I'll give thanks because God is worthy

Big Idea:

I’ll give thanks because God is worthy, as He has perfectly proven.

I give thanks because who You are - perfect; worthy (vv. 1-2).

His track record is perfect. Michael is greater than Lebron because His finals record is perfect.

God perfectly rescues me (v. 3).

We can ask God for help. God wants us to ask Him for help. And here’ the amazing thing… God will answer some of those prayers, but He will always answer them with a perfect answer - Jesus. God’s will for our life is best. And He’s going to answer it that way.

I know this is hard. It’s hard for me. It’s hard for Jesus! Not my will, but your will. I don’t want to die, I dont want to face the wrath, but Your way is better. It’s perfect.

Sin messes alot of things up. We need help fixing a lot of broken things in our life. But the thing we need the most help with is our soul - the deepest part of our being. The thing sin messed up the most is our relationship with God - the separation of our soul (our very being) from the God we were created to love. Jesus fixes this.

God has perfect hospitality (vv. 4-6)

Creating an environment where you feel welcomed - like you belong - like you’re part of the family.

Part of being hospitable implies you’re not forcing people to come in. It’s hard for that environment to be welcoming. God’s house is open , except for people who say, “I dont want to come in” - which makes sense.

Think about the invitation that is rejected.

God perfectly cares for me - give me Your all (v. 7)

God sees me as perfect (v. 8) - Someone who believes in me - lead into Ministry Fair.

ng to raise their child to love and follow Jesus. And it is our responsibility as a church family to come alongside them and support them in fulfilling this commitment!

Good morning Church Family!

John 17:22–23 ESV

The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

Today, we blessed to be doing another child dedication! Will Katrina, Doug, and Oliver come forward.

As they make their way to the front, a quick reminder about what a child dedication is, Two things:

First, it’s an opportunity for us as a church family to celebrate life. We celebrate new life in our church! We are thankful for the children in our church! And we rejoice with their parents on their growing family.

Second, the book of Proverbs says, “Raise up a child in the way they should go and when they get older, they will not depart from it.” This morning, as a church family, we are going to be witnesses to a commitment this family is making to raise their child to love and follow Jesus. And it is our responsibility as a church family to come alongside them and support them in fulfilling this commitment!

So, I’d like to invite the families to the front...

So, in a moment, I’m going to read a few biblical commitments, for the parents, about raising their child in the Christian faith. And if you agree with them, after I’m done, you will say, “We do.”

Then, I’m going to read some commitments for us as a church family. And if we agree, we will also say, “We do.” Then, I will pray for this family and Oliver.

Read commitments.

Prayer: Father, we thank you for these children. We know you love them. We know they give us a picture of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, we celebrate their lives today. We dedicate them to You. We ask you would bless them, protect them, and guide them. May they fall in love with you Jesus and live faith-filled, Spirit-empowered lives. We ask you strengthen the parents. Give them wisdom to train up these children in the way they should go. And help us – as their church family – love and support them. May our lives be rooted in truth, which is Your Word. Help us all to abide in you Jesus. For we know that apart from You, we can do nothing. And we ask all of this in Jesus name, Amen.

Let’s give this family a hand. As you guys head back to your seats, I have a certificate for you. Families please feel free to take pictures.

Intro:

Intro:

Good morning River Church Family. Welcome. Real quick before I forget, I want to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving! To our online family - Happy Thanksgiving!

This morning we are finishing our series for this season titled “Give Thanks.” It’s a series founded on that reminds us to...

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV

give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Whether its Thanksgiving or not, as Christians we are to be thankful people - no matter where we are, what we have, or what we’re going through. I’ll admit… that’s not always easy.

Life is tough. Many times there are worries and circumstances that make life stink. It’s hard to be thankful in those times. But we’ve spent the last month searching God’s word on how to do just that. Btw, if you’ve missed any of those previous messages, they are available for you on both our Facebook page or our website.

Today’s message is title, “I’ll give thanks because God is worthy.” Out of all the things we’ve talked about, this may be the most important of them all. We should be thankful because of who God is. And to help us understand this, would you open your Bible/app to .

This is a short but powerful Psalm written by King David. And in the Psalm, David appears to have come to a greater understanding of who God is. David leveled up. In his mind, he thought, “I knew God was worthy, but now - whew - I really know God is worthy! And so I worship Him!”

And in that worship, David “gives thanks.” In fact, in this short 8-verse Psalm, David uses that phrase three times. He doesn’t necessarily tell us what brought him to this greater revelation of God’s worthiness, but He does declare some wonderful things about who God is, and why He gives thanks to Him. And my hope is that after this morning, we too will walk away with a fresh, and greater, understanding of who God is, that He is worthy, and that we should “give thanks” to Him in all circumstances.

Let’s read...

Psalm 138:1–2 ESV

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.

If you have your bulletin and you’d like to take notes, I’ve listed five fill-in-the-blank points for you to follow along with.

