ENTER HIS GATES: A CALL TO THANKSGIVING
PSALM 100
NOVEMBER 24, 2002
INTRODUCTION: THANKSGIVING LIST
Here is a list of things housewives are most thankful for:
"For automatic dishwashers because they make it possible for us to get out of the kitchen before the family comes back in for their after-dinner snacks.
For husbands who attack small repair jobs around the house because they usually make them big enough to call in the professionals.
For children who put away their things & clean up after themselves. They’re such a joy you hate to see them go home to their own parents.
For teenagers because they give parents an opportunity to learn a second language.
For Smoke alarms because they let you know when the turkey’s “done."
SOURCE: Melvin Newland, Minister, Central Christian Church, Brownsville, Tx.
Bishop Gerland Kennedy of California tells the true story of a shipwreck off the coast of Evanston, Ill. many years ago. The students of Northwestern University came to the rescue. One student, Edward Spenser, personally saved the lives of 17 persons that day. Years later a reporter was writing a follow up story on the event, and went to interview the now elderly Spenser. When asked what was the one thing that stood out about the incident in his mind; Spenser replied: “I remember that of the seventeen people I saved that day, not one of them ever thanked me.”
Staff, www.eSermons.com, October, 2001
TRANSITION THOUGHT: It’s that time of year again! The Holidays are here! Mine started even earlier with the Primetimers coming to dinner. We are called to be givers of thanks, and annually at our Thanksgiving with the Primetimers, we pause and share for what we are thankful. It seems so strange that we have to be reminded to give thanks, but this is specifically what our text for the day calls for. This text was thought to be the beginning hymn for a thanksgiving service in which a procession of worshippers would sing as they entered the temple. It was a call to worship and more importantly a call to give thanks.
THESIS SENTENCE: A LIFESTYLE OF WORSHIP INCLUDES GIVING THANKS!
TRANSITION THOUGHT CONTINUED: As I was thinking of this day, a collage of text came to mind. The first was the story found in Luke 17: 11-19. The story tells of Jesus healing Ten Lepers. All ten asked Jesus to heal them. All ten were healed by Jesus. But of the ten who were healed, only a foreigner, a Samaritan came back to give God praise in a loud voice! “He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan (verse 16).”
The reason this text came to my mind was the reality of our failure to remember to Give thanks for all God has done for us. Maybe I shouldn’t say our failure, but MINE!! Two weeks ago a group of pastors meet in Bessemer City to begin a program call the Leadership Development Journey.
There will be many groups meeting, but I was in this one. Our facilitator, Rev. Buddy Rampey asked us to share our testimony of how we had arrived at were we are in our Journey with Jesus. As I recounted for the group what had brought me to this place of service for our King, I was overwhelmed at what Jesus had done for me. I started to get so emotional; I thought I would cry. At that moment I was reminded again of just how much I have to be thankful for and the main issue was that Jesus had saved me from a lifestyle that was leading me straight to HELL!! Sometimes I get so focused on the forest, I forget the trees!
Are you like me and have become one of the NINE? “Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner (verse 17)?’”
One other text also came to mind, it is probably one of my favorite scriptures. I learned it when I first got saved, because on Sunday nights my pastor used to states, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so (Psalm 107!” The Psalmist states, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say this – those he redeemed from the hand of the fore, those he gathered from the lands, from the east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city were they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things (verses 1-9).”
This text continues by telling of other instances where people found themselves in the deepest of distress and time and time again the Living God heard their cry for mercy and delivered them. The Psalmist states after each deliverance, “LET THEM GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD FOR HIS UNFAILING LIVE AND HIS WONDERFUL DEEDS FOR ME…(VV. 8, 15, 21, AND 31)”
By now, we should get the picture, but again I say, are you and I like each of these that was delivered from some great crisis and yet have to be reminded to “GIVE THANKS?” It seems so easy in this life to forget from whence we came and to take completely for granted all God has done for us personally and also for what he has done for our families, our community, our church, our Nation, and the list goes on.
So now we come back to our text and THE PSALMIST STATES THAT IT IS TIME TO WORSHIP. BUT WHAT DOES REAL WORSHIP OF THE LIVING GOD LOOK LIKE? IT IS A MATTER OF THANKSGIVING!!
I. THANKSGIVING IS ABOUT EXUBERANCE (VERSE 1)
A. Exuberance is acknowledging what God has done
1. Remember the “Healed Samaritan Leper?”
2. He came back “Praising God in a loud voice (Luke 17: 15)!”
3. I know I must get on your nerves always asking for Amens and for noise from the congregation. Oh, be honest!! But scripture clearly calls for feed back!! It is not just some preacher hang up. I don’t do it just for you to boost my ego, I do it that you might PRAISE THE LORD!! (RIGHT IRMA!) PTL!!
B. Exuberance is being real with God (Praising the Lord)!
1. The Psalmist begins his call to worship be stating, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth (Verse 1).”
2. This hymn writer knew that coming into the Sanctuary should lead to joy and celebration, “EXUBERANCE.”
3. He still calls us today to “Get all excited and tell everybody that Jesus Christ is King, Jesus Christ is Still the King of Kings!”
