11-26-23 Sermon "Thankfulness" 15 Minutes

Psalm 100

This morning I'll be reading Psalm 100 and I'll read all 5 verses. And I'll be reading from the King James Version Bible. Psalm 100 Some of the Psalms just don't sound right to me when they are read from anything other than the King James Version,,, and this is one of them. Psalm 100 (KJV 1900) A Psalm of praise. 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 arehis 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 isgood; his mercy is everlasting; And his truth endureth to all generations. The word of God for the people of God,,, thanks be to God! God bless the reading and the hearing of your word this morning. Let us pray: Dear Lord,,, as we begin this morning,,, with everyone here today and all that are listening and watching by video,,, we ask that you open our ears to hear and our hearts and minds to receive the message that you have for us today,,, In Jesus' name I pray,,, Amen. ___________________________________ Last Sunday we looked at Psalm 123,,, and we seen that the Israelites were oppressed,,, but,,, even though they were going through a tough time,,, they made sure that they cried out to the One that could help!

They understood that their only hope was crying out to God,,, and then waiting for Him to answer!

We can learn from them if want to.

When we are going through our own tough trials,,, it is such a great relief to know that God is there for us,,, just as He was there for the Israelites!

This week,,, we celebrated thanksgiving,,, and what better way to celebrate thanksgiving,,, than being thankful to our creator,,, for always being there for us!

God will never leave us alone.

Jesus said in the last half of Matthew 28:20“And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

That is the promise that Jesus has made.

He will always be here during our times of trouble.

We may be facing troubles unlike anything we have ever known,,, but we don't face them alone.

God can handle any situation that we might ever encounter!

So this week as went into thanksgiving,,, we were reminded,,, that God is "always here" for us,,, and we should always give Him the praise and glory that He deserves,,, as we celebrate!

Because,,, just as the Israelites learned,,, God was "always here" for them,,, and He is "Always Here" for us!

And for that,,, we should always,,, be thankful!

This morning we will look at these verses in Psalm 100,,, and see how they will help us in our walk with God this week.

___________________________________ Verse 1 said: 1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

This Psalm was written for the people of Israel,,, and,,, if you notice the way that it ends,,, it was written for us as well.

God said to them,,, in Deutoronomy 8:10-18: "When you come into the promised land, & settle down in your homes, & you have plenty to eat, don't forget Me. I led you out of the wilderness & brought you into a land flowing with milk & honey."

But it doesn't take very long to realize that the people of Israel needed a reminder, & it is obvious that we need it, too.

Some of the commentaries suggested that this psalm was an introductory part of the ritual that accompanied the presentation of the thank-offering.

And what better way to show our thankfulness,,, than by making our voices heard as we praise Him!

Too many times,,, and I'm guilty of this as well,,, we are too somber,,, too reserved I guess,,, during worship.

There is a time for both,,, without going too far!

And,,, any time that we are praising God,,, it always makes us feel better,,, no matter what is happening around us!

___________________________________ Verse 2 said: 2 Serve the Lord with gladness: Come before his presence with singing.

My commentary says that verses 1–3 are a call for praise and joyful service,,, and,,, actually,,, this whole psalm,,, is a call for praise and joyful service.

People everywhere (all the earth; cf. 96:1; 97:1; 98:4) should shout … to the LORD; -- we should not be subdued in our praise of Him.

And more importantly,,, we are to serve Him with gladness.

This psalm says that we are to come before His presence with singing,,, during worship,,, and other times,,, as well.

___________________________________ Verse 3 said: 3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; We arehis people, and the sheep of his pasture.

The LORD should be praised and worshiped joyfully because He is sovereign.

He is the Creator,,, our creator,,, creator of everything,,, and those who trust Him,,, are His possession.

We follow Him,,, for we,,, as Christians,,, along with the Israelites,,, are the sheep of His pasture (cf. 74:1; 79:13; 95:7; also note 23:1; 80:1).

___________________________________ Verse 4 said: 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, And into his courts with praise: Be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

This second part of the psalm is a call to the saints to enter Jerusalem,,, (God’s gates) and,,, to go to the temple,,, (His courts) to offer their thanksgiving sacrifices for His blessings to them.

My Faithlife Study Bible says: when it refers to his gates the psalmist portrays joyous singing as worshipers enter the temple.

And,,, his courts,,, Contributes to the image of God as king.

While,,, His name,,, God’s name,,, refers to His nature and character,,, rather than a particular label.

___________________________________ Verse 5 said: 5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; And his truth endureth to all generations.

The people should praise the Lord for His goodness, His everlasting mercy,,, and His truthfulness.

And,,, these benefits,,, endure from generation to generation.

So every generation that experiences God’s goodness,,, everlasting mercy,,, and His truthfulness,,, can join together,,, in praising Him

___________________________________ I am concerned that too many of us go days without expressing any gratitude to anyone - - our spouse, our parents, friends, or the waitress who served us and then that bleeds over onto Sunday and we come into the presence of the King and we can't even open our mouth and declare that He is good.

Our silence keeps us empty.

David declares let everything that has breath praise the Lord. And then he says in Psalm 51:15 - Open my lips Lord and my mouth will declare your praise!

Open your mouth and declare your gratefulness and it will produces a fullness in you.

Our mouth must be filled with thankfulness and it won't be long until we will also discover that our life is full of thankfulness!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Did you catch it?

Gods will is that we be thankful.

In fact, He doesn't allow for circumstances to change His will for us.

In order for us to be full this year we must stop and go out of our way to express gratitude.

The psalmist encourages us to be mindful of all God’s gifts, great and small, and be thankful.

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.

In the Old Testament,,, the temple symbolized the presence of God.

So whenever the people came to the temple & entered the courtyards they knew that they had come into the presence of God.

Now that temple no longer exists.

But oftentimes the place where we meet to worship God is called a "sanctuary," indicating that God is there.

But you know that God is always with us!

He is with you as you drive on the highway.

He is with you when you work.

He is with you as you care for your children.

He is with you every moment of your life.

That is the source of our thanksgiving.

___________________________________ But I'm worried…..

What if God began to treat us - like we so often treat Him?

What if God met our needs - in the same way that we give Him our lives?..........

What if we never saw another flower bloom because - we grumbled when God sent the rain?

What if God stopped loving & caring for us because - we failed to love & care for others?

What if God took away His message because - we wouldn't listen to His messenger?

What if He wouldn't bless us today because - we didn't thank Him yesterday?

What if God answered our prayers - the way we answer His call for service?

What if God decided to stop leading us tomorrow because - we did not follow Him today?

O Lord, help us to be thankful that you do "not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities." (Psalm 103:10)

Thanksgiving holiday was celebrated this past Thursday.

Hopefully and most probably you made mention of the many things that you have to be thankful for.

I know that we all have a lot to be thankful for.

Sometimes it's not easy to see but it's there.

As we end this morning I would like for us all to remember to continue the thankful feeling as we go from here.

Not just this week but all throughout the year.

I'm the first to admit that as long as things are going good, I forget to thank God like I should.

We need to remember 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 , “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Take time to read the 100th Psalm again.

And if you'll listen,,, and obey those words,,, your heart will overflow with thanksgiving to the Lord.

___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Hymn: 337 - Oakdale Hymn: 337 - Seminary Benediction -----------------------------------------------------------