INTRO.- ILL.- It was on Thanksgiving many years ago that actress Helen Hayes cooked her first turkey. Before serving it she announced to her husband, Charles MacArthur, and their son James: “Now I know this is the first turkey I’ve ever cooked. If it isn’t right, I don’t want anybody to say a word. We’ll just get up from the table without comment, and go down to a restaurant for dinner.”
Then she retired to the kitchen. When she entered the dining room, bearing the turkey, she found her husband and son seated at the table—wearing their hats and coats.
That would be me! If I were to cook the Thanksgiving meal it would be at the Dixie restaurant or elsewhere.
Thanksgiving lunch or dinner is what Thanksgiving means to most people. A family gathered around a big turkey and dressing meal with all the goodies to go with it. And that’s certainly a special time for many families here in our blessed country. WE ARE BLESSED!
We have great abundance in America. We can buy most anything we want if we have the money. We have freedom in America to go where we went, when we want. We have the precious gift of being able to travel and be with our families on Thanksgiving and at other times. WE ARE BLESSED! Counting our blessings and giving thanks is what Thanksgiving is all about!
We of all people of the world need to be thankful! And not just on Thanksgiving day. For many Americans, giving thanks for their blessings and their meal may only happen one time a year.
Frankly, I don’t ever remember my family ever giving thanks for a meal other than at Thanksgiving. And I don’t even remember who offered the prayer of Thanksgiving but someone did.
We ought to be thankful every day, for every day, and for every meal and for every gift from above. And they are many! WE ARE BLESSED!
Henry Ward Beecher: Pride slays thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.
We need to be both humble and grateful. I Peter 5:5 "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
PROP.- Some thoughts about thanksgiving from God’s Word.
1- In a list of sins ingratitude is a big one
2- In the presence of all people we must give thanks
3- In a world of impurity there must be thanksgiving
4- In the midst of asking we must give thanks
I. IN A LIST OF SINS INGRATITUDE IS A BIG ONE
ILL.- A preacher told his congregation, “There’s a theory around that if people don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t overeat, or engage in extra-marital sex they’ll live a lot longer. The problem is, we won’t know for sure until somebody in this church tries it.”
What’s your sin? What’s your biggest sin? Greed? Lust? Materialism? Anger? Unforgiveness? Pride? Or could it be ingratitude?
Someone said, “If you have nothing to be thankful for then make up your mind that there is something wrong with you.”
Everyone has reason to give thanks. Everyone has something for which they should give thanks. And here in America we have a lot to be thankful for! We have much for which we should say, “Thank you, God” many times a day. I don’t think God ever gets tired of hearing us say, “Thank you.”
Romans 1:20-22 “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools...”
God’s invisible qualities have been seen. What’s that? The fact that He exists and that He is all-powerful and all-wise Creator! Just by looking at the starry universe, planet earth, plant and animal life, etc. you can see there is some powerful force behind it all. That force is God!
Some people call that force “the force,” and others may call it “mother nature” or others say it “just happened” or “it just formed by itself,” BUT WE KNOW BETTER! I’ve always said that people should stop calling God “mother nature.” He is not mother nature. He is God, from everlasting to everlasting.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him. When people recognize God as God then they should be thankful to Him. How can anyone recognize God as God and not be thankful to Him? When you see what He has done in this universe and know what He will do in the future, how can you not fall down before Him and give Him thanks, praise and worship?
A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues. ~Cicero
If giving thanks is the greatest virtue then failing to give thanks is the greatest sin. And it is a great sin. Don’t be guilty of this great sin.
II. IN THE PRESENCE OF ALL PEOPLE WE MUST GIVE THANKS
Acts 27:33-36 “Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.”
ILL.- I like that old story about the little six year old boy who was invited out to lunch in a neighbor’s home. When all were seated at the table the food was served. The little boy was puzzled, and with the frankness of a child, asked the host: “Don’t you say any prayer before you eat?”
The host was highly embarrassed over the boy’s blunt inquiry, and mumbled, “No, we don’t take time for that.” The boy was silent for a little and then said, “You’re just like my dog. You start right in.”
Acts 27:35 “After he said this, he (Paul) took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all.”
This text is talking about the time just before the ship was Paul was on ran aground. The ship’s crew hadn’t eaten for a period of time and Paul urged them to eat but before they ate, Paul offered a prayer of thanks to God in their presence.
Do you give thanks in the presence of others? If not, why not? Are you not thankful? Are you ashamed to give thanks to God for your food? Do you give thanks in public, at a restaurant?
Giving thanks in public does at least two things: 1- it means you are thankful to God for your food and you want Him to bless it. 2- it shows that you want to honor God in this world by giving thanks to Him. You are letting your light shine when you give thanks in public.
Giving thanks in a public place is not a matter of making yourself a public spectacle but rather offering a witness for the God who gave you everything good, including your food. You don’t have to make a big deal out of praying in public, but it’s a big deal to God any time you give thanks to Him.
