Please turn in your Bibles this morning to Psalm 100 as we look at a Psalm of Thanksgiving. I hope you enjoyed your thanksgiving this year, I always do. It is a time of family, friends, food and fun! As a kid, I loved Thanksgiving because it meant a few extra days off of school. For others, they have that motto, “Shop till you drop!” You see, all the Christmas sales begin, that Friday after Thanksgiving and that madness will continue until Christmas! And sadly, I think there were some stores that have even opened up this year on Thanksgiving! And let’s face it; this time of year and on through Christmas can be very busy!
Now, for the most part there is nothing wrong with those things. The problem I see here is that something is missing, something that is very important. You see, to be politically correct, we can’t thank God any more, we can’t praise Jesus for what He has done for us. For others, they are just too busy to even think of God, let alone thank Him for all He has done. The bottom line is this. Without God we would not even be here! Thus, it is important that we take the time, not just one day a year, but every day, thanking God for who He is and all that He has done, is doing and will do in our lives!
I know, that sounds pretty radical, thanking God every day, but think about it. How often do you tell your spouse that you love them? If it is only once a year, come and see me after service, we need to talk! I can’t think of one day that has gone by where my wife hasn’t told me she loved me or I told her that I love her. Why do we do that? Because we love each other and want to express that love, we want them to know!
How much more should we be thanking God, showing our love towards Him, telling Him that we love Him! Some say, “My actions show that I love Him!” That may be true, but like my wife told me one day, “Joe, I know you love me, you do so much for me, but I like to hear it!” Others may say, “He is God, He already knows that I love Him!” that is true, but He created us for His good pleasure. He created us so we can have fellowship with Him. Thus, give Him thanks!
Now, before we get to our text this morning, let me share with you a few prayers regarding Thanksgiving and the focus of these prayers, which will then lead us into our study.
In 1623, William Bradford, the first Governor of the Colony, wrote a proclamation containing the spirit of the first Thanksgiving. We are told:
Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, squashes and garden vegetables, and made the forest to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from the pestilence and granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience, now I, you magistrate do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of nine and twelve in the daytime on Thursday, November ye 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three, and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Plymouth Rock, there listen to ye Pastor and render Thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all his blessings.
- William Bradford, 1623, the governor of Plymouth Colony
Lincoln's original 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation came - spiritually speaking - at a pivotal point in his life. During the first week of July of that year, the Battle of Gettysburg occurred, resulting in the loss of some 60,000 American lives. Four months later in November, Lincoln delivered his famous "Gettysburg Address." It was while Lincoln was walking among the thousands of graves there at Gettysburg that he committed his life to Christ. As he explained to a friend:
When I left Springfield [to assume the Presidency] I asked the people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ.
The Following is the 1863 Lincoln Presidential Proclamation - celebrated shortly after Lincoln committed his life to Christ and celebrated while America was still in the midst of its Civil War. It was this proclamation, which eventually led to the establishment of our national Thanksgiving holiday.
The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the Source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.
In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.
Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the field of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than theretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.
In testimony wherof I have herunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
[Signed]
A. Lincoln
George Washington's
1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation
Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the
providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for
His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor;
and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee,
requested me to "recommend to the people of the United
States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed
by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors
of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably
to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And
also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers
and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech
Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable
us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our
several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render
our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly
being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly
and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns
and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and
to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote
the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the
increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant
unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone
knows to be best.
Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October,
A.D. 1789.
Did you notice how these leaders, these believers, in each of their prayers, gave thanks to Almighty God for who He is and the blessings He has bestowed upon them and the people of this great nation. As you are going to see, having a heart of thanksgiving is not just a good idea, it should be a way of life for us. With that said, let’s begin reading in Psalm 100, starting in verse 1 and let’s see what the Lord has to say in regards to us being thankful!
