Why Be Thankful?
Ps 103:1-13
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: NOT THANKFUL
1. Grandma was babysitting her four-year-old grandson, Sean, for the first time. At the supper table she asked Sean to “Thank God for our food.” Sean said, “No! I don’t want to!”
2. “Well, at Grandma’s house, we thank God for the food before we eat.” “You can’t make me,” protested Sean.
3. Grandma said, “If we don’t pray, we don’t eat.” “Well,” Sean replied, "I would say it if you’d made mashed potatoes. How can I be thankful for a plate full of yucky stuff?”
4. Many of us aren’t too different from Sean. We’re not always thankful for what life puts on our plate. It’s not that we want to be ungrateful; it’s just that we don’t see much to be thankful for.
B. VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giuwFLBXVIs
C. TEXT
1 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-- 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: 8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.”
D. THESIS
1. This is Thanksgiving week when most of us have get together with family and friends, receive gifts, and eat too much food.
2. I thought this would be an appropriate time to remember all the things God has done for us.
3. We all have a lot of reasons to be thankful. Today we’re going to look at Psalm 103:1-5 and see the 5 reasons “Why Be Thankful.”
I. THANKFUL FOR FORGIVENESS
Verse 3a: “…who forgives all your sins…”
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. One day a man was hanging around his pastor’s house. He picked up a book that was on a shelf and began to read. Suddenly he shouted, “Praise God! That is totally awesome!”
2. The pastor asked, “What did you find so amazing?” The visitor replied, “This book says that in certain places the sea is 5 miles deep!”
3. “Yes, that’s 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.”
4. “The pressure of the water is so great there that if the largest battleship could be sunk to that depth, it would be crushed like an egg shell.”
B. HOW TO GET FORGIVENESS
1. There’s no mistaking it—God offers forgiveness. All any person must do is repent and forsake his sin, and God will forgive him and revoke the penalty of sin.
2. Forgiveness can’t be bought. It’s not for sale. It is so precious that it’s beyond price, yet God offers it for free!
3. From the depths of our hearts, let’s let a sense of gratitude well up. God is SO good to be forgiving!
II. THANKFUL FOR REDEMPTION
Verse 4a: “…who redeems your live from the pit…”
A. THE PRICE THAT WAS PAID
1. The London Times publishes the prices paid for art objects in all of the salesrooms of the world.
2. If a painting is sold in New York or Paris or Rome or London, The Times gives the full details of the sale. You can judge the value of the painting by the price paid for it.
3. And we can judge our value by the price Jesus paid for us—the depths into which He had to reach in order to redeem us.
B. THE ONE GUILTY PRISONER
1. I love the story of Governor Neff, of Texas, spoke to the assembled convicts of penitentiaries of that state. He finished by saying that he would remain to listen if any man wanted to speak with him.
2. When the meeting was over, a large group of men remained, many of them lifers. One by one they each told the governor that he was there through a frame-up, and injustice, or a judicial blunder. Each asked to be freed.
3. Finally, one man came up and said, “Governor, I just want to say that I’m guilty. I did what they sent me here for, but I believe I’ve paid for it. If I were freed, I would do everything I could to be a good citizen and prove myself worthy of your mercy.”
4. The governor pardoned this man. [“Sergeant, take this guilty man out of here immediately. We don’t want this guilty one infecting all these innocent men!”]
5. Why did he pardon him? Because he admitted his guilt. This reminds us to be honest with God and humble ourselves and sincerely seek His forgiveness.
6. “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; sin has left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.” If we will plead His blood, God will redeem us.
C. THANKFUL FOR A REDEEMER
1. Aren’t you glad, that the Lord not only saves our souls from hell, but He also redeems our lives from destructive lifestyles.
2. All one has to do is take a look at the jails, prisons, hospitals, and half-way houses. They are filled with people whose lives are being destroyed by the enemy.
3. But praise God today with the Psalmist who said, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD” (Psalm 40:2,3).
III. THANKFUL FOR HEALING
Verse 3b: “…who heals all your diseases…”
A. PHYSICAL DISEASES
1. I don’t back up from declaring, “…who heals ALL your diseases….” I believe that if the conditions are right, healing takes place. If the meteorological conditions are right, it will rain.
