COME, YE THANKFUL PEOPLE, COME

Psalm 92:1 NLT

1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High.

Amazing Grace—366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions 22. Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

Our early American leaders wisely realized the importance of having a special day each year in which people could recount their blessings and express gratitude to God for all of His goodness.

The first thanksgiving was decreed by Governor Bradford in 1621 to commemorate the Pilgrims’ harvest. Later George Washington proclaimed November 26, 1789, as a national day of thanksgiving, but the holiday was not repeated on a national basis until Abraham Lincoln named it a national Harvest Festival on November 26, 1861. After that time, the holiday was proclaimed annually by the President and the governors of each state. Finally in 1941, Congress passed a bill naming the fourth Thursday of each November as Thanksgiving Day.

The first stanza of this harvest hymn is an invitation and an exhortation to give thanks to God in His earthly temple—our local church—for the heavenly care and provision of our earthly need. The following two stanzas are an interesting commentary on the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares as recorded in Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43. The final stanza is a prayer for the Lord’s return—“the final harvest home.”

Amazing Grace—366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions 22. Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

1 Chronicles 16:8, 9; Psalm 68:19; Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43; Hebrews 13:15

The worship most acceptable to God comes from a thankful heart. Carry this musical truth with you—

1 Chronicles 16:8 NLT

8 Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.

9;

Psalm 68:19; Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43; Hebrews 13:15

I. The Apostle Paul clearly gives us an example of a thankful attitude.

A. In nearly every epistle, Paul’s first words are those of thanksgiving and praise to God.

1. Paul made this suggestion in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “In everything give thanks.…”

2. Paul’s thanksgiving was not dependent on his personal circumstances. He continued to thank God despite many hardships (2 Cor. 11:22–33).

3. Paul’s thanksgiving is evidenced in prayer (1 Thess. 1:2).

a) For Paul, this externalizing was spontaneous, flowing out of his love for Christ and the saints of Christ’s Church.

b) We should echo Paul, as we recognize our indebtedness to God for the gift of life itself and for His providence in sustaining us (2 Cor. 1:8–11).

B. Paul used the Greek word for thanksgiving often.

1) The word for thanksgiving in Greek is eucharistía, from eu, “well,” and cháris, “grace, thanks.” When we consider God’s cháris, “grace,” we are compelled to have eucharistía, “thanksgiving.”

2) In pre-Christian Greek literature, however, the word eucharistía is rarely used.

3) Outside the Gospels and Revelation, the word “thanksgiving” occurs in the New Testament only in the writings of Paul.

(a) The word eucharistía, itself does not actually occur in the Gospels, but similar words are used such as eulogē;sas, “blessed” (Matt. 26:26; Mark 14:22) and eucharistē;sas, “having given thanks” (Luke 22:17; John 6:11, 23).

(b) The noun appears only twice in Revelation, which was written long after all of Paul’s epistles, so it is quite possible that John borrowed Paul’s usage.

II. For Paul, thanksgiving is also a duty.

A. In 1 Thessalonians 1:2, the KJV says, “We give thanks to God always for you all.…”

1) Paul expresses thanksgiving as simply something he does (1 Thess. 1:2). But in 2 Thessalonians 1:3 the Greek text has the expression, opheílomen eucharisteín, translated “we are bound to thank,” or “it is our duty to thank God always for you.”

2) Paul further declares that thanksgiving is not an elective exercise but mandatory (2 Thess. 2:13).

B. In 1 Thessalonians chapters one and two, Paul connects the duty of thanksgiving with prayer, “We give thanks to God always for you all making mention of you in our prayers.”

1) We must thank God for others’ benefits and blessings as well as for ourselves. In order to do this we must have others on our minds as we go to prayer.

2) If we practice this form of thanksgiving, it will revolutionize our own lives and our relationships with others.

C. Paul elsewhere stresses the necessity of thanksgiving. He attributes the darkness of the heathen world to a lack of thanksgiving and praise (Rom. 1:21).

