Sermon Central
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Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart
Contributed by Dr. Stanley Vasu on Sep 1, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: This sermon is about giving thanks to God with a grateful heart and it states the various reasons for being grateful to God such as 1.PRESENCE 2.PROTECTION 3.PROVISION 4.PEOPLE 5.PROFESSION 6.PERIOD 7.PROMISE
GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART
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Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-
OUTLINE
1.PRESENCE
2.PROTECTION
3.PROVISION
4.PEOPLE
5.PROFESSION
6.PERIOD
7.PROMISE
THE MESSAGE
GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART
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1.PRESENCE
We must give thanks for God’s presence in our lives. The Lord has never left us or forsook us. People may have deserted us when we needed them. But the Lord has been with us at all times and in all situations. His presence has given us peace and rest. Christ lives in us and He is the hope of glory . Without the presence of God our lives would be meaningless and miserable. We must always be grateful for the presence of God in our lives. His presence with us makes all the difference in every situation that we face.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
"But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.
But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Colossians 1 : 27
To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
2.PROTECTION
We must give thanks for God’s protection in our lives. We are not destroyed because of His mercies. There are so many dangers and hidden snares in this world and yet God has protected us so far. We must realise that it is God’s protection that has kept us alive so far. We must remember the dangerous situations that we have faced in the past and how God protected us and be grateful to Him. The Lord has watched over us constantly and protected us.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Lamentations 3 : 22-23
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.
Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
3.PROVISION
We must give thanks for God’s provision in our lives. The Lord has been faithful to meet our needs. He has provided food , clothes and shelter to us which are considered the basic needs of mankind. In addition to these He has provided us so many blessings such as education and material comforts for which we must be thankful. We must learn to trust in the Lord for the supply of all our needs. Then we need not fear the future as the Lord is able to meet our needs even in difficult times.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