Point number 1...

Exegesis:

1. God is perfect [nothing compares] (vv. 1-2):

David starts out with “I’ll give thanks” to you God “with my whole heart.” I’ll “sing your praise.” I’ll worship You. “I’ll give thanks to Your name!”

That phrase “with my whole heart” refers to being “all-in.” David’s like, “You have won me over! I’m totally with You! Everything I have is Yours!”

The word for “sing” used describes being overwhelmed to point of not caring about anything else. It’s like, “I don’t care about who’s looking. I don’t care what anyone else has to offer. I’m so consumed with Your presence (who You are), that I MUST cry out from my heart with a song about how worthy You are!”

I think of the story of the sinful woman in . Jesus is invited to a religious leader’s house and a sinful woman (we got kids in service so I’ll keep her description like that) comes into the house because Jesus is there. She gets so overwhelmed with who Jesus is - God in the flesh - she begins weeping, and washing Jesus’ feet with her tears. And she pours expensive oil on his feet as an act of worship.

The thing is - she’s not supposed to be there! She doesn’t belong. How dare this sinful woman walk into this holy leader’s house! As she walked in, you can bet people were like, “Ew. What’s she doing here. Get out of here you disgusting person!” But this woman didn’t care. She saw Jesus. Nothing could distract her or stop her from worshiping.

Have you ever experienced that? Being in the presence of God and coming to the point of, “I don’t care about anything else. God is worthy and I must sing! I must praise Him!”

I remember the first Good Friday service after I gave my life to Christ. I was sitting in the outdoor theater of SDSU and worship had always been my least favorite part of church. I liked hearing the Word of God, but I wasn’t too into singing.

But that day, it clicked for me. As the music washed over me, I was overwhelmed with the thought of God’s worthiness. And I did something I had never done before in my life, “I raised my hands in worship.” Why? Because, like David, I was all-in! I experienced who God is and I had to sing to Him.

David goes onto say, “I give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.”

God has a perfect track record. Nobody loves like Him. Nobody is faithful like Him. Because of who God is, He always does what He says He will do. And everything He does is GOOD! Nothing compares to Him. He is perfect.

And to expand on this, David lists 4 things God does perfectly that justify how worthy He is. Starting with verse 3...

Psalm 138:3 ESV

On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.

Point number 2...

2. God perfectly rescues me (v. 3):

Look at verse 3, “On the day I called, you answered me...” I love that. Church. God is real. And He’s not just real, but He interacts with us. And it’s not like, “Here’s some bread crumbs puny mortals!” No, it’s a real relationship. Like when a child calls to his parents, God answers us when we (His children) call to Him.

We’re family right? Okay cool. I’m gonna be real. Most of the time, when my youngest son calls out to me, it’s for me to come wipe his butt. He’s made a mess and he needs me to help him clean up. Isn’t that kinda like us and God?

Most of the time, we make a mess of our lives and we need Him to rescue us. We’re sinners. Sin messes our lives up. And we need God to rescue us from our mess. And God is faithful to do that. He’s so good to us.

But check out what it says there… “my strength of SOUL you increased.” Our soul is the deepest part of who we are. And I love this because it reminds me that God perfectly rescues us. And the best way He did that is by sending us Jesus.

Jesus is the perfect rescue for our souls. He’s what we really need. We don’t need more money. We don’t even need physical healing. We don’t need a better job. We need Jesus. Because when we have Jesus, the strength of our soul is increased! He is our perfect rescue.

Sometimes we need God to help us because we spent money unwisely. We made bad decisions. We lost a job. But let me say this… while God will help us with those things, He’s more concerned about our soul. About the things that really matter.

Psalm 138:4–6 ESV

All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth, and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.

And so when we cry out to Him to help us with our circumstances,

Point number 3...

3. God has perfect hospitality (vv. 4-6):

David says “All the king of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, they have heard the words of your mouth...”

How did the kings of the earth hear God’s word? Better yet, why would they give Him thanks?

Well, think about this… What position did David have? Right, he was a king. He was a powerful king at that. How did the kings of the earth hear God’s word? I believe David told them. What we see here is David sharing his faith with his peers.

But here’s what I really love: As David shares his faith, he’s got faith to believe that the same God who transformed his life, will transform theirs! He’s like, “Let me tell you about my God! And I believe after you hear about Him, He’s going to become your God too. He’s going to transform your life and you’re going to be singing to Him right beside me.”

I love that! But why is David so confident about this? I believe it’s because David knows God is perfectly hospitable! What I mean by that is God’s door is always open. It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter where you come from. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. You are welcome in God’s house. Come as you are. But I got to warn you… you many not leave as you were. Why? Because our God changes lives. He transforms lives. He rescues lives!

And the people You once thought were weird for singing to an invisible God, for giving so much of their hard-earned money to His kingdom, to dedicating so much of their free-time to serve Him… You may find yourself right next to them. I know I did! When I encountered the presence of God, when I experienced His transforming love, I gave thanks to Him and began singing of His ways.

