The Root of Thankfulness - Thankful Series 2025
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Intro:
Intro:
Good morning! (Thank you for filling in for me while I was away at Gospel Meeting).
It’s November! You know what that means?
Thanksgiving!
I think I have said several times now that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.
Which means that I guess November is one of my favorite months!
I love the fall in general — The weather, football season, hunting season, pumpkin everything season!
The list goes on and on!
This year I decided to give not just one Thanksgiving sermon (which is one of my favorite sermons to preach every year), but four, in a series titled “Thankful!”
So you’re getting your money’s worth this year!
(It could have been 5 Thanksgiving sermons, but I was out of town last week!)
So here is the plan for this series:
This morning our topic will be “The Root of Thankfulness.”
We want to look at the question:
What should be the reason for our thankfulness?
Then Lord willing, next week, we will look at a lesson titled “Thankful in Every Circumstance,” (not just in the circumstances where it’s easy to be thankful).
After that, for actual Thanksgiving week, we will look at the topic: “Overflow of Thanks.”
And then finally at the end of the month we will look at the topic: “Eternal Thanksgiving.”
So let’s go ahead and begin with our topic for this morning - The Root of Thankfulness.
I’d like to start with …
A History Lesson:
A History Lesson:
Do you know your Thanksgiving history?
We all probably are aware of the basics:
The Pilgrims, the Indians, the Mayflower, etc.
But why was the first Thanksgiving a thing?
According to what I could find online, the first Thanksgiving celebration did not occur in the months immediately following the Mayflower Crossing in 1620.
The Mayflower Crossing occurred in November of 1620.
If you think about that, that’s right before Winter!
Not the best timing!
In fact, there was a very harsh New England Winter that year, and approximately half of the Pilgrims died by spring of 1621.
Not only that, but the Pilgrims first started a communal way of ownership of goods that resulted in economic disaster — The food supply went into a common supply, which disincentivized hard work.
And the harvest was not good. (You can read about this in William Bradford’s book titled “Of Plymouth Plantation,” which is free to download online).
Well, it was actually the November of 1621 (a year after arrival) that the Pilgrims had a successful harvest, and celebrated the first Thanksgiving.
I want to read to you Governor William Bradford’s proclamation — Let’s notice how thankful they were to God:
This is from Bradford’s Thanksgiving Proclamation 3 years after arrival:
“Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the savages (they were friends with the Wampanoag tribe — He’s talking about other tribes that were not friendly), has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience (notice how important that was to them).”
“Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house (church building), on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the daytime, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings. William Bradford, Ye Governor of Ye Colony."
Do you see how intertwined with Christianity the original settlers of this country were?
And if you look at the original documents of the vast majority of the founding members of this country, you will notice God mentioned over and over and over and over again.
If you would like to have a good resource to do just that, check out Dave Miller’s Sermon Series online entitled: “The Silencing of God.”
It will shock you how much the secularists — and yeah, I’ll say it — the woke — have worked hard to erase the original concepts of God from our history.
The truth of the matter is that God has richly blessed this nation beyond belief, and to a large degree the reason for that is that this country was founded on Biblical principles.
Why start with a history lesson?
Because I want to draw our attention away from America’s history now, and show another history lesson — This time from the nation of Israel.
A Bible History Lesson:
A Bible History Lesson:
Go with me please to Deuteronomy chapter 8.
I want to make the case this morning - and throughout this month — that THANKFULNESS must be at the root of everything that we do as Christians!
A Christian who is truly thankful will do all things without grumbling, complaining, disputing (Php. 2:14).
A Christian who is truly thankful will have not problem praising God in song (Colossians 3:15–16 - “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” ).
A Christian who is truly thankful will not involve himself in that long list of sins found in Romans chapter 1 - (Romans 1:20–21 - “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
And on and on we could go explaining Christian attributes in relation to THANKFULNESS!
So let’s go to Deuteronomy 8:
The heading for this chapter in my Bible says “Remember the Lord Your God.”
Remember Him in what?
