each morning, and yet the people were
getting tired of it. “But now our whole being is dried up,” they said, “there is nothing at all except this
manna before our eyes!” (v. 6).
Nothing but manna! They were experiencing a miracle of God’s provision every morning; yet they
were no longer excited about it. Nothing but manna!
One of the evidences that we have grown accustomed to our blessings is this spirit of criticism and
complaining. Instead of thanking God for what we have, we complain about it and tell him we wish
we had something else. You can be sure that if God did give us what we asked for, we would
eventually complain about that. The person who has gotten accustomed to his blessing can never be
satisfied.
Another evidence of this malady is the idea that others have a better situation than we do. The
Israelites remembered their diet in Egypt and longed to return to the cucumbers, melons, leeks,
onions, and garlic. They were saying, “The people in Egypt are so much better off than we are!”
Obviously, they had forgotten the slavery they had endured in Egypt and the terrible bondage from
which God had delivered them. Slavery is a high price to pay for a change in diet.
- Warren Wiersbe, God Isn’t In a Hurry, (Baker Books; Grand Rapids, MI, 1994), pp. 77-78
V. Giving thanks will cause us to lose sight of our
earthly problems.
A. It will cause us to see the victory we have in
the Lord.
1 Cor 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Co 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always
causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh
manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in
every place.
B. It will help us to face opposition without fear
or compromise.
Dan 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing
was signed, he went into his house; and his
windows being open in his chamber toward
Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times
a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his
God, as he did aforetime.
Illustration: Corrie Ten Boom
In her classic autobiography The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom tells of the time she and her sister were forced to take off all their clothes during Nazi inspections at a death camp.
Miss ten Boom stood in line feeling forsaken and defiled. Suddenly she remembered that Jesus hung naked on the cross. Struck with wonder and worship during that seemingly forsaken moment, ten Boom leaned forward and whispered to her sister, "Betsie, they took his clothes, too." Betsie gasped and said, "Oh, Corrie, and I never thanked him." Thanksgiving does not require bounty--just recognition of what our Savior has already done.
C. It will help us to realize that the battle is
not ours, but the Lords.
1 Cor 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God
overcometh the world: and this is the victory
that overcometh the world, even our faith.
VI. Giving thanks will become a way of witness to
those around us..
1Ch 16:8 Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his
name, make known his deeds among the people.
A. They will see our controlling priority
B. They will see our confident trust.
C. They will see our commitment of faith.
Illustration: Now Thank We All Our God
It was the worst of times. In the first half of the 17th century, Germany was in the midst of wars and
famine and pestilence. In the city of Eilenburg lived a pastor by the name of Martin Rinkart.
During one especially oppressive period, Rinkart conducted up to 50 funerals a day as a plague
swept through the town and as the Thirty Years’ War wreaked its own terror on the people. Among
those whom Rinkart buried were members of his own family.
Yet during those years of darkness and despair, when death and destruction greeted each new day,
Pastor Rinkart wrote 66 sacred songs and hymns. Among them was the song “Now Thank We All
Our God.” As sorrow crouched all around him, Rinkart wrote:
Now thank we all our God
With hearts and hands and voice,
Who wondrous things hath done,
In whom His world rejoices;
Who, from our mothers’ arms,
Hath blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love,
And still is ours today.
Rinkart demonstrated a valuable lesson for us all: Thankfulness does not have to wait for prosperity
and peace. It’s always a good time to praise God for the “wondrous things” He has done.
- JDB, Our Daily Bread, October 12, 1998
Conclusion:
A life of thanksgiving before the Lord will teach us the art of thanksliving. It is gratitude in action.
It is thanking God for the gift of life by living it triumphantly. It is thanking God for your talents and abilities by accepting them as obligations to be invested for the common good. It is thanking God for all that men and women have done for you by doing things for others. It is thanking God for happiness by striving to make others happy. It is thanking God for beauty by helping to make the world more beautiful. It is thanking God for inspiration by trying to be an inspiration to others.
If we will seek to enter into the presence of the Lord with thanksgiving, it will encourage others in their spiritual growth and maturity. If we will continue our thanksgiving and praise to the Lord, it will show the world where my priorities are. It is one means of expressing my love for God. It is an avenue God has provided by which I can praise His name. It is the offering of spiritual sacrifices. It is a way of showing my thanksgiving to God for all He has done for me. It is a period of communion with God with the world shut out entirely.
Will you take the time daily to thank God for who He is, for what He has done, What He is presently doing, and what He will do for His children. It is so wonderful to know that you are a child of God.
