Thanksgiving Worship
1 Chronicles 16:7-36
November 23, 2003
Intro:
A. Welcome to our Thanksgiving Worship at Somerset Church!
B. [Getting Around to God, Citation: Joel Gregory, "The Unlikely Thanker," Preaching Today, Tape No. 110.]
One Thanksgiving season a family was seated around their table, looking at the annual holiday bird. From the oldest to the youngest, they were to express their praise. When they came to the 5-year-old in the family, he began by looking at the turkey and expressing his thanks to the turkey, saying although he had not tasted it he knew it would be good. After that rather novel expression of thanksgiving, he began with a more predictable line of credits, thanking his mother for cooking the turkey and his father for buying the turkey. But then he went beyond that. He joined together a whole hidden multitude of benefactors, linking them with cause and effect.
He said, "I thank you for the checker at the grocery store who checked out the turkey. I thank you for the grocery store people who put it on the shelf. I thank you for the farmer who made it fat. I thank you for the man who made the feed. I thank you for those who brought the turkey to the store."
Using his Columbo-like little mind, he traced the turkey all the way from its origin to his plate. And then at the end he solemnly said "Did I leave anybody out?"
His 2-year-older brother, embarrassed by all those proceedings, said, "God."
Solemnly and without being flustered at all, the 5-year-old said, "I was about to get to him."
Well, isn’t that the question about which we ought to think at Thanksgiving time? Are we really going to get to him this Thanksgiving?
C. Today we are going to do things just a little bit different than we usually do.
1. We are going to look at a Psalm of David.
2. However, this Psalm of David is recorded in 1 Chronicles 16.
3. There is another version of it recorded in Psalm 105, but I want to look at the one recorded in 1 Chronicles 16 today.
4. David wrote this Psalm after they finally brought the ark back to Jerusalem.
5. It had been carried away many years before.
6. David attempted to get it back in chapter 14 and they didn’t do it right and somebody died because of it.
7. But in chapter 16, they finally read the Bible and learned how it was supposed to be moved and they were successful the second time.
8. Verse 7 says David first gave this Psalm to the choir director, Asaph, on that day.
9. Today I want us to walk through this psalm of thanks to the Lord.
I. Give Thanks to the Lord
1 Chronicles 16:7-8 (NIV), That day David first committed to Asaph and his associates this psalm of thanks to the LORD: 8 Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
A. [Coget children: responsive reading, “Praise, Love and Thanks” from Psalm 118:29; Revelation 7:12 (NIV)]
Amber: Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.
Rachel: Praise and glory and wisdom
Rebekah: and thanks and honor
Alan: and power and strength be to our God
Andrew: Forever and ever. Amen!
B. The Hebrew word for thanks here is “Yadah”-to throw, cast, confess, to revere or worship
1. It means the openness of the hand after it has thrown something.
2. We are going to throw thanksgiving to God today!
3. That is what we are here to do today.
4. Today I want us to actually get around to God.
5. Today, four days before Thanksgiving Day, we are going to give thanks to God!
6. We are going to call on His name.
7. We are going to make know what He has done.
C. Let’s pause for a moment right now and call on His name. [Prayer]
II. Sing to Him
1 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV), Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.
A. When it says to sing praise to Him it means to sing and play music.
1. It means to touch the strings.
2. David is saying that we should throw thanksgiving to God and then with our open hands we are to make music to God.
3. Touch the instruments and praise Him for all His wonderful acts.
4. Clap your hands.
5. Play the piano.
6. Play the tambourine.
7. Play the harmonica.
8. Celebrate in song and music our wonderful God.
B. Cecil and the choir are going to come and get our blood flowing with a few songs of thanksgiving.
III. Glory in His Name
1 Chronicles 16:10 (NIV), Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
A. Now David says to Glory in His name.
1. The Hebrew word is “halal.” It means to celebrate.
2. It is part of the word, “hallelujah.”
3. That is another Hebrew word that means to celebrate Yahweh or the Lord!
4. Celebrate the Lord.
5. Glory in his name.
B. Let’s do that!
1. We don’t have any problem celebrating a touchdown or a slam-dunk.
2. We don’t have any problem celebrating a victory.
3. We shouldn’t have any problem celebrating Yahweh!
4. Everybody shout, “Hallelujah!”
5. Everybody shout, “Praise the Lord!”
6. Everybody clap and praise the Lord!
7. Everybody shout, “Glory!”
8. Everybody shout, “Glory to His holy name!”
9. Everybody shout, “We rejoice in our hearts!”
10. Everybody shout, “Hallelujah!”
11. Everybody shout, “Glory!”
IV. Look to the Lord and His Strength
1 Chronicles 16:11 (NIV), Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
A. In the Hebrew text there is a progression in this verse.
1. The first phrase says to look; the second phrase says to seek.
2. The first one is a general action; the second is a passionate action.
3. Look to the Lord; SEEK His face!
4. There is a progression of intensity.
5. We look to the Lord and we SEEK Him.
6. David is telling us to passionately SEEK His face.
B. [Responsive reading “See His Glory” from Psalm 97 (NIV)]
Worship Leader: The Lord reigns!