As I read through these five verses I see five points that the Lord is making through David in regards to why we should be thankful. Obviously there are more than five points in the Scriptures, but we are going to focus on these five points this morning because I believe it is a good foundation for us to build upon in regards to having a thankful heart. Here are the five points we will be looking at this morning:
1. PRAISE THE LORD
– PSALM 100:1
2. SERVE THE LORD
WITH THANKSGIVING – PSALM 100:2
3. UNDERSTAND THE
LORD – PSALM 100:3
4. FELLOWSHIP WITH
THE LORD – PSALM 100:4
5. GOODNESS AND TRUTHS
OF THE LORD – PSALM 100:5
Now before we look at those verses more closely, listen to what Paul says in Romans 1:18-25, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
You see, one of the things God judges them on is a heart that is unthankful. Yes, Paul is speaking of unbelievers and how they suppress the truth of God so they can do their own thing and God will give them over to the wickedness of their own hearts. But I also think we, as Christians need to be careful in this area, of not being thankful because it can lead us away from God. Not that God moved, but we will!
You can focus on all the things you don’t have, all the hardships you are or have gone through, all the difficulties you face and as a person does that I will guarantee you this, you will not be thankful. If I were to go around and ask you to share with us all your problems you have faced or are facing right now, besides taking forever, you thought my sermons were long, but if we did that we would all leave here depressed!
Now please understand, I am not negating the difficult times you are facing or making it amount to nothing, but you need to bring it to the Lord and let them go and be thankful. I know, that is hard and some of you may not agree with this, but listen to what Paul said in I Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Notice that Paul doesn’t say to rejoice when things are going well but to rejoice always! How can we do that? Because, as Christians our joy is not based in outward circumstances but in the Lord and He never changes. That is what Habakkuk found out as he said, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls — Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills.” Habakkuk 3:17-19.
We are to pray without ceasing which simply means our lives should be in tune with God throughout the day, our lines of communication are always open to God so that He can direct us throughout the day!
How in the world can I give thanks in everything? The only way we can is by knowing and believing that, “ . . . all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” The Amplified Bible puts this verse, Romans 8:28 like this, “We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.” Does that mean we will always know the good that will come out of a difficult situation? No, we must learn to trust God by faith, to rest our weight fully upon Him! God is still on the throne, He is still in control, and nothing happens without His knowledge!
And here is the key to all of this; rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, giving thanks in everything to God, it is God’s will for our lives and it is not that we have to do it, but we get to do it!
With that said, let’s look at these five points so that we may gain a heart of thankfulness towards the Lord.
1. PRAISE THE LORD – PSALM 100:1
Are you grateful for the Nation, the State, the City that God has placed you in? I hope so! We live a great county, a great state, a great city because this is where God has us! But, what if you were living in Iraq, the Sudan, Syria, or some other dangerous place where you are unsure if you will live or die every day? You know what, you still need to be thankful and praise the Lord!
I know, that sounds crazy, but God has you in the place He wants you and when He wants to move you, He will, you need to just follow. You see, in any situation, in any land you should be able to shout for joy because the Lord has brought you to this place. It does not mean you have to like it, but understand that God is working even in the darkest of times! Thus, you can be thankful.
But what happens in America is that we are very unthankful and we complain about this and we complain about that. It was interesting when we first moved up here and we moved into our house. What I didn’t know is that there was a north side of town and a south side of town and there was this animosity between the two. I had no clue but there were people that were upset because of the side of town we were living in. I didn’t get it, Manitowoc is not that big to have a north side and south side, but the people made one and it was an issue. Thank God the church is in the middle of town or we would be in trouble!
And folks, you can take that to all kinds of things, people wanting bigger homes, better cars, more toys, more of this and more of that and they are unthankful for what they do have. Think about it, our garbage is more than what some people will have in a lifetime in other parts of the world and we are unthankful? We have lost the focus of what it is all about. Be careful! It is as David said, “Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!” Psalm 100:1
2. SERVE THE LORD WITH THANKSGIVING –
PSALM 100:2
Have you ever talked with someone who just complained and complained about serving the Lord? Yes, they want to be involved in ministry, they like the title or whatever, they just don’t like the work and thus, they complain about all the work they have to do, that they have to do this or they have to do that and-so-on. They just complain! Folks, that is not honoring to the Lord nor is it serving the Lord with a heart of thanksgiving!
