Thanksgiving Days
11/26/06 AM
Reading: Psalms 100
Introduction
What do you think of when you think of Thanksgiving Day?
For some Thanksgiving Day is all about the food. Turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, yams, mmm good!
For others, Thanksgiving Day means FOOTBALL!!! They stay glued to the tube as one game is followed by another while the women and kids clamor to see the parades!
For still others, Thanksgiving represents a LONG WEEKEND, a time to rest, unwind and relax.
Some think of the Thanksgiving Day as the day to prepare for the busiest shopping day of the year, what the media has taken to calling “Black Friday.” It’s time to hit those sales and get those Christmas presents bought.
For some, Thanksgiving Day is a time for family. It represents a family reunion when mom and dad, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts and cousins gather together.
For some Thanksgiving represents history. They think of the founding of our country, pilgrims, Indians and Plymouth Rock. The first official proclamation of thanksgiving in America was made by George Washington in 1789. It was made a national holiday by President Lincoln in 1863 and permanently made the fourth Thursday of November by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941.
For those of us who profess to follow the Lord, Thanksgiving Day is not just a time for food, football, fellowship and family. It’s not just a holiday every fourth Thursday in November. It’s not limited to a day at all. For God’s people everyday ought to be Thanksgiving Day!
Psalm 100 is an OT song of Thanksgiving. It is subtitled “A Psalm of Thanksgiving. It is an invitation, an invocation for people who recognize the Lord and His goodness to publicly acknowledge Him. Not only does it call upon us to praise the Lord with thankfulness but it also describes to us the nature of what our thanksgiving should contain.
Let’s examine the qualities of thanksgiving as presented by the psalmist...
Our Thanksgiving is Public (vv.1-2).
A.We are to Shout to the Lord.
1.V.1 begins, “Make a joyful shout to the Lord.” The KJV says, “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD.” Whether we translate the word “shout” or “noise” the meaning is volume! We are to vocally proclaim our joyful thanks!
2.In English, the word “thank” means to “express gratitude or appreciation.” However, there is no Hebrew word with this meaning. Rather, the Hebrew word yadah means literally “to make public acknowledgment.”
3.In the Hebrew mindset, it was never enough to thank God quietly or privately. In the mindset of Psalm 100, true thankfulness cannot be kept quiet.
4.Somehow many Christians have developed the idea that in order to worship the Lord; we must be quiet and solemn. Certainly there are times when we consider the Lord in quiet wonder, but when God’s people get together, we are to “shout to the Lord” with great joy!
5.Some will say, “Sure I’m thankful, but that’s just between me and God. It’s private.” That’s like saying, “I’m thankful that I had two great parents, but because it is private, I would never tell anyone how great they are.” It’s like saying, “I have a wonderful wife, but our relationship is very personal, so I can’t tell anyone how wonderful she is.”
6.Hey, when we have true joy, it shows. The question is not whether or not we “shout.” The question is whether or not we are “joyful.”
B.We are to Gladly Serve the Lord.
1.The Psalmist also says, “Serve the Lord with gladness.” Originally this referred to the service in the Jewish temple, the service of worship.
2.God has done so much for us! We have so much for which to be thankful. We should be willing servants.
3.We’ve all seen people serve the Lord with their hands or their head but not with their hearts. Underline that last word “gladness.” We serve Him because we are thankful.
C.We are to Sing to the Lord.
1.We are to “come into His presence with singing.” We know that God is omnipresent, that we are always in “His presence.” However, the writer of this Psalm has in mind the special sense of “His presence” when God’s people worship together.
2.You can tell a lot about the life of a church by listening to the singing.
3.We sang the hymn “We’re Marching to Zion,” recall this verse:
Come we that love the Lord and let our joys be known,
Join in a song with sweet accord, and thus surround the throne.
Let those refuse to sing who never knew our God;
But children of the heavenly King may speak their joys abroad.
Then let our songs abound, and every tear by dry;
We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground to fairer worlds on high.
4.Every believer should be a singer! You don’t have to sing well (KJV - “make a joyful NOISE”) but sing you must!
Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Our Thanksgiving is Purposeful (v.3).
D.Some are not Thankful to God as They do not Know God.
1.Look closely at v.3, “Know that the Lord, He is God.” That is a simple but profound statement. “It is He who made us, not we ourselves.” Here’s my paraphrase, “The Lord is God, and you are not. Get over it.”
