(From Pastor Aaron Burgess, SermonCentral.com)
Thanksgiving is the act of expressing specific gratitude to God for the blessings he has bestowed upon us.
Thanksgiving is the outward and inward communication of how grateful we are for all the things God has given us, whether those things are physical, spiritual or material.
As we grow as Christians we should see a spirit of thanksgiving developing in our lives.
Our relationship with Jesus Christ should transform us into joyful, positive and grateful people.
Maybe you were once a bitter, sour, unthankful person, but overtime an encounter with Jesus Christ should have turned you into a grateful appreciative person.
In fact, one sign that Jesus Christ is living in your heart is gratitude. Izakk Walton, a 17th century author, once said, “GOD HAS TWO DWELLINGS: ONE IN HEAVEN, AND THE OTHER IN A MEEK AND THANKFUL HEART.”
The problem is I don’t always have a meek and thankful heart.
• I sometimes have a proud and self-satisfied heart.
• Or a busy, hyperactive heart.
• Or a sad and heavy heart.
• or an angry, burning heart.
You get the idea.
The Psalm we’re going to look at today, Psalm 107 is a call to give thanks and it’s addressed to the redeemed.
That would be the church wouldn’t it? And that means it’s addressed to the people of the church, right? So it’s addressed to you, if you stand in the company of those who have been saved by Christ.
So this Psalm gets personal right from the first verse:
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (v1)
Then the Psalmist tells us:
“Let the redeemed of the LORD say this-- those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.”
Even though we know that God has “redeemed us from the hand of the foe” (v.2) and restored us unto himself (v.3), we still need to be reminded to give God the praise and to be thankful for his great love.
Even after all he has done for us, even while we know he is working in our lives right now, and even as we believe that he will continue to offer us his blessing and hope, we can walk away from God and never say thanks. I do it and I know you do, too.
But people have been taking God for granted since the days of Adam and Eve. Taking God and his blessings, even the most fantastic blessing he’s given us – Jesus Christ, just seems like part of the human condition.
Four times in Psalm 107 we hear it said, “Let them (the redeemed) give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds.”
Four times! Hint! Hint!
Listen:
“Give thanks to the Lord!” – like children we have to be told to say thanks! Incredible. And this is to the redeemed, those who in relationship with God.
(For what?) “For his unfailing love AND his wonderful deeds” – his great love and how he has shown it to us.
Here’s the thing – Psalm 107 gives us four reasons that we should give praise – four ways that he delivers us that should make us give him thanks over and over, again and again.
But wait, there’s more: as I was studying this Psalm I discovered that these four reasons for thanking our God were reinforced in the New Testament by Jesus through his teachings and his actions (his teachings and actions always go together to form his ministry).
I believe God has connected his reasons with the ministry of Jesus so that we will be moved in our hearts to give thanks to God for his great love.
So that’s how we’re going to look at Psalm 107 – how God gives us reasons to thank him by how he has delivered by his great love AND how Jesus backs up those reasons by his ministry.
The Psalm Teaches Us
Psalm 107:4-9 (NIV)
4 Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. 5 They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. 6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 7 He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. 8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, 9 for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
• We, the redeemed were once lost; we couldn’t find our way and we couldn’t rest
• We were once hungry and thirsty – physically and spiritually empty; nothing satisfied us; we always wanted more
• Life was once meaningless and without anchor
• But when the redeemed humbly cry out to God, he answers because he loves them; he answers and they are satisfied with “all good things”
Jesus Shows Us
John 6:35 (NIV)
35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
John 7:37-38 (NIV)
37 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."
Through Jesus our Provider, God has satisfied us with “all good things,” just as he promised.
“Let us give thanks to the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for us.” (congregational response)
Psalm 107:10-16 (NIV)
10 Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, 11 for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. 12 So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. 13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 14 He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains. 15 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, 16 for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.
The Psalm Teaches Us
• We, the redeemed, were once ornery, rebellious creatures (SINNERS!) and we were miserable, sitting in our own darkness, surrounded by our despair; we may have accepted the darkness and despair as “normal,” but something told us there was something more, something better
• We had to be humbled – maybe we crashed and burned; maybe we just took one too many falls; maybe we just quietly realized that life could be so much more than what it had become
• And in that humbled state we were able to hear God’s still, small voice, calling to us in our darkness
• So we answered and we cried out to God for salvation and he answered! He broke our chains and set us free
• God can do that, no matter how strong those chains might seem to be, no matter how thick we might have made our prison walls; God can set us free!
Jesus Shows Us
Luke 4:16-21 (NIV)
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor." 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
Through Jesus our Savior, God has freed us from our sins.
“Let us give thanks to the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for us.” (congregational response)
Psalm 107:17-22 (NIV)
17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. 18 They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. 19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 20 He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. 21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. 22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.
The Psalm Teaches Us
• We once let our sinfulness (“rebellious ways”) make us heart-sick and soul-deprived; we were emotionally, spiritually, physically, relationally ill because we had chosen to keep God at a distance and live any way we wanted
• Without even realizing it we were drawing near the gates of death
• But something snapped us awake and we could feel the fire of hell that was trying to consume us, and in our trouble we cried out to God
• And God, because of his great love for us, came and healed us and rescued us from the flames; he saved us…from ourselves!
Jesus Shows Us
Matthew 20:29-34 (NIV)
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" 31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" 32 Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. 33 "Lord," they answered, "we want our sight." 34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
Through Jesus our Healer, God allows us to be healed and made whole in every respect.
“Let us give thanks to the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for us.” (congregational response)
Psalm 107:23-32 (NIV)
23 Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. 24 They saw the works of the LORD, his wonderful deeds in the deep. 25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. 26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. 27 They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits’ end. 28 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. 29 He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. 31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. 32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.
The Psalm Teaches Us
• Our lives were once filled with unresolved agitation, anxiety, distress and fear; we were like ships tossed by the waves, hopelessly adrift and unanchored, doomed to either sink into the deep troubled waters or wreck upon the harsh rocks of reality.
• We were scared little people in a big sea of trouble, unable to stand on our own and unable to even think straight – nothing made sense and our knees became weak!
• And when we humbly cried out to God in our trouble and distress (“God help me!”), he heard us; he heard us and he calmed the storm and brought peace into our lives and showed us the way to salvation.
Jesus Shows Us
Matthew 8:23-27 (NIV)
23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!" 26 He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27 The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"
(Ephesians 4:14 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.)
Through Jesus our Master, God has given the storms of life and guided us to safety.
“Let us give thanks to the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for us.” (congregational response)
A Final Reminder That God Can Bring Cursing or Blessing
Psalm 107:33-42 (NIV)
33 He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, 34 and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there. 35 He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; 36 there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle. 37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; 38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish. 39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow; 40 he who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste. 41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks. 42 The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths.
Remember the Lord and all he has done.
Remember the Lord and how he has blessed us.
Remember the Lord and how he has bless YOU.
Come hungry and be satisfied by the one who is called the bread of life and the living water.
Come shackled by sin and find true freedom in the one who breaks the chains.
Come needy and hurting and find your healing in him whose touch can make you whole.
Come anxious and fearful and unsure and become settled and find the peace of the one who calmed the storm.
Psalm 107:43 (NIV)
43 Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD.
“Let us give thanks to the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for us.” (congregational response)
