Are you Thankful?
Psalms 103:1-5
How many enjoys benefits? When we get a new job, we always look at the benefits to see if the job is worth doing or not.
Whenever I worked a secular job and was handed a benefit package, I always made sure I looked through that thing to see what all I’m entitled to.
Let me share with you something this morning church, the Word of God is the description of our benefit package.
Everything we need to know about what God desires to do in us, through us and for us is found in His Word. So let’s look at it this morning.
First of all, we are not to forget our benefits
How many remember back when you were dating? Do you remember when your boyfriend did that special something that really took you off your feet? I mean that made you feel special, it made your heart flutter, your toes tingle, you felt loved.
But what happens as the years go by? Your married now, you get up and both of you have morning breath, you hair is sticking out every direction, you’re not at your best look.
The tingle is gone, the heart is just beating instead of fluttering, your toe hurts instead of tingling, you’re not sure what you feel, and it’s just another day.
Those feelings you had in the beginning have all but faded away. What’s happened? You’ve become familiar with that person. I’ve found that people we become too familiar with start to take us for granted. It’s not big whoop when you come by.
How many knows that it can get that way when it comes to living for God.
Do you remember the joy you had when you first got saved. I mean you were so excited, you wanted to others what God did in your life. You wanted to get your bible out and read it. You showed up to every church service, you prayed and fasted. You were on fire for God. You were so thankful for what God did for you.
He saved you from a life of sin, you changed your direction from hell to heaven. He cleaned your life up, made you brand new. Some who knew you, wondered what got into you. You knew what it was, it was Jesus!
But the weeks passed by, and instead of looking for a reason to come to the house of God, you look for excuse to stay home.
Instead of getting into the word, you prefer your favorite tv program. Instead of taking your situation to God, you go to bed worrying how it’s all going to work out.
This doesn’t happen to everyone one, but it happens to too many believers.
There’s some who have been saved for years and their heart still burns hot for God. They’re in the word every day. They pray regularly, they’re upset when they can’t make it to the house of God. They’re in love with Jesus.
What happens that causes such a disparaging difference. We all start out at the same place, at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ.
We can’t make it without Him, there is no salvation under any other name than that of Jesus.
The difference is some people forget their benefits.
Let me ask you this morning, are you thankful for what Christ has done for you?
A problem in the lives of too many believers is we treat God as common. Another danger we run into is when we get the attitude that we deserved what God did for us.
Listen church, we need to be glad we haven’t gotten what we deserved. If we’ve gotten what we deserved, we all would be on our way to hell right now. But God has been merciful to us, and has given us great grace, by not giving us what we deserve.
The fact that Jesus died on a cross for us is more than we could ever work off. We can’t pay God back just for that one act of love.
We owe our entire lives to Jesus for what He’s done. It shouldn’t matter if God does one more thing for us, the fact that Jesus died for us is enough to last us for eternity. Could I get an Amen!
But the Psalmist David tells in Psalms 103 some things that we should be thankful for and that’s what I want us to look at this morning.
Secondly, the Word begins to describe what are benefits are…The first benefit is He forgives us all our iniquities or in other words, He forgives us of all our sins.
I’m so thankful for salvation.
I was on my way to hell but He saved me. He was more interested in my condition than I was so He went after me and He revealed my heart to me and I saw the need for Him.
Listen to me church, before Christ came into your hearts you were on your way to hell just like I was.
Sometimes it’s hard for people who has never seen themselves as a sinner to realize what Christ has done.
Look at Luke 7:47 “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” KJV
Those who’ve never seen them selves as too big of sinner, sometimes show little appreciation for what Christ has done for them.
But hear me this morning church, sin is sin and it will keep you out of heaven.
That’s what worries me about some who call themselves Christians. They’re not living right, they don’t treat their spouses right, they don’t have a hunger for the things of God.
That bothers me church, because I realize even though I was saved at 9 years old, I didn’t have any major sin in my life but what was there was enough to keep me out of heaven.
