Gripped By Gratitude

Psalm 95:1–7 (ESV)

1 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.

5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Introduction:

10,000 Sermon Illustrations Lord Make Us Thankful

Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull. Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence. The storming bull followed in hot pursuit, and it was soon apparent they wouldn’t make it. Terrified, the one shouted to the other, “Put up a prayer, John. We’re in for it!” John answered, “I can’t. I’ve never made a public prayer in my life.” “But you must!” implored his companion. “The bull is catching up to us.” “All right,” panted John, “I’ll say the only prayer I know, the one my father used to repeat at the table: ‘O Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful.’“

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Thankfulness

A little boy was asked by his father to say grace at the table. While the rest of the family waited, the little guy eyed every dish of food his mother had prepared. After the examination, he bowed his head and honestly prayed, “Lord, I don’t like the looks of it, but I thank you for it, and I’ll eat it anyway. Amen.”

Gratitude begins with a profound appreciation of God.

The New Bible Commentary Psalms 95, 96. Glad Tidings of Salvation

In pagan thought, the depths were ruled by Molech, the mountain peaks by Baal, and the sea by Tiamat. But in the Bible all is in his hand, and is his by right of creation.

Am I burdened by the cares of life?

Am I captivated by the greatness of God?

Am I consumed with the baggage of my circumstances?

OR

Am I comforted by the sufficiency of my savior?

Give thanks for the pleasant things.

Give thanks for the painful things.

Gratitude will not survive a heart that is hostile towards God.

Psalm 95:7–11 (ESV)

7 Today, if you hear his voice,

8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,

9 when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

10 For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.”

11 Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest.”

In what areas of my life do I tend to resit God?