Thankfulness: ways to show it
I. Luke 17:11-18 Jesus cleansed 10 Lepers and only one returned to say “thanks.”
A. Are we like the one or the nine? Do you get and take and not take time to say thanks to God? Do you do this to others?
B Because of this unthankfulness, are we jeopardizing future blessings?
C. 2 Timothy 3:2 (KJV) states that in the last days men will be “unthankful”
II. We are unthankful sometimes because we are always looking ahead for more stuff. We always have our attention and focus on wanting more, and not looking at what we currently have, and giving thanks for it.
A. We have been given much, but we are not satisfied; we continually seek more and more. Nothing is satisfactory to us because we want, want, want. Maybe we should remember that “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”! Haggai 1:6-7 “6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. 7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.”
1. What does Haggai mean by “consider your ways”? Look back on your life and see what you have and have done. Do you need more and more stuff, or should you be thankful for the stuff you have?
B. Luke 12:15 A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesseth.
C. Matthew 6:33 is the Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His Righteousness and these things shall BE ADDED unto you.
III. A Psalm of Thanksgiving: Psalm 30:1-12. “1. I will exalt you, O LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. 2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. 3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit. 4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favour lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
6 When I felt secure, I said, "I shall never be shaken." 7 O LORD, when you favoured me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. 8 To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: 9 "What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? 10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help." 11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks for ever. (NIV)”
A. For deliverance - Vs. 1-3
1. Lifted up (like water from a well) from enemies - v. 1
a. Sin & guilt overburden the weary soul - Psa. 63:1
b. Only God can remove the burden - Psa. 51:1-4
2. His need realized - v. 2
a. So turned to the only true source of help - Acts. 4:12
b. Note; effectiveness of prayer - 1 Th. 5:16-18
3. From the great peril of the pit (death) - v. 3
B. A summons to all men - vs. 4-5
1. Praise God’s character (Holy) - v. 4
a. Basis of punishment - Lev. 19:2, 4; Josh. 23:16
b. Basis of pardon (now for all men) - Isa. 48:9
2. Praise Him for His compassion - v. 5
a. Help came swiftly - Psa. 86:5
b. Realize the "night" of sorrow is temporary but joy goes on
C. Sparked memory of pride - vs. 6-7
1. What he had felt - v. 6
a. Uninterrupted good fortune = peril to soul - Ps. 10:6
b. This world = sworn enemy of that world.
11. Don’t sell your soul for comforts of this life
22. Let us awaken from our proud "security blanket"
2. What he had forgotten - v. 7 a
a. Prosperity is ALL undeserved favor from God
b. That real, worthwhile strength is ONLY in God
3. Brings need for divine chastening - v. 7 b; Heb. 12:6
D. His prayerful approach - vs. 8-10
1. Feeling of utter helplessness - Jonah 2:1-2
2. Understanding futility of life - v. 9
a. How many praises do you hear from a graveyard?
b. Despair of routine of life - Job 7:1-4
3. His application - v. 10
a. Abandon all confidence in self - Lk. 9:23
b. Earnestly cast self upon the Lord’s mercy - Gen. 32:10 a
E. The Proclamation - vs. 11-12
1. His life was dramatically different
a. God changes the night to day (within) - Gal. 2:20
b. God removes the garments of sorrow (without) - 2 Cor. 5:15
2. God’s constant care prompts abundant thanksgiving - v. 12
a. For His lovingkindness & faithfulness - Psa. 100:4-5
b. So tell others too - Psa. 105:1
c. As partakers of the greatest feast - Col. 1:12-13
IV. What are some ways that we can show our thankfulness?
A. Remember in Luke 17:11-18 the one who was thankful came back and “glorified God with a loud voice, and fell on his face.”
1. “glorified God” – what does this mean? In Hebrew the word thanks (hdy) means to “give praise.” This fits perfectly.
2. “with a loud voice” – this is not a quiet internal thanks in a prayer
3. “fell on his face” – this is the utmost symbol of humility. Acknowledging that he is great and we are not worthy.
B. In Colossians 3:16 we are shown another kind of thankfulness. It is an internal kind of thanksgiving. “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
1. This is an example of internal thankful heart, not just a one time occurrence, but an attitude that lasts.
a. Col 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;”
C. Hebrews 12:28 “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show, gratitude by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;”
1. What kind of service shall we offer to God?
a. Witnessing: 1Chronicles 16:8 “Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples
b. Praise: 2 Samuel 22:50 “Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the nations, And I will sing praises to Your name.”
11. Ne 12:46 talks about “songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving”
c. Testimonies: Psalms 35:18 “I will give You thanks in the great congregation; I will praise You among a mighty throng.” Ps 111:1
1. You will be blessed if you do! Jer 33:11 “and of those who bring a thank offering into the house of the LORD. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first,’ says the LORD.
c. good works?
V. Here are some things to be thankful for: (in case you can’t think of anything!)
A. Philippians 1:3 “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you”
1. We all should be thankful that we have each other; some do not have this kind of body to rely upon.
2. For the Andrew in our life. John 1:41-43 Andrew went and got his brother Peter and brought him to the lord saying “We have found the Messiah…and he brought him to Jesus…" We should be thankful for whomever brought us to the Lord to being with. Do you even remember?
3. We can be thankful for those who helped us when we were physically spent. " Exodus 17:11-12.And so it was , when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and Moses’ hands were steady until the going down of the sun."
4. We should be thankful for those who encourage us when we are down. "Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God." I Samuel 23:16
VI. We are given a second chance to give thanks for everything! Just like in Esther…
A. Mordecai saved the king’s life. Esther 2:21-23 “21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s officials from those who guarded the door, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 22 But the plot became known to Mordecai and he told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai’s name. 23 Now when the plot was investigated and found to be so, they were both hanged on a gallows; and it was written in the Book of the Chronicles in the king’s presence.”
B. Instead of being thankful, he ends up persecuting Mordecai for his being a Jew. Esther 3:1-6. He set out to kill all the Jews for Mordecai not bowing down.
1. We all do this to God. He has given us so much, but are we thankful? No, instead we sin against him. How ungrateful we are!
C. The king couldn’t sleep so he looked through his records. He saw that he had never thanked Mordecai for what he’d done! Esther 6:1-3 “ 1 During that night the king could not sleep so he gave an order to bring the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. 2 It was found written what Mordecai had reported concerning Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who were doorkeepers, that they had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 3 The king said, "What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?" Then the king’s servants who attended him said, "Nothing has been done for him."
1. The king was reminded of something that he had forgotten to be thankful for, and he made things right. He rewarded Mordecai as he was due.
2. We are given this option right now. How many things are you thinking of Pray and tell God thanks for it. Make a list if you have to.