There might be someone here this morning, you’re not where you need to be with God. You know you’re not living right, you know your heart is not where it should be. You need to be thankful that God hasn’t brought judgment on your life yet.
You need to be thankful that some disaster hasn’t come to your house.
It’s only in His mercy and grace are you sitting here this morning.
Let me share with you this morning, God’s pursuing you! If you’re not where you should be with God this morning, God’s pursuing you.
You can’t come to Christ except He draws you. Look at …
John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” KJV
Jeremiah 31:3 says “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” KJV
If you feel something going on in your heart that makes you feel like you need to come pray, that’s God drawing you to this altar. That’s God wanting to do a work in your life.
Don’t resist what God is trying to do in you, give up, quit being so stubborn, and give in to God, or you’ll miss heaven.
Don’t forget your iniquities are not forgiven because you deserved it, they’re forgiven because He loved you.
Somebody shout, He loves me!
The next benefit that David said we shouldn’t forget is that He health all our diseases.
Now I’ll be honest with you this is one we can struggle with because I’ve been sick, and I’ve seen others sick and we’ve prayed and nothing seems to happen.
So is there healing or not. Let’s see what the Word of God says…
Isaiah 53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. KJV
James 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. KJV
How many knows this morning that the problem is never on God’s end? David declares one of our benefits of serving God is we have the right of divine healing.
I shared Friday night during our prayer meeting that sometimes we have to enforce our rights. EXPLAIN THIS…
Hear me this morning church, God’s word works.
The enemy is determined to make you think that it doesn’t and he’s going to do all that he knows how to keep you from seeing the word of God come to pass.
That’s why we need to get more determined than the enemy is to see God’s word come to pass.
When sickness comes into your body, start quoting scriptures that talks about God’s healing power. You tell the enemy to get his hands off your body because God’s word declares I’m healed! That’s my right as a believer, that’s a benefit the Word declares that is mine, and no force from hell is going to keep me from walking in it.
I’m thankful this morning, that God heals all my diseases.
Next we see that God redeems our life from destruction.
We don’t have to be afraid of what tomorrow may bring because we are in the hands of the one who controls tomorrow.
Psalms 34:22 says “The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.” KJV
Some of you don’t really understand your benefits. You’ve been redeemed from the curse.
Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: KJV
I’ve been redeemed from destruction and sat on the path of blessing.
I’m so redeemed from destruction that God calls me blessed now!
I’m blessed in the city!
I’m blessed in the fields!
I’m blessed when I come and when I go! I’ve been redeemed from the life of destruction.
Someone needs to shout a little bit right here, that’s a lot to be thankful for! Redeemed! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!
My next benefit is that I’ve been crowned with lovingkindness and tender mercies!
It doesn’t matter what the world thinks of me, my Heavenly Father has crowned me with lovingkindness.
He loves me, when no one else is treating me right, He loves me. When I don’t feel like I’ve got a friend in the world, He loves me. When no one seems to be giving me a chance, He is.
Don’t you let the enemy lead you to the land of despair, you are somebody and you’ve been crowned with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
Finally, I can be thankful for the benefit that He satisfies my mouth with good things; so that my youth is renewed like the eagles.
Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. KJV
How many knows that our bodies are wearing out. Sometimes our get up and go has got up and gone. But we don’t have to be worn out spiritually.
If you want to keep the feeling you got when you first was saved, wait on Him. If you want to walk and not faint, wait on Him.
It’s when we stop waiting on Him we get weary. It’s in our impatience that we are ready to quit. But God declares in Be still and know that I’m God.
Conclusion: We have a lot to be thankful for. Sometimes when you’re going through it you wonder what is there to be thankful of, but whenever you get in that mode, run to Psalms 103 and start looking at your benefits, and then by faith begin to thank God for all His benefits. Because Psalms 68:19 says He daily loads us with benefits.
