An Attitude of Gratitude (From the Psalms)

Michael D. Douglas, II

Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

Thanksgiving Day

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Pray

Give Honor

1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness: Come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, And into his courts with praise: Be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; And his truth endureth to all generation

“An Attitude of Gratitude”

Gratitude is defined as the quality of being thankful or readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness to.

Professor Robert Emmons once defined gratitude as a two-step process:

Step one is “recognizing that one has obtained a positive outcome”

and Step two is “recognizing that there is an external source for this positive outcome.”

These, friends, are my exact sentiments after reading this particular Psalm.

Psalms One Hundred.

This Psalm,

makes us “recognize that i have obtained a positive outcome”

and that there is an external source for this positive outcome.”

That I did not get here on my own

but there is an external source behind all of my success

The Psalmist utters

I like the format of this Psalm

because This particular Psalm is written in a way that first gives Exhortation then Explanation

Exhortation- speaks to the way in which we ought do something

While Explanation- speaks to the reason by which we do something

Exhortation - Pushes, pumps, and primes you to do some things

while Explanation- Reveals and reminds you of why you do some things

Exhortation - is admonishment and encouragement that’s usually done with excitement

While explanation is clarification and description that’s usually done with some insight

Exhortation - is what we see in Psalms 150 verse 1 that says- Praise ye the Lord

but Explanation- is what we see in Psalms 150 verse 2 that says “Praise him for his mighty acts.

Exhortation is what we see in Psalms 34 verse 1 that says

I will bless the Lord at all times, and his praises shall continually be in my mouth

But Explanation is what we see in Psalms 34 verse 4 where he says

“I Saught the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all of my fears”

Exhortation is what we see in Psalms 107 verse 1 that says

“Oh Give thanks unto the Lord”

but Explanation is what we see in that same verse that says “For he is good”

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with Gladness: Come before his presence with Singing. - That’s the Exhortation

Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us and not we ourselves, - That’s the Explanation

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise, Be thankful unto him and bless his name - Thats the Exhortation

For the Lord is God, His mercy is ever lasting and his truth endures through all generations - That’s the explanation

And so many times, a lot of us get so caught up in

LIFE and Work and school and drama and mess and bills and money and rumors and relationships and problems and pains and disappointments and sicknesses

and we don’t respond right to exhortation

but when you hear the explanation

when you hear of how he KEPT you

when you hear of how he BLESSED YOU

when you hear of how he PROVIDED for you

when you hear of how he PROTECTED YOU

when you hear of how he LOOKED OUT FOR YOUU.....

it’s easyyyyy to respond with some gratitude.

MAKE A JOYFUL noise because he’s God

MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE because he’s good

MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE because he’s faithful

MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE because he’s kind

Make a Joyful Noise because he is GREAT.

AND THIS TEXT IS TAILORED TO TEACH US,

THAT GOD’S Greatness deserves some Gratitude.

and the question becomes “Why should we be so thankful”

You should be thankful

I.Because of what WE KNOW

The Bible says

Psalm 100:1–3 (KJV 1900)

From the first half of this psalm,

We see him as the creator

We see him as our Presider

and We see him as Protector

HE’S THE CREATOR- It is he that has made us and not we ourselves-

HE’S our Presider- We are his people

AND HE’S A PROTECTOR- and the sheep of his pasture

You see what we know about God, is essential because it helps us to understand more about US

Because He’s creator- We are Creation

Because He’s Presider- We are his responsibility

and Because he is pretector- that means no weapon formed against us shall prosper.

I KNOW WHO HE IS!!!

You see sometimes Our Gratitude or the lack there of,

is based off of some things we just don’t know.

I don’t know why they don’t like me

I don’t know why they talk about me

I don’t know how I got in this financial place

I don’t know why he allowed me to be sick

I don’t know why the marriage didn’t work

I don’t know why church members left

I don’t know why people do me bad

AND WHILE THERE ARE SOMETHINGS I DON’T KNOW

THERE ARE A FEW THINGS I DO KNOW

I know the LORD IS FAITHFUL

I know the LORD IS KIND

I know the LORDS IS GRACIOUS

I know the LORDS IS MERCIFUL

I know HE’S a bridge over troubled water

I KNOW HE’s a shelter in the time of storm

I KNOW HES A HEALER

I know HE’s a way MAKER

I KNOW HE’S A DOCTOR IN A SICK ROOM

I KNOW HE’S A LAWYER IN THE COURTROM

I KNOW HE’S ALPHA

I KNOW HE’S OMEGA

AND IS THERE ANYONE IN HERE THAT CAN TESTIFY THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS I KNOW.

I KNOW WHO HE IS

I KNOW HE’S GOD-

THE SAME GOD THAT FLUNG THE STARS IN THE SKY,

THE SAME GOD THAT MADE THE LAME WALK

THE SAME GOD THAT MADE THE MUTE TALK

THE SAME GOD THAT MADE THE BLIND SEE

THE SAME GOD THAT MADE THE DEAF HEAR

DO YOU KNOW WHO HE IS?

WELL SINCE YOU KNOW WHO HE IS,

MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE UNTO THE LORD ALL YE LANDS SERVE THE LORD WITH GLADNESS COME BEFORE HIS PRESENCE WITH SINGING!!

We are grateful because of 1. what we know,

But then we are Grateful for

2. What we Receive.

The Bible says in Psalms 100:4-5

Psalm 100:4–5 (KJV 1900)

4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, And into his courts with praise: Be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; And his truth endureth to all generations.

Here’s the explanation.

The LORD IS GOOD and the LORD IS MERCIFUl.

The Lord is Good.

Every part of him is good.

He’s good all of the time.

and I’m a recipient of his goodness

He’s good in his planning

He’s good in his grace

He’s good in his forgiveness

He’s good when I’m good

He’s good when I’m not so good.

He’s good when i’m sick

He’s good when I’m worried

He’s good when I’m upset

He’s good when I’m greiving

There is never a situation in your life that you can’t see his goodness.

“O taste and see that the Lord is Good”

Not only do we receive his GOODNESS.

but we receive his MERCY!!.

NOW if you’re a member you aught be shouting because you know something about mercy.

Pastor said MERCY HAS A twinn SISTER NAMED GRACE

and you can’t talk about mercy with out GRACE being brought up.

YOU SEE GRACE- is God allowing us to Get the things we don’t deserve.

But MERCY- is the LORD not allowing us to get the things WE DO DESERVE

WE deserve to be broke- but his mercy is everlasting

We deserve to be single- but his mercy is everlasting

We deserve to be sick- but his mercy is everlasting

We deserve to be DEAD- but his mercy is everlasting

Jeremiah said- THROUGH THE LORDS mercy we ere not consumed, because his compassions failed not, they are new every morning GREAT IS HIS FAITHFULLNESS

and I want to ask a question,

have you experienced his Goodness and mercy??

I mean have you really experienced his GOODNESS AND MERCY!!!

Well

“Enter into his gates with THANKSGIVING and enter into his courts WITH PRAISE!!!

Be thankful unto him,

and bless his name!!!!!!!

why?

Because the LORD IS GOOD!!!!!!!!!!

and I’m sure the sentiments of this PSALMIST are the same sentiments of the songwriter Walter Hawkins,

Tragedies are common place

All kinds of diseases, people are slipping away Economies down, people can't get enough pay As for me all I can say is Thank you Lord for all you've done for me

Folks without homes Living out in the streets and the drug habit some say They just can't beat Muggers and robbers, no place seems to be safe But You've been my protection every step of the way I wanna say, thank you Lord for all you’ve done for me.