To whom do we have to thank?

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*Charlie reading our passage today

Psalm 100 ESV

A Psalm for giving thanks. 1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Prayer: charlie

Introduction: “… and to whom do we have to THANK for all of this?”

this was came out of my mouth on one of the very few occasions i was in the room when i saw it all laid out in front of me.

It was what i said to the people that were in our staff space kitchen area a few weeks ago when i was met with what was an incredible SPREAD made by a team of volunteers who help to make meals for all of the volunteers that help make Sundays at Colonial a reality.

The meals are always good but this particular week was VERY GOOD.

There was Scrambled Eggs, There was maple glazed sticks of bacon, if that wasn’t enough there was sausage and even french toast! it was a spread.

am i making you hungry yet?

Our team is amazing - the are so dedicated, they get up at 5am some of them and are here 6…6:30 to get ready for all of you to be blessed in church and to hopefully, God willing, be a blessing as we celerbrate the lords day toghether and have church.

These people feed our worship, and production team that stay here all morning across 3 services.

And i asked the people in there: AND TO WHOM DO WE HAVE TO THANK FOR ALL OF THIS?

Thanksiving isnt just a holiday but its a lifestyle for us. But its not emty thanks. Its not forced thanks, its not guilty thanks. Its freewill thanks but our thank you to God this week and every week and every day is because of the foundation of our thanks with is Gods Nature… His attraibutes… and His actions (namely what He has done in the Lord Jesus).

Gods people wrote about it (old testament)

Jesus revealed and brought it to a living breathing culmination (the Gospels)

The Apostles explained it and taught it to the early church (the Epistles).

Thanksgiving has great meaning

Jesus was direct about thanksgiving:

John 11:41 (ESV)

41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.

What causes us to be thankful aas believers? There are 4 words i wanted to introduce you to that i believe will help you know this thanksgiving spirit and lifestyle that goes deeper than just a saying… or a holiday or a b

Thanksgiving goes deeper in 4 ways but should always end up at the final place which is a grateful heart posture to God:

Colossians 3:15 “15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

the four words are:

Revelation: Contentment: Thanksgiving. Gratitude.

Revelation.

To the Human it should begin at creation…..To the Believer it all begins with a word. It starts with something thats revealed to us.

start with your own life: what has GOD already shown to you? Have you noticed his handiwork? How his life is all around you.

what revelation? the Revelation of God in the world and in His word (creation and scripture) (the word of Truth).

What is it that you KNOW about god? Do you know that He is GOD. He is the one who owns the cattle on a thousand hills. That its HE that put the stars in the sky and the waves in their place

Psalm 24:1–2 “1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.”

We must be sure to catch this but not criticize it also because every inch of it is the Lords…. Every part of it: Traces back to the work of God

Psalm 19:1–6 “1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.”

What this is, is Natural or generic revelation: this alone can cause one to be aware, thankful but not necessarily cause you to give you life to Jesus and respond to the gospel of grace, the forgiveness of sin, the turning over the of the will. That comes after, but this is part of Gods revealing GRACE upon the earth:

Pauls letter to the romans talks about this revelation but a rejection of it and s subsequent lack of thanksgiving despite the revelation:

Romans 1:21 ESV

21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

But this revelation is what spurs us on in our thanksgiving from a deep spiritual place

even as believers we know “TO WHOM WE HAVE TO THANK FOR ALL OF IT

that there is a reason why the stars are there

why the waves roll in, who makes them roll

why the tide moves,and who makes it move every day… always on time

why the sun rises and sets, perfectly

why the wind blows

it comes from revelation of WHO IS GOD - It builds the foundation from which everything in our lives can be understood.

The Hebrew, Jewish mind understands this implicitly: which is why the PSALMS are so vitally important to read, to study, to KNOW…

did you know that the Jewish day actually begins at sunset? the point at which there is no light? its because it reflects creation, it reflects the bible. Genesis 1:5 “5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.”

It follows the biblical story - Everything in life is to be understood through the lens which God has created.

It all goes together and comes from the one place: Whether the General (the big picture) and Specific revelation (Jesus himself and the church) and this is the root of all thanksgiving and graitude: this is who God is

Psalm 100:3 ESV

3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Contentment

True Biblical contentment…. always comes with it, the correct perspective.

revelation is the basis for what we know, we dont need to know much but verse 3 is a good start.

“you are God, are yours”

This leads us into a healthy place called contentment: let me ask you today, are you a content person? i dont mean settled or lacking faith but are you content in WHO GOD IS, and WHO HAS MADE YOU TO BE… AND IS MAKING YOU.

