As we look around we see in this culture: founded on the principles of Christ; a society who is consumed with themselves and so as a matter of course they; living consistently with this world view: say I am thankful for me. I am thankful that I am free that I have food, that my team has won the game and my family is safe. A great number of parents say that "they just want their children to be happy"- who here would trade righteousness for happiness?
Yes at thanksgiving many Americans are happy for a day off and to be able to watch football. The ones who do try and consider the concept of thankfulness will be concerned about themselves first and believing if they could just get what is that they desire then they will be happy. This is why it is so fitting in a narcissistic culture for the day after thanksgiving to be the biggest sales event of the year. AKA- Black Friday.
But we conservative Christian folks with our eye on heavenly things are so proper we have no joy at all. We are the righteous elect and they are the wicked; you can tell because there having all the fun.. Right
àWrong we have hope, life, the truth and everlasting joy!
Don't get me wrong; do's and don'ts are very important.Do catechize – Deuteronomy 6
Do be honest- Exodus 20
Do be moral- Exodus 20
Do honor your parents-Exodus 20
Do be serious- 1 Tim 3:8
Don't be foolish – Ephesians 5:17
Don't reject Gods word- John 12:48
These are good; these are right, I can give you scripture for these things and you should never forget them
Our temptation is to be mechanistic systematic and pragmatic; we want a 3 step program to make everything ok. We want to parent externals for performance and our comfort. If the outside looks good then we are satisfied. In the end if we don't get what we expect we can shake our fist at God and say "why have you done this to me?"
We have all seen this àbut we are the recipients of (so great a salvation)? (Can I have an amen)Hebrews 2:3
Remember (the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field) Genesis 3:1. The whole of humanity fell in the garden on the hinge of a subtle lie; at its heart it was discontentment.
- What's my message today? Thanksgiving is an exercise in GratefulnessOur religion is relational and what we get is what we got. God is sovereign, be content.
- Discontent kills Gratefulness!
- We the created saying to God what hath thou rott?
Genesis 3:2And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.
- Eve misquotes God- Pietism(adding to Gods word) Genesis2:16-17
- Original sin =act of ungratefulness/discontentedness
- Having all the other trees to eat and walking with God in the garden they were tempted to reach for something different – pride.
- First a lie- you will not surly die
- Second – you will preside over; decide for yourself good and evil.
- Pietism(self righteousness) kills GratefulnessPietism= Following the standards of man in order to be righteous(Extremely strict devotion, or affectation of piety -Webster 1828)
- How did the children of Israel fail Gods call? They made standards God did not make becoming proud and critical as a result.
- Created the pharisaic codes
- Secondly they despised their neighbors for not following them and in the end hated and crucified Jesus for it.
- Israel is discontented with Gods purpose, word and forgiveness.
- What was Gods purpose for Israel?
- Isaiah 49:6 he says: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."
- They created for themselves a 6200 page volume of extra rules and interpretations for following God- in The Talmud
- Why did Jonah get angry? Jonah 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was angry.
- Jonah is a prophet who speaks for God and is mad about repentance? Yes; because he wanted vengeance!
- Gratefulness is the key!
- Remember we are to tell our children and celebrate the truth. To instill in them Grateful contentment.
- Teach them what to do—Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
- The feasts of Israel were commanded by God as an institution for the remembering the goodness of God. Special events for punctuating the greatness of God.
- Passover- remember Gods deliverance in Egypt Leviticus 23:5
- The feast of unleavened bread- Remember the speedy departure from Egypt – Exodus 12:34,39
- The feast of first fruits – celebrate the early harvest and rite relationship with God. Leviticus 23:10-14
- The feast of Pentecost – harvest celebration Leviticus 23:15-21
- The feast of trumpets- Remember gods judgments Leviticus 23:24-25
- The Day of Atonement –Forgiveness of sins. Leviticus 16:31
- The feast of Tabernacles- celebrate harvest Leviticus 23:34-44
- Can you imagine the conversations as they did these things and the effect on their children?
Gratefulness is an act of Thanksgiving and thanksgiving is an act of praise! Is it any wonder that the world does so much else, they simply don't get it and we have been distracted.
- Gratefulness is the engine of the Christian religion. Look at the story in
- Matt 18:23-35 23"Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' 27And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you owe.' 29So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' 30He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' 34And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."
- Ten thousand Talents is about 160,000 years wages or 60,000,000 denarii
- 100 Denarii is 100 days labor.
The question is, are you willing to be a forgiving person? Right;
NO the question is can you be forgiving? But not completely, if you look deeper there is another concept waiting to be revealed. The first servant is unable to forgive his friend because he himself is ungrateful to the king! Having understood the magnitude of what the king had done he would have been compelled to forgive everyone who owed him anything at all. If he had really received this forgiveness from the king; than he must be grateful and forgive others!
Just listen. This is it the secret to the Christian life. We are to respond to the risen savior with a Total and complete rapture of Gratitude for what, not simply salvation but a relationship with the King of Kings!
THANKSGIV'ING, ppr. Rendering thanks for good received.
n. The act of rendering thanks or expressing gratitude for favors or mercies.
Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if received with thanksgiving. 1 Tim.4.—Webster's 1828
GRA'TEFUL, a. [from L. gratus. See Grace.](God has poured his Grace on us)
- Having a due sense of benefits; kindly disposed towards one from whom a favor has been received; willing to acknowledge and repay benefits; as a grateful heart.
- Benefits= regeneration-propitiation-imputation-redemption-reconciliation-justification-adoption-sanctification-glorification – Holy Spirit
àContentment= Recognizing the Sovereignty of God and being happy with it.
- God has given you a holy and heavenly gift of such magnitude as to be unsearchable. Paul in Ephesians 3:8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
Let's see how this looks, -
James 2: 14-2614What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"—and he was called a friend of God. 24You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
We are compelled to action by an overwhelming awe of the God of creation who in his holiness is also the author of the cross. That's what motivates the Christian faith to stand before the world and oblivion
Conclusion—
I exhort you Give thanks--
- In all Circumstance1Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
2. as a matter of course
Ephesians 5:14-21 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
"Awake, O sleeper,and arise from the dead,and Christ will shine on you."15Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
3. This is reality
Psalms 100
1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!2 Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!3 Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
4. Because Jesus Christ is Lord
Revelation 11:17
saying: " We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned ..
- Discontentment kills Gratefulness, turning everything in your life sour.
- Pietism (self-righteousness) kills Gratefulness. It is Idolatry
- Gratefulness is the key (the engine) of Christianity. It drives us were we should go and we must pass on a taste for it to our posterity.
God the creator and sustainer of all things, not bound by time sent his son to die for you while you were yet in your sin. He knew every transgression and saved you anyhow. Commanding the stars on one hand and our very molecules on the other; suffered a brutal humiliation to enter into covenant with us. He brings his justice and holiness into our presence and there is peace! What else can we say but HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, is the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY who was and is and is to come. Revelation 4:8
