Giving Thanks
Introduction:
Christians living in the United States have much to be thankful for. Often
we don’t even realize the value of the blessings we do have.
“I am reminded of the wealthy Texan who was in the habit of giving his
father unique gifs every father’s day. One year it was hang-gliding
lessons. The year before it was the entire record collection of Slim
Whitman’s Hits, autographed by the singer himself. But this past year he
had outdone himself. He purchased a rare kind of South American bird,
called the translator. This bird could speak five languages and sing
“Yellow Rose of Texas” in any key while standing on one foot. The talented
bird cost $10,000, but he felt it was worth every penny. This would be the
Father’s Day gift his dad would never forget.
A week after Father’s Day he called his father. ‘Dad, how did you like the
bird?’ His father responded, ‘It was delicious.’ ” Calvin Wittman
We have so much that sometimes we can’t see how much God has blessed us. No
doubt we live in an ungrateful and unthankful society; but as people who
have been given the gift of eternal live in heaven, we should never give in
to ingratitude. Psalm 103 is a wonderful passage that reminds us to “give
thanks” to the Lord because of who He is.
Body:
I.
Give Thanks for God Himself
Psalm 103:1 “Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me,
bless His holy name!”
NKJV
·
“Bless the Lord” – Express solemn words of appreciation, gratitude, and
respect. We think about His marvelous virtues and respond to them with
praise. (Psalm 100:1-5) “A Psalm of Thanksgiving Make a joyful shout to
the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His
presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made
us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be
thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is
everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.”
NKJV
Jehovah is the source of our joy. (Psalm 16:11) “You will show me the path
of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are
pleasures forevermore.”
NKJV
He is the source of all our blessings. (James 1:17) “Every good gift and
every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
NKJV
·
But praise requires preparation. He is worthy of our service. Note the
psalmist says “and all that is within me.” This requires humility,
faithfulness, and action on our part. See Deuteronomy 28:47. “Because you
did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the
abundance of everything.”
NKJV
Our praise and service are to be done with gladness. Note these words in
Jeremiah 33:11. “the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of
the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say:
‘Praise the Lord of hosts, For the Lord id good, For His mercy endures
forever’ ” –
NKJV
II.
Give Thanks for His Benefits
Psalm 103:2 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His
benefits;”
NKJV
·
All too often we do forget. We forget to thank Him for the amount of health
we do have, the soundness of our mind, our sight, our hearing, and a host of
other mercies.
·
We need to make sure there is not a deeper, uglier cause of our
unthankfulness. (Deuteronomy 8:1-2, 10, 11-12, 17) “Every commandment which
I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and
multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your
fathers. And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way
these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know
what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
10
When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for
the good land which He has given you.
11
Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His
commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today,
lest – when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and
dwell in them;
17
then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained
me this wealth’ ”
NKJV
III.
Give Thanks for God’s Forgiveness
Psalm 103:3 “Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your
diseases,”
NKJV
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Iniquities are failures to conform to the standards of God through our
thoughts, words, or deeds. Our sins will ultimately end in spiritual death,
an eternal separation from God. (Isaiah 59:1-2) “Behold, the Lord’s hand is
not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.
But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have
hidden His face from You, So that He will not hear.”
NKJV
·
Gratitude should be expressed everyday for God’s forgiveness. (Psalm
103:10-12) “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us
according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from
the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
NKJV
Forgiven sins will never be mentioned by God.
·
Forgiveness, though, requires repentance. (Luke 24:47) “and that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem.”
NKJV
(II Corinthians 7:9-11) “Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but
that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly
manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow
produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the
sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you
sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what
clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire,
what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be
clear in this matter.”
NKJV
IV.
Give Thanks for God’s Redemption, Mercy , and Compassion
Psalm 103:4 “Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you
with lovingkindness and tender mercies,”
NKJV
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God redeems us – rescues us. (Psalm 49:15) “But God will redeem my soul
from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me.”
NKJV
God delivers us from what we deserve.
·
Christ redeemed us by shedding His blood on the cross. (Ephesians 1:7) “In
Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according
to the riches of His grace”
NKJV
(Hebrews 9:12) “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own
blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal
redemption.”
NKJV
·
God shows mercy and compassion to those who don’t deserve it. (Psalm
103:8-10) “The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding
in mercy. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger
forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us
according to our iniquities.”
NKJV
He tempers His anger. (Romans 2:4) “Or do you despise the riches of His
goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of
God leads you to repentance?”
NKJV
How grateful we should be!
V.
Give Thanks for God’s Satisfaction
Psalm 103:5 “Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your
youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
NKJV
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The Lord satisfies us with good things as long as we live. (Psalm 31:19)
“Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear
You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of
the sons of men!”
NKJV
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He renews us and gives us strength to endure. (Isaiah 40:29-31) “He gives
power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly
fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall
mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall
walk and not faint.”
NKJV
He understands our weaknesses. (Psalm 103:13-16) “As a father pities his
children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He
remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a
flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it
is gone, And its place remembers it no more.”
NKJV
·
When God puts grey in your hair, it’s His way of saying, “You won’t be here
forever.”
Conclusion:
God truly is good to us. It is right that we give thanks for all He has
done for us and continues to do for us. Read Psalm 92:1-2. “It is good to
give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To
declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every
night,”
NKJV
Bobby Stafford
November 19, 2017
