July 16th, 2000, Sunday Evening

"Thanksgiving"
Defeating ungratefulness

OPENING: Psalm 136:1, KJV


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Research shows that searching the scripture makes you realize how thankless one is. ...How much they grumble, gripe, and complain.

We're living in a day and time where no one is thankful anymore.

• Work / office
  • How poor your car is running
  • How little money you make
  • How isolated the geographical landscape is
• Elected officials in government
• In churches
  • Where God has placed you
  • How boring the pastor is

Are you looking for guidance in your spiritual life? Here's one: the bible commands you to be thankful.

• Colossians 3:15-17
• 1 Thessolonians 5:18

#1: WHO'S THE RECIPIENT OF THIS THANKFULNESS?

• Psalm 136:1-3: ONLY to the God of Gods--God. Not to Buddha, not to family or your job, but to God and only to God who is the "King of kings" and "Lord of lords."
  
  
  • And as we learn more about God we begin to appreciate Him more.

#2: WHO GIVES THE THANKS?

• Psalm 136:1: Those who have tasted of the Lord's goodness. Specifically, those who have been saved.
  
  
• Colossians 1:21: What does a lost person have to be thankful for? Until they are saved, they are enemies of God. But you make peace through the blood of Jesus Christ.
  
  
• 1 Peter 1:3: We are (if saved) children of God. And it is only though his abundant mercy that He doesn't plunge us into hell for our wickedness we commit against Him.
  
  
• Hebrews 4:16: As we begin to rely on ourselves we leave God and then when something goes wrong in our life, we turn and blame God for it. Rather, we should stay and then when something happens--bad or good--we should turn and give Him the thanks for it because both good and bad events work themselves out for God's purpose for you.

#3: HOW TO GIVE THANKS:

• Ephesians 5:18: Being "filled" means being controlled 100% of the time. It doesn't mean being a T.V. evangelist who is screaming at the top of his lungs about how great God is on Sundays.
  
  
• Ephesians 5:19-20:
  
  
  • Give thanks by singing
  • Thank God for "all things"
    
    
  • Giving thanks must be an attitude. Not only in the event good things happen to you.
  
  
• Romans 8:28: This verse emphasizes that bad, as well as good, is used for the overall "good to them that love God."
  
  
  • Many people iterate that the unsaved have life better than the saved. Why? Because the Christian mentality is that because we are God's, only good things should happen to us and bad to those who are unsaved.
    
    
  • Remember that Jesus, the Son of God, was working as a poor carpenter for many years. Think of how many had it better than the Son of God? And also remember that God lets the sun shine on the wicked as well as the good because God's undying mercy is for ALL. (Ezekiel 33:11)
  
  
• Ecclesiastes 9:10: We live on earth; we have cars made by man that break down. Our bodies get sick. But all this (good and bad) works together for a common good outcome according to God's will for you. Accept it and be thankful for it.
  
  
• Psalm 147:7: Church is not the only place to sing praises to God. We're not talking about taking your hymn book to Wal-Mart and singing up and down the aisles but it can be a melody playing in your heart.
  
  
• Overall, we should be thankful for the opportunity to thank God for what He's done for us through prayer, singing, and serving.

#4: WHAT TO BE THANKFUL FOR:

• Psalm 136:4-25: This passage gives good guidance (but doesn't even scrape the surface) of what we should be thankful for.
  
  
  • Psalm 136:4: We should be thankful for things we often take for granted: for living on earth and not the moon; for being able to breathe air without needing tubes or pumps or aides; for gravity... etc.
    
    
  • Psalm 136:10-16,22: Here, the psalmist is thanking God for how He delivered the children of Israel from the Egyptians. (Compare this to the independence of the United States of America from the colonial British.)
    
    
  • Psalm 136:19-20: The psalmist is praising God for allowing Israel to defeat those in the Canaan lands. (Compare this to the wars the United States has won.)
    
    
  • Psalm 136:25: Thankful that God provides food and keeps food in front of your mouth every day. For there are so many others who starve and have no food.
  
  
• Thankful for deliverance from the spiritual and eternal separation from Christ.
  
  
  • Colossians 1:13-14 and 2 Corinthians 1:9
  • 1 Corinthians 15:54-57
  • 1 John 5:4
  • Romans 5:20
  
  
• Ephesians 3:20: Thanks for giving us more than we ask for or need.

CLOSER

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Hebrews 13:15-16: God will be well pleased with you if you're thankful to Him for EVERYTHING He has done for you.

If the lost see the saved happy in times of peril, broken cars, bad times, the lost will say, "there's something different about that person and I'd like to know more."

No matter your situation, there's always somebody who has it worse.