Why Christians Should Give Thanks To God

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,