If you feel that way then you are approaching ministry wrong. It is not that you have to serve the Lord because you don’t! But you do get to serve the Lord with the gift that He has given to you to bless the body of Christ. He is allowing you to serve Him and thus, serve Him with gladness, serve Him with a heart of thanksgiving knowing that He could use a donkey but instead He chose you, He chose me!
And folks, if any of you are involved in ministry here at Calvary and you feel that way, that you are not serving the Lord with gladness, but are complaining all the time, see me and if it can’t be resolved, then you need to step down. I know, that may seem harsh, but think about it. If you are not serving with gladness, with a heart of thanksgiving, you are not doing yourself any good and you are not helping others, you will just draw them down that same path you are walking on! Paul put it like this in Colossians 3:23, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” The Amplified Bible puts this verse like this, “Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men.” And The Living Bible puts it like this, “Work hard and cheerfully at all you do, just as though you were working for the Lord and not merely for your masters.”
That is how we are to serve, giving our best, doing it heartedly unto the Lord with joy in our hearts and with thanksgiving as we serve the King of kings and Lord of lords! Again, David said, “Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.” Psalm 100:2.
3. UNDERSTAND THE LORD – PSALM 100:3
I think this is important for us to understand if we are going to have a heart filled with thankfulness unto God. We need to understand that He is God and that He created us. We are not here by random chance with no hope, no direction, no nothing! We are here because of a loving God who created us and is actively involved in our lives, in all that we do. Thus, we are His, we know His will for our lives and like sheep, we follow after Him.
Folks, the more you learn about the Lord through His Word the more you will see His beauty, His love, that He wants what is best for our lives and thus, the more you will be thankful! Peter put it this way in II Peter 3:17-18, “You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”
Some people feel that they just don’t have the time to get to know God, to study His Word. As I thought about that I was saddened. You see, how many people know the names of the players on their favorite sport teams, they know their stats and all about them? Or their favorite TV show or movie star? They know where the latest sales are. They know all kinds of things. You see, whatever is important to you, you will know!
Folks, it is truly important for us to know the Lord, to learn about Him, to grow in Him because, as difficult times come, and they will, you will know His character and thus, you will have a thankful heart because you know Him! It is as David said, “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.” Psalm 100:3.
4. FELLOWSHIP WITH THE LORD – PSALM
100:4
As you fellowship with God, individually or in a corporate setting like church, are you thankful to Him for that time? You see, you need to be. Folks, as we worship the Lord, as the worship team leads us in worship, do you allow those words we are singing to draw you close to Him? As we study His Word, do you allow God to teach you? As you wake-up in the morning do you thank God for another day you get to fellowship with Him? You see, we need to! In Psalm 27:4 we are told, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.” And in Psalm 29:2 we are told, “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”
Having a heart that is in fellowship with God will lead us to having a heart that is filled with thanksgiving. You can’t spend time with God without having a heart of thanksgiving! But for some, as they enter the church, as they gather together, they can’t wait to leave. They are thankful, but only when they can walk out! Thus, if you enter in with that attitude, with anger, with bitterness, with sin and you hold onto it, you will not be thankful because you don’t really want the fellowship with God, because He will convict you of your sin! You need to repent and get right with God! It is as David said, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4.
5. GOODNESS AND TRUTHS OF THE LORD – PSALM 100:5
First of all the Lord is good. We need to understand that because situations we face may cause us to doubt that fact. Now how do I know the Lord is good? Because I am still here and so are you and I know you and you know me! You see, we were sinners separated from God by our sin and Jesus stepped in and shed His blood so that our sins can be cast as far as the east is from the west to be remembered no more. The Lord could have destroyed me, He could have destroyed you but in His mercy He extended to us grace through His Son Jesus Christ! That goodness should lead us to have a thankful heart unto the Lord and if it doesn’t I don’t think anything will help!
