20231119 Giving Thanks: So Easy, So Simple, But So Neglected
Thanksgiving • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Call to Worship - Psalm 32
A Maskil of David. 1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah 5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah 6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. 7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. 10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. 11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
A Responsive Reading for Thanksgiving
Pastor: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. – PHILIPPIANS 4:6
All: I will GIVE THANKS to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. – PSALM 17:7 -
Pastor: We are also thankful today because God is our strength and shield.
All: The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will GIVE THANKS TO HIM in song. – PSALM 28:7 -
Pastor: Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. – COLOSSIANS 3:15
All: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. – COLOSSIANS 3:16 -
Pastor: And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. – COLOSSIANS 3:17 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. – 1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18
All: Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. – HEBREWS 13:15-16 -
Pastor: All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! – REVELATION 7:11-12a
Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” – REVELATION 7:12b
All: THANKS BE TO GOD! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 CORINTHIANS 15:57
Prayer
Scripture Reading - Psalm 21:1-7
1 O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults! 2 You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah 3 For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold upon his head. 4 He asked life of you; you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever. 5 His glory is great through your salvation; splendor and majesty you bestow on him. 6 For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence. 7 For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
Introduction: Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks
Could you come up with 50 reasons to be thankful?
Psalm 21 mentions at least 10 reasons to be thankful
Psalm 21 is a psalm of the king of Israel, a psalm of Christ, and a psalm of the believer
(1) God’s strength
1 O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults!
(2) God’s salvation
1 O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults!
(3) The Lord has given him the desires of his heart
2 You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
(4) The Lord has not withheld the request of his lips
2 You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
Prayer
(5) The Lord “meets him” with rich blessings
3 For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.
(6) The Lord sets a crown upon his head
3 For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.
(7) The Lord gave him life
4 He asked life of you; you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever.
(8) The Lord bestows him with glory, strength and majesty
5 His glory is great through your salvation; splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
confer or present (an honor, right, or gift).
(9) The Lord makes him most blessed and glad with the joy of God’s presence
6 For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
(10) The response of the king, the King, and His Kingdom
7 For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
(11) The results: he shall not be moved
7 For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
- the king’s defended kingdom
- the King’s unstoppable mission
- the believer’s steadfast assurance in Christ
How should we respond?
1 O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults! 2 You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah 3 For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold upon his head. 4 He asked life of you; you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever. 5 His glory is great through your salvation; splendor and majesty you bestow on him. 6 For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
Notice the active work of the Lord in the life of the believer - YOUR strength, Your salvation, YOU do, YOU make, YOU gave
We should be thankful as we look at the love the Father and the Spirit have for the Son and the promises made by them to the Son, our true and eternal King
In addition we should be:
Thankful in Blessing - our obsession with things instead of our love for the Trinity
Thankful in Difficulty
Thankful in Prayer
O give thanks to the Lord for he is good
Grace Be with You: Benedictions from Dale Ralph Davis (15)
Now the God, who hears your
cries and listens to your
prayers, be the shelter above you,
the tower around you, the rock
beneath you this day and all the
days until Jesus comes. Amen.