MELVIN NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
TEXTS: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Psalm 92:1, 100:4, 107:1; Romans 1:21
ILL. On Thanksgiving Day the family was seated around the table, preparing to eat their annual holiday meal. Then, from the oldest to the youngest, they were asked to express their thanks.
When it came to the 5-year-old in the family, he began by looking at the turkey & expressing his thanks for it, saying that although he had not tasted it he knew it would be good.
After that rather novel expression of thanksgiving, he began with a more predictable line of credits, thanking his mother for cooking the turkey, & his father for buying it. But then he went beyond that. He joined together a multitude of benefactors involved in their thanksgiving meal.
He said, "I’m thankful for the checker at the grocery store who checked out the turkey, & for the grocery store people who put it on the shelf. I’m thankful for the farmer who made it fat, & for the man who made the feed.”
In expressing his thankfulness he traced the turkey all the way from its origin to his plate. And then, looking around the table he asked, "Did I leave anybody out?"
His 7-year-old brother, rather sarcastically said, "Yes, God." Solemnly & without being flustered at all, the 5-year-old replied, "I was about to get to Him." (Adapted from Joel Gregory on Sermon Central)
A. Throughout our nation’s history – from George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, & even to this day there have been many thanksgiving proclamations & celebrations.
And all of the early celebrations had one thing in common. Their thanksgiving was directed toward God. Despite some very hard times, the people acknow-ledged that God was their creator & provider, & that all good things ultimately came from Him. And it is in that spirit we gather together this morning & this week.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 the Apostle Paul says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
B. But how can we have this attitude continually? I believe the answer lies in our attitude toward thanksgiving.
To be thankful “in all circumstances” we need a proper perspective of our circumstances & of our relationship with God. And today I would like to share with you 3 things we learn about thanksgiving from the Bible.
I. OUR THANKSGIVING SHOULD BE EXPRESSED
A. First of all, we should not be slow to express our thanksgiving. A chorus we often sing is based on Psalm 100:4 which says, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving & His courts with praise; give thanks to Him & praise His name.”
And David says in Psalm 107:1, "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”
ILL. It was Thanksgiving Day in the nursing home. The small resident population was gathered about their Thanksgiving table, & the director asked each in turn to express one thing for which they were thankful.
Thanks were expressed for this home in which they could stay, families who loved them, people who came to visit - & on the list went. Then one little lady spoke up & said, “I'm thankful for two perfectly good teeth, one in my upper jaw & one in my lower jaw that match so I can chew my food.” (Adapted from Evie Megginson, Sermon Central)
In Luke, the 17th chapter we read about ten men with leprosy who were healed by Jesus. Of those ten only one came back to thank Him. Because of that Jesus said to him, "Rise & go; your faith has made you whole." (Luke 17:19)
Now why did Jesus say that to him? I mean, like the 9 others, the man had already been healed of his leprosy. But when Jesus says to him, "Your faith has made you whole," He wasn’t just talking about physical healing, he was talking about a mental & spiritual one as well. His life was completely transformed. He was made whole.
We too are made whole by our faith & our thanksgiving. Psychologists tell us that sincere gratitude, thanksgiving, is the healthiest of all human emotions.
B. A thankful heart will endear others to us, & us to others as well. For thanks-giving is not only good for the giver but also good for the receiver. But if we’re not grateful, if we don’t express our thanksgiving, then it can have the opposite effect.
In Romans 1:21 Paul says, "For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile & their foolish hearts were darkened.”
C. Before we leave this point let me list a few ways we can say “Thank you” to God.
We say “Thank you”: when we spend time with Him (& not just an hour or two on Sunday mornings); when we forgive others; when we serve in His church; when we share His Gospel with others; when we reach out to hurting people; when we give God the best of our time, talent, & treasure; & when we praise Him from the heart.
Truly, our thanksgiving to God should be expressed not only by our lips, but also by our lives!
II. OUR THANKSGIVING SHOULD BE EXPANSIVE
Secondly, our thanksgiving should be expansive. And as our thanksgiving expands, it should include at least 2 things. We should thank God for:
A. The Blessings we have received. Our prayers are often very general. We say, "Thank you, God, for all your blessings." But what blessings do we mean? Listen to this poem, & then maybe you will be able to “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done.”
Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely maid with golden hair;
I envied her - she seemed so gay, & how I wished I were so fair.
When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle;
She had one leg & used a crutch, but as she passed, she smiled.
Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two feet - the world is mine.
And when I stopped to buy some sweets, the lad who served me had such charm;
He seemed to radiate good cheer, his manner was so kind & warm.
I said, “It’s nice to deal with you, such courtesy I seldom find”;
He turned & said, “Oh, thank you.” And then I saw that he was blind.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine, I have two eyes, the world is mine.
