Thank God!
Psalm 107:1-15
Sermon by: Rick Crandall
McClendon Baptist Church - Nov. 25, 2007
*You may have been at JC Penney or Kohl’s at 4 a.m. last Friday for Christmas shopping -- Or you may have been yelling at your TV Friday night as LSU lost in triple-overtime. -- But let’s not rush off from Thanksgiving too fast. God wants us to live every day with an attitude of gratitude, and we have so many reasons to be grateful.
*Like the man who said: -This Thanksgiving I’m thankful.
-That there are only 24 hours available each day for TV programming.
-That teenagers ultimately will have children who will become teenagers.
-That I’m not a turkey.
-That houses still cost more than cars.
-That snow covers un-raked leaves.
-That hugs and kisses don’t add weight or cause cancer.
-That [computers and cell phones and MP3 Players and TV’s and video games] can be turned off -- But no one can turn off the moon and stars.
-No one but God that is. (1)
*We have tremendous reasons to be thankful. “Rarely has any people enjoyed greater prosperity than we are now enjoying. For this we render heartfelt and solemn thanks to the Giver of Good; and we seek to praise Him -- not by words only -- but by deeds, by the way in which we do our duty to ourselves and to our fellow men.” President Teddy Roosevelt said that on Thanksgiving in 1902, but those words are truer than ever today. We must thank God. And this part of His Word helps us see why. (2)
1. First: Thank God for always being reliable.
*Our God is always reliable! As we see in vs. 1, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” His mercy endures how long? Forever!
*The worst lemon I ever bought had a 12,000 mile warranty -- And the clutch went out at 12,050 miles! God will never break down or wear out on you. We may not understand what He is doing in our lives, but even when we are going through the tough times, He is ever faithful.
-In 1 Corin 1:9, “God is FAITHFUL, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
-In 1 Corin 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is FAITHFUL, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
-In 1 Thess 5:23-24, “May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is FAITHFUL, who also will do it.”
-In 1 John 1:8-9, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is FAITHFUL and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
-And in Rev 1:5-6, Jesus is “The FAITHFUL witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen!”
*Our God is faithful forever. Catherine Marshall tells how God confirmed His faithfulness to a friend named Marge. One day Marge was sitting on the runway in a plane headed to Cleveland. As she settled into her seat, Marge noticed something unusual. On one side of the airplane a sunset filled the whole sky with glorious color -- But out of the window on her side, all Marge could see was a dark, threatening sky.
*As the plane’s engines began to roar, the Lord planted this thought in Marge’s heart: “You have noticed the windows. Your life too, will contain some happy, beautiful times, but also some dark shadows. You see, it doesn’t matter which window you look through; this plane is still going to Cleveland. So it is in your life. You can focus on the bad things, or you can focus on the bright things, but I’m in charge either way, and your final destination isn’t determined by what you see or feel along the way.” (3)
*Child of God: You may be going through the darkest night of your life, but God is faithfully taking you home.
2. Thank God for always being reliable. -- And for His wonderful redemption.
*In vs. 2&3, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south.” These verses have a crucial, historical application to the Jewish people. Three thousand years ago, God promised to gather them from all over the world back into the Promised Land of Israel. And in the last 100 years we have seen this ancient promise being miraculously fulfilled. But these verses have an even greater application to those who trust in the cross of Jesus Christ. I am talking about an eternal, spiritual application, as believers are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
*George Barton explains that “The New Testament concept of redemption goes like this. All of us have been slaves to sin, to self, to our own desires, and to Satan. All of us have disobeyed God’s laws and are under a curse. Jesus, who created us and who on that account owns us, died for our sins. With His precious blood He paid the price of redemption for our sins. . . (4)
*God’s Word strongly stresses our need for redemption. In Matt 20:28 Jesus said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” In Gal 3:13-14 Paul tells believers that “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’ He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” And in Col 1:13-14 Paul tells Christians that God “has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
*Many years ago, A.J. Gordon was a pastor in Boston. One day he saw a young boy in front of the church. The boy was carrying a rusty cage that held several, very nervous, birds.
-Pastor Gordon asked, “Son, where did you get those birds?”
-The boy replied, “I trapped them out in the field.”
-“What are you going to do with them?”
-“I’m going to play with them, and then I guess I’ll just feed them to an old cat we have at home.”
