Give Thanks

There are more reasons to be thankful to the King of kings and Lord of lords than can be articulated in this brief time we are together this morning.

It has been said,

Thanksgiving is not a natural virtue; it is a fruit of the Spirit, given by him.

Jerry Bridges

Thanksgiving is to be thanks living because it is to be a lifestyle of every believer and follower of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving is a good thing: thanksliving is better.

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The Bible is filled with commands to give thanks to God (Psalm 106:1; 107:1; 118:1; 1 Chronicles 16:34; 1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Most verses go on to list reasons why we should thank Him, such as “His love endures forever” (Psalm 136:3), “He is good” (Psalm 118:29), and “His mercy is everlasting” (Psalm 100:5).

Thanksgiving and praise always go together. We cannot adequately praise and worship God without also being thankful.

We are told in Eph. 5:20 and 1 Thess 5:18 to give thanks for everything.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV

18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Ephesians 5:20 ESV

20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Give Thanks for Everything

What does it mean to give thanks for everything?

We are to be thankful not only for the things we like, but for the circumstances we don’t like.

When we purpose to thank God for everything that He allows to come into our lives, we keep bitterness at bay. We cannot be both thankful and bitter at the same time.

We do not thank Him for evil, but that He is sustaining us through it (James 1:12) “12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

We don’t thank Him for harm He did not cause, but we thank Him when He gives us the strength to endure it. (2 Corinthians 12:9) “9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

We thank Him for His promise that “all things will work together for the good, to those who love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Matthew Henry, the famous Bible expositor, was once confronted by thieves and robbed of his pocketbook.

He wrote these lines in his diary:

Let me be thankful, first, because I was never robbed before; second, because, although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because, although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.

There’s always something to thank God for.

Giving thanks to God keeps our hearts in right relationship with Him and saves us from a host of harmful emotions and attitudes that will rob us of the peace God wants us to experience (Philippians 4:6–7)

“6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Give Thanks for the Goodness of God

Psalm 136:1 ESV

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

God’s goodness is equal to his greatness.

Richard Baxter

The first verse of Psalm 136 sets the tone for everything that follows, for it gives an overall answer to the question, Why should we thank God?

The answer is, We praise him because he is good; we thank him for his many good acts toward us and to all persons.

There is an echo in the first three verses of this psalm of Deuteronomy 10:17, which says, “The LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome.”

The names or titles for God in Psalm 136 are from that verse: the LORD (Jehovah), God of gods, and Lord of lords.

This is the only true God, and he is mighty, as the following verses that deal with his power in creation remind us.

He is also good, which means that his mighty acts are good acts and for our benefit.

That is why the refrain “his love endures forever” is so appropriate as a response to each of the psalm’s twenty-six assertions about God.

How good is God? Enormously good, wonderfully good.

Here is how Spurgeon writes of God’s goodness:

“He is good beyond all others; indeed, he alone is good in the highest sense; he is the source of good, the good of all good, the sustainer of good, the perfecter of good, and the rewarder of good. For this he deserves the constant gratitude of his people.”

If you want to know what real goodness is and enjoy it, the place to find goodness is in God.

God has shown His ultimate goodness by and through the grace of God found in Christ Jesus.

Give Thanks for Grace in Christ

1 Cor. 1:4 2 Cor. 9:13–15

1 Corinthians 1:4 ESV

4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,

2 Corinthians 9:13–15 ESV

13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

Grace is inexpressible it is incredible but more important is is available right this moment.

Again other quote from Spurgeon, where he said

The Lord may not give gold, but he will give grace; he may not give gain, but he will give grace.

Charles Spurgeon

God’s grace is a guarantee with the asking.

But what exactly is grace? I think if we know exactly what it is, the knowing will cause thankfulness to whale up inside us.

Grace is a constant theme in the Bible, and it culminates in the New Testament with the coming of Jesus (John 1:17)

“17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

Ephesians 2:8 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

The only way any of us can enter into a relationship with God is because of His grace toward us.

Grace began in the Garden of Eden when God killed an animal to cover the sin of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21).

He could have killed the first humans right there for their disobedience.

But rather than destroy them, He chose to make a way for them to be right with Him.

That pattern of grace continued throughout the Old Testament when God instituted blood sacrifices as a means to atone for sinful men.

It was not the blood of those sacrifices that cleansed sinners; it was the grace of God that forgave those who trusted in Him (Hebrews 10:4; Genesis 15:6).

God shows both mercy and grace, but they are not the same.

Mercy withholds a punishment we deserve; (All deserve to perish in the eternal Lake of Fire)

Grace gives a blessing we don’t deserve.

God shows mercy by giving us grace.

In mercy, God chose to cancel our sin debt by sacrificing His perfect Son in our place

Titus 3:5 ESV

5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

But He goes even further than mercy and extends grace to His enemies (Romans 5:10).

He offers us forgiveness (Hebrews 8:12; Ephesians 1:7),

reconciliation (Colossians 1:19–20),

abundant life (John 10:10),

eternal treasure (Luke 12:33),

His Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13), and

a place in heaven with Him some day (John 3:16–18) when we accept His offer and place our faith in His sacrifice.

Grace is God giving the greatest treasure to the least deserving—which is every one of us.

If that doesn't overcome your heart with gratitude and joy somethings is wrong.

Give Thanks for Victory over Sin and Death

1 Corinthians 15:54–57 ESV

54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Is this victory over sin and death belong to you? It doesn't if you have placed faith in the only one who can save you from those two realities. Christ is the only way.

Death is swallowed up in victory, Sin is washed away in victory.

We have victory if we are found in Jesus.

Give thanks to God

For everything

For His Goodness

For His Grace