2.Have you noticed how ungrateful the world has become? No one seems to appreciate anything. Instead of giving thanks for the abundance we have, we just want more.
Sir John Templeton, the billionaire investor, was once asked what is the secret of wealth. Without hesitation Templeton said, “Gratitude. If you’re not grateful, you’re not rich, no matter how much you have.”
E.When we know who God is and know who We are, We Will Give Him Thanks.
1.There is an intriguing account in Luke17:11-19 that illustrates this principle.
a.Jesus was “on the way to Jerusalem” and “passing between Samaria and Galilee.”
b.“As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him” Because of the infectious nature of leprosy, the law required them to keep at least 100 paces away from others.
c.V.13 says specifically, “they raised their voices.” Nasal congestion and laryngitis are among the symptoms of leprosy. Can you hear them calling out with great difficulty, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
d.Jesus never touched them or spoke any normal word of healing. He simply said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” Priests had no power to heal. Their role was to pronounce a victim cleansed of leprosy.
e.It was faith that caused the 10 to walk away from Jesus and hurry to the synagogue. However as they stepped away in faith (underline “as they were going”) they were healed. Imagine their overflowing joy!
f.In the midst of jubilation they ran to find the nearest priest. They wanted to be declared clean so they could return to their families.
g.Yet one returned to Jesus first. Note that “with a loud voice” he “glorified God.” And “he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him.” The others were Jews, this man “was a Samaritan.”
h.Do you notice a tinge of sadness in Jesus response in vv.17-18? All had been in need of mercy. All were relentless in their quest to be healed. All received from the Lord, but only one expressed gratitude.
2.Certainly all 10 were thankful to be healed, but only one took time to express thanksgiving. How like many people today. We ask God for so much. He blesses and blesses us, yet like the nine, we rarely take time to thank Him.
3.We have a reason to thank God. If you are saved, He has given you eternal life, an abundant life!
4.Psalm 100 says, “We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.” As the Great Shepherd, He cares for our every need. We have a purpose, a reason to be truly thankful.
Our Thanksgiving is Passionate (v.4).
F.Thankful People are Expressive People.
1.Look closely at v.4. We are to “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.” We are to “give thanks to Him, bless His name.”
2.Note again some of the other colorful expressive words in this psalm, “joyful,” “shout,” “serve,” “gladness.”
3.When we come together to purposefully, publicly offer our gratitude to God, that thanks offering should be expressive.
a.Have you seen any of the many game shows being televised these days? Have you seen how the contestants react when they’ve won? Do they say, “Oh, well thank you, I guess” or would you say they shout with jubilation? Folks we have much more to be thankful for than some monetary prize. We have eternal riches beyond our wildest imaginations!
G.Thanksgiving is both an Attitude and an Action.
1.Yes, our thanksgiving must come from the heart and needs be expressed in our actions.
2.When we have the right attitude, we express our thanksgiving with action. We become passionate.
3.Let your heart be thankful and let that thankfulness give glory to God.
Our Thanksgiving is Perpetual (v.5).
H.Note Three Perpetual Attributes of God.
1.He is always GOOD. V.5 says, “For the Lord is good.” Every good thing in life, faith, family, health, happiness all comes from God.
James.1:17 “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”
There is no “variation” [like the teeth of a saw] with God. He is ALWAYS GOOD. There is no “shadow” with God. He is not shady. He has not a dark side. He is ALWAYS GOOD.
2.His MERCY is everlasting. Let’s turn to Psalm 136. Note the repetition of the phrase “For His mercy endures forever. Mercy means withheld judgment. You and I deserve judgment.
3.Yet God not only has mercy on us today, but His mercy is everlasting!
4.His TRUTH endures. Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”
From the time that God first inspired Moses to record the book of beginnings until today, the Word of God “endures.” It will endure forever.
I.Because God’s Blessings are Perpetual, our Gratitude should never cease.
1.God’s goodness, His mercy and His truth are perpetual. They never end. They endure for ever.
Lamentations 3:22-24 “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, says my soul, Therefore I hope in Him!”
Conclusion
We have so much for which we can be thankful. God has blessed us all immeasurably. Let’s not let Thanksgiving be limited to food, football, family, shopping, any one day or any one thing.
Let our Thanksgiving Days be public, purposeful, passionate, and perpetual in remembering the One from whom all blessings flow.
Invitation