*When the preacher offered to buy them, the boy said, “Mister, you don’t want them, they’re just little old wild birds and can’t sing very well.”
-But Gordon replied, “I’ll give you $2 for the cage and the birds.”
-“Okay, it’s a deal -- but you’re making a bad bargain.”
*The exchange was made and the boy went away whistling, happy with his shiny coins. Pastor Gordon walked around to the back of the church property, opened the door of the small cage, and let the struggling birds soar into the blue sky.
*The next Sunday he took the empty cage into the pulpit and used it to illustrate his sermon about Christ’s coming to seek and to save the lost. He talked about Jesus paying for the lost with His own precious blood, and then said, “That boy told me the birds were not singers -- But when I released them and they winged their way toward heaven, it seemed to me they were singing, ‘Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed!’” (5)
3. Thank God for His wonderful redemption, and for responding to our prayers.
*We see two great examples of answered prayer in these verses. The first answered prayer is in vs. 4-6, where we see that “They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses.”
*But also look at vs. 12-13: “They fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses.”
*These verses and hundreds more teach us that God will surely respond to your prayers. As James May says: “Don’t give up on God! Some of you have been praying for answers to a certain need in your life for a long time and you are wondering if God even hears you anymore. Others are praying for the salvation of your loved ones but it seems that the more you pray, the farther from God they run. Whatever you are praying for, don’t give up on God! The answer will come but it will come in God’s time and in God’s way.” (6)
*David Dykes helps us understand through a story about one of his childhood friends. David says, “I had a friend growing up who had the ugliest bicycle I’d ever seen. It was a hand-me-down made from the parts of other bicycles. It was so ugly it didn’t even have handlebar grips. He was always complaining that his hands would slip off the slick handlebars. He pestered his dad to buy him some handlebar grips, but his dad kept refusing.
*One day his dad took him to the Western Auto hardware store. Near the front door there were some new handlebar grips for sale. They were plastic and had long streamers hanging from the ends. He said, ‘Daddy, Daddy, I’ve just GOT to have these handlebar grips! Please daddy!’ But his dad looked and him and said, ‘No son, you don’t need those grips. Now come with me to the back of the store.’
*As he followed his dad, my friend was bitter and frustrated. Under his breath he was muttering, ‘I never get ANYTHING. It’s just a lousy three dollars! My dad sure is mean!’ But when they got to the back of the store the owner wheeled out a shiny, brand new bicycle -- Complete with handlebar grips with plastic streamers. And my friend’s dad said, ‘Here son, it’s an early birthday present. I wouldn’t buy you any handlebar grips because I ordered you this new bicycle!’” (7)
*Whatever you are praying for, don’t give up on God! The answer will come in God’s time, in God’s way. Our Heavenly Father always knows best. Millions of people on earth and in Heaven will echo that testimony to you. God will answer your prayers in the best possible way.
4. Thank Him for responding to our prayers, and for leading us in the right way.
*As we see in vs. 7, “He led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city for habitation.”
*One of the hot tickets this Christmas is bound to be GPS devices. A couple of stores had them on sale for around $125. Great price for a machine that can take you from wherever you are to wherever you are trying to go. -- But what if you don’t know where you should be trying to go? What if you don’t know you are lost? What if you are heading in the wrong direction as fast as possible and don’t realize it? We need someone to show us the right way to go. And that is especially true when it comes to our spiritual direction in life.
*The God of the Bible will show you the right way to go. That’s why Prov 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
*Gerard Vanderleun is a writer who lives in Seattle, but most of this fall he stayed in a house near Ashville, North Carolina. A few weeks ago Gerard was eating in a trendy Ashville restaurant when he saw something unusual to him -- someone who had been led in the right direction. This is part of his report:
*As I got up to leave the family of six at the long table across from me was served with the quick flourish and satisfied air of presentation that is the style of serving these days. The food was steaming in front of them, but none of them made a move towards it. Instead, they talked quietly amongst themselves and seemed to come to a decision. They made their selection from among them.
*It was to be one of the daughters, a girl of about seventeen, I guessed. The din in the restaurant rose and fell, but the family of six sat quietly and then bowed their heads as one. Then they said grace.