Giving thanks! (As we are about to see)
Context: The book of Deuteronomy is the “Second Giving of the Law of Moses” to the Israelites who are about to go in and take the land of Canaan in the events of the book of Joshua.
In Numbers, we read of the account of 10 of 12 spies coming back with an evil report.
Joshua and Caleb had faith that God would allow them to take the land, in spite of the walled cities and giants in the land … But they got outvoted!
And so God punishes Israel for their lack of faith with 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
(Only Joshua and Caleb get to go into the land — The rest of the people [20 years old and upward] would have their carcasses fall in the wilderness).
But then we get to Deuteronomy, and the younger generation is about to get to go into the land of Canaan — And God has wonderful things in store for them!
This is the land of milk and honey! The place where bunches of grapes were so heavy that they had to be carried on poles with two men! The land of pomegranates and figs and all sorts of things!
They are about to receive that for which they did not work/they did not earn! And they needed to be thankful!
(By the way: This is a type of US wandering through the wilderness of sin, getting to go into CANAAN (Heaven) through the sacrifice of Christ, which we did not earn either! Don’t miss that!)
So let’s read from Deut. ch. 8 and see what God expects of Israel as far as gratefulness is concerned.
“Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers.
And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you.
“Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.
For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey;
a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper.
8. So what do we notice in the reading so far?
a. We notice that there is a tremendous amount of good that God is giving the children of Israel,
b. They don’t really deserve it — They aren’t earning it — He’s giving it to them as an inheritance due to His own good graces toward them …
c. And Israel’s responsibility toward God is to OBEY Him and to be GRATEFUL.
When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.
9. What is that?
a. Expressing thanks to God!
b. Worshipping Him!
c. Serving Him in appreciation for all that God has done!
d. Sound familiar? (Sounds like what OUR lives are supposed to look like, doesn’t it?!)
“Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today,
lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied;
a. Count Your Many Blessings, Name Them One By One!
b. Right?!
when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
a. The age old problem of PRIDE!
b. Is pride a problem for us too if we aren’t careful?
c. (Yes) - And we better not be prideful after we have been led out of the “Egyptian Bondage,” if you will, of SIN!
who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock;
who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end—then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’
a. Is that ever true?
b. Everything we have — Did WE do that ourselves?
c. Or do we have it because God blessed us with it?!
d. We have it because God blessed us with it (James 1:17), and we better not forget it!
“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.
As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God.
10. In short, God comes first!
a. In God we trust.
b. God we obey!
c. And to God we give thanks!
11. Do you see what is the root of thankfulness?
a. Is it not APPRECIATION for where we have BEEN, and where we are NOW?
b. In thinking about this again, let me remind you once again - We have all (if we are Christians) been DELIVERED from the bondage of wandering in SIN to the joys of CANAAN (ultimately, Heaven)!
12. Let’s look at one more passage, and then the lesson will be yours this morning …
Psalm 103:
Psalm 103:
My heading in my Bible says “Praise for the Lord’s Mercies.”
The Lord’s MERCIES — Christians have God’s mercy!
And so for that we are to be thankful and that should drive our worship of Him even more!
Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord executes righteousness And justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
4. (You can keep reading till the end of this Psalm).
5. But the point is this — God loves His children with steadfast, infinite love.
a. God made salvation possible in His infinite mercy.
b. God gives the best gifts — including all the physical blessings of life that we need for our sustenance.
c. And even more importantly, all the SPIRITUAL blessings that are located in Christ (Ephesians 1:3 - “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ!”)
d. Upon reflecting on ALL the blessings God has blessed us with, including the ULTIMATE BLESSING that is the blessing of Jesus Christ and salvation in His name … How could we NOT bless Him in return?!
6. So in God we trust!
7. God we obey!
8. God we worship!
9. And to God we give thanks!
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
I hope you enjoyed this our first lesson in this series on “Thankful.”
Lord willing, next week we will continue with the topic: “Thankful in Every Circumstance.”
(Give invitation).
