Thanksgiving
TEXT: Psalms 118:1 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. (1Chronicles 16:34, Psalms 105:1, 106:1, 107:1, 118:1,29, 136:1)
In the year 588 BC the Babylonians (today called the Iraqis) invaded Jerusalem, destroyed the walls of the city and the temple king Solomon had built, killed thousands of Jews and captured many thousands more and took them to Babylon to be slaves. One hundred and thirty years later the Lord made a way for the descendants of these captives to be freed so that they could return to Jerusalem. To fulfill this task, God raised up a man named Ezra to lead them back to Jerusalem. The main responsibility of Ezra was to rebuild the temple of God that had been demolished. The walls were broken down, the altar was smashed, the holiest place where the high priest met once yearly with God and made sacrifices to the Lord on the behalf of the Jewish nation was desecrated and torn up.
Now after 130 years the Jewish nation was getting another chance from the Lord to return to their homeland and restore the worship of God in the holy city of Jerusalem. So it was with joy and great expectation that they returned to their beloved Jerusalem and ran to the temple mount to lay the foundation of temple of God. I could just imagine how they felt, how they thought about their years of captivity, their pain and suffering under the Babylonians, then the Persians and the Medes. Yes those were times of torture and trials, problems and pain, but the Lord had preserved them, He had kept them, the Lord had secured their lives, He had watched over them then He released them. Their hearts were excited. Their souls were filled with rejoicing and on the first day of work when they went to lay the foundation they began work with a song that said “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.” (Ps 118:1)
Martin Luther the great German Reformer, said “This is my Psalm, my chosen Psalm … It has saved me from many a pressing danger, from which neither emperor, nor kings, nor sages, nor saints could have saved me. It is my friend; dearer to me than all the honors and power of the earth…” This Psalm brings praise to the hearts of all who read it.
Many of us could say that this Psalm has been a source of strength and consolation in times of trials and tribulations. When you are down and discouraged and you read this Psalm you are reminded that the Lord is good, His mercy is unending and in spite of what you are going through you need to give thanks to the Lord. It is in thanking the Lord that you will overcome in your trials. It is while thanking God that we realize how blessed we are. It is in thanking God that we can take time to count our blessings. Psalm 118:1. O give thanks unto the LORD. for he is good, because his mercy endureth for ever,
The word in this text for thanks is the Hebrew word that means reverence or to worship with extended hands and to make confession of who God is. Thanksgiving refers to showing gratitude, being appreciative, giving recognition, acknowledging, giving credit and praising. Our text reads “O give thanks unto the LORD. for he is good, because his mercy endureth for ever.”
In this text there are two reasons for giving thanks. The first is that God is good. And the second is that His mercy endures forever.
God is changeless
God is dependable
God is Eternal
God is Faithful
God is genuine
God is great
God is holy (Is 6:3)
God is immense
God is independent
God is infinite (Job 11:7-10)
God is invisible(Jn 4:24)
God is indivisible
God is just
God is majestic (Isaiah 33:3)
God is pure
God is omnipotent (Lk 1:37)
God is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7)
God is omniscient (Hebrews 4:13)
God is perfect
God is persistent
God is righteous
God is sovereign (Phil 2:5-8)
God is transcendent (over and beond the created order and superior in every way)
God is wise
The Psalmist knew of all the attributes of God but when he came to writing the first verse of Psalm 118 the Holy Ghost inspired him to write God is good.
Unlike the pagan gods, God is good
Unlike the devil God is good
Unlike humanity God is good
Psalm 73:1 Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.
Psalm 100:5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Ps 135:3 Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name;
Psalm 145: 9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
Lamentations 3: 25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
Mark 10:18...there is none good but one, that is, God.
If you don’t believe me ask Moses and he would say “Pharaoh pronounced a death sentence on me when I was just a baby but God was good to me and spared my life.”
Ask the nation of Israel and they would say “God fed us in the Sinai desert with angels’ food, he made our clothing and shoes to last for forty years, He gave us water from a rock, God is good.”
Ask David and he would say Goliath tried to kill me and promised to give my body to the birds and the dogs but God was good to me.”
Ask Jonah and he would say “a big whale tried to digest me but God was good to me.”
Ask the woman with the issue of blood and she would tell you “I was bleeding to death but when I touched the hem of Hi garment I was instantly healed, God is good to me.”
I know that there are things we could complain about but I want to thank God because He is good to you and He is good to me. I want to thank God because He is good to this church. He has kept this church in a time when in America 72 churches closeout everyday. God has made our church to grow until now we are talking about building a bigger sanctuary. Just think about this for a minute 80% of the 336,000 churches in America have less than 200 members while we are blessed to have 251 on roll. Think about this 97% of the churches started in America close out in 10 years. We have been here 16 years and we are growing stronger daily. Sunday we finished our Missions Project and raised nearly $2500.00 for the Children’s Home in Liberia. Wednesday we got notice of an approval for a grant to purchase a brand new van for the Food Pantry that we will be able to use as well to pick up people for church. Yesterday we started the Sanctuary Choir. Psalm 118:1. O give thanks unto the LORD for he is good, because his mercy endureth for ever.
God is not only good but He is merciful.
The word mercy means leniency, compassion, forgiveness, kindness, pity, tolerance, charity and pity.
Theologically mercy refers to kind and compassionate treatment extending biblically to forgiveness and gracious bestowal of that which is not deserved. God’s mercy is the divine goodness exercised with respect to the miseries of His creatures, feeling for them and making provision for their releif. In the case of sinners God’s mercy can be described as long-suffering patience towards those who keep putting off salvation.
Psalm 108:4 For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.
God’s mercy is boundless
Ps 108:4 For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.
God’s mercy is undeserved
Ps 103:8-13 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
God’s Mercy is intimate
Ps 145:8-9 The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
God’s Mercy Prolongs Life
Lam 3:22-23 It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
God’s mercy Provides Salvation
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, …
God’s Mercy Forgives Sin
Micah 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
God’s Mercy Makes Salvation Possible
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
God is Merciful even in Judgement
Lam 3:31-32 For the Lord will not cast off for ever: 32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
GOD IS MERCIFUL
Ask Noah and he may tell you, "I could have drowned in the flood but God was merciful and He rescued me."
Ask Abraham and he will say, "I was living in the Ur of the Chaldees, among idol worshippers but God took me out and led me to a beautiful land where I could worship the True and the Living God."
Ask Joseph while he was in prison God was merciful to him. Genesis 39:21, 22 says "But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison."
Ask Moses and he would tell you "(For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. Deuteronomy 4:31
Ask David and he will tell you "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and 1will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever." (Psalms 23:6)
Ask Shadrack. Meshack and Abednego and they will tell you "we could have been burned in Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace but God is mercifu1."
Ask Daniel and he would say "I could have been eaten alive by lions but God is merciful. "
Ask Jeremiah and he will say "The Jews threw me in a pit to die but God sent an Ethiopian man to rescue me"
Ask me and I will tell tell you, “ I was born to a single parent and had a challenging childhood but at the age of 11 years God had mercy upon me and saved my soul.”
THAT IS WHY WE NEED TO THANK THE LORD "