*I stood motionless at my table. I had, I thought, never seen this before in a restaurant. I’d seen it in private homes to be sure, but upon reflection I realized that I’d not seen it there in quite sometime. And I was quite sure this was, for me, a rare event. I’d probably not been paying attention since it no doubt went on all the time, but still it was a startling moment. Perhaps I’d just been too long in Seattle where the only manifestations of spirit are flimsy; where the invocations are raised to a watery Buddhism or bloodless Unitarianism where God, if existing at all, is impossibly distant.
*Be that as it may, this simple act of saying grace did not so much shock me as still me. I paused to listen in -- And the daughter did not disappoint. Hers was no gesture of grace – “Bless this food. Amen. Let’s eat.” -- but an extended meditation on the good fortune to find oneself among family and before a rich selection of food -- An acknowledgment of an unusual level of being blessed by God -- And a calling down of God’s grace on members of the family present and not present. -- And ending with a wish that God continue to bless the family, the community, the state and the country. Then, and only then, was “Amen” spoken and the meal begun. . .
*The road back to the house in the hills was dark and winding and you had to take it slow. Going back it was nice to know that somewhere, somehow, and for reasons that sometimes challenge all understanding, there were people still asking God to bless America. . . (8)
*People still heading in the right direction, because they are following God.
5. Thank God for leading us in the right way, and for moving us to repent.
*Sometimes God has to push pretty hard to get us going in the right direction, and we see the Lord pushing His people in vs. 8-12. Listen to these verses again: “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness. Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons, Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High, Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; They fell down, and there was none to help.”
*Sometimes God has to push pretty hard to get us going in the right direction -- But thank God He will!
6. Thank God for moving us to repent, and for being merciful to our rebellion.
*The God of the universe is merciful and kind! As vs. 1 said, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Then down in vs. 11-14 we see God’s mercy in action right in the face of our stubborn rebellion:
11. Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High,
12. Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; They fell down, and there was none to help.
13. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses.
14. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces.
*Our merciful God wants to save you. He wants to break your spiritual chains and set you free. But God’s mercy can only come through the cross of Jesus Christ. He will forgive everyone who will turn to Christ in faith. Paul was speaking about believers in Titus 3:3-7 when he said, “We ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
*Thank God! “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!”
*Dr. Thomas Hilton tells about a British maid who became very sick and went in the hospital for treatment. While this Christian lady was there, she met and made friends with Johnny -- a little boy with a terminal illness. One day, Johnny’s mother rushed into the maid’s room with the news that Johnny would not survive the day. Would the maid please come talk to him?
*The maid got right to the point. She sat down and said, “Listen, Johnny. God made you. God loves you. God sent His Son to save you. God wants you to come home with him.” After a moment of silence, Johnny said quietly, "Say it again." So the lady repeated her words: “God made you. God loves you. God sent His Son to save you. God wants you to come home with him.”
-Then with every ounce of his strength, Johnny leaned forward and said, “Tell God, ‘Thank you.’” (9)
*Let’s do that right now, as we bow for silent prayer. Tell God, “Thank you.”
*Thank Him:
-For hearing our prayers
-For leading us in the right way
-For being merciful to our rebellion.
-For His wonderful redemption
*And if you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, put your trust in the Lord right now. Open your heart to Jesus and call on the Lord as we pray.
1. Adapted from Christianity Today (Nov. 17, 1978), cited in the Pastor’s Story File, November 1991. (Found on Bible Illustrator for windows -Topic: Thanksgiving - Index: 1457 - Date: 4/1998.1718 - Title: Reasons for Thanks)
2. Theodore Roosevelt, Thanksgiving 1902 (Found in SermonCentral sermon “An Attitude of Gratitude” by Joe Harding - Psalm 107:1-9)
3. Catherine Marshall in "Touching the Heart of God." Christianity Today, Vol. 39, no. 6. (Found in SermonCentral sermon “My Peace I Give Unto You” by Tim Richards - Gal 5:22-23)
4. SermonCentral sermon “REDEMPTION” by George Barton - Psalm 107:1-3
5. Story by Paul Lee Tan in “Our Daily Bread” (SermonCentral illustration contributed by Donnie Martin)
6. SermonCentral sermon “Never Give Up” by James May - Matt 9:1-26
7. Adapted from SermonCentral illustration contributed by David Dykes
8. Adapted from “American Digest” online by Gerard Vanderleun - Oct. 17, 2007
9. “Give Me a Break,” The Clergy Journal, Oct. 1999, p. 32. (Found in sermons.com sermon “Look Who’s Giving Thanks” by King Duncan - Phil 4:2-9)
