THANKS AND PRAISE

Introduction

{Psalm 136}

-There’s a story about a man who had a habit of grumbling about the food his wife placed before him at family meals, but then he would pray blessing and thanks to God for the food. One day, after his usual combination of complaint and then prayer, his little girl asked him, “Daddy, does God hear us when we pray and give Him thanks?”

“Why, of course,” he replied. “He hears us every time we pray and give thanks.”

She paused on this a moment, and then asked a very important question, “Does He hear everything we say the rest of the time?”

-That’s an astute question. Now, the theologically correct answer is that God hears everything that we say. But not just that, God hears everything that’s in our hearts as well. And the story was created to make us think about what God hears the most from us—complaining or thanksgiving?

-Helen Keller, who was both blind and deaf, is quoted as having said: “So much has been given to me that I have no time to ponder that which I don't have.” She would not allow herself to be given over to ungratefulness.

-Too often our circumstances determine our level of thankfulness. It is said that the pilgrims, after having made the treacherous trek to this new land, made seven times more graves than they did huts, nevertheless they still set aside a day of thanksgiving.

-We have set aside a day of Thanksgiving, and it is good and right, but we should desire that the obedience of thanksgiving go beyond a season and into a lifestyle. And then, that the spirit of thanksgiving be directed rightly, because our thanksgiving is directed to the One who provided all, which then ought to naturally lead to praise.

-The psalm we are looking at today reminds us to give thanks which leads to praise, and it lists many reasons why, but the reasons are centered on the concept of God’s loyal love. The Hebrew word repeated throughout the psalm is CHESED, and it is a difficult concept to define in English, but the core idea is centered on loyalty due to a relationship. God’s CHESED means that someone is in a relationship with God through covenant, and God shows love and remains loyal to that person.

-The word is translated so many different way—ESV: Steadfast Love; LSB/TLV: lovingkindness; NASB: faithfulness; CSB/NLT: faithful love; NIV: love; NKJV/KJV: mercy; and the NET that I am using today has loyal love. This is how God deals with us who are in covenant with Him in Christ—He loves us and is loyal, and that loyal love is demonstrated in many different ways. And today, as we recount some of these reason, I pray that it would cause us to consider all that we have to be thankful for, and then that thankfulness naturally leads to praise for the One who gave to us His CHESED.

-{Do things a little different; this psalm was written most likely for participation of the whole community—someone would read and the community would respond; so, today, we are doing that…}

Psalm 136 NET 2nd ed.

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his loyal love endures. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for his loyal love endures. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his loyal love endures, 4 to the one who performs magnificent, amazing deeds all by himself, for his loyal love endures, 5 To the one who used wisdom to make the heavens, for his loyal love endures, 6 To the one who spread out the earth over the water, for his loyal love endures, 7 To the one who made the great lights, for his loyal love endures, 8 the sun to rule by day, for his loyal love endures, 9 the moon and stars to rule by night, for his loyal love endures. 10 to the one who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, for his loyal love endures, 11 and led Israel out from their midst, for his loyal love endures, 12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his loyal love endures. 13 to the one who divided the Red Sea in two, for his loyal love endures, 14 and led Israel through its midst, for his loyal love endures, 15 and tossed Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea, for his loyal love endures, 16 to the one who led his people through the wilderness, for his loyal love endures, 17 to the one who struck down great kings, for his loyal love endures, 18 and killed powerful kings, for his loyal love endures, 19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his loyal love endures, 20 Og, king of Bashan, for his loyal love endures, 21 and gave their land as an inheritance, for his loyal love endures, 22 as an inheritance to Israel his servant, for his loyal love endures, 23 to the one who remembered us when we were down, for his loyal love endures, 24 and snatched us away from our enemies, for his loyal love endures, 25 to the one who gives food to all living things, for his loyal love endures. 26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his loyal love endures!

{pray}

-God’s CHESED endures because His covenant endures. In this psalm, Israel recounts their history and how it demonstrates God’s CHESED, loyal love. But the concepts behind their history point to truths that we Christians also enjoy in Christ and give us reasons to remember and give thanks as we see for ourselves God’s CHESED loyal love. Why give thanks and praise to God?

1) Thank God for His character (vv. 1-4)

-We have a God who so loved us that He sent us His Son. The psalmist specifically touches upon certain aspects of God’s character and being.

-According to v. 1 we give thanks because God is good. Our God is not like the gods of the pagans and false religions that can be vindictive and unstable. He is not like the gods of the Greeks and Romans who were merely super-humans who gave into the same weaknesses and moral faults as humans. Our God is good. That means that He is perfect in every way. He is perfect in His existence and He is perfect in moral standing. God is good and does good for those who are in relationship with Him.

