The Thanksgiving Thieves

THE THANKSGIVING THIEVES

Psalm 92:1

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: EXCUSES ABOUT NOT GOING TO CHURCH

1. Two Christian men were fishing on Sunday morning but were feeling pretty guilty, especially since the fish weren't biting.

2. One said to the other, "I feel a little guilty about not being in church. I guess I should have stayed home and gone to the service."

3. The other replied lazily, "Well, I couldn't have gone to church anyway." "Why not?" "My wife is sick in bed."

B. THANKSGIVING DAY THIEVES CAUGHT

1. Last Thanksgiving (Nov. 25, 2021), Santa Barbara, California Sherriff’s deputies responded to a call about a theft that had just occurred of a catalytic converter.

2. Deputies canvassed the area and located 3 suspects. When they approached the vehicle, deputies noticed catalytic converters as well as saws and a large vehicle jack in plain view. Three males were subsequently arrested for being turkeys on Thanksgiving Day.

3. Like the Grinch who stole Christmas, they were found guilty of stealing people’s joy at Thanksgiving.

C. APPLIED TO US

1. Just like these thieves, there are four thieves that steal our joy at Thanksgiving and ought to be arrested and put behind bars. These creatures of chaos need to receive an eviction notice from the Lord and be ejected from our lives.

2. The four are self-centeredness, aggravation at small problems, discontent, and unbelief in God. Let’s look at these four Thanksgiving Thieves! The first is...

I. SELF-CENTEREDNESS

A. “WHERE ARE THE NINE?”

1. “One [leper], when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Lk. 17:15-19

2. The Lord Jesus was shocked that the other nine lepers never returned to say “Thank you” for their healing. Why didn’t they? Because they were focused on themselves and not on the God who had done so much for them.

B. THE “BIG ME:” US IN FOCUS

1. Researcher David Brooks discovered data suggesting that there’s been a broad shift in the US from a culture of humility to a culture of “the Big Me;” from a culture that encouraged people to think humbly of themselves to a culture that encourages people to see themselves as the center of the universe.

2. In 1954, psychologists asked 10,000 adolescents whether they considered themselves to be a very important person. 12 percent said ‘yes.’ In 1989, 80 percent of boys and 77 percent of girls said something like, “Somebody should write a biography about me.” Now, 93% of young people agree with the statement, “I am an extraordinary person.” [David Brooks The Road to Character, Random House, 2016].

3. Nicolaus Copernicus declared, "Earth is not the center of the cosmos--The sun does not move around us; we move around the sun." Years later, Jean Piaget studied children and declared, "Each child must experience his or her own 'Copernican revolution.' They must learn that they are not the center of their world." They do not always get to have things the way they want them.

4. But Satan wants us to put ourselves in the center. The second Thanksgiving Thief is...

II. AGGRAVATION AT SMALL PROBLEMS

A. THE MARTHA SYNDROME

1. Luke 10:40 says, “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to [Jesus] and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

2. When Martha complained to Jesus about Mary not helping her with the task of serving, Jesus replied, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her"(Vs. 41-42).

3. Luke described Martha as "cumbered” (KJV) or weighed down with much serving. This hints that Martha had put ACTIVITY in the place of COMMUNION WITH JESUS!

B. HOLY SPIRIT SPOTLIGHT

1. There’s something remarkable about this passage of Scripture; Jesus preached a sermon in Martha's living room, yet the content of what he said was not considered important enough to record.

2. The Holy Spirit felt that it was more important that we notice the difference between Mary and Martha, than what the Lord Jesus said! The Holy Spirit, in doing this, shows how important this lesson is to God.

3. For some of us, becoming more thankful means we must simplify our lives and carve out time in our schedules so we can spend quality time with Jesus. The 3rd Thanksgiving Thief is...