Then, when walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue;
He stood & watched the others play, it seemed he knew not what to do.
I stopped a moment, then I said, “Why don’t you join the others there?”
He looked ahead without a word, & then I knew he could not hear.
Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two ears, the world is mine.
With feet to take me where I’d go; with eyes to see the sunset’s glow,
With ears to hear what I would know. I am blessed indeed.
The world is mine; Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
B. We should even thank God for the challenges that come our way.
Now this can be rather tough. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, "Give thanks in all circumstances.” And Ephesians 5:20 says, "always giving thanks.” You may think this was easy for Paul to say. But it wasn’t.
You see, Paul suffered from a difficult physical problem that he called a “thorn in the flesh.” And besides that, he had also experienced being run out of town, beaten, whipped, imprisoned, being cold, hungry, shipwrecked, & stoned because of his faith. Yet, Paul never stopped giving thanks.
Paul said several things that reveal his attitude of gratitude about burdens & trials. In Romans 8:18 he said, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us...”
Also, "That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecution, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong...” (2 Cor. 12:10)
And again, "Now I want you to know brothers that what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel...” (Philippians 1:12)
God used the apostle Paul as a mighty witness to his generation, & also to us today. And in the same way, God can use us, too.
III. THINGS THAT ROB US OF OUR GRATITUDE
Finally, we need to realize that there are at least 3 things that can steal our gratitude – 3 things that can keep us from being thankful.
A. The first one is our pride. This is the attitude that says, "Nobody ever gave me anything, I worked hard for everything I have.” With this attitude, we feel that we have no one to thank but ourselves.
ILL. In his book, “Folk Psalms Of Faith,” Ray Stedman tells of an experience Harry Ironside had in a crowded restaurant. Just as Ironside was about to begin his meal, a man approached & asked if he could share his table. So Ironside invited him to have a seat. Then, as was his custom, Ironside bowed his head in prayer.
When he opened his eyes, the other man asked, “Do you have a headache?” Ironside replied, “No, I don’t.” The man asked, “Well, is there something wrong with your food?” Ironside replied, “No, I was just thanking God as I always do before I eat.”
The man replied, “Oh, you’re one of those, are you? Well, I want you to know that I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brow & I don’t have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just start right in!” Ironside said, “Yes, you’re just like my dog. That’s what he does too!”
B. Another attitude that keeps us from being thankful is a critical spirit or constant complaining. Instead of being grateful, such a person will always find something to complain about.
ILL. A lady known as an incurable grumbler constantly complained about everything. At last, her preacher thought he had found something about which she would be happy, for her potato crop that year was the finest for miles around.
When he saw her, he said with a beaming smile, “You must be very happy, Mary. Everyone is saying how great your potatoes look this year.” “True, they’re pretty good, but what am I going to do when I need bad ones to feed the pigs?" (Steve Malone on Sermon Central)
C. A third attitude that keeps us from being grateful is just taking things for granted. Someone said that if the stars only came out once a year, we’d stay out all night to watch them. But since they are there every night, we just take them for granted.
The Israelites wandering in the desert grumbled because they had no food. So God miraculously sent manna to cover the ground & meet their needs. Then they grumbled because it was the same thing every day. They were never satisfied.
Let me call your attention once again to the apostle Paul's words that I read earlier in this sermon: (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
Now notice, Paul didn't say to give thanks "for all circumstances,” but "in all circumstances.” All the circumstances that come our way are not necessarily good, but there will always be something in those circumstances for which to give thanks.
ILL. In Daniel Defoe's novel, "Robinson Crusoe," among the first things Crusoe did when he was shipwrecked & found himself on a deserted island was to make out a list. On one side of the list he wrote down all his problems. On the other side he wrote down all his blessings.
For example: He was alone on a desolate island - but he was still alive, not drowned as were all his shipmates. All the food supplies had been lost - but there was plenty of fresh fruit & water on the island.
He had only the clothes he was wearing - but he was in a hot climate & really didn't need any. He was without means of defense - but he saw no wild animals. He had nothing to speak of - but the wrecked ship was so close to shore that he could salvage things necessary for his survival.
Crusoe discovered that for every negative aspect of his situation there was a positive aspect, something for which to be thankful. Perhaps this would be a good time for us to take an inventory of our blessings, too.
SUM. Whether it is our pride, a complaining attitude, or just taking things for granted – these are things that can keep us from being truly thankful for all that God has given us.
Yes, the Psalmist was right, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.” (Psalms 92:1)
INVITATION:
(Some of the ideas and an illustration in this message are derived from the sermon, “A Proper Perspective On Thanksgiving” by Steve Malone on Sermon Central)
