INTRODUCTION
SLIDE #1
Signs You¡¦ve Eaten Too Much at Thanksgiving:
The Gravy Boat your wife set out is a actual 12¡¦ boat.
On Friday, you set off three seismographs on your morning jog.
Pricking your finger for a blood test only yields gravy
That rash on your stomach turns out to be steering wheel burn
Representatives from the Butterball Hall of Fame have called twice. (www.sermoncentral.com)
A mother turkey was disappointed to hear that her teenage son had gotten into trouble and had been locked in jail. She fumed all the way to bail him out. When she finally saw her son, she gave him a terrible lecture. "If your father knew what you had just done, he would roll over in his gravy." (www.sermoncentral.com)
„X Life can sometimes deal us a hand that can make it hard for us to have a thankful attitude.
„X Talk about not feeling to thankful.
„X Talk about going back to some of the basics to find an attitude of thanksgiving. We have to look past all the material things that we tend to thank God for and look at a deeper level for reasons to be thankful.
SERMON
I am thankful because¡K¡K.. (SLIDE #2)
I. GOD IS MY GUIDE. PROVERBS 3:5-6
„X How many people do you know who live their lives with no direction?
„X When you belong to Jesus, we have a great promise of guidance from God. SLIDE #3 READ PROVERBS 3:5-6
„X Trust- Lie helpless face-down. Putting all your weight on God.
„X Lean not on you own understanding. DO not hold your self up with your own knowledge and wisdom.
„X In all your Ways. (EVERYTHING YOU DO BEFORE YOU DO IT!
„X Acknowledge- Not just verbal thing. We think about the consequences of our actions on God¡¦s kingdom, we think about what God¡¦s would want us to do; we consider what is spiritually best for others.
„X Paths straight. This only happens when our eyes are fixed on Jesus! SLIDE # 4
„X READ PSALMS 37:1-6
„X The snow covered the ground where three lads were playing. A man came along and said to them, "Would you like to try a race and the winner receive a prize?"
„X The boys agreed and the man told them that his race was to be different. "I will go to the other side of the field," he said, "and when I give you the signal, you will start to run. The one whose footsteps are the straightest in the snow will be the winner."
„X The race commenced and the first boy kept looking at his feet to see if his steps were straight.
„X The second lad kept looking at his companions to see what they were doing; but the third boy just ran on with his eyes steadfastly fixed on the man on the other side of the field.
„X The third lad was the winner, for his footsteps were straight in the snow. He had kept his eyes on the goal ahead of him.
I am thankful because¡K¡K.. SLIDE #5
II. GOD IS MY GUARDIAN. 1 CORINTHIANS 10:13
„X Isn¡¦t it nice to know someone is watching out for you? Isn¡¦t it nice to know someone is looking out for your best interests? SLIDE #6
„X 1CORINTHIANS 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
„X Temptation is not sin, following through with it is. We are not helpless. We have a God who is our guardian! SLIDE #7
„X 2 THESSALONIANS 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.
„X God does not hang us out to dry!
„X It is so good to know that God is the one who watches over me, the one who will make sure I am not in a situation where I HAVE to compromise my faithfulness to Him. (CLICK ON #7 AGAIN)
„X 1PE 2:25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
„X We were not saved by God¡¦s grace so that we could fall prey to the devil and his schemes.
I am thankful because¡K¡K (SLIDE #8)
III. GOD IS THE GIVER. JOHN 16:24
SLIDE #9
„X JOHN 16:24 "Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.
„X We tend to be thankful to people who give us things. God is the GREAT giver!
„X What can man give you? What can a parent give you? What can a spouse give you? What can your friends give you? God can give you eternal life through Jesus.
„X I am SO THANKFUL that God did not reject me, that God does not reject ANYONE. Paul said it best in 1 Timothy 1:15 when he said, ¡§It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.¡¨
„X God has given me ALL I have, a wife I could only dream of having, two beautiful daughters, one who has married a great Christian man. He has given me a wonderful church to serve and be a part of!
„X JAMES 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. SLIDE #10
„X PHILIPPIANS 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
„X How many times have we allowed anxiety rule our lives? We are told that we need not be anxious because God hears our cries, He knows what we need in life!
„X The fact that God is our giver should make us feel grateful and it should help us keep our possessions in a proper perspective.
I am thankful because¡K¡K.. SLIDE #11
IV. GOD IS GLORIOUS! ROMANS 8:28
SLIDE #12
„X ROMANS 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
„X Those who are called according to His purpose are all of those who are obedient to the call the Gospel!
„X SLIDE #13
„X Joseph was a man who had many things go wrong in his life. With all the bad things that happened to him, he still maintained his faithfulness to God. When given an opportunity to get back at his brothers for what they did to him years earlier he told them the following in Genesis 50:20 ; "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.
„X The famous blind songwriter Fanny Crosby wrote more than 8,000 songs. This fact and other interesting highlights in the life of Miss Crosby were revealed by Warren Wiersbe in his book Victorious Christian. Wiersbe explained that when Fanny was only 6 weeks old a minor eye inflammation developed. The doctor who treated the case was careless, though, and she became totally and permanently blind.
„X Fanny Crosby harbored no bitterness against the physician, however. In fact, she once said of him, "If I could meet him now, I would say thank you, over and over again for making me blind." She felt that her blindness was a gift from God to help her write the hymns that flowed from her pen. According to those who knew her, Miss Crosby probably would have refused treatment even if it could have assured the restoration of her sight.
„X Wiersbe concluded by commenting: "It was said of another blind hymnwriter, George Matheson that God made him blind so he could see clearly in other ways and become a guide to men. This same tribute could be applied to Fanny Crosby, who triumphed over her handicap and used it to the glory of God." Yes, this talented woman allowed her tragedy to make her better instead of bitter.
„X There are so many bad things that can and many times do happen in life. Isn¡¦t it wonderful to know that if you belong to Jesus, that God can take a terrible situation and use it for good. I have seen God work in this manner many times.
„X He does not promise we will not face the bad things of this world, He says He will use it those times to make something good happen.
„X When tragedy strikes, we do not have to feel all is lost, we can start looking for what God is going to do with it!
CONCLUSION
„X Thanksgiving is a holiday that gives us the opportunity to be thankful for the way that God has blessed us. SLIDE #14
„X There are times that we do not feel very blessed, but let us remember that God is our Guide, Guardian, Giver and that our God is GLORIOUS!!!
„X Let us all look deep within ourselves and search for the ways that God has blessed us!
„X Let us focus on the blessings that God has, is and will give us in the future as we serve Him! Let us give thanks to him.
„X Thankfulness flows from a changed heart!
