“A Thankful Heart is not Optional”
Romans 1:16-25
Several years back the Peanuts comic strip pictured Charlie Brown bringing out Snoopy’s dinner on Thanksgiving Day. But it was just his usual dog food in a bowl. Snoopy took one look at the dog food and said, "This isn’t fair. The rest of the world today is eating turkey with all the trimmings and all I get is dog food. Because I’m a dog," he said, "all I get is dog food." He stood there and stared at his dog food for a moment and said, "I guess it could be worse. I could be a turkey." We live in a society that has an attitude of entitlement and that shows very little gratitude. For Paul giving thanks is as much a believer’s obligation as faith in Christ is. In our text Paul paints a very dismal picture of the godless person. God has gone to great lengths to make sure that man is able to know as much about Him as we need to know. When you examine His creation, you will discover that His eternal power and divine nature are evident. Paul shows that the big problem is that people have turned their back on God, the do not glorify Him as the almighty God nor give thanks for the blessings that He gives them. Paul makes a definite link in our text between ingratitude and futile thinking. Let’s pause and take a look at the devastating effects of an unthankful heart.
I. An unthankful heart darkens our senses and minds as well as hinders our worship.
A. When we fail to give God thanks our minds become clouded and our heart grows dark.
1. These two responses—to glorify God and give him thanks—are the most basic of all human obligations toward the Creator.
2. The attitude that is most commonly displayed toward God in our culture is, “What have you done for me lately?”
3. Our prayers become flooded with complaints rather than praise much like the Israelites did in the wilderness.
4. Our culture’s view that we are entitled to what we have is egotism in its supreme form.
5. This mentality darkens our heart and ultimately separates us from God.
B. We need to understand that thanking is much more than just right thinking.
1. When you look at the etymology of the word thank you discover that it comes from the same root as the word think.
2. Eventually the word thanking evolved into a separate existence because thanking is much more than simply right thinking.
3. The person who is thinking right gives thanks for the things that the majority of people take for granted.
4. It is obvious that we need to say thank you to someone, because someone is the source of all these blessings.
5. Paul’s logic is clear, if we take all the blessings we have for granted, our hearts will turn away from God.
C. The reason it is easy to miss so many of the blessings God has given is because we are constantly surrounded by them.
1. Each of us compared to the rest of the world and compared to any other person at any other time of existence are rich beyond our wildest dreams. We travel by airplane, drive nice cars, live in air conditioned homes, have TV’s, DVD’s, MP3s, GPSs, Cell Phones and computers. We eat out in nice restaurants and we worship in comfortable church buildings.
2. The evidence of God’s providence and bountiful blessings are all around us.
3. We are like the fish in the sea. “Oh where is the sea,” the fish cried, as they swam the Atlantic waters through. “We’ve heard of the sea and the ocean tide, and we long to gaze on its waters blue.”
4. Just as the waters of the sea surrounded the curious fish, God’s providence completely surrounds us.
5. You would think that all these blessings would make us the most grateful people on earth. But often all this affluence really does is just make us more and more discontented and ungrateful.
6. We grumble, gripe and complain; never stopping to acknowledge or thank God.
7. There once was a poor, rural family who were greatly concerned because their little boy had not yet started talking. The family didn’t have many resources to call upon, so the problem went on for a long time. One day, while the mother was making supper, she became overwhelmed and lost her concentration. She burned the meal. After she served the meal, the little boy tasted it and hollered, “I can’t eat this! It’s all burned.” Shocked but happy, the mother hugged the child and asked, “Why haven’t you been talking?” He said, “Up to now everything has been OK!”
8. After turning from God we set ourselves on the throne, proudly proclaiming that, “It’s all about me!”
9. Yes this is modern idolatry; our ways have replaced God’s ways.
D. The quickness with which ingratitude slips into gross immorality raises many questions.
1. Is it possible that the reason that we withhold our gratitude from God is because that we believe that a thankful heart is an obligated heart?
2. Whenever someone does something good for you, for which you are really grateful, what is your first impulse?
3. If you have cause to be grateful and if you are truly grateful, you will change.
4. This is the exact reason that thanksgiving is so vital to our spiritual growth and development.
II. A thankful heart sharpens our minds and senses and enhances our worship.
A. When you look closely at Paul’s life and attitude you will soon discover that it sparkles with gratefulness.
1. This is exactly why Paul states, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel.”
2. How could Paul be ashamed of the very power that had turned His life around.
3. To understand Paul, you must trace his instructions to their source, gratitude to God.
4. Paul’s lived his life by one clear principle; an upright life is the fitting expression of thanks to God.
5. Having an attitude of gratitude is an act of faith. It means you are unafraid to live and be happy because you have faith in a God who cares for you and provides for you.
6. Paul’s thankful heart sharpened his mind and his senses and he desires the same for us because it is essential if we are to grow spiritually.
B. When we truly commit ourselves to Christ, it is the logical conclusion of our feelings of gratitude.
1. If you want to be like Jesus, it does not begin with the knowledge of all kinds of theological jargon, it begins with our attitude.
2. We need to ponder this simple question, “Do I have a grateful heart in all circumstances?”
3. Thanksgiving is the characteristic of a whole life. It is the appropriate response of one whose daily experience is shaped by the recognition that he stands in debt to God, that his very life and experience of living is a gift from God.”
C. Here are seven suggestions for helping us to develop more of a thankful heart.
1. Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you want. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
2. Be thankful when you don’t know something, this gives you the opportunity to learn.
3. Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.
4. Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement.
5. Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build strength and character.
6. Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
7. Be thankful when you’re tired and weary, because it means you’ve made a difference.
8. Thanksgiving Day is a distinctive holiday. It doesn’t commemorate a battle or anyone’s birthday or anniversary. It is simply a day set aside to express our nation’s thanks to our nation’s God.
While on a short-term mission trip, Pastor Jack Hinton from New Bern, North Carolina, was leading worship at a leper colony on the island of Tobago. There was time for one more song, so he asked if anyone had a request. A woman who had been facing away from the pulpit turned around.
“It was the most hideous face I had ever seen,” Hinton said. “The woman’s nose and ears were entirely gone. The disease had destroyed her lips as well. She lifted a fingerless hand in the air and asked, ‘Can we sing “Count Your Many Blessings?’ ”
Overcome with emotion, Hinton left the service. He was followed by a team member who said, “Jack, I guess you’ll never be able to sing that song again.” “Yes, I will,” he replied, “but I’ll never sing it the same way.”