One pastor described it by saying: “His goodness is an ocean that has no shore, a mountain that has no summit, a road that has no end, not meagre, but much, not skimpy, but sufficient, not little, but limitless, not barely, but bountiful, not feeble, but full.” His goodness never grows old and is never outdated. The more you rely upon it, the more reliable you discover it to be. The more you trust his goodness, the more trustworthy you’ll find his goodness to be. As King David said:

Psalm 34:8 NET 2nd ed.

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good. How blessed is the one who takes shelter in him.

-Next, the psalmist is thankful for His sovereignty. The psalmist tells us in vv. 2-4 that God is the God of gods and Lord of lords and He performs amazing deeds all by Himself. There is nothing else that exists over which He is not the supreme ruler. Nothing happens in all of creation without His knowledge, consent, will, or action. These same truths are spoken of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who is completely God and man. Revelation 19:16 says Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Matthew 28:18 tells us that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Christ.

-That means that in the midst of the chaos of the world or even our own lives, our God is still sovereignly in control, moving things according to His plans and purposes. There is nothing outside of His reach. Not wars, not sickness, not our own stubbornness.

-So, here is something to be thankful for that leads us to praise God—He is a good God who sovereignly reigns over His creation, working out all things for the good of those who love and are called in Jesus. But the psalmist gives us other reasons for thankfulness leading to praise:

2) Thank God for His creation (vv. 5-9)

-vv. 5-9 remind us that everything that exists outside of God was created by God. After the six days of creation, God said that it was all very good, meaning that the various parts of creation were set to fulfill the purposes for which they were made. Even though sin entered the world and marred and cursed the created order, it didn’t completely lose the purposes for which it was made. The sun still rules by day and the moon and stars at night.

-And so, first, we thank God for creation because it is a reflection of His power, majesty, and beauty. Even being subjected to the affects of sin, there is still so much of creation that screams that a good, powerful God exists. When you see a sunrise or sunset and it gives you a moment of peace and calm—God made that. When a butterfly or bird catches your eye and you admire its intricacies—God made that. God’s creation, while currently imperfect, still ministers to the soul of those who recognize the hand of the artist.

-But not only do we thank God for the wonders of nature, but we also remember that we ourselves have been created by the potter’s hand. You were specially created by the Creator for His purposes. He created you exactly how He wanted you to fulfill your piece of His puzzle to glorify His name. As Ephesians 2:10 says, you are God’s workmanship, you are His masterpiece, created for good works that He has prepared in eternity that you should walk in them.

-God created you unique for plans that you might not realize at the moment. You are not made from a cosmic cookie cutter, YOU are the YOU that God made YOU to be so that YOU could do something that He wanted only YOU to do. Don’t ever think that God has lost you in the shuffle of humanity. Don’t think God has forgotten you or put you in the background. It may be that God is using the time right now to prepare you for whatever He has planned in the future. You are God’s creation as much as anything and everyone else. And so we thank God for the creation that is around us, and we thank Him for the creation that IS us. But the psalmist doesn’t stop there, so we also...

3) Thank God for His deliverance (vv. 10-15)

-In vv. 10-15 the psalmist summarizes God leading His people out of Egypt. God made a covenant with Abraham that Abraham’s descendants would be numerous and take over the land of Canaan. But, there would be a long pit stop as the people would be enslaved by Egypt for 400 years. But when the time came, God demonstrated His sovereign power and control through different signs of His might.

-Pharaoh finally released the people, and through Moses, God led them out. Pharaoh regretted his decision and pursued Israel. But through another demonstration of His power and might, God again delivered the people by splitting the Red Sea in two. Israel walked across dry land to escape their pursuers. And when Pharaoh led his army on the same path, God caused the Red Sea to fall on them and destroy them all. God, through great signs of power and might, delivered His covenant people from their enemies.

-And now we who are His covenant people are able to enjoy the same blessing. We too have been delivered by a demonstration of power and might given by God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Egypt was not our enemy, but they were a type or shadow of the enemies that we do face.

-Because Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command, they introduced sin and death to humanity and creation, effectively putting it under the temporary control of Satan. But Jesus, the Son of God, second member of the Trinity, took upon Himself humanity and sacrificed Himself to deliver people from all three. And all who believe in Him are brought into an eternal covenant with God and God shows to His people CHESED loyal love by delivering them from these enemies.

-Jesus delivers His people from sin, its consequences, and its power. The angel Gabriel told Mary that the Redeemer would be called Jesus because He would save His people from their sin. We are told:

2 Corinthians 5:21 NET 2nd ed.

21 God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.

-Romans 6 tells us that Christ died to break the power of sin. And through Him we are now forgiven.

Colossians 2:13 NET 2nd ed.

13 And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions.

-God’s Word also reveals that Jesus died to save us from the evil one/devil. John tells us:

1 John 3:8 NET 2nd ed.

8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil.