2. I believe that when God’s conditions are met, healing occurs. Note the example of the woman who touched the hem of Christ’s garment and was healed WITHOUT HIS PERMISSION!
3. Those conditions are:
a. Sins under the Blood. To the paralytic, Jesus first said, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” Then Jesus healed him. This showed that frequently sins stand in the way of healing. Isa. 59:2.
b. Faith. Many times Jesus said, “Your faith has made you whole.” There is no disease or sickness that lies beyond His healing power—not even what we call “incurable.” He is the Great Physician.
4. The main truth I learned is that the Psalmist is speaking to his soul. “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” he said, “who heals all your diseases.”
B. INNER HEALING
1. In addition to Jesus atoning for sin and sickness, He also made provision for our INNER HEALING: healing of mind, emotions, and soul. These are frequently more damaged that the physical body, especially where trauma occurred.
2. That’s why Isaiah said, “The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes, we are healed.” Jesus heals the “whole man.” He often said, “Would you like to be WHOLE?”
3. That word “whole” means ‘restored’ to what was intended. Let’s seek to let Jesus make us ‘whole.’
IV. THANKFUL FOR LOVE & COMPASSION
Verse 4a: “…crowns you with love and compassion…”
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. In one of Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman’s meetings, a man rose to give the following remarkable testimony: “I got off at the Pennsylvania depot one day as a tramp.
2. For a 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.”
3. 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!’
4. 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.”
B. THAT REFLECTS GOD’S FEELINGS TOWARD US
How similar this is to the loving kindness and tender mercies of the Lord which accompany our lives every day.
V. THANKFUL FOR SATISFACTION & RENEWAL
Verse 5: “…who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
A. “I CAN’T GET NO SATISFACTION”
1. This reminds me of the words of Jesus, given in the sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matt.5:6).
2. There’s a great paradox here. We’re satisfied but never satisfied. My wife makes the best apple pie in the world. I’m always satisfied when I eat some, but I always want more because what I’ve experienced makes me want to taste it again and again. So it is with righteousness. We’re filled and the filling is so sweet and so rich and full that we want more.
3. When we seek God’s righteousness, He grants it. Psalm 107:9 says, “He has satisfied the thirsty soul and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.”
B. RENEWAL REQUIRES SOURCE
1. ILLUSTRATION
a. A famous surgeon was seldom seen on the streets without a beautiful, fresh rose in his lapel. His friends wondered why these buds stayed fresh for so long a time.
b. When they asked him his secret, he turned back the flap of his coat and revealed a little bottle of water into which the stem of the flower had been inserted.
c. So it is with believers. If our lives draw from the great resources of the Lord Jesus, who is in us the Water of Life, we will grow more fragrant and beautiful as the days and years go by.
2. But that’s not the end. Verse 5 also says that God will renew my youth like the eagle’s. The eagle is known for three things: size, strength, and longevity. It’s also known for its annual molting.
3. This is the result of living a fulfilled, satisfied, spiritual life. I am constantly being renewed, refreshed, and revived in my soul and God is doing it all!
4. No wonder then that the Psalmist said, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!”
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. A woman wrote an article about how her her cousin had invited her family to “Come for a thanksgiving dinner on Saturday, March 20th.”
2. “She was not celebrating an early Thanksgiving. She was saying that all was well with her husband, who had finished a battery of hospital tests.
3. “In our family,” the cousin said “we sometimes have as many as ten thanksgivings in one year.
4. They celebrate happy events such as job promotions, getting a college degree, a good medical report, etc.
5. “Sometimes we celebrate with a dinner party, a picnic or outing -- but always with as many members of our clan as we can round up.”
6. 10 Thanksgivings a year… can you imagine what that would do to your diet??? [Jeff Strite]
B. THE CALL
1. Are you grateful for all the Lord has done for you?
Can you think of anything good the Lord has done for you in the last year?
2. Sometimes we have to praise Him in spite of our problems. If we do, we’ll find that God will not be outdone.
3. Paul & Silas’ praising in faith provoked God to work a miracle to help them. Maybe that will happen to you.
4. Let’s all stand. How many of you have something to be thankful for in the last year? Let’s stop and give thanks to the Lord for all that He has done for us.
5. How many are willing to offer a sacrifice of praise – praise where you can’t see the blessings yet? Let’s do that now.
6. Pray for needs and salvation.
