MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(PowerPoints used with this message are available for free. Just email me at mnewland@sstelco.com & request #359.)
TEXT: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Psalm 103:1-5
A. By Presidential Proclamation, this Thursday is traditionally a day of national Thanksgiving. So I want to call your attention to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. It says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Now you need to realize that it doesn't say, "Give thanks FOR all circumstances," but rather, "IN all circumstances." No matter how terrible some of the circumstances of life may be, with God's help there will always be that for which we can be thankful.
ILL. Two women who hadn't seen each other in several years met at a convention, & they began filling each other in on what had happened in their lives since the last time they met.
One woman said, "I got married two years ago." "Oh, that's good," her friend replied.
"Well, no, not really," the first one said. "My husband is twice as old as I am." "Oh, that's bad," her friend replied.
"Well, not really," she said, "he is a multi-millionaire." "Oh, that's good," her friend replied.
"Well, not really," she said, "he's mean to me & stingy." "Oh, that's bad," her friend replied.
"Well, no, not really," she said. "He did build us a million-dollar house." "Oh, that's good," her friend replied.
"Well, not really," she said. "It burned down last month." "Oh, that's bad," her friend replied.
"Well, not really, he was in it when it burned down."
B. Yes, this is Thanksgiving week, when children bring home from school turkeys they have cut out of construction paper, & pilgrims with funny hats & shoes.
For Thanksgiving our President usually issues a Thanksgiving proclamation. And our very secular government, that almost chokes every time it has to say the word "God," suddenly projects an air of religiosity & encourages us all to be thankful for at least this one day of the year.
C. You see, Thanksgiving is an unusual holiday because it combines God & government & society. And it is generally considered acceptable for everyone, regardless of religion, to be thankful on Thanksgiving Day.
Now I don't know about you, but that concerns me, because when something becomes universally acceptable it has usually been drastically watered down or changed from its original purpose. For instance, look at what has happened to the very special days of Christmas & Easter.
PROP. So I encourage you this morning to take two safeguards to protect your Thanksgiving - two things that you need to remember.
I. MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE THANKFUL TO THE RIGHT SOMEBODY
A. No. 1 is this, "Make sure that you are thankful to the right somebody." If we're going to say "thank you" to somebody, make sure that it is the right somebody.
ILL. Harriet Martineau was an atheist. One morning she & a friend stepped out into the glories of a beautiful fall morning.
As she saw the brilliant sun peeking through the haze, & the frost on the meadow, & the brightly colored leaves making their way lazily to the ground, she was filled with its beauty & burst forth with "I am just so grateful for it all." And her believing friend asked, "Grateful to whom, my dear?"
B. That's a good question at Thanksgiving. If you're grateful, if you're really thankful, then the obvious question would have to be, "Grateful to whom?"
King David knew the answer to the question about gratefulness. If anyone ever had cause to lift his voice in thanksgiving to God, David was the man. A shepherd boy who became the hero of a nation - a hunted fugitive who became its king - a condemned sinner who became a "man after God's own heart."
Is it any wonder that he begins the 103rd Psalm with these words of thanksgiving? "Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, & forget not all His benefits."
SUM. So I say it again, when you decide to be thankful, be sure that you, like King David, are thankful to the right somebody.
II. MAKE SURE YOU THANK GOD FOR THE RIGHT REASONS
Now the second safeguard that I think we need for Thanksgiving is this, "Make sure you thank God for the right reasons."
A. If you were to draw up a Thanksgiving list of things for which you are thankful, what would you put on the list? I know some of the things I would list.
1. One thing I'm thankful for is the blessing of living in the United States of America. I've lived in other lands, & I've visited several other countries, & I'm so thankful for this country in which I live.
2. Another thing, despite all my aches & pains, I'm thankful for physical blessings, too.
Someone said, "Count your fingers & toes, & if your mind is sharp enough to do that, then give God thanks for your mind, too. Thank Him that you can see, & that you have the agility to move from one place to another." I thank God for physical strength that He gives me every day.
3. And again, I thank Him for supplying me with everything I really need. No, I don't have everything I would like to have. But He has met my needs. And I know that He is the supplier of "every good & perfect gift" that comes my way.
B. Now I realize that our list could go on & on, but let's take a look at the list that David made in the 103rd Psalm, beginning in vs. 3.
1. He begins by thanking God for being a God “who forgives all your sins." David knew what was important. He doesn't begin by thanking God for making him King. He doesn't mention that Israel had become the strongest nation in the world during his reign. No, first of all, he thanks God for forgiving our sins.
May I suggest that is the most precious gift any of us can ever receive. God has provided the way for our sins to be forgiven.
2. Then he says that God "heals all your diseases." David didn't know anything about germs or infection. All he knew was, when the people of Israel obeyed God's laws, they didn't have the plagues that laid waste the nations around them. And when troubles arose & they called upon God for help, He was always there to help them.
We may not be able to understand everything that happens in life, but I'm convinced that God is still the great physician, & that He knows the deepest needs of my life even better than I do. And whether my need is physical or psychological or spiritual, I'm sure God will always do that which is best for me. And I'm so thankful for that.
3. Next, David says that God "redeems your life from the pit & crowns you with love & compassion." God certainly did that for David, & He is still doing that today.
4. Then he says that God "satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s." I like that. Almost everybody seems to be searching for a fountain of youth. But I'm a realist, & when standing in front of a mirror I realize I wasn't born with graying hair or the wrinkles I have now.
Maybe Paul explained it best when he said that “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:16)
SUM. And as we look at King David's Thanksgiving list, it is easy for us to say, "That's great. We can just add his list to ours, & join together in thanking God for all the joys & blessings He showers upon us every day."
III. EVEN THOUGH BAD THINGS HAPPEN, WE CAN STILL PRAISE GOD
A. We also need to realize that even though bad things happen, we can still praise God! But not everybody shares in our joy & thanksgiving.
Each week our congregation spends time praying for other people. In our prayers are some who are anticipating surgery, others with a terminal illness, some who are struggling with family or financial problems.
In fact, if the whole truth were known, everybody here is suffering in one way or another, & if not today, then maybe tomorrow.
It was Job who said, "…man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward" (Job 5:7).
B. Yet, even though bad things happen to God's people we can still give praise & thanksgiving to God. Why? Because the great difference between God's people & all the rest is that God's people do not suffer alone.
David wrote, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod & Your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4)
We're not the only ones struggling. The people who never lift a voice in praise or thanksgiving to God are hurting, too. The great difference is that when we hurt God is there to help us through those difficult moments of life.
C. In Exodus 3:7 God tells Moses, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, & I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them…"
God is saying, "I hear every cry that comes from the lips of my people, every prayer from the depths of their hearts. I'm concerned about their tears & suffering." That is another good reason to be thankful, isn't it?
I lift my heart to Thee, O God, in gratitude & praise
For all Thy blessings of the past, & those of future days ?
I thank Thee for my faithful friends, for sunshine & the rain,
And every blessing hid or seen, though some may come with pain.
O God, accept my thanks to Thee each time I come to pray,
And grant that each day I live ? will be Thanksgiving Day.
CONCL. This morning, if you are here & you are going through the trials of life without the help of Jesus, then we want you to know that you don't have to continue down that lonesome road any longer.
We offer you an opportunity for the forgiveness of your sins through the precious blood of Jesus - so that you can begin your list of blessings with these words, "I thank you Lord for forgiving all my sin."
If that is your desire, then you can take care of that this morning by coming forward, making your profession of faith, & by following his example & command in Christian baptism. We offer His invitation & pray that you will come as we stand & sing.
