Why Be Thankful?

Why Be Thankful?

Ps 103:1-13

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: NOT THANKFUL

1. Grandma was babysitting her four-year-old grandson, Sean, for the first time. At the supper table she asked Sean to “Thank God for our food.” Sean said, “No! I don’t want to!”

2. “Well, at Grandma’s house, we thank God for the food before we eat.” “You can’t make me,” protested Sean.

3. Grandma said, “If we don’t pray, we don’t eat.” “Well,” Sean replied, "I would say it if you’d made mashed potatoes. How can I be thankful for a plate full of yucky stuff?”

4. Many of us aren’t too different from Sean. We’re not always thankful for what life puts on our plate. It’s not that we want to be ungrateful; it’s just that we don’t see much to be thankful for.

B. VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giuwFLBXVIs

C. TEXT

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-- 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: 8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.”

D. THESIS

1. This is Thanksgiving week when most of us have get together with family and friends, receive gifts, and eat too much food.

2. I thought this would be an appropriate time to remember all the things God has done for us.

3. We all have a lot of reasons to be thankful. Today we’re going to look at Psalm 103:1-5 and see the 5 reasons “Why Be Thankful.”

I. THANKFUL FOR FORGIVENESS

Verse 3a: “…who forgives all your sins…”

A. ILLUSTRATION

1. One day a man was hanging around his pastor’s house. He picked up a book that was on a shelf and began to read. Suddenly he shouted, “Praise God! That is totally awesome!”

2. The pastor asked, “What did you find so amazing?” The visitor replied, “This book says that in certain places the sea is 5 miles deep!”

3. “Yes, that’s right,” said the pastor. “What of it?” The visitor answered, “Why the Bible says that my sins have been cast into the depth of the sea, and if it’s that deep, I’m not afraid of their coming up again.”

4. “The pressure of the water is so great there that if the largest battleship could be sunk to that depth, it would be crushed like an egg shell.”

B. HOW TO GET FORGIVENESS

1. There’s no mistaking it—God offers forgiveness. All any person must do is repent and forsake his sin, and God will forgive him and revoke the penalty of sin.

2. Forgiveness can’t be bought. It’s not for sale. It is so precious that it’s beyond price, yet God offers it for free!

3. From the depths of our hearts, let’s let a sense of gratitude well up. God is SO good to be forgiving!

II. THANKFUL FOR REDEMPTION

Verse 4a: “…who redeems your live from the pit…”

A. THE PRICE THAT WAS PAID

1. The London Times publishes the prices paid for art objects in all of the salesrooms of the world.

2. If a painting is sold in New York or Paris or Rome or London, The Times gives the full details of the sale. You can judge the value of the painting by the price paid for it.

3. And we can judge our value by the price Jesus paid for us—the depths into which He had to reach in order to redeem us.

B. THE ONE GUILTY PRISONER

1. I love the story of Governor Neff, of Texas, spoke to the assembled convicts of penitentiaries of that state. He finished by saying that he would remain to listen if any man wanted to speak with him.

2. When the meeting was over, a large group of men remained, many of them lifers. One by one they each told the governor that he was there through a frame-up, and injustice, or a judicial blunder. Each asked to be freed.