III. What should be the extent of our thanksgiving? (1 Thess. 1:2).

A. Paul tells us our thanksgiving should be “always.”

1) Thanksgiving and prayers must be constant attitudes manifested all day long, seven days a week. Note how many times the word, pántote, “always,” occurs in this connection (Rom. 1:9; 1 Cor. 1:4; Eph. 5:20; Col. 1:3; 4:12; 1 Thess. 3:6; 2 Thess. 1:3, 11; 2:13; Phile. 1:4).

2) This does not mean we are constantly praying, but that we are always ready to pray and alert for opportunities to pray (Col. 4:2).

B. Paul also stresses that our thanksgiving should be inclusive, “for you all.”

1) Paul did not leave anyone out in verse two, “for you all.” Every believer that is a part of a local congregation has been called into the body of Christ.

2) Therefore every member is vitally important to every other member of the church. In each member of our church we can find reason for praise on the fact of his calling alone. Yet above this, we ought to seek to be able as well to give God praise for the spiritual qualities we see in each one.

C. Paul further instructs us that our thanksgiving should be informed.

1) A believer must exercise his memory as he gives thanks in prayer.

(a) In 1 Thessalonians 1:2 Paul says, “… making mention of you …,” or, in other words, recalling each believer by name. The word mneía, “remembrance or mention,” is always used in connection with prayer (Rom. 1:9; Eph. 1:16; 1 Thess. 1:2; Phile. 1:4).

(b) In order to bring others before God in prayer, we must first be able to mnēmoneúontes, “to call to mind.” This verb form is followed by the adverb adialeíptōs, “without ceasing, without allowing any lapse of time” (Rom. 1:9; 2 Thess. 2:13). Thus we must constantly be filling our memory bank with the names and faces of fellow believers as did Paul.

2) A believer must also exercise his observation to feed his memory.

(a) We should detect how faith manifests itself in what others do, and find things in their lives worth imitating.

1) Some may be weary from doing their work for Christ’s kingdom. The word for labor in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 is kópos, “fatigue resulting from labor.” We should likewise be diligent.

2) Others may be carrying heavy burdens of life. The word for “patience” is hupomonē;. It implies being hopeful despite the circumstances. Seeing such patience causes our faith to increase as well.

(b) We must likewise remember all these needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ as we offer up prayers for them continually, thanking God especially for their faith and inclusion in the eternal life to come.

Spiros Zodhiates, Sermon Starters, vol. 1–4 (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1992).

Sermon Outlines for Special Occasions Reasons for Thankfulness

REASONS FOR THANKFULNESS

Text: Psalm 107:1

Read: vv. 1–22

“O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.”

INTRODUCTION: Few students of the Scripture would attempt to deny that King David of Israel said more about giving thanks to God than any other writer of the Bible. David seems to “ransack” every area of life in search of a new reason for giving thanks to God.

In this text, David gives his favorite reason for gratitude toward God: “for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever”; that is, God is just in all of His dealing with mankind, and His mercy never ceases to precede His judgment.

AT THIS SEASON WE MAKE MUCH OF OUR PILGRIM FOREFATHERS.

Let us be reminded that God’s people are “pilgrims.”

1. Abraham “looked for a city,” Heb. 11:10.

2. Many professed to be “strangers,” Heb. 11:13.

3. Jesus was the divine pilgrim from heaven, Matt. 8:20.

4. Christians seek their new country, 2 Cor. 5:1.

5. As Paul nears the end of his pilgrimage, he begins to view heaven—the land of the free, and the home of the brave in Christ! 2 Tim. 4:6–8.

SOME THINGS WHICH MAKE GIVING GOD THANKS A MOCKERY:

1. Thanks-giving without thanks-living, Luke 18:11.

2. Giving thanks without paying our vows, Ps. 50:14.

3. Attempting to exhaust our thanks only on Thanksgiving Day—“Thank God always,” 2 Thess. 2:13.

SOME THINGS FOR WHICH WE SHALL BE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL:

1. “Thanks … for his unspeakable gift,” 2 Cor. 9:15.

2. Thanks for our eternal “inheritance,” Col. 1:12.

3. Thanks for the victory over death, 1 Cor. 15:55.

The true thanksgiving spirit: “What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord,” Ps. 116:12–13.