A PSALM OF THANKSGIVING
Psalm 105:1-6
ILLUST. A monk joined a monastery and took a vow of silence. After the first 10 years of absolutely no speaking at all, his superior called him in and asked, “Do you have anything to say?” The monk replied, “Food bad.” After another 10 years of perfect silence the monk again had opportunity to voice his thoughts. He said, “Bed hard.” Another 10 years went by and again he was called in before his superior. When asked if he had anything to say, he responded, “I quit.” The older monk replied, “That doesn’t surprise me a bit. You’ve done nothing but gripe and complain ever since you got here.”
A lot of times we complain instead of learning to be grateful. Some of us might be like the guy who prayed this prayer:
Dear God,
“So far today I’ve done all right. I haven’t gossiped, I haven’t lost my temper, I haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or over-indulgent. I’m very thankful for that. But in a few minutes, God, I’m going to get out of bed, and from then on, I’m probably going to need a lot of help. Amen”
Galaxie Software. (2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press.
Psalm 105:1 (NKJV) Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! 2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! 3 Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! 4 Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore! 5 Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, 6 O seed of Abraham His servant, You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!
This psalm of David was evidently written on the occasion of the carrying up of the Ark of the Covenant from the house of Obed-edom. We see the first 15 verses used as a hymn of praise in 1 Chr. 16:7-22 when the Ark was brought back. The Ark of the Covenant was a symbol of the presence of God in the nation of Israel. So, on its return, it was a fitting thing that David and the people of Israel proclaim aloud the greatness of Jehovah.
1. THE PERSONS OF THANKSGIVING v. 1
There are some persons we need to thank! Notice the verse:
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name:”
A. The LORD = Jehovah, He is the One to be thanked!
B. The Christ = the Messiah, the dear Lord Jesus is to be thanked as well. His sacrifice on the cross paid our sin debt and brings forgiveness to those who repent and believe in His death, burial and resurrection!
C. The Spirit = the 3rd Person of the Trinity, for living inside us to guide us daily.
D. The People in our lives.
Everybody should have somebody to who they are thankful.
ILLUST. I heard about a little boy that was given an orange to a little boy. His mother looked at him and said, “Now, Johnny, what do you say?” Sheepishly the boy looked up and said, “Peel it?”
ILLUST. You may have seen the commercials about Tom Hanks’ new movie about Fred Rogers. “The film is not a biopic,” says director Marielle Heller. “I disliked that when it got announced it was characterized as such. It’s really not. It’s a movie that’s largely focused on a reporter and (Mr. Rogers’) relationship to his life, and how (the reporter’s) whole world changes when coming in contact with Fred Rogers.”
So, I did a little research on Mr. Rogers and learned that he was an ordained Presbyterian minister. I watched a couple of YouTube videos about him. One of the most popular episodes of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood TV program was in 1980 when a 10 year old boy named Jeff Erlanger rolled up to Mr. Rogers’ home in an electric wheelchair.
18 years later, made a surprise appearance when Fred Rogers was inducted to the Television Hall of Fame. During his acceptance speech he talked about the influence for good that television should have. And in the middle of his speech, Mr. Rogers said, “Who in your life has been such a servant to you? Who has helped you love the good that grows within you? Let’s just take 10 seconds to think of those people who have loved us and wanted what was best for us in life. Those who have encouraged us to become who we are…just 10 seconds of silence. I’ll watch the time.”
Who are the people in your life that you can thank God for who have helped you in life? I don’t want you to just take 10 seconds to think of them…I want you to make a list. And I want you to write their names down…and if they’re still living…I want you to write them a note…handwritten and send it to them…tell them how much they mean to you. Then, even now, I want you to thank the Lord for bringing them into your life. You have an assignment.
2. THE PURPOSE OF THANKSGIVING v. 1
“to make known His deeds” and “talk of all His wondrous works” Can we ever address and express ALL of the Lord’s wondrous deeds? God’s creation of the universe, His creation of even the smallest atomic particle, the world we live in, the plants, the animals, the insects…and man!
Psalm 139:14 (NKJV) I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
God wants us to be thankful and let others know of His wonderful works in order for men, women, boys and girls to come to know Jesus as Savior. We need to be thankful around SINNERS, and give thanks around the SAINTS and be thankful to the SAVIOR.
3. THE PATHWAY OF THANKSGIVING
In other words, what are the steps or the pathway of thanksgiving that David gives us here that we can follow.
A. GIVE THANKS
Ninety-one times in 44 verses the Scriptures tell us to give thanks. I think there is a difference in being thankful and giving thanks. Being thankful means that you recognize the benefit, or the blessing, etc. Giving thanks means addressing God in life for everything that happens to you. Even for the bad things!
You say, “Well, pastor, I’m not thankful for cancer.” I’m not either, but you can GIVE thanks for what God is trying to teach you through your cancer. “I’m not thankful that I have more bills to pay than I have money.” I’ve been there too, but have you tried GIVING THANKS to God about it?
B. CALL UPON HIS NAME
Literally means to call Him, the Lord, by His name. We are to proclaim the Lord’s titles and His attributes in the whole world! God loves it when we call upon His name! He wants His children to talk to Him.
Psalm 18:3 (NKJV) I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.
C. SING TO HIM
Psalm 9:11 (NKJV) Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.
Psalm 13:6 (NKJV) I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
Psalm 18:49 (NKJV) Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name.
Psalm 27:6 (NKJV) And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.
Psalm 30:4 (NKJV) Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
Psalm 89:1 (NKJV) I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 96:2 (NKJV) Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
Psalm 104:33 (NKJV) I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
Psalm 147:1 (NKJV) Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.