The Psalms give us this contentment in this way: God is God, We are His, Th sheep of his pasture.

Paul writes of it when he writes to timothy and the church:

1 Timothy 6:6–10 “6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

Philippians 4:11–12“11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.”

Contentment can be learned… and can be a great addition to your life. bring you great GAIN, or profit or increase in your own life because you understand things on a new level….

Peter writes of it from his own revelation as a Jewish man, but also someone who was “handpicked” by Jesus and now illustrates to us that this revelation has come to us:

1 Peter 2:9 “9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

He is God, We are His.

Peter understood this better than anyone.

Its exactly why Peter tells the Christians to understand suffering was temporal… and Praise was justifiable even through that suffering.

How does one do that?

How does one praise through the hardship

he Suffering

They are content… that God is God. and We are His. And that makes the difference.

The devil hates the content Christian because he or she is difficult to LURE away. To Corrupt with a counterfeit, to get them away from the sheepfold. why? because they know: Jesus is my shepherd, and i know his voice.

contentment can bring such a joy into our lives: Contentment also runs closely with Humility. its hard to be prideful and egotistical when you are content in WHO GOD MADE YOU TO BE

Oswald Chambers writes of contentment in his devotional’s often: Are you severely troubled right now? Are you afraid and confused by the waves and the turbulence God sovereignly allows to enter your life? Have you left no stone of your faith unturned, yet still not found any well of peace, joy, or comfort? Does your life seem completely barren to you? Then look up and receive the quiet contentment of the Lord Jesus.

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Ok are you still tracking with me… i promise were going womwhere good with this: Revelation, Contentment…. now THANKSGIVING. Giving Thanks. Or as the Psalmist says: PRAISE.

Thanksgiving (Praise)

Its the foundation of the revelation that gives us the confidence we need to say THANK YOU.

Psalm 100:3 “3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”

we know who He is, We know who we are in relationship to HIM.

so from that very important paradighm shift….. almost transcendent place, we say thank you. We praise. We make ajoyful noice to the Lord, We serve with Gladness, We come into his presence with singing

Its the revelation we have that gives us the foundation we praise from!

This is not an empty THANK YOU

We dont clap our hands out of an obligation: we clap them with some gumption! We clap them with some REAL Depth!

Its a DEEP thank you. Its built on a FIRM FOUNDATION. Christians should be the first ones to Say THANK YOU and the First ones to FORGIVE. Because we have a revelation unlike the WORLD>

Its hard for an atheist to say THANK YOU when theres not a direct quid pro quo. Im saying THANK YOU because i get something from you

we dont think that way, we dont neeed that. We know whatever it looks like, you can spit in my face and i literally can say “thank you” because

We see something (revelation, something is revealed), We realise it (contentment), We thanks God for it…. and it becomes our posture in LIFE

Gratitude

(the final stop) /There is someone to thank - so who is it? “to whom do we have to thank for all of this”

Revelation + Contentment + Thanksgiving = a life of gratitude

gratefulness is such a lifestyle isnt it?… as a character trait of a person who knows God. You ever met someone who doesnt seem to ever fopcus much on their problems just that they seem grateful all the time?

The enemy wants to you never to become this person: actually quite the opposite: Lost, Questioning, Confused, Divided, Discontent…. and untilately ….ungrateful

The grateful one is the one who has seen too much. Too much has been revealed to turn away

The grateful one is the one who has had grace reach the doorstop of His/her heart… and He can no longer need anything else… and anything else is quite the bonus

The grateful one is forever spotting in His or Her life the opportunity for glad service, Joyful occasion for praise…. quick to sing, quick to worship, Lift HOLY hands…..

Thats the one who Knows WHO HE IS, What He has done… and How that has changed him… Forever

Who understands who he is in relationship, in right relationship with his creator. He understand that every breath comes from HIm.

That in Christ, He is sustained by every single breath.

that through the working of an all present, all powerful, all knowing God… He is simply one thing and one thing only: His posession.

It makes no matter what it looks like seem possible to be thankful doesnt it?

Well there is no one that understands this and displayed this better than Jesus. i think the greatest expression of this. as ive studied

1 Corinthians 11:24 ESV

24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Jesus showed us that even the worst of things done to him, was still cause for thanksgiving, because of what it meant for us.

what a gracious GOD we serve.

Surely his STEADFAST LOVE ENDURES… Forever.

Come on now… Lets GIVE thanks

Psalm 19:1–4 ESV

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,

A Heart that knows WHO GOD IS

1.HAS PERSPECTIVE

Acts 27:35 ESV

35 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat.