Intro
The story is told of two old friends bumped into one another on the street one day. One of them looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, "What has the world done to you, my old friend?"
The sad fellow said, "Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars."
"That’s a lot of money."
"But, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand free and clear."
"Sounds like you’ve been blessed...."
"You don’t understand!" he interrupted. "Last week my
great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million."
Now he was really confused. "Then, why do you look so
glum?"
"This week... nothing!"
We can all lose perspective for how blessed we are. We may think this guy has lost his appreciation for what others have given in their death….yet how much more has God given both in life and in death.
Well, today we get an opportunity to turn that around. Last week we officially completed a Fall series entitle “Soul Matters - Shaping Our Souls’ around the Lord’s Prayer.”… what sets the soul in the orbit around God. Just as life is dependent with our planet’s relationship to the sun… so our lives with God.
Gratitude is a most central matter to the soul.
Every phrase gives us reason to be thankful. They are all about bringing our souls around God’s goodness and glory.
In fact that is why a final line of worship was added…
“For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen”
(Matt. 6:13 KJV)
It’s believed by most to not have been an original part of the Scriptural text….but rather was so quickly adapted into the corporate worship of the earliest followers of Christ…that it got copied into some later texts that emerged. [1]
So how fitting that we should follow our series with giving glory to God on this Thanksgiving weekend.
God is the center… and all glory belongs to Him.
Gratitude is the gravity that holds us in the orbit of God’s glory.
It’s often said that Thanksgiving a time for “counting our blessings?” How true that is. How vital to our souls it is to count our blessings.
It’s kind of hard when we face the irony that the day after the day of stopping to be grateful for what we have … is the biggest shopping day of the year… and it starts before the meal celebrating our contentment has even digested. We all know that when we are consumed in being consumers…we become insatiable… never able to enjoy what we have.
But today we have the opportunity to stop and count some blessings.
But while counting our blessings is a good foundation for thanksgiving….by itself it bears no giving of thanks.
Gratitude begins with recognizing what we have…and then directing the goodness back to the giver.
It’s like seeing leaves and not connecting to the root.
The focus of thanksgiving is not on what...but on who…the ultimate source.
That is what makes it a true holiday…which means…holy day.
Thanksgiving is not simply about what we are thankful for….because thanksgiving is about recognizing the source.
Psalm 69:30 (NIV)
“I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.”
Psalm 100:4-5 (NIV)
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
The Psalmist says that while all other things may change at any time….God’s love endures. He is the unchanging center. [2]
So we "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise….
In the O.T. the temple symbolized the presence of God. So whenever the people came to the temple and entered gates….it was only fitting to have thankfulness arise in them…and then they reached the courtyards…they were nearing the giver…..and it should only be natural to be excited to get to say thanks. They were coming to meet with the giver...so they called the souls to come with thanksgiving. And that is our desire today.
ILL. Roland Allen tells about a veteran missionary. The missionary one day explained, "I was a medical missionary for many years in India. And I served in a region where there was progressive blindness. People were born with healthy vision, but there was something in that area that caused people to lose their sight as they grew older."
But this missionary had developed a treatment which would stop progressive blindness. So people came to him & he performed his treatment, & they would leave realizing that they would have become completely blind, but because of him their sight had been saved.
He said that they never said, "Thank you," because that phrase was not in their dialect. Instead, they spoke a word that meant, "I will tell your name." Wherever they went, they would tell the name of the missionary who had cured their blindness.
The opportunity to give thanks publically is an opportunity to tell each other about his name…his nature.
What can we be thankful for?
1. God gives all the good gifts of life. (His generous love)
James 1:17 (NLT)
“Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father.”
Every thing that is good on the earth we are to trace to him.
When we give thanks…we make the connection. We discover the sacred in everything.
1 Timothy 4:4-5 (GW)
Everything God created is good. Nothing should be rejected if it is received with prayers of thanks. The word of God and prayer set it apart as holy.
To be made sacred means to set something apart…to dedicate it to God’s service.
When a young boy offered his lunch to Jesus… we are told how he lifted it up and gave thanks…he dedicated it for God’s use. In giving thanks for life's blessings we are making them holy and dedicating them to God's service and for His name's sake. It changes them from that of being good… to that of being a gift...a gift we dedicate to the giver’s service…to God. Do you enjoy beauty…the arts….music? God created melody….and it’s a gift to lift up in thanks and service to the Giver.