-We are told by Paul that Jesus:

Colossians 2:15 NET 2nd ed.

15 Disarming the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

-Then Paul tells us that the wages of sin is death, but Paul also says in 1 Corinthians that death will be the last enemy to be destroyed. God had foretold through the prophets about this aspect of Christ’s salvation:

Hosea 13:14 (ESV)

14 I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death. O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting?

-The writer of Hebrew tells us:

Hebrews 2:9 NET 2nd ed.

9 but we see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by God’s grace he would experience death on behalf of everyone.

-We are so thankful that we have a Deliverer, a Savior, who did not just leave us to our enemies to eternally die, but brought us out to life and light. Thank Him and praise Him. But we also...

4) Thank God for His protection (vv. 16-22)

-Vv. 16-22 describe how God protected Israel in their 40 years of wilderness wandering. After delivering them, God did not just leave them to their own devices or abandon them to the elements. God walked with them through the wilderness, and protected them from those who would do them harm, until He finally brought them into the land that He had promised them.

-When God in Jesus Christ delivered us from our greatest enemies, God did not then just leave us to figure out how to make it in the world alone until the day we die. God didn’t say to us, OK, YOU’RE SAVED NOW. TRY TO DO GOOD AND STAY OUT OF TROUBLE UNTIL I SEE YOU IN HEAVEN—and then just abandon us to make it through this crazy world. In Christ, God walks with us and protects us until He leads us to our final destination—until we make it to the heavenly Promised Land.

-Just because we are saved and delivered from enemies doesn’t mean that enemies won’t still try to trip us up or do us harm. They will, but as God did for the Israelites, so He will do for His church. Now, I’m not trying to imply that bad things won’t happen to us, but God in Christ protects us from anything that would keep us from reaching our ultimate destination. If you have been delivered by Christ, there is nothing that the world, the flesh, and the devil can do to keep us from reaching our eternity with Christ.

-We call this the security of the believer. Jesus said that nobody would be able to snatch us out of His hands. Our protection is in the fact that Jesus is holding onto us, it’s not about how tightly we hold onto Him. Once we are His, the enemies cannot do us ultimate harm. Christ even protects us from ourselves, and we can be our own biggest problem. We thank and praise God that after we have been delivered by Christ, we are protected by Christ. And finally, we...

5) Thank God for His provision (vv. 23-26)

-The last verses of the psalm remind us that God provides for us in every way that we need. We notice, first, that God provides for us emotionally. The psalmist says in v. 23 that God remembers us when we are down. When we are at our lowest point, God is right there with us. We think of Psalm 23 when David said that even when we are walking in the darkest valley, God is right there with us. Our friends and family may abandon us in our hour of need, but Christ will never abandon us. And He will provide the emotional support we need as He provides us with Himself.

-Not only does God provide for us emotionally, He provides for us spiritually. He says in v. 24 that anything that our enemy tries to do, He snatches us away from the enemy’s hands. Even though we have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into Christ’s kingdom of light, the enemy still wants to do whatever he can to make us ineffective for the Kingdom of God. The enemy will throw every dirty spiritual trick in the book at us and try to trip us up and make us useless as He tries to get us to focus on ourselves and our comfort, or cause us to fall into sin. The devil wants to try to drive a wedge between us and God in any way that he can. But the psalmist reminds us that if we seek God with our whole heart, our great God will snatch us away from whatever spiritual tactics the enemy attempts.

-But then the psalmist also tells us that our God will provide for us physically. He says in v 25 that God is the one who gives food to all living things. Everything that we might need for life, God provides. We think of what Christ said in the Sermon on the Mount, that if God gives food to the birds and clothing to the flowers, how much more important to God are we than they are. Wouldn’t God provide for the ones made in His image? So, we seek first God and His kingdom, knowing that God will take care of the rest. What a great God, worthy of thanksgiving and praise, He provides everything we need.

Conclusion

-God has blessed each of us so much, but how often do we think about it instead of complaining? Warren Wiersbe made this observation:

[The poet] Emerson said that if the stars came out only once a year, everybody would stay up all night to behold them. We have seen the stars so often that we don’t bother to look at them anymore. We have grown accustomed to our blessings.

The Israelites in the wilderness got accustomed to their blessings, and God had to chasten the people. God had fed the nation with heavenly manna each morning, and yet the people were getting tired of it. “But now our whole being is dried up,” they said, “there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”

Nothing but manna! They were experiencing a miracle of God’s provision every morning; yet they were no longer excited about it. Nothing but manna!

-How often are our blessings nothing but manna to us. We should be thankful, and that thanksgiving leads us to praise a wonderful God. Christian, come to the altar today in thanksgiving and praise for the CHESED loyal love He has shone you.

-But if you have not been delivered from sin, death, and the devil, believe in Jesus today...