Which is a challenge for all of us. If we believe God saves. If we believe God changes lives. We should invite people into God’s Kingdom with the same confidence David has. We should be like, “Come meet Jesus! He wants to meet you! And you’ll never be the same - in a good way!”

The only thing that’ll keep someone out of God’s house is found in verse 6...

Psalm 138:6 ESV

For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.

Let me say it this way, “Everybody can come in! Even the lowest of low. The only people who can’t are the haughty (the prideful).” Why? I thought God was perfectly hospitable and welcomed everyone. Yes! He is! The prideful can’t come in - not because God doesn’t want them to - God desires all to be saved! They can’t come in, because they don’t want to come in!

The prideful say, “I don’t want to come in. I don’t need to change. I don’t need Jesus.” So, they don’t come in. Don’t lie to yourself and keep youself out of the Kingdom of God. Repent. Turn from your old ways and run into the loving arms of the Savior. He is perfectly hospitable and will welcome you into His home.

Psalm 138:7 ESV

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.

Ps 138:

Point number 4...

4. God perfectly cares for me (v. 7):

Look at verse 7. David’s like, “God, you always take care of me. No matter the trouble I’m in, you keep me alive. No matter who is coming against me, you save me from their wrath.” But what’s awesome is that phrase “your right hand delivers me.”

You ever been at work and had to do a shift with that person who doesn’t care? Or, for you students… you know when the teacher assigns a group project and you get paired with that one kid who never doesn their work? Maybe you’re that kid! Don’t be that kid!

But it stinks to work with them because you know they give a sub-par effort. They don’t care. That’s not God. God is perfect. He always gives His best. He always perfectly cares and that’s shown by this phrase.

You see, in Scripture, “the right hand” was the place of power. What David is saying is, “God, you always perfectly care for me! You give me the best all the time.”

That’s who God is! He always gives His best! And that’s perfectly seen in Jesus.

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

I can’t remember who shared this with me, but notice how it says “His ONLY Son.” God doesn’t have two sons, or ten sons, He’s got ONE SON.

I got three sons. I love you guys. You’re my church family. But I ain’t sacrificing any of my sons for you. Sorry, but not sorry. Even if I had two left over or could make more. That’s why I’m not God!

But God has one Son. One perfect Son. Who God sent to us to save us from our sin by dying on the Cross in our place! God gave His best. He always gives His best because He perfectly cares for us.

Psalm 138:8 ESV

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Point number 5...

5. God sees me as perfect (v. 8):

I’m not saying we are perfect. I’m saying God sees us as perfect. What I mean by that is...

This world can beat us up pretty good. We don’t look the right way. We don’t do the right things. We don’t come from the right neighborhoods. And that’s not to mention the spiritual warfare we face (whether we realize it or not). The devil is constantly telling us, “You are trash!” But God sees us and sees beauty. He sees His most precious creation. Someone who’s so valuable that He sent His only Son to die for them.

What I also mean is when we are willing to put our faith in Jesus Christ, meaning believe that He died on the cross for our sins and God raised Him from the dead three days later, that God perfectly forgives our sin. Because of Jesus, we are made perfect. The Bible calls this justified. We are made perfectly right in God’s eyes.

But I also mean, is God sees us for who He created us to be. God has a purpose for our lives and He believes in us!

David got this. He says, “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me! You keep on loving me because you see me for who I can be in You! Thank you so much. I never want that to change!”

There’s a reason why you’re alive. God created you for a purpose. A purpose that fits perfectly into His plans to save the world and bring glory to His name. And isn’t it good to know that God sees you that way? God’s like, “I see you. You’re beautiful. You’re perfect. And I created You for something wonderful. I believe in You.”

Response:

As we close, I’m going to invite the worship team forward.

As we head into Thanksgiving this week (and beyond), Give thanks! Give thanks because God is worthy. He is perfect!

Ministry Fair - Got incorporate that.

And maybe this morning you need a perfect God in your life? You need to be perfectly rescued. You need to be perfectly cared for. You feel lost and would love to be welcome into a perfect home. Call on the name of Jesus this morning. Don’t be prideful. Don’t keep youself out of His house! Run into His love arms and cast all your worries at His feet. I guarantee you will find perfect love.

Do you need a perfect God in your life? Rescue, care, welcoming, believes in you?

And as Janelle mentioned earlier, today after service we are having a Ministry Fair. Again, God created you with a purpose. The greatest purpose is to be on mission for Him and using your time, gifts, and resources in your local church. And He believe in you. That’s why He chose you, gifted you, and called you to this church. And so, this is the perfect opportunity to began walking in that purpose. Don’t rush off. Hang out and check out the ministry fair. Because maybe you’re the perfect person for such a time as this?

Let’s pray.

Ministry Fair - God created you with a purpose. The greatest purpose is to be on mission for Him and using your time, gifts, and resources in your local church.