And folks, study the Scriptures and see the goodness of God towards you and it will bring you to that place of thanksgiving towards Him. It is as the Psalmist said in Psalm 107:8-9, “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.” We need to thank Him for His goodness towards us!
We are also to be thankful for Hs truth, that His Word is truth! . We live in a day when the world believes there are no absolute truths, it is all subjective. What may be true for you, is not for me. And now we are reaping the consequences of those lies. In the July 1997 issue of U.S. News and World Report, there appeared a very disturbing report based on two articles from the publication "The Chronicle Of Higher Education". The educators who wrote these articles were expressing shock at the moral relativism being expressed by their students.
Robert L. Simon (a professor of philosophy at Hamilton College) related his students’ reaction to the Holocaust. He stated: “Although groups denying the reality of the Holocaust have raised controversies...I have recently seen an increasing number of students who, although well-meaning, hold almost as troubling views.”
“They accept the reality of the Holocaust, but they believe themselves unable morally to condemn it, or indeed to make any moral judgments whatsoever. Such students typically comment that they themselves deplore the Holocaust and other great evils, but then they wind up by suspending moral judgment...In an increasingly multicultural society, it is not surprising that many students believe that criticizing the codes of conduct of other groups and cultures is either unwise or prohibited. They equate such criticism with intolerance and the coercive imposition of a powerful culture's norms on the less powerful.” He calls this “ABSOLUTOPHOBIA”.
In another article in the same issue of The Chronicle, Kay Haugaard (an instructor of creative writing at Pasadena City College) was dismayed with her students who had read a story about human sacrifice (where people are ritually stoned to death believing their crops will then grow well). Haugaard couldn't believe the responses from her students when asked their views on human sacrifice. She stated: “No one in the whole class of more than 20 ostensibly intelligent individuals would go out on a limb and take a stand against human sacrifice.”
The author of the U.S. News and World report article commented on what these educators are saying: “Postmodern theory on campuses denies the existence of any objective personal preferences...The search is on for a teachable consensus rooted in simple decency and respect...As a spur to reshaping it, we might discuss a culture so morally confused that students are showing up at colleges reluctant to say anything negative about mass slaughter.”
And I see the church following right along, afraid to say anything that might hurt someone, even if what they are doing is wrong, or the doctrines they are teaching are in error!
And yet, God says that His truth endures to all generations.
When Jesus said:
“I AM THE WAY” - it flies in the face of pluralism, that all roads lead to God.
When Jesus said:
“I AM THE TRUTH” - It flies in the face of relativism. Truth is absolute when you look at God's Word.
When Jesus said:
“I AM THE LIFE” - It flies in the face of hedonism, that pleasure is the way to life.
Thus, the goodness and truth of God should lead us to have a thankful heart towards God. It is as David said, “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.” Psalm 100:5.
As I close this morning may we leave here with thankful hearts unto the Lord knowing that we are to PRAISE THE LORD. We are to SERVE THE LORD WITH THANKSGIVING. We are to UNDERSTAND THE LORD. We are to FELLOWSHIP WITH THE LORD. And we are to see the GOODNESS AND TRUTHS OF THE LORD.
Let me leave you with these words from Paul in Colossians chapter 2, keeping in mind that thanksgiving for the Christian is not just one day a year, but every day of our lives should be filled with thanksgiving unto the Lord. Paul put it like this, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” The Amplified Bible puts these verses like this, “As you have therefore received Christ, [even] Jesus the Lord, [so] walk (regulate your lives and conduct yourselves) in union with and conformity to Him. Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:6-7. May we go out with joy and be lead forth in peace and bring our thanksgiving before our Lord!