A heart of Thanksgiving
Psalm 103
Introduction
Psalm 103
Here David reflects on his life. He reflects on God’s goodness. God’s forgiveness. On all of God’s benefits of being a child of God. How God has restored him. How God has had compassion for him. The mercies of God. David gives God a cheerful praise for what He has done and what He is doing in his life. He reflects back and he cannot be anything less than grateful and have a heart that is full of Thanksgiving.
This Thursday is Thanksgiving, but really everyday should be Thanksgiving. Truth is, most people think of being thankful only when we have good things happening or when material blessings are given to us.
Illustration-(Sermoncentral)
Proclamation made by Governor Bradford in 1623- 3 years after the pilgrims settled at Plymouth.
“Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, squashes and garden vegetables, and has made the forest to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the raids of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience, now I, your magistrate, do proclaim all ye pilgrims, with your wifes and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday November ye 29th of the year of our Lord one Thousand six hundred and twenty three, and the third year since ye pilgrims landed on ye Plymouth rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye almighty God for all His blessings.”
Christ and His disciples taught us to always give thanks. Our forefathers gave thanks for all the blessing God has done for us. “Speak to one another with Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, always giving thanks to God the Father.” In fact, this Psalm I know of at least 2 chorus that we sing to give thanks.
(V2)- Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all we sing to give thanks.
(V11)- For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him. For three weeks, Jess has put out a signboard with I’m Thankful for... and we have put things that we are thankful for. Some great things. Some have put their pastor and Miss Becky on there. That is a blessing to me In fact, this week I went with some ladies to Prime-timers Christmas banquet and sat with several people. One pastor asked me what I was preaching this Sunday, and before I could even give him an answer, asked a second question- will you be long winded. Without hesitation Shirley spoke up and said- He has never been boring and he has never put me to sleep. That I am also thankful for Blessings and thankfulness are not only things that you receive. Things that you can touch. Pilgrims in 1620 landed in Plymouth not to all the blessings we enjoy today. 102 people on the Mayflower set out to enhance their relationship with God. The Mayflower was no cruise ship. That Carnival ship this week that was towed from the sea of Mexico, where over 4000 people had their luxuries taken away because a motor burned up, where the Coast Guard had to fly rations of food to them was nothing compared to what the pilgrims had to endure. They struggled to get to the new land and when they got here, they were not embraced with all the comforts of home. Truth is - we celebrate Thanksgivng with turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. That was probably not even on the menu. The main meat was probably Venison(deer meat) and duck. Mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce was not even invented yet. If it was not for Wampanoa Indians and chef Massasoit, they would have starved and died. We have this one day celebration of food and plenty. They were actually near starving. Their celebration went nearly a week. (V1) “Praise the Lord, O my Soul, all my inmost being praise His Holy name” Thanksgiving should be turned into Thanks-living.
Poem that I found:
May your stuffing be tasty
may your turkey plump
May your potatoes and gravy
have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
and your pies take the prize.
And may your thanksgiving dinner
stay off your thighs.
That’s cute- but it is not a prayer of thanksgiving.
George Washington
“It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.” The first Thanksgiving brought several more graves than homes to be lived in. The ship that was suppose to bring more food brought 35 more mouths to feed and no more provisions. The pilgrims did not have much by our standards, but they possessed gratitude, thankfulness, and a love for God. That is what America was founded on. America has lost all three. Gratitude for each other and God. Thankfulness for others and God. The love of God, that they were willing to risk everything for. They lost those three things and gained three other things.
1. Pride 2. Constant complaining 3. Careless talk/living. Psalm 100- “Enter His gates with thanksgiving in your heart” “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good” If there is a Nation that should be thankful, it should be the United States of America. Because, no matter how bad we think we have it, there are many more around the world that have it much worse. Bountiful Blessings is more than a ministry at this church, it is what America has experienced under the mighty hand of God. The pilgrims had a custom of putting 5 kernels of corn on each plate before a dinner of thanksgiving was served. It is because at one point that was their ration of food for a day. If we can for a minute, can we think of 5 things that we are thankful for? James tells us “Every good and perfect gift is from above” so everything good in your life comes from God.
