Cultivating a thankful heart – Sunday, November 15th
Opener:
Good morning! How is everyone doing this wonderful day in the Lord! We are just so thrilled that you have joined us here this morning.
This week, the title of our message is cultivating a thankful heart. It is interesting to note that God’s chosen people had a thanksgiving celebration that occurred 3,000 years ago. This morning we will be talking about being thankful.
What are you thankful for right now? You may be going through a tough time right now, however, there is something in your life that you can be thankful for.
When is the last time that you took a pause in your life? When is the last time you took time to just thank God for all the good things in your life and all the wonderful people that he has placed in your life.
I have observed that the most thankful people are typically the ones that are the most thoughtful people. People that are not thankful are typically ones that do not show care and compassion for others. These are people that are living for the next event in their life or the next purchase that they are going to make versus being content with what they have. Before the American tradition of Thanksgiving, God’s chosen people had a thanksgiving celebration.
I. Celebrating the Presence of God
A. The ark
a. King David was a king that had a heart for God. Yes, he made some mistakes along the way, but he really enjoyed to be in God’s presence.
b. After becoming the King of Israel, King David wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to the city of Jerusalem.
c. This ark represented the Presence of God on earth and so he wanted to be close to it.
d. The ark itself was a chest that was made out of gold plated wood and on top of the ark was two cherubim angels.
i. Inside the ark contained Aarons rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. (The Ten Commandments.)
ii. This ark was really an important artifact to the people of Israel
e. Prior to the reign of David, the ark had been stolen by enemies and subsequently returned. However, the ark sat neglected at a distant home for 20 years while the Jewish people followed false God.
f. After one failed attempt the bring the ark back. David was committed to seeing this happen
g. David gathered all the priest and had appointed them to lead the ark home by singing and dancing.
B. Home coming
a. After traveling a far distance. The ark finally made its way back to Jerusalem.
b. We pick up the story there in 1 Chronicles 15:28 NKJV 28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn, with trumpets and with cymbals, making music with stringed instruments and harps.
c. Do you see the picture?, everyone was celebrating and shouting because of God’s presence.
d. Can you imagine an entire city singing, shouting and celebrating because they were experience God’s presence in their lives.
C. Not every one was happy
a. Not everyone was happy in the city though. There was one person that was not celebrating and that was David’s wife, Michal.
b. She saw her husband dancing around and she thought in her heart that he should act more dignified. After all, he was the king of the entire area.
c. We learn in the story that as a result of her heart not being right that she did not bear anymore children.
D. Offerings made
a. After the ark entered into the city it was brought to the tabernacle.
b. The bible says in 1 Chronicles 16:1 NKJV 16 So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.
c. This burnt offering offered by the people was accepted by God and was consumed by fire and was a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
d. This offering made was one of an animal that was perfect in every way and none of this sacrifice was to be consumed by the people.
II. Forgiveness
A. Fast forward
a. So you may be sitting there asking yourself, What does this have to do with me? I don’t bring animal sacrifices to church.
b. The New Testament, we don’t have to bring unblemished animals to cover our sins, because Jesus paid it all!
c. We recognize that Jesus, the Son of God, who takes away the sin of the entire world, came and offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice.
d. Through Jesus sacrifice we have been forgiven.
e. The bible says in 1 John 1:7 NKJV7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
B. Marked with a thankful heart
a. The Christian life should be marked by a having a heart of gratitude and being thankful for the forgiveness that has been provided through the work of the cross.
b. It is so wonderful knowing that we have been forgiven for our past sins! We have been forgiven for our past failures!
c. God has provided a way of giving us a second chance.
C. Celebrating God
a. After bring the ark back to Jerusalem, and dancing and singing before the Lord. David proclaimed a blessing on the people.
b. This blessing is found in the book of Numbers 6:24-27 NKJV 24 “The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 26 The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’27 “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”
c. After blessing the people, David shared in a meal with all the people.
D. Thankful song
a. After celebrating all that the Lord had done. David encourages the people to sing a song to the Lord.
b. This song is found in 1 Chronicles 16:8-12 NKJV and I am going to read it for your since I am not a worship leader: 8 Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! 9 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! 10 Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! 11 Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore!
