2023.11.19.Sermon Notes. Praise and Thanksgiving.
William Akehurst, HSWC
Big Idea: What is the Will of GOD concerning you? To give Thanks and Praise to HIM.
Thanksgiving is a time to turn back the very breath that we have been given, in Praise and Thanks to GOD.
Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 5:18, 1 Chronicles 16:8, 1 Chronicles 16:29, 1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 145:1-21, Proverbs 3:6, Colossians 3:2, Psalm 19:1, Romans 3:23, 1 John 4:16-19, Matthew 6:10, Matthew 6:13, Psalms 42:11, Psalms 103:1-5, Ephesians 5:19-20, Psalms 19:14
THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD CONCERNING YOU…IN EVERYTHING, GIVE THANKS!
1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Chronicles 16:8 Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!
1 Chronicles 16:29 Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!
1 Chronicles 16:34 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
SHARING IN GIVING PRAISE and THANKSGIVING TO GOD through Psalm 145.
A Song of God’s Majesty and Love - A Praise of David.
Psalms 145 (NKJV)
1 I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.
Vs. 1-3 Is there anything in your life that totally captivates your heart EVERY DAY?
GOD IS KING! HIS VERY NAME (YHWH) IS TO BE PRAISED.
GOD IS GREAT! WE CAN’T FATHOM HIS GREATNESS
When we think of our GREAT GOD AND KING, we should be feeling a sense of awe and amazement that HE would have us to call HIM, OUR FATHER, and we as, HIS CHILDREN.
We must each day set our hearts first on the LORD with an attitude of praise and gratitude.
Each day as you wake up, FIRST set your mind on the goodness and greatness of FATHER GOD. And everything else will fall in place.
Proverbs 3:6 “In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
Colossians 3:2 “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”
GOD is good and faithful, let us give thanks and praise to HIM beginning each and every day.
4 One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
5 I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
And on Your wondrous works.
6 Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,
And I will declare Your greatness.
7 They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,
And shall sing of Your righteousness.
Vs. 4-7 One generation is to pass on the GREATNESS of GOD to the next generation, declaring GOD’s works, HIS great deeds and miracles. HIS goodness and righteousness. The GLORIOUS SPLENDOR of HIS MAJESTY.
Psalms 19:1 (NKJV) The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
If the heavens declare the Glory of GOD without a word spoken…
Shouldn’t we declare HIS GREATNESS to others out loud?
vs. 6b “And I will declare YOUR Greatness”
What are a few ways that GOD has done something good and beautiful in your life over this past year? How has FATHER GOD made a difference in your life?
WE should celebrate and share these things together.
Take a moment and tell each other of the Awesome works that HE has done.
8 The LORD is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
9 The LORD is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.
Vs. 8-9 We all make mistakes. We have hurt others, and others have hurt us. People let us down and can put unreasonable expectations on us. And when these things happen, we can become hurt and even angry. We have to understand one thing; we all have a sinful nature.
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
But GOD is different. HE is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love!
HE looks on HIS Children with mercy. Sometimes we may think that GOD is angry or disappointed with us because of our sin. But that thought can’t be further from the truth.
GOD Loves You. HE is slow to anger and rich in love.
Be encouraged that GOD loves you deeply. HE is good to all, HE is good and compassionate to You!
Take a moment and give GOD thanks for HIS LOVE, COMPASSION and MERCY toward you as you are and tell HIM why you love HIM.
1 John 4:16-19 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.
Nothing that you or I could ever do will ever cause HIM to change HIS mind about being good or loving us. GOD is faithful and remains WHO HE IS, HIS Character is Love, Mercy, Goodness, Patience (long suffering) and Grace. We can trust that GOD will remain WHO HE IS no matter how messed up the world around us becomes.
Today, let us commit to being slow to anger and rich in love, full of goodness and grace toward others. Be patient with others and react to situations that arise with a loving and gentle response.
10 All Your works shall praise You, O LORD,
And Your saints shall bless You.
11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
12 To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
Vs. 10-13 GOD’s KINGDOM is Everlasting and Endures throughout all generations.
It has and will endure all human history, from the very beginning to the present and for all the future.
We may have to endure evil in our days, but GOD’s KINGDOM is eternal and HIS MIGHTY ACTS will never cease. GOD remains Sovereign and everything comes under HIS Control.
We are waiting for the RETURN of MESSIAH JESUS CHRIST and the Fullness of GOD’s KINGDOM to come.
