A Psalm Of Thanksgiving 2019

A PSALM OF THANKSGIVING

Psalm 105:1-6

ILLUST. A monk joined a monastery and took a vow of silence. After the first 10 years of absolutely no speaking at all, his superior called him in and asked, “Do you have anything to say?” The monk replied, “Food bad.” After another 10 years of perfect silence the monk again had opportunity to voice his thoughts. He said, “Bed hard.” Another 10 years went by and again he was called in before his superior. When asked if he had anything to say, he responded, “I quit.” The older monk replied, “That doesn’t surprise me a bit. You’ve done nothing but gripe and complain ever since you got here.”

A lot of times we complain instead of learning to be grateful. Some of us might be like the guy who prayed this prayer:

Dear God,

“So far today I’ve done all right. I haven’t gossiped, I haven’t lost my temper, I haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or over-indulgent. I’m very thankful for that. But in a few minutes, God, I’m going to get out of bed, and from then on, I’m probably going to need a lot of help. Amen”

Galaxie Software. (2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press.

Psalm 105:1 (NKJV) Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! 2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! 3 Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! 4 Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore! 5 Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, 6 O seed of Abraham His servant, You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!

This psalm of David was evidently written on the occasion of the carrying up of the Ark of the Covenant from the house of Obed-edom. We see the first 15 verses used as a hymn of praise in 1 Chr. 16:7-22 when the Ark was brought back. The Ark of the Covenant was a symbol of the presence of God in the nation of Israel. So, on its return, it was a fitting thing that David and the people of Israel proclaim aloud the greatness of Jehovah.

1. THE PERSONS OF THANKSGIVING v. 1

There are some persons we need to thank! Notice the verse:

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name:”

A. The LORD = Jehovah, He is the One to be thanked!

B. The Christ = the Messiah, the dear Lord Jesus is to be thanked as well. His sacrifice on the cross paid our sin debt and brings forgiveness to those who repent and believe in His death, burial and resurrection!

C. The Spirit = the 3rd Person of the Trinity, for living inside us to guide us daily.

D. The People in our lives.

Everybody should have somebody to who they are thankful.

ILLUST. I heard about a little boy that was given an orange to a little boy. His mother looked at him and said, “Now, Johnny, what do you say?” Sheepishly the boy looked up and said, “Peel it?”

ILLUST. You may have seen the commercials about Tom Hanks’ new movie about Fred Rogers. “The film is not a biopic,” says director Marielle Heller. “I disliked that when it got announced it was characterized as such. It’s really not. It’s a movie that’s largely focused on a reporter and (Mr. Rogers’) relationship to his life, and how (the reporter’s) whole world changes when coming in contact with Fred Rogers.”

So, I did a little research on Mr. Rogers and learned that he was an ordained Presbyterian minister. I watched a couple of YouTube videos about him. One of the most popular episodes of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood TV program was in 1980 when a 10 year old boy named Jeff Erlanger rolled up to Mr. Rogers’ home in an electric wheelchair.

18 years later, made a surprise appearance when Fred Rogers was inducted to the Television Hall of Fame. During his acceptance speech he talked about the influence for good that television should have. And in the middle of his speech, Mr. Rogers said, “Who in your life has been such a servant to you? Who has helped you love the good that grows within you? Let’s just take 10 seconds to think of those people who have loved us and wanted what was best for us in life. Those who have encouraged us to become who we are…just 10 seconds of silence. I’ll watch the time.”

Who are the people in your life that you can thank God for who have helped you in life? I don’t want you to just take 10 seconds to think of them…I want you to make a list. And I want you to write their names down…and if they’re still living…I want you to write them a note…handwritten and send it to them…tell them how much they mean to you. Then, even now, I want you to thank the Lord for bringing them into your life. You have an assignment.