ILLUSTRATION: We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man. The boy’s mother asked, “What do you say to the nice man?” The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said, “Peel it.”
II. THANKSGIVIVNG IS ABOUT WORSHIP (VERSE 2)
A. Worship is about being “GLAD”
1. The Hebrew word for worship, which I cannot pronounce, can be translated, “SERVE.”
2. Thanks giving is not just about lip service, it is about whole service!
3. Thank giving is not just about service, it is about being GLAD in service!! 4. Are you MAD or are you GLAD. If you are not Glad, you are not worshiping as our Lord wants!!
B. Worship is about “Singing”
1. It is about getting into the presence of God.
2. Have you ever notice how music can draw you closer to Go than almost anything!
3. I have noticed how bless some folks get over music that not even the word can do for them. This often makes me neverous, but God knows how we are made and what leads us to Him that we might “COME BEFORE HIM.”
ILLUSTRATION: In regions of Mexico hot springs and cold springs are found side by side, and because of the convenience of this natural phenomenon the women often bring their laundry, boil their clothes in the hot springs, and then rinse them in the cold springs. A tourist watching this procedure commented to his Mexican guide: "They must think Mother nature is generous to freely supply such ample, clean hot and cold water." The guide replied, "No senor, there is much grumbling because she supplies no soap."
III. THANKSGIVING IS ABOUT KNOWING (VERSE 3)
A. KNOWING IS HAVING YOUR STORY STAIGHT
1. The Psalmist knows that we cannot rightly give thanks unless we know who God is.
2. Therefore he calls us to “Know that the Lord is God.”
3. It is about getting your story straight and sticking to it!
4. This is an issue of FAITH AND TRUST!
5. It is an acknowledgement of God for who HE is!!
B. KNOWING IS ABOUT “INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS”
1. Why should we know God? Why should we acknowlege that He is the Lord? 2. “It is He who hade us, And we are His.”
3. It is not really about us knowing Him but about knowing that He knows us!! How does He know us? HE MADE US and we Belong to HIM!!
4. The truth of this verse is that HE CLAIMS US!!
5. Maybe a lot of folks, like your mom and your dad, maybe that won’t claim you, SCOTT, but our GOD claims us all, because He made us!!
6. “We are His people the sheep of His pasture.”
ILLUSTRATION: It’s Thanksgiving Day & the aroma of roast turkey fills Charlie Brown’s house. Snoopy, outside, lying on top of his doghouse, smells that aroma, & he is thinking, “It’s Thanksgiving Day. Everybody eats turkey on Thanksgiving Day.” So he lies there, watching the back door, eagerly awaiting his Thanksgiving dinner. Finally, the door opens & here comes Charlie Brown with a bowl of dog food, & he puts it on the ground. Snoopy gets off his house & stares at the dog food with a forlorn look on his face. And he thinks, “Just because I’m a dog, I have to eat dog food on Thanksgiving Day.” Then the next square shows him looking at the dog food more intently, & he is thinking, “It could be worse. I could be the turkey.”
IV. THANKSGIVING IS GIVING THANKS (VERSES 4-5)
A. Thanks Giving is just that, giving thanks!
1. Just to make sure we get it, the Psalmist tells us twice, “Enter with Thanks Giving, and Give Thanks.”
2. This is all about coming to church!!
3. This is all about not showing up wanting to get something to take home. 4. This is all about showing up with something to say!!
5. This is all about sharing what God has done!! This is letting the Redeemed of the Lord say so!
6. This is all about being the ONE instead of being ONE OF THE NINE!!
B. Thanks Giving is about Praise!
1. Again, twice the call is given, “PRAISE!”
2. This takes us back to verse 1, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.” 3. This is about making it public!! This is about getting happy about our God. 4. But is this just pie in the sky? Is there a foundation for Praise?
5. “For the Lord is good and His love endures forever, His faithfulness continues through all generations.”
6. There is reason for praise, there is reason for thanksgiving.
7. Maybe your year is down the tubes! Maybe everything is not going your way!! OUR praise and thanksgiving are not based on circumstances, but on our GOD!! IT is about HIM!! It is about WHO HE IS!! IT IS about remember the FAITHFULNESS OF OUR GOD!! IT IS ABOUT REMEMBERING HIS LOVE!! IT IS ABOUT HAVING A RIGHT FOCUS!!
ILLUSTRATION: MODEST GRATITUDE
In a sense, gratitude is an expression of modesty. In Hebrew, the word for gratitude - hoda’ah - is the same as the word for confession. To offer thanks is to confess dependence, the acknowledgment that others have the power to benefit you, to admit that your life is better because of their efforts. That frame of mind is indispensable to civilized society.
SOURCE: "The Power of Giving Thanks
By Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe Staff, 11/23/2000.
http://www.homiliesbyemail.com/Special/Thanksgiving/power.txt
CONCLUSION: Are you ready for thanks giving? NOT the turkey, ham and sweet potatoes, but for giving thanks! How about starting TODAY!!
BENEDICTION: I Corinthians 15: 57-58