We pray and hope in GOD’s KINGDOM
Matthew 6:10, 13b 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
13b For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
When life seems hard, we can put our trust and hope in the day when CHRIST will return and restore it to what it once was. Remember the Garden of Eden was perfect.
Are you looking forward to the day when we can enter into that Garden?
What excites you about GOD’s Kingdom?
Take a minute and Thank GOD that HE is in control over everything, and that there is Victory in JESUS.
By giving thanks to the LORD, your trust and hope in HIM will grow deeper.
14 The LORD upholds all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And You give them their food in due season.
16 You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Vs. 14-16 We learn that we can be thankful even when we go through tough times.
For GOD takes care of those who are struggling, or going through difficulties. HE doesn’t leave us on our own, but rather is drawn to those in need. HE understands our weaknesses and desires to take care of us, if we will put our faith and trust in HIM.
When Psalm 23:1 says “The LORD is my shepherd, I have everything I need.” As a follower of CHRIST, HE has everything we need, if we would only understand to look to HIM for everything.
GOD knows we live in a broken world. And when we have need, we must understand that HE is aware. HE hasn’t forsaken you. GOD will meet your needs. Those who put their faith in HIM can trust that HE will keep HIS PROMISES and the GREAT SHEPHERD will supply for all your needs.
Take a moment to thank GOD for caring for you and meeting your needs. Ask GOD to help you trust HIM more to satisfy your needs and struggles according to HIS Goodness.
Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Thank HIM for caring for you each and every day.
17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
20 The LORD preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
Vs. 17-20 When we are feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, we must remind ourselves that GOD is GOOD. HE is close to all who cry out to HIM. As HIS CHILD, we can cry out to FATHER when we have need, and HE will hear our cries.
Psalms 42:11 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
Our HOPE is in THE LORD. And HE comforts us when we are hurting, suffering or experiencing sorrow. HE Saves HIS People and watches over those who reverence, and love HIM.
Take a moment to Thank GOD for watching over you
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD,
And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever.
Vs 21 The Psalm ends as it started; giving PRAISE to the LORD and blessing HIS HOLY NAME forever.
Psalm 145 encourages and teaches us that no matter what we are facing, we can give PRAISE and THANKSGIVING to THE LORD, for HIS Goodness, Faithfulness, and Loving Kindness, as HE keeps HIS WORD, HIS PROMISES and is with us in every area of our lives.
Do you spend time each day giving Praise and Thanksgiving to GOD for the never ending Love and Mercy that HE has for you?
Consider what comes out of your mouth, and see if PRAISE is a priority.
NEED SOME GUIDANCE ON WHAT TO PRAISE GOD ABOUT?
Psalms 103:1-5
1 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:
3 Who forgives all thine iniquities; who heals all thy diseases;
4 Who redeems thy life from destruction; who crowns thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 5 Who satisfies thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
WITH EVERYTHING that we are, and WITH EVERYTHING that is within us; we are to BLESS THE LORD and HIS HOLY NAME.
Remember All HIS Benefits
HE Forgives our sins.
HE Heals our Spiritual and Physical disease.
HE Redeems our Life.
HE Crowns us with HIS LOVE and MERCY.
HE Satisfies us with Good Things.
HE Renews us with Youthfulness and Life.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless HIS HOLY NAME.
LET YOUR PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING BE A MELODY IN YOUR HEART AND A SONG ON YOUR LIPS ALL THE DAY LONG.
Ephesians 5:19-20 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Let’s Pray,
FATHER,
YOU have given me breath, and with my breath, I will return it back to YOU in Praise.
I praise YOU for YOUR Goodness and Faithfulness. I praise YOU for YOUR Great Love, and Mercy towards me. When I struggle or have fallen, it is YOU WHO lift me up. When I feel alone or afraid, help me to understand that YOU are with me. YOUR Word is Truth and YOUR Promises are right. It is YOU WHO make me whole. I give YOU PRAISE and THANKS for taking my place on the Cross. For my Savior and Redeemer, WHO gave HIS LIFE for mine. I have been forgiven and set free. Free from sin and death by the BLOOD of the LAMB. Free to live eternally in YOUR PRESENCE. Sealed by YOUR SPIRIT within me so that I might praise YOU from the depths of my being. Open my understanding to YOUR WORD and (Psalms 19:14) Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer. Create in me a heart full of gratitude that will continue to put my trust and hope in YOU. Thank YOU, LORD for loving and saving me. In JESUS Name, Amen.
Be blessed and be a blessing,
Bill
