Ungrateful Hearts 11-12-2023

Un-Thankful Diner

Kids

There is an old movie titled “A Man called Peter”

Much to my surprise,

it’s not about Peter, Jesus friend and disciple. It’s about a man named Peter who lived some 80 years ago.

Peter Marshall was born in Scotland.

As a young man he worked in the mines by day and went to school at night because he wanted to be a pastor.

And progress was slow.

But a cousin helped Peter get to a good school in America.

He completed his education and became a pastor.

Eventually he pastored a big old church in Washington DC

and served as Chaplain of the US Senate.

He died when he was only 46 of a heart attack and his widow, Catherine wrote a book about his life.

She called it “A Man Called Peter”

The book was so popular they made a movie about his life.

In the movie, and probably in real life too, the Marshall family sat down to dinner one night,

but before they ate dinner,

do you know what they did?

They prayed, that is they thanks God for their food.

Well one night, they sat down to eat but when Pastor Marshall found out they were having turkey hash.

For some reason Peter did not like turkey hash.

Joking or serious, he didn’t think he could give thanks to God for turkey hash.

So do you know what he did?

He said

The Rev. Peter Marshall:

Catherine, I'm afraid you'll have to ask the blessing.

The Lord knows I'm not grateful for turkey hash and I can't fool him.

Isn’t that funny?

God wants us to be thankful in every situation, even when the food we are given is not our favorite.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV

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

Soon I am going to talk to the grown ups about what God might do if we are not thankful

But I want to pray for you and all of us to learn and practice the attitude of thankfulness.

Let’s Pray.

Un-Thankful Jews get a life lesson

In Amos chapter 4, that famous chapter that begins with

The New International Version Chapter 4

4 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan

The Jews are not close to God

They do not thank Him

They do not call on Him

They don’t obey Him

And God takes steps to get their attention

Let’s read about them begin with Amos 4:6

Amos 4:6–13 NIV

6 “I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord. 7 “I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up. 8 People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord. 9 “Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, destroying them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord. 10 “I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord. 11 “I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord. 12 “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God.” 13 He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord God Almighty is his name.

So, God complained one thing, people had drifted away and

he could not get them to return to fellowship with Him.

In this section, God is not saying they are terrible sinners,

He is not saying

Because you murdered

Because you commited adultery

These are just laid out as things God has done,

to get people attention

to get them back in fellowship with Him

when they have turned away

when they have drifted away

and that is something easy to do

at times.

What did He do in response, he lists about 16 things:

verse 6 empty stomachs/lack of food

verse 7 withheld rain that crops needed

or allowed rain on one field and withheld it on the next

verse 8 lack of drinking water,

perhaps wells and springs were drying up too

verse 9 blights and mildew on crops

locusts eating the fig trees

locusts eating the olive trees

verse 10 plagues ,

wars,

stolen livestock

and stinky camps

verse 11 cities overthrown like Sodom & Gamora

And since all those trouble,

were not enough to get the people back to the Lord

He is going to follow it up with real punishment

He said prepare to meet your God

What kind of God is He?

The God who formed the Mountains

The God behind the wind

And the God who reveals his thoughts to mankind.

Did you know,

He turns dawn

into darkness

He treads on the heights of the earth

The Lord God Almighty is his name.

Having heard all this

what should you and I do?

Perhaps

we could return to God

that is what He wants us to do.

and we could

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV

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

More un-thankful attitudes

Here is another scripture to look at today

1 Timothy 4:1–5 NIV

1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

Demonic influences

will turn some Against marriage

will turn some Against certain foods

But God intended Marriage and food to be received with thanksgiving.

because everything God created is Good and to be received with thanksgiving.

Thankfulness has been a part of our culture for years but appears to be waning.

Even non-Christian parents have been known to instill a expectation of thankfulness for food and the other things the families has, even when you might like something else better.

We were expected to eat what was placed before us with no grumbling, or skip dinner.

I must have learned that lesson because it took years for Pam to discover

I didn’t like winter squash anywhere near as much as she does

or yams or cranberries.

But the thankful attitude God is looking for, goes far beyond the food we eat.

Some may naturally be thankful but

most of us, need to choose to be thankful,

or we won’t be.

I’m reading have been reading through Leviticus and Numbers lately and

I find it incredible how often the people God brought out of Egypt

grumbled to God and to Moses about their day to day hardships,

instead of making their petitions known to God and thanking him for how

he was going to provide.

Because they grumble so much,

they suffered many hardships.

What does scripture say?

Philippians 4:6–7 NIV

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Why shouldn’t we be anxious?

1 we don’t need to be anxious

2 anxiousness often leeds to grumbling

which God does not like

3 being thankful comes with promises

of peace

of understanding

and help to guard your hearts and minds as we live

in Christ Jesus.

So what shall we do

Psalm 95:1–7 NIV

1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. 3 For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice,

Are you willing to look at God’s word and follow it?

Are you willing to hear His voice today?

If you are, then you will be ready to celebrate Thanksgiving,

and your life will be blessed, even if you suffer for a little while.

We are going to close with the Chorus Give Thanks and then be dismissed with prayer.

Please join me in singing Give Thanks.

Lyrics

Chorus Give thanks with a grateful heart Give thanks to the Holy One Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ His Son Verse And now let the weak say I am strong Let the poor say I am rich Because of what the Lord has done for us Ending Give thanks

Let’s Pray.