Thankfulness sermon
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 24 viewsNotes
Transcript
And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising Yahweh, and likewise in the evening,
Thankfulness
Thankfulness
Intro
Intro
What is thankfulness?
Why is it important? - Is it important?
Short, surface-level “word study” - what does the bible have to say about thankfulness?
I will read about 12 verses and just briefly give a couple thoughts to each one
My hope: you will find 1 or 2 aspects to meditate on, go deeper, or focus on for your own life in the coming weeks
Und an jedem Morgen sollten sie stehen, zu danken und zu loben den Herrn, und ebenso an jedem Abend,
1 Chron 23:
Levites were tasked with thanking God morning and evening
Levites were tasked with thanking God morning and evening
A good practice that we can adopt
Thanks is closely related to praise
Thanks = expression of gratitude, praise = expression of approval
Singt dem HERRN; alle, die ihr Gott fürchtet, sagt Dank seinem heiligen Namen!
We are commanded to praise God (not just here, but in various places)
We can express our thanks in song
Give thanks to Yahweh with the lyre;
with a harp of ten strings play to him.
We can express thankfulness through music
What are other ways we can express thankfulness towards God (and others)?
Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,
for his loyal love is forever.
We thank God because he is good - and in particularly good to us (not just abstract, but personal)
We give thanks because he loves us with a loyal, never failing love (despite our many shortcomings)
And you will say on that day,
“I will give you thanks, Yahweh,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
and you comforted me.
We are also thankful for the things that God doesn’t give us (wrath, punishment)
he took the seven loaves and the fish and after he had given thanks, he broke them and began giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
Jesus, our primary example of what it means to be truly human, gave thanks.
So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes above and said, “Father, I give thanks to you that you hear me.
Thankfulness is a function of relationship
And after he said these things and took bread, he gave thanks to God in front of them all, and after breaking it, he began to eat.
Paul also gave thanks for food
Another practice that we might consider adopting if we haven’t already
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasoning, and their senseless hearts were darkened.
Giving thanks to God is a central aspect of the Christian life. Indeed, it is what separates us from those who do not believe.
A lack of thankfulness (particularly towards God, but also in general) is a dangerous thing
The one who is intent on the day is intent on it for the Lord, and the one who eats eats for the Lord, because he is thankful to God, and the one who does not eat does not eat for the Lord, and he is thankful to God.
God is most interested in our heart attitudes. We can have various theological standpoints and convictions about things, but if we do not have a heart of thankfulness towards God, our theology and convictions will not be worth much.
Conversely, an attitude of thankfulness will cover over many of our weaknesses
giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to the God and Father,
This is what our attitude should be - giving thanks to God always and for all things (because they all work for our good [Rom. 8:28])
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom, with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God,
A heart that is full of thankfulness will find ways to express it. Thankfulness cannot remain hidden.
and everything whatever you do in word or in deed, giving thanks for all things in the name of the Lord Jesus to God the Father through him.
give thanks in everything; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Giving thanks is the will of God for us
who forbid marrying and insist on abstaining from foods that God created for sharing in with thankfulness by those who believe and who know the truth,
because everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thankfulness,
Again, thankfulness can cover over many of our deficiencies
God created the world for our enjoyment and that we would in turn thank him for this gift
Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be thankful, through which let us serve God acceptably, with awe and reverence.
But he has prepared an even better world for those of us who love him, and for this too, we should be thankful.
And our thankfulness should be expressed in our service and devotion to him.