12 Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
c. The people thanked God for His faithfulness in the past and in their present.
d. Truly, He is the Creator, He is the Provider, He is our Protector!!!
III. Overcoming a trouble heart
A. Disappointment
a. The final point here this morning, is that we can overcome a troubled heart. We all will face disappointment in our lives. Not only will we have to deal with disappointment, but we can know that life may throw us a curveball. We may experience a loss of a loved one or someone close to us, we may experience a health crisis, we may experience a financial crisis.
b. I feel like one of the most challenging things that we may face is that there may be times that we fall short of expectations. Expectations that maybe we have placed on ourselves.
c. Therefore, we will need to learn how to overcome these challenges, to overcome disillusionment in our lives.
d. God has given us the weapons to overcome discouragement and to overcome a heart that may be troubled.
B. Be wise
a. The bible calls us to be wise concerning our spiritual walk with the Lord.
b. In fact, Paul wrote some instructions concerning this topic to the church in Ephesus and this instruction can be found in Ephesians 5:15-21NKJV15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
c. Ephesians five is really pointing out to us a reality that we do not like to admit however, we know it is true, and that is that “the days we live in are evil.”
d. The brokenness in this world means we must work to make the best use of our time.
e. The days are evil because they trick us into thinking that we have more time than what we actually do.
f. Secondly, the days that we live in works to introduce evil into our lives on a daily basis. Therefore, we need to be careful not to let these expressions of evil hobble our lives.
C. Do not get drunk
a. In our text we read a moment ago, Paul tells the Ephesians what they need to do in order to walk wisely before the Lord.
b. Paul says do not get drunk on wine, but be filled with the Spirit.
c. Ever since the invention of fermented drink/alcohol, people have been enamored with its ability to shield them from life’s painful realities.
d. The apostle Paul not only tells us to avoid getting drunk, he goes further to let us know to be filled with the Spirit.
e. Let me say this “Don’t ignore the difficulties that life may bring by burying them in a bottle of alcohol.’
f. Really that only postpones the pain. Rather, be filled with God’s Spirit that is able to help and equip you to deal with life’s difficulties.
D. How to address each other
a. Another way we overcome a troubled heart is how we address one another.
b. Paul encourages us that we need to address one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.
c. He was sharing this because not only will it benefit those that we come into contact with, but it will also benefit us.
d. When we make melody in our heart for the Lord, we become a vessel that God can use.
e. Worship inspires us, all the while it changes us from the inside out.
f. The enemy will be completely powerless when we become habitual worshippers.
E. With everything give thanks
a. We overcome a troubled heart by giving thanks always, regardless of your situation, regardless of whether you feel like or not. Giving thanks!
b. You see, when we respond to the Lord with a heart of gratitude, we will then see the world differently.
c. We will begin to see beyond our problem and see the Lord clearly.
Closing:
As we bring our time together here this morning to a close, I want to draw your attention to all the good things that God has done in your life. My encouragement to you here this morning, is to celebrate those things, Celebrate the fact that God is in your life and that Jesus lives in your heart! Celebrate the fact that God have given you all the tools necessary to live a life for Him! Celebrate God’s Presence in your life! I want to close with a poem/prayer that was written by one of my favorite Christian poets named M.S. Lowndes. She lives in Canada and just has a wonderful heart for the Lord. The title of her poem is: A Prayer of Thanks.
I just want to express, Lord, My deepest gratitude, For your abundance overflows, Into everything I do.
I give thanks to you, my Lord, For your mercy and your grace, And your unfailing love for me, Through the many things I’ve faced.
I thank you, precious Jesus, For always protecting me, In all my comings and my goings, Your hand has covered me.
I give you thanks, O God, For the beauty that I see, In all that you’ve created, Lord, It truly amazes me.
But so much more than this, I thank you, precious Lord, For saving me from what I was, The life I knew before.
I can’t help but praise you, For all you are to me, My God, my Saviour and closest friend, The giver of life indeed.