ILL.- I remember many years ago that an elder and I from Iberia, MO, went to Jefferson City, MO, to call on a church member in the hospital. We stopped afterwards at a Long John Silvers’ restaurant to eat lunch. We bowed our heads and offered thanks. When we looked up the waiter was standing over us and said, “That’s a good thing you did. I always bless my food before eating it.”
We weren’t trying to show off, we were just being thankful to God as that waiter recognized. And you don’t even have to pray out loud in public to be thankful and to be a good witness for Christ. BUT WE MUST BE THANKFUL! We must be thankful whether people notice us or not, because God will notice us whenever and wherever we are thankful to Him. And God blesses those who are humble and thankful.
III. IN A WORLD OF IMPURITY THERE MUST BE THANKSGIVING
Ephesians 5:3-4 “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”
We do live in world of impurity, haven’t you noticed? Impure language, impure lifestyle of many. Nothing is sacred, it seems.
ILL.- I was visiting my daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren in Mechanicsville, VA, one time and I started to watch an action movie on TV (PG 13) and my son-in-law said, “We can’t watch that movie. It’s not good for the kids.”
And it really wasn’t a bad movie. I think it might have had some language in it, but nothing bad compared to many. I appreciate, however, my son-in-law’s concern over not allowing certain movies to be seen in their home for fear their children would learn some bad language.
But as we know, bad language is everywhere today! What used to be only heard in movies is now on TV and it’s even worse than that. Lust, illicit sex, gay sex, greed, violence, etc. you name it is on TV, the internet and everywhere else.
It was probably 25 years ago that an elementary principal showed me a picture that a first grader had drawn depicting sexual stuff. He said that first grader probably either saw it in his own home or else saw it on TV. And again, that was 25 years ago and it’s far worse today.
ILL.- I remember back in the 1960‘s when my Safeway store manager called us together in the stockroom. I thought it was supposed to be some kind of meeting, instead the manager told a dirty joke and he was a church deacon.
“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”
In a world of all kinds of impurity there must be thanksgiving and praise to God. We who are in Christ must let our light shine.How? By being quick to give thanks to God anywhere and everywhere and by praising Him in song.
I’m far from the best singer in the world but I love singing “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” I often sing it wherever I go into Walmart and when I leave, and other places, parking lots, etc. I don’t know if I could get away with singing it in any store, however. Praise and thanksgiving should stand out in a world of impurity and these should come forth from us.
IV. IN THE MIDST OF ASKING WE MUST GIVE THANKS
Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” There is nothing wrong with asking but there is something wrong with not giving thanks.
Matthew 7:7-11 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
If there is one person from whom we should ask, it’s the Lord. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. He wants us to give us good things because He is our perfect Father in heaven. And once He gives to us we must we be quick to express our thanks.
ILL.- Charles Hodge, pioneer Presbyterian minister, said: “I think that in my childhood, I came nearer to the scripture, ‘Pray without ceasing,’ than in any other period of my life. As far back as I can remember, I had the habit of thanking God for everything I received, and asking Him for everything I wanted.”
“If I lost a book or any of my playthings, I prayed that I might find it. I prayed walking along the streets, in school and out of school, whether playing or studying. I did not do this in obedience to any prescribed rule. It seemed natural. I thought of God as everywhere present, full of kindness and love, and would not be offended if children talked to Him.”
How interesting. As a child he was more thankful for everything than at any other time in his life. What a good habit he started in his childhood and it’s a habit that needs to be established in the lives of all children today. I believe that if we start expressing our thanks early in life we’ll make it a habit throughout our entire lives.
Parents need to teach their children to be thankful for everything in their lives instead of just allowing them to ask for things all the time.
ILL.- It’s like one mother whose little boy knocked on our door recently and said, “Trick or Treat.” After I treated him with some good candy, his mother stepped up and said, “What do you say?” She looked to me and said, “We’re trying to teach him...”
And all parents need to teach their children proper manners and one of the best is to teach them to say “Thank you” to God.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
CONCLUSION------------------------
Preacher Gypsy Smith tells of walking in the Scotland streets and feeling a tug at his sleeves. At first he thought someone was trying to get ahead. The tug came more persistently and he saw a little girl in rags, holding something wrapped in dirty paper.
“What is it, my dear?”
“I want you to have my candy.”
“Why?”
“Oh sir, because we have a new daddy at home. He was never sober, but last Saturday, he was sober because he sat in your meeting, and now he is so wonderful at home.” Gypsy Smith took her and the candy and hugged her, with tears down his eyes. The little girls was so grateful for “a new daddy” that she was willing to give up candy which was precious to a child.
Do you have any grateful candy to give to God for what He’s done for you and your family? Any praise? Any thanks? Any gift?
Steve Shepherd, Jonesboro Christian Church, AR
jonesborochristianchurch@suddenlink.net