The same is true of our time, our money, our homes, our cars, our bodies, our toys, our games, our furniture, even our families.
What gifts in life would you like to thank God for giving?
2. God works good in all circumstances. (His sovereign love)
John 5:17 (NLT)
Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.”
God is working in your life RIGHT NOW....in the circumstances of life.
Romans 8:28 (NLT)
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Personally…I know that when I find myself in circumstances that may be hard …I feel like I’m losing a sense of God’s goodness… I feel less of God’s light and things can seem a little darker … until I change the perspective and seek to see what God may be doing….and it can lead to gaining more light. God is always at work with you.
Yes in all circumstances….not that all circumstances are good…but He can work good.
It’s hard to be thankful in hard times. But it can help to realize something.
The best of who you are has involved how you’ve grown through the challenges of life. You are a bigger and better person because if it.
It’s natural to want life to be easy in every way. But the richest and deepest qualities come from the challenges.
In that sense we can be thankful that we don’t have everything you want.
In that sense we can be thankful for our limitations, because they keep us humble and growing.
In that sense we can be thankful for our mistakes because we become wiser and more mature.
In that sense we can be thankful when we’re tired and weary, because it means we’ve made a difference.
What circumstances would you like to thank God for working with?
3. God provides for an eternal future. (His merciful and rescuing love)
Hebrews 12:28-29 (NIV)
“Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe…”
What about your eternal future would you like to thank God for?
BEGIN PUBLIC GIVING OF THANKS
I want to invite you to offer thanks to God for whatever you may find in your hands.
As a means to help us along… let me simply note that…
• Let’s recognize that nothing is too small
• Let’s direct our thanks to God. God is the hero.
• And out of respect for others… let’s try not to take more than one minute to share
Resources:
Notes:
1. While those early tests now most commonly trusted do not contain this final doxology statement, those who defend the inclusion (such as in the King James version) note the many reference to it.
Among the Greek uncials it is found in W (fifth century), L (eighth century), 0233 (eighth century), K (ninth century), D (ninth century), Q (ninth century), and P (tenth century). It is also found in the majority of all existing Greek lectionaries. Therefore, the weight of the Greek witnesses argues for its inclusion and validity.
It is likewise found in several ancient translations such as some Old Latin manuscripts, the Old Syrian, and some Coptic versions. The Syriac Peshitta (second/third century) reads, "And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever: Amen."
The passage also has patristic support. The distinguished orthodox father of the fourth century, John Chrysostom, cites this passage. The oldest witness, which outdates all Greek manuscripts containing Matthew chapter six, is the Didache (otherwise known as the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles). This ancient catechism dates to the early second century, shortly after 100 AD, and contains a form of The Lord's Prayer:
But let not your fasts be with the hypocrites; for they fast on the second and fifth day of the week; but do ye fast on the fourth day and the Preparation (Friday). Neither pray as the hypocrites; but as the Lord commanded in His Gospel, thus pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us today our daily (needful) bread, and forgive us our debt as we also forgive our debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the power and the glory for ever. Thrice in the day thus pray.
2. Similar verses:
1 Chronicles 29:13 (NIV)
Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
Psalm 107:1 (NIV)
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
3. On Romans 8:28, from “Barnes' Notes on the Bible”:
And we know - This verse introduces another source of consolation and support, drawn from the fact that all flyings are under the direction of an infinitely wise Being, who has purposed the salvation of the Christian, and who has so appointed all things that they shall contribute to it.
All things - All our afflictions and trials; all the persecutions and calamities to which we are exposed. Though they are numerous and long-continued yet they are among the means that are appointed for our welfare.
Work together for good - They shall cooperate; they shall mutually contribute to our good. They take off our affections from this world; they teach us the truth about our frail, transitory, and lying condition; they lead us to look to God for support, and to heaven for a final home; and they produce a subdued spirit. a humble temper, a patient, tender, and kind disposition. This has been the experience of all saints; and at the end of life they have been able to say it was good for them to be afflicted; Psalm 119:67, Psalm 119:71; Jeremiah 31:18-19; Hebrews 12:11.
For good - For our real welfare; for the promotion of true piety, peace, and happiness in our hearts.
To them that love God - This is a characteristic of true piety. To them, afflictions are a blessing.
