DESERVING OF OUR THANKS
Psalms 100:1-5
1. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
2. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
As we gather together this holiday season, let us recall to whom we owe thanks. It is to Our Lord, whom all thanks should be first given. Our Lord is worthy of thanks in everything. A short time ago, my wife had asked of me to make out a Christmas list so she could possibly show Santa. Well, I made a little small list out of a few things she could suggest to him… Just as I am made to do every year by her.. Now during the Christmas holidays, making a list is a common thing. Our Children will write down many things that they would like to have. Such as a new bike, the latest X-Box games, ect. But as Thanksgiving started approaching this year, I began to think; “Why not make out a list of what I’m thankful for.” I thought; “Why not write down some of the many things that I owe thanks for.” I then came across such a list from some housewives. A list that shows what they were thankful for. Let me share a few of them with you. Let me read part of that list that several housewives compiled. They wrote that they were especially thankful: For automatic dishwashers because they make it possible for us to get out of the kitchen before the family comes back in for their after-dinner snacks. For husbands who attack small repair jobs around the house because they usually make them big enough to call in the professionals.
For children who put away their things & clean up after themselves. They’re such a joy, you hate to see them go home to their own parents. For teenagers because they give parents an opportunity to learn a second language. For Smoke alarms because they let you know when the turkey’s done. Now our list may differ from theirs, but we could certainly make one out. Surely there are things we could pen down that we too are thankful for. Things like; Life, Health, Family, Our Nation we live in, despite all it’s flaws, Church, Salvation and God’s Mercy which he gives to me daily. Through Jesus, we have so much for which to celebrate on Thanksgiving! But now, have you ever thought about the first thanksgiving and where it all started? Have you ever thought of just how it all began and who started it?
WHERE THANKSGIVING STARTED
No Americans, were more underprivileged than that small handful from the Mayflower. The Mayflower was a ship that brought our founding forefathers to this country. It was those from that old ship that first started the custom of our giving thanksgiving to Almighty God. They had No homes & no government agency to help them build homes. They had no means of transportation but their legs. Their only food came from the sea & the forest, & they had to get it for themselves. They had no money & no place to spend it if they’d had any. They had no amusements except what they made for themselves. No means of communication with their relatives in England. No social security or medicare. But I will tell you what they did have.., 4 of the Greatest-Human-Assets one can own: Initiative, Courage, A willingness to work, and most importantly, a Boundless Faith in God! Faith in God…, Faith in God…, Almost sounds strange today in this time we are living in. (Trying to now take “one nation, under God” out of our Pledge of Allegiance.) Our Forefathers would be sick of the way, our nation is living… Our hallowed "Declaration of Independence" proclaims, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights . . ." And it ends with these words, ". . .with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes & our sacred Honor." Thanksgiving Day is a distinctive holiday. It doesn’t commemorate a battle or anyone’s birthday or anniversary. Thanksgiving was a day set aside to express our nation’s thanks to our nation’s God. In 1789, George Washington made this public proclamation. I want you to notice what he said and notice how he admitted the fact of our nations dependence upon God from this excerpt. "By the President of the United States of America. A proclamation: Whereas, it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, & humbly to implore His protection & favor, - and Whereas, Both Houses of Congress have by their joint committee requested me `to recommend to the people of the United States a day of Public Thanksgiving & Prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God. . .’ "Now, Therefore I do recommend & assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great & glorious Being who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. . ." So read the very first Thanksgiving Proclamation. Shortly, our nation will give thanks in some manner to our God. And we should do so, in part, because we have so much. I think that the 100th Psalm serves as a reminder of how we are to be so thankful at all times. And I want to share with you through this manuscript a little closer view at this Psalm.
THE REASON OF OUR THANKSGIVING
The 100th Psalm was written for the people of Israel. God said to them, "When you come into the promised land, & settle down in your warm homes, & you have plenty to eat, don’t forget Me. I led you out of the wilderness & I brought you into a land flowing with milk & honey." But it wasn’t long afterwards that the children of Israel needed a reminder of God’s blessings. And I’m afraid that our country is in need of a reminder… Notice the last verse says, “all generations.” The message of thanksgiving to our Lord, is to “All / Every generation!” The reminder of the need for Thanksgiving to God, is for every generation… Did you realize that except for Canada and the Philippines, our country is the only one that celebrates Thanksgiving? All countries should have such a day of thanksgiving… Not so much a thanks of our material things, but that of a relationship between him… It is because of HIM, that we are; that we have; and that we will… That, is the basis of Thanksgiving… Now then; There are five Thanksgiving commands found here in Psalms 100 that I would like for us to look at.
