Sermon Tone Analysis

Isaiah 43 - you were designed for praise

Designed for a specific purpose, used for another?

Let’s begin with the basics...

Gratitude defined:

gratitude

■ noun appreciation of kindness; thankfulness.

—ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French, or from medieval Latin gratitudo, from Latin gratus ‘pleasing, thankful’.

Thanksgiving defined:

thanksgiving

■ noun

1 the expression of gratitude, especially to God.

2 (Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day) (in North America) an annual national holiday marked by religious observances and a traditional meal, held in the US on the fourth Thursday in November, and in Canada usually on the second Monday in October.

The antithesis of gratitude…complaining

What does the Bible (therefore, God) say about complaining?

1. Common sense - energy used in complaining robs energy from positive practices, like...

2. It robs us of our strength...

Psalm 77:3 (HCSB)

I think of God; I groan;

I meditate; my spirit becomes weak.

Selah

3. Besides…do we really have the right to complain about anything?

4. Persistent complaining can become more than a habit, it can become a culture…consider the people of Israel.

Remember the children of Israel?

I know what you’re thinking: “Finally!”

Talk about a bunch of whiners.

They complained while they were in Egypt

They murmured in the wilderness

They didn’t like the water

or the food

5.

A culture of complaining robs God of our trust, and blinds us to the works of His hands

Israel became such a nation of grumblers that by the time Jesus began His ministry they couldn’t see him as the Messiah.

They only saw all the rules that Jesus broke – another thing to complain about.

Be terminally weird:

Practice gratitude with one another

Put gratitude in practice

A reason to praise

PRAISE!