THANKSGIVING: Give thanks with a grateful heart 11-26-23

THANKSGIVING: Give thanks with a grateful heart 11-26-23

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Thanksgiving

 

“Thanksgiving is about family, food, and football.”

 

What does Thanksgiving mean to you?

 

Back in 1988, a Polish railway worker named Jan Grzebski was hit by a train. He lived ... but only barely. For the next 19 years (until the year 2007), Grzebski was in a coma.

 

He awoke in 2007 to a whole new world. Nineteen years earlier, Poland was a communist state. Grzebski noted that back then meat was rationed and there were huge lines at nearly every gas station. And, "there was only tea and vinegar in the shops."

 

But 19 years later, he awoke to a free nation where he said there were "people on the streets with cell phones and there are so many goods in the shops it makes my head spin."

But something puzzled him. "What amazes me is all these people who walk around with their mobile phones and yet they never stop moaning."

 

These people had freedom, and food and wealth greater than Poland had had for decades ... and yet Grzebski woke from his coma to find that ALL they seemed to want to do was grumble!

If you don’t get into the habit of thanking God for what you DO have, you’ll soon become ungrateful because of what you DON’T have.

               Jeff Strite

 

In the 18th-century classic, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, William Law made the following statement:

 

“Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world? It is not he who prays most or fasts most; it is not he who gives most alms or is most eminent for temperance, chastity, or justice; but it is he who is always thankful to God, who wills everything that God wills, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness and has a heart always ready to praise God for it. Could you therefore work miracles, you could not do more for yourself than by this thankful spirit, for it turns all that it touches into happiness.”

 

“What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.”

               Psalms 116:12-14 NIV

 

I.  RECOGNIZE GOD’S GOODNESS TO YOU

 

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

               Psalms 34:8 NIV

 

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

               1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV

 

               A.  Count your blessings

 

               B.  How has God been good to you?

 

  C.  Contemplate your curses

 

Several churches in North Dakota were being served by a clever old preacher. The people were always amazed, for no matter what the circumstances, the preacher could always find something to give thanks for. As he made his rounds one cold December morning, he was late in getting to worship because of excessive snow drifts. As he began the service with prayer, the parishioners were eager to see what the old preacher could come up with to be thankful for on this dismal and frigid morning.

 

"Gracious Lord," his prayer began, "we thank you that all days are not like today."

               Sean Harder

 

               D.  How has God been with you during the difficult times?

 

Matthew Henry, the famous Bible scholar, was once accosted by thieves and robbed of his billfold. He wrote these memorable words in his diary:

 

"Let me be thankful, first, because I have never been robbed before; second, although they took my billfold, they did not take my life; third, because, although they took my all, it was not that much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed and not someone else."

               Dr. Larry Petton

 

II.  DEMONSTRATE GRATITUDE FOR GOD’S GOODNESS TO YOU

 

When asked to list what he was thankful for, one little boy wrote, "My glasses!"

 

"That's good," said the teacher, "they help you see better".

 

"No," responded the child, "I’m thankful for my glasses because they keep the other boys from hitting and fighting with me and the girls from kissing me."

 

This little guy clearly understood the meaning of gratitude.

               Offered by William Akehurst

 

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

               Psalms 118:1 NIV

 

1 Chronicles 16:8 and 34, Psalm 7:1, Psalm 9:1, Psalm 50:14, Psalm 69:30, Psalm 100:1-5, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 136:1, Ephesians 5:20, Colossians 3:15-17, Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, 

 

          A.  Consider God’s goodness to you

 

            B.  Express the inner reality

 

               C.  Tell of His wonders

 

John Wesley was about 21 years of age when he went to Oxford University. He came from a Christian home, and he was gifted with a keen mind and good looks. Yet in those days he was a bit snobbish and sarcastic.

 

One night, however, something happened that set in motion a change in Wesley's heart. While speaking with a porter, he discovered that the poor fellow had only one coat and lived in such impoverished conditions that he didn't even have a bed. Yet he was an unusually happy person, filled with gratitude to God.

 

Wesley, being immature, thoughtlessly joked about the man's misfortunes. "And what else do you thank God for?" he said with a touch of sarcasm.

 

The porter smiled, and in the spirit of meekness replied with joy, "I thank Him that He has given me my life and being, a heart to love Him, and above all a constant desire to serve Him!"

 

Deeply moved, Wesley recognized that this man knew the meaning of true thankfulness.

               Donnie Martin

 

“Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.”

               Psalms 105:2 NIV

 

III.  RESPOND THANKFULLY FOR GOD’S GOODNESS TO YOU

 

“What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.”

               Psalms 116:12-14 NIV

 

               A.  Lift up the cup of salvation

 

“I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord.”

               Psalms 116:17 NIV

 

                 1.  Demonstrate thanks

               B.  Call on the name of the Lord

                         1.  Proclaim thanks

           C.  Fulfilling your vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people

 

“I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord— in your midst, Jerusalem. Praise the Lord.”

               Psalms 116:18-19 NIV

 

                              1.  Live out your commitments

                              2.  Live out your commitments in the presence of all His people

 

CONCLUSION

 

Do something that shows you are thankful!

Say something that shows you are thankful!

Follow through with something you promised God you would do that shows you are thankful!

 

INVITATION

 

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.