The first command is in vs. 1,
MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE UNTO THE LORD
That is a commandment from God! It is not debatable. It’s non-negotiable. And it shouldn’t be a struggle for any of us to do. God says, “Make a Joyful noise unto the Lord.” “How do we do that exactly,” you might say. “What is making a joyful noise unto the Lord,” you might ask. It simply means, to give God Praise. Maybe He solved your problem. Maybe He has given you the direction to go. Maybe He has provided a blessing, & you realize that it has come from God. So from the depths of your being you proclaim your praise!
The second command is,
SERVE THE LORD WITH GLADNESS.
Some time back, one of our ministers became disgruntled with our guidelines within the movement. It seems that they sought after special privileges from our officials. The comment was made from the minister; “After all I have given to this conference.” And then one of our Officials told this minister, “You should have been serving the Lord, not the conference.” We-are-here-to-serve-the-Lord! I am sick and tired of those individuals feeling as if they are more important than the Lord! If the Lord is first in our lives, well then we won’t place anything in front of him! (Who are we serving?) It doesn’t say, "serve the church." It doesn’t say, "serve the preacher.” It doesn’t say, “serve the leaders.” It doesn’t say, “serve the organization.” But rather, to "serve the Lord!" We should never do anything out of the fear of obligation. We should never do anything out of the fear of guilt. We should never do anything because we simply want to draw attention to ourselves. That simply means; We shouldn’t come to church, simply because we feel like were obligated. We shouldn’t come to choir practice, because of the fear of being talked about. We shouldn’t drop money in the offering plate, just to be seen. But rather, in whatever we do, we are to serve the Lord with gladness. Do it because of the Lord and be happy about what we do for him.
The third command is,
COME BEFORE HIS PRESENCE WITH SINGING.
There’s no question whether or not we are to sing to him. God wants us to sing to him… Now if you’re voice is like mine, perhaps we won’t make any hit records. But whom are we to please? God, that’s who! Have you noticed, in these first 3 commands, God has said; "I want you to be happy?” Make noise with joy; Serve with gladness; And here, Come with joyful songs. Hey, he wants us to be a Happy people… When you lay this message down, just take a moment & look at the people around you. Do they look happy? Or are they just sitting there with scowls on their faces? The Psalmist says; "Come before Him & Serve Him & Sing His praise with joy in your heart." Are we doing that? Are we showing our Lord Thanksgiving?
Command #4 comes from verse three;
KNOW YE THAT THE LORD HE IS GOD
Let us review the entire verse… (Verse 3) (3) Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. God took every bone, every joint, & He welded them together. He then made muscles & covered them with skin. He gave us eyes that see. Brains so that we could think. Fingers that can pick things up. God made us, inside & out. He made you the way He wanted you to be. And He made me the way He wanted me to be. Hey, somewhere along the way, God decided he wanted to make someone with; A Pretty Smile, Beautiful Blue Eyes, Shapely Nose, Lovely-Golden Hair, Great since of Humor, and a love for making Cakes, Cookies & about anything in the Kitchen. And so he made my wife… And along the way, God decided he wanted to make someone with; Huge Muscles, Great Looks, And a Real Winning Personality.., So he made.., Nope, I know--not me, right? Now seriously, God made you & you are created in His image. Each of us are beautiful! Each in our own way… Therefore give Him thanks for who you are.
Command #5 is this,
ENTER INTO HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING
Verse 4 says; “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name..” In the O.T. the temple symbolized the presence of God. So whenever the people came to the temple & entered the courtyards they knew that they had come into the presence of God. Now that temple no longer exists. But oftentimes the place where we meet to worship God is called a "sanctuary," indicating that God is there. But hey, God is everywhere! You know that; He is with you as you drive on the highway. He is with you when you work. He is with you as you care for your children. He is with you when you go to bed. He is with you every moment of your life. God is ever with us! Now that is the source of our thanksgiving, isn’t it? “With us wherever we go.”
Those Men & Women who first stepped onto this Land, they were careful to give thanks unto the Lord. They were not home, but God was with them. And God is with you today, wherever you are at reading this paper.… He’s DESERVING OF OUR THANKS. That is what my message to you is all about. “DESERVING OF OUR THANKS…” No matter where we are; No matter what the circumstance may be; He is Deserving of our Thanks…
In closing, I would like to leave you with this. “What do we Thank God for.” If I were to ask you to pen down a list of things, not of what you want, but of what you are thankful for, what would be on your list? What would you tell him? What would you like to give him Thanks for this Thanksgiving? He is DESERVING OF OUR THANKS...
James W. Bryant