To be a pilgrim meant we had to stand up for what we believed- no matter what.
To be a pilgrim meant that we had to share what we had with others.
So here is 5 quick things, we should be thankful for.
I. We can worship God freely (so far)
Right now, we can worship God freely. They may give you a hard time. Lightly persecute you, but you can still come into this house of worship and worship God without someone breaking the doors down and pulling family members out to be tortured and accused of a government crime. You have a choice of worship. Nobody will break into your house and force you to worship God. You are not forced to bow down to some statue or deity. Even your freedom of speech allows you to voice your preference without being killed for it. Praise the Lord, O my Soul, all my inmost being, Praise His Holy Name. Praise the Lord, O my Soul, and forget not all His benefits.
That should cause you to worship
II. We can experience forgiveness
(v3) who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.
The promise of the Father is the provisions of the Son I struggled with this verse because everyone is not healed. We have people that we pray for and it seems that God chooses not to heal. We look now- right now, and God thinks eternally. All of God’s children will be healed, some in this life now, and all after death. All believers will be healed and experience God’s forgiveness..
Illustration (Sermoncentral)
one day a fellow was visiting with his pastor in the parsonage. He picked up a book that was on a stand and began to read. Suddenly he shouted, Glory, praise the name of the Lord The pastor asked, what is the matter with you? The visitor replied, why the Bible says that in certain places the sea is 5 miles deep. Yes, that is right, said the pastor. What of it? The visitor answered, why the Bible says that my sins have been cast into the depth of the sea, and if it’s that deep, I’m not afraid of their coming up again. The pressure of the water is so great that if the largest battleship could be sunk to that depth, it would be crushed like an egg shell.”
Make no mistake- our God offers forgiveness That is something to be thankful about
III. Receiving God’s love
(v4) He (Christ) crowns you with love and compassion.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believed in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life”
Illustration (Sermoncentral)
In one of Dr. Wilbur Chapmans meetings, a man rose to give the following remarkable testimony. I got off at the Pennsylvania depot one day as a tramp. For one year I begged on the streets for a living. One day I touched a man on the shoulder and said, “Mister, please give me some money so I can have something to eat. As soon as I saw his face, I recognized him as my father. Father, don’t you know me? I asked. Throwing his arms around me, he cried, I’ve found you, I ‘ve found you All I have is yours Think of it. That I a tramp, stood begging my father for a few cents, when for 18 years he had been looking for me to give me all he was worth.
That is something to be thankful for
IV. Receiving God’s Blessings
(v5) “who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.”
Satisfaction will completely come to you when you rest in Jesus Christ. God desires to fill that void that noone else can fill.
Matthew 5:6- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied”
As Christians, we are to be satisfied, but never satisfied. Let me try to explain. As believers, we should be satisfied with the things that God does in our life. But His word tells us to hunger and thirst for more. We should be satisfied, but never satisfied.
Psalm 107- “:He has satisfied the thirsty soul and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.
V. Live victorious like an eagle
The Eagle is known for His size, strength, and longevity.
Isaiah 40:31- “But those who hope is in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint”
Closing:
Thanksgiving is not the material blessing we receive. They are the blessing that God gives us to sustain us.
Ability to worship God and have a relationship with Him.
Clear soul that god has paid the price and you are forgiven.
Having God wrap His loving arms around you and show you how much He loves you.
Soaring like an eagle- living victorious. Under all circumstances.
That is what we can be thankful for
As you sit down this week to a thanksgiving dinner. No matter if it is big or small, weather you have a house full of people or you are by yourself- take time to thank God for His blessings.
Altar Call.
This sermon was prepared by prayer and some ideas and illustrations found on Sermoncentral.