Everyone: The Lord reigns!
Women: Let the earth be glad;
Men: Let the distant shores rejoice.
Worship Leader: Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
Men: Fire goes before Him.
Women: His lightning lights up the world;
Men: The earth sees and trembles.
Women: The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
Everyone: Before the Lord of all the earth.
Worship Leader: The heavens proclaim His righteousness.
Everyone: And all the people see His glory. Praise His holy name!
C. Let us now pray and passionately seek His face! [Prayer]
V. Remember the Wonders He Has Done
1 Chronicles 16:12-22 (NIV), Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, 13 O descendants of Israel his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones. 14 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. 15 He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations, 16 the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. 17 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: 18 "To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit." 19 When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it, 20 they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another. 21 He allowed no man to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings: 22 "Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm."
A. The Scriptures repeatedly tell us to remember what the Lord has done.
1. David rehearsed many of the wonders that God did for the Israelites.
2. It is good for us to remember those things, but it is also God for us to remember the things that God has done since then.
3. It is good for us to remember the wonders that God did in the NT.
4. It is good for us to remember the miracles that God did in the NT.
5. It is good for us to remember the things God has done for our church.
6. It is good for us to remember the things God has done for our families.
7. It is good for us to remember the things God has done for us individually.
B. And of course there is nothing more important to remember than what Christ did for us on Calvary.
1. Jesus told us to partake of the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of what He did.
2. Luke 22:17-18 (NIV), After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."
3. Luke 22:19 (NIV), And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."
4. Luke 22:20 (NIV), In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
VI. Sing to the Lord
1 Chronicles 16:23 (NIV), Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day.
A. David says again to sing to the Lord.
B. Cecil and the choir will come and lead us again in singing to the Lord.
VII. Declare His Glory
1 Chronicles 16:24-33 (NIV), Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. 25 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. 26 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. 27 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place. 28 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength, 29 ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. 30 Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. 31 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!" 32 Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! 33 Then the trees of the forest will sing, they will sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.
A. The Hebrew word translated “declare” means to score, to mark, to keep a tally of.
1. David says we should keep score of all the things God has done for us.
2. David says we should keep a tally of the marvelous deeds He has done.
B. Today I want us to declare His glory by giving testimonies of thanksgiving.
1. I want us to give testimonies of what we’re thankful to God for.
2. I want us to tell stories of what God has done that we are thankful for in our personal lives, in our families, in our church, in our work.
3. Let’s have a season of testimonies declaring the marvelous deeds that God has done among the people.
4. David also said that another way to declare His glory is to bring an offering and come before Him.
5. We can give thanks to God as we bring our offerings to Him.
6. So as we have this season of thanksgiving, we’re going to pass the trays forward and give thanks by bringing our offerings.
7. [Testimonies of Thanksgiving]
VIII. Give Thanks to the Lord
1 Chronicles 16:34-36 (NIV), Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 35 Cry out, "Save us, O God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, that we may glory in your praise." 36 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Then all the people said "Amen" and "Praise the LORD."
A. I pray that this time of thanksgiving has been a blessing to us all.
1. And I must say that I am thankful that we understand that this is not just a once a year thing for us.
2. I am thankful that we have a time of thanksgiving every Sunday; we have a thankful group and we give thanks the first thing every Sunday.
3. And I pray that your family will truly give thanks this Thursday around your tables.
B. In verse 35, David said "Save us, O God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, that we may glory in your praise."
1. Salvation is one of the greatest things that we can thank God for!
2. There are some here today that don’t know they are saved and you need to be saved today!
3. We’re going to give you that opportunity today.
4. If you need to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you come and I’ll help you do that.
5. If you need to be baptized in water, you come.
6. Let’s sing this last song and thank Him for what He has done for us in sending His Son to die for us!
7. Sing: “I’m Forever Grateful”