Psalm 149:1 (NKJV) Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise in the assembly of saints.
You say, “Well, pastor, that’s all Old Testament…they did that back then in the OT.” Notice what the NT has to say:
Romans 15:9 (NKJV) and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: “For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, And sing to Your name.”
1 Corinthians 14:15 (NKJV) What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.
Hebrews 2:12 (NKJV) “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”
James 5:13 (NKJV) Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.
Acts 16:25 (NKJV) But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
Ephesians 5:19 (NKJV) speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
Colossians 3:16 (NKJV) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Revelation 15:3 (NKJV) They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!
I think you get the idea! God’s people are supposed to sing in order to express a grateful heart to God. You need to sing! “Oh, but pastor, I can’t sing!” Listen to me: I don’t have a good voice at all anymore. There was a time I could sing and I wish I could sing better than I do. But I just want to sing out of thanksgiving to God! Look at these verses:
Psalm 81:1 (NKJV) Sing aloud to God our strength; Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.
Psalm 95:1 (NKJV) Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Psalm 98:6 (NKJV) With trumpets and the sound of a horn; Shout joyfully before the LORD, the King.
ILLUST. This week read the story of a young man who went on a short term missions trip to a leper colony on the island of Tobago, off the South American coastline. On that trip he saw up-close how leprosy destroyed the bodies and lives of the people. On his final day, he led the music during the worship service and asked if anyone had a favorite song they wanted to sing. When he did, a woman raised her hand and he saw the most disfigured face he’d ever seen. She had no ears and no nose. Her lips were gone. Yet she raised a hand with no fingers and asked, “Could we sing ‘Count Your Many Blessings’?” The missionary started the song but he couldn’t finish. Later somebody commented, “I suppose you’ll never be able to sing the song again.” He answered, “Oh yes---but I’ll never sing it the same way.”
D. MAKE HIS DEEDS KNOWN
Notice v. 1 says to “make known His deeds among the peoples” or among the nations. We are to let the non-believers know about the Lord so they can forsake their idols and learn to fall at His feet and worship.
4. THE PLACE OF THANKSGIVING
You can give thanks anywhere! But may I suggest a few places where thanksgiving is a must?
A. In Your Prayers
Philippians 4:6 (NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
B. In Your Palace
By that I mean in your home. “A man’s home is his castle.” Well, you’ve got a “mote,” right? A RE-mote! Teach your family how to express thanksgiving to each other and to God. Teach them to say “Please” and “thank you” early!
C. In Your Pew
Now, I know we don’t have pews here, but I think you know what I mean. Perhaps I should say in your “place” at church. What a thrill it is to hear God’s people GIVE THANKS in the congregation!
Giving thanks will ENLIGHTEN the church! It will EDIFY the church (build up the church). And it will ENCOURAGE the church.
5. THE PROMISE OF THANKSGIVING
A. Revere His Name – 3 “glory in His holy name”
B. Rejoice in Your Heart – 3 “let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord.”
C. Remember His Works - 5 “Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,”
D. Revel That You Belong to Him - 6 O seed of Abraham His servant, You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!
5. THE POWER OF THANKSGIVING
ILLUST: The story is told of two old friends bumped into one another on the street one day. One of them looked so sad, 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 $85,000 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 sad?"
"This week...I got nothing!"
Elmer Towns said, “Gratitude is the least remembered of all virtues, and is the acid test of character.”
ILLUST. On September 8, 1860, at around 2 AM, the steamship Lady Elgin collided with the schooner Augusta in the waters of Lake Michigan near Waukegan, Illinois. The Lady Elgin was carrying more than 300 passengers and crew on a round-trip sightseeing tour from Milwaukee to Chicago. Its return trip was never completed.
The captain, not realizing how badly the ship was damaged, continued toward Milwaukee in the dark. About a half-hour later, the heavy boilers and steam engine broke through the weakened hull and the ship quickly tore apart. Most of the passengers and crew died. Only a handful reached the lifeboats.
Many victims held onto floating debris for long hours in the cold water. Some ultimately reached shore only to be pulled back into the breakers by a fierce undertow. 17 people were saved that night by a Northwestern University student named Edward W. Spencer, who battled the breakers for 6 hours. An experienced swimmer, he had a rope tied to his body, and time after time swam through the waves to grab exhausted passengers. His associates on the other end of the rope then pulled him and the victim to shore.
Finally, having reached the limits of his strength, his body covered with scrapes and bruises, Spencer passed out. He woke up in his room in Evanston where his brother, William, waited on his recovery. Edward's first words were, "Will, did I do my full duty -- did I do my best?"
He tried to go back to school, but the physical and emotional toll on Spencer had been severe. Newspapers around the nation praised his deeds but he was never completely comfortable with the attention. The faces and cries of the victims he had not been able to save forever haunted him. Spencer never completed his education, and it was almost 50 years before he returned to Evanston to talk about the wreck of the Lady Elgin. After his death, his brother described Edward's private torment: "His face would turn ashen pale, and he would fasten his eyes on me and say, 'Tell me the truth. Did I fail to do my best?'"
Spencer is honored by a plaque in the gym of Northwestern University. But there are a couple of sad footnotes to his story. He was so badly injured that apparently he spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. And when visited in later years he said with tears, "Not one [of those rescued] ever came back and even said thank you."
HOMEWORK: I want you to go home and read the rest of Psalm 105 and then read Psalm 103
Psalm 103:1 (NKJV) Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
