Focus on Thanksgiving

Psalm 100:1-5

A psalm for giving grateful praise.

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

2 Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before Him with singing.

3 Know that the Lord is God.

It is He who made us, not we ourselves,

and we are His people,

the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving;

and His courts with praise;

give thanks to Him and praise His name.

5 For the Lord is good / His love endures forever;

His faithfulness continues forever.

God cares about our actions and our attitudes

God Wants You to Give Thanks

HE WILLS US TO BE THANKFUL ALL THE TIME

Here are some reasons why . . .

1. Thanksgiving Glorifies God:

2 Corinthians 4:15 For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.

Paul is declaring:

-his motive for all the sacrificial service he rendered to Corinth.

-that thanksgiving abounded to the glory of God.

Think of how he experienced heartache in the Corinthian church:

-misunderstood,

-ridiculed,

-maligned,

-attacked.

Think how he sacrificed so God’s grace would reach the lost.

Think how the praise of the redeemed was heard by God.

NOTE:

Luke 17 and the story of the ten lepers:

Christ met ten lepers in a village between Samaria and Galilee.

He told them to go and show themselves to the priest.

They obeyed His command,

Christ instantaneously healed all ten.

Only one of them, when healed, turned back.

Only one of them glorifying God and giving thanks to Him.

God’s glory and thanksgiving are inseparable.

2. Thanksgiving Comes From Recognizing God’s Goodness:

1 Timothy 4:4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the Word of God and prayer.

But by gratefully receiving and enjoying God’s gifts, believers fulfill God's intention for which they were created.

Three Motivations To Recognize His Goodness:

His Goodness leads us to discover His Grace and Mercy.

His Love Endures Forever.

His Faithfulness Continues to All Generations.

3. Thanksgiving Is A Common Part Of Worship:

Psalm 100:4 An ATTITUDE of Thanksgiving:

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

When you enter God’s presence harboring ingratitude, your worship is unacceptable.

When the early church met in the New Testament, one of its main purposes was to give thanks to God.

Ephesians 5:3–4; see 2 Corinthians 4:15; 9:11 But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

4. Thanksgiving Reflects Godly Humility:

Spiritual maturity can be measured by your thanksgiving;

when, where, how, why.

The Bible tells us to be thankful for all people and all things.

What would a list of all things include?

Corrupt governments, unjust employers, bitter spouses, severe illnesses, chronic pain, economic collapses — all things. (1 Thessalonians 5:18; Philippians 4:6).

Only one kind of person is able to express gratitude for those things—a humble Christian.

Spiritually Mature Humble Christians will be thankful in all things.

5. Thanksgiving Is Commanded By God:

-Gratitude should come naturally to believers.

-Gratitude should be in response to all God has done.

-Gratitude should be an act of obedience to God's command.

The imperatives (commands) of thanksgiving found in Psalm 100:

Shout for Joy to the Lord.

Worship (serve) the Lord with Gladness.

Come Before Him with Singing.

Know that the Lord is God.

Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving.

Enter His Courts with Praise.

Give Thanks to Him.

Praise His Name.

Ephesians 5:20 Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.

He enables us to give thanks and is pleased when we do.

God commands us to find reasons for thanking Him always

(Acts 5:41; James 1:2-3; 1 Peter 1:6-9). That’s His will.

If you’re not obeying that command

you’re not following God’s will.

If gratitude doesn’t come easy for you

neither will finding God’s will.

If you struggle with being thankful

you’ll struggle with following God’s will.

6. Thanksgiving Acknowledges God’s Sovereignty:

Greatest act of worship you can render to God is to thank Him.

Through gratitude, we affirm God as the ultimate source of all.

An attitude that sees beyond the circumstance to God's plan.

It sees beyond the pain to the sovereignty of God.

An attitude of thanksgiving enables us to:

-deal with those who wrong us.

-see God's providential hand caring for us.

-trust He uses these circumstances for His glory.

-remember suffering perfects, strengthens, establishes us.

God wills that kind of thankfulness.

7. Thanklessness Characterizes Fallen Humanity:

2 Timothy 3:1-2 In the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy . . .

Ingratitude characterizes fallen humanity in the last days.

8. Thanklessness Is Judged By God:

Ingratitude / Thanklessness is the very essence of an unregenerate heart. Unbelief and Ingratitude bring about God’s judgment.

Romans 1:21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Because mankind, in pride, fails to honor and glorify God as Creator, also refuses to thank Him for His gracious provision.

Although God is the source of every good thing that mankind possesses but the lost refuse to thank Him because to acknowledge God's provision would require worship of Him.

Expressing Thanksgiving to God:

Promises grace and peace.

Our Gratitude is recognized by Him.

Christians are distinguished by attitudes of Thanksgiving.

Thanklessness marks godless wicked ones who lie.