True Thanksgiving
True Thanksgiving
TEXT: Psalm 100
INTRODUCTION: What do you think of when you think of Thanksgiving?
Some think of Thanksgiving as a time for EATING. Turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes, mmm good! As Some said, "gobble ‘till you wobble" and "slurp ‘till you burp."
For others, Thanksgiving means FOOTBALL!!! They stay glued to the tube as one game is followed by another while the women and kids clamor to see the parades!
For still others, Thanksgiving represents a THREE-DAY WEEKEND, a time to rest, unwind and relax.
Some think of the Thanksgiving as the day to prepare for THE BUSIEST SHOPPING DAY OF THE YEAR. It’s time to hit those sales and get those Christmas presents bought.
For some, Thanksgiving is a time for FAMILY. It represents a family reunion when mom and dad, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts and cousins gather together.
For some Thanksgiving represents HISTORY. They think of the founding of our country, pilgrims, Indians and Plymouth Rock.
For some Thanksgiving is a RELIGIOUS DAY. After all, God does deserve His due. For them, it is a time to express thanks to God for His provisions, providence and peace… maybe go to church. Maybe say an extra prayer of gratitude.
True Thanksgiving is much more than any of this. True thanksgiving is not just a day for food, football, fellowship and family. It’s not just a holiday every fourth Thursday in November. For God’s people everyday ought to be Thanksgiving Day!
Psalm 100 is an OT song of Thanksgiving. It is subtitled "A Psalm of Thanksgiving. It is an invitation, an invocation for people who recognize the Lord and His goodness to publicly acknowledge Him. Not only does it call upon us to praise the Lord with thankfulness but it also describes to us the nature of true thanksgiving.
Let’s examine four qualities of true thanksgiving.
I. True Thanksgiving is Public (vv.1-2).
A. We are to Publicly Shout to the Lord.
1. V.1 begins, "Make a joyful shout to the Lord." The KJV says, "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD." Whether we translate the word "shout" or "noise" the meaning is volume! We are to vocally proclaim our joyful thanks!
2. In English, the word "thank" means to "express gratitude or appreciation." However, there is no Hebrew word with this meaning. Rather, the Hebrew word yadah means literally "to make public acknowledgement."
3. In the Hebrew mindset, it was never enough to thank God quietly or privately. In the mindset of Psalm 100, it must be public. True thankfulness cannot be kept quiet.
4. Somehow many Christians have developed the idea that in order to worship the Lord; we must be quiet and solemn. Certainly there are times when we consider the Lord in quiet wonder, but when God’s people get together, we are to "shout to the Lord" with great joy!
5. Some will say, "Sure I’m thankful, but that’s just between me and God. It’s private." That’s like saying, "I’m thankful that I had two great parents, but because it is private, I would never tell anyone how great they are." It’s like saying, "I have a wonderful wife, but our relationship is very personal, so I can’t tell anyone how wonderful she is."
6. Hey, when we have true joy, it shows. The question is not whether or not we "shout." The question is whether or not we are "joyful."
B. We are to Publicly Serve the Lord.
1. The Psalmist also says, "Serve the Lord with gladness." Originally this referred to the service in the Jewish temple, the service of worship. However, we can certainly see that thankful people are serving people.
2. God has done so much for us! We have so much for which to be thankful. We should be willing servants.
3. We’ve all seen people serve the Lord with their hands or their head but not with their hearts. Underline that last word "gladness." We serve Him because we are thankful.
C. We are to Publicly Sing to the Lord.
1. We are to "come into His presence with singing." We know that God is omnipresent, that we are always in "His presence." However, the writer of this Psalm has in mind the special sense of "His presence" when God’s people worship together.
2. You can tell a lot about the life of a church by listening to the singing. When you enter a church that is alive with spiritual power, there is intensity in the singing, the worship, whether there are 10 or 10,000 people. When you go to a lifeless church, you sense it immediately.
3. There is an old hymn called "We’re Marching to Zion" that was a favorite of the church of my childhood. Listen to this verse from that old song:
Come we that love the Lord and let our joys be known,
Join in a song with sweet accord, and thus surround the throne.
Let those refuse to sing who never knew our God;
But children of the heavenly King may speak their joys abroad.
Then let our songs abound, and every tear by dry;
We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground to fairer worlds on high.
4. Every believer should be a singer! You don’t have to sing well (KJV - "make a joyful NOISE") but you must sing! Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."
5. There is something desperately wrong with a person who claims to be a saved, born-again child of God, indwelt by the Spirit, bound for heaven who does not sing to God.
II. True Thanksgiving is Purposeful (v.3).
A. Some people are not Thankful to God because They do not Know God.
1. Look closely at v.3, "Know that the Lord, He is God." That is a simple but profound statement. "It is He who made us, not we ourselves." Here’s my paraphrase, "The Lord is God, you are not. Get over it."
2. Have you noticed how ungrateful the world has become? No one seems to appreciate anything. Instead of giving thanks for the abundance we have, we just want more.
Sir John Templeton, the billionaire investor, was once asked what is the secret of wealth. Without hesitation Templeton said, "Gratitude. If you're not grateful, you're not rich, no matter how much you have."
B. When we know who God is and know who We are, We give Him Thanks.
1. There is an intriguing account in Lk.17:11-19 that illustrates this principle.
a) Jesus was going to "Jerusalem" and "passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee." The context suggests this event took place in Galilee.
b) As He "entered a certain village," He met "ten men who were lepers." The stood "afar off." Because of the infectious nature of leprosy, the law required them to keep at least 100 paces away from others.
c) V.13 says specifically, "they lifted up their voices." Medical science tells us that among other horrible symptoms, leprosy reduces the voice to a rasping sound. Can you hear them calling out with great difficulty, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"
d) Jesus never touched them or spoke any normal word of healing. He simply said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." Priests had no power to heal. Their role was to pronounce a victim cleansed of leprosy.
e) It was faith that caused the 10 to walk away from Jesus and hurry to the synagogue. However as they stepped away in faith (underline "as they went") they were healed. Imagine their overflowing joy!
f) In the midst of jubilation they ran to find the nearest priest. They wanted to be declared clean so they could return to their families.
g) Yet one returned to Jesus first. Note that "with a loud [healthy] voice" he "glorified God." He "fell down on his face" and began "giving Him thanks." The others were Jews, this man "was a Samaritan."
h) Do you notice a tinge of sadness in Jesus response in vv.17-18? All had been in need of mercy. All were relentless in their quest to be healed. All received from the Lord, but only one expressed gratitude.
2. Certainly all 10 were thankful to be healed, but only one took time to express thanksgiving. He was doubly blessed. How like many people today. We ask God for so much. He blesses and blesses us, Yet like the nine, we rarely take time to thank Him.
3. We have a reason to thank God. If you are saved, He has given you eternal life, an abundant life!
4. Psalm 100 says, "We are His people, the sheep of His pasture." As the Great Shepherd, He cares for our every need. We have a purpose, a reason to be truly thankful.
III. True Thanksgiving is Passionate (v.4).
A. Thankful People are Expressive People.
1. Look closely at v.4. We are to "enter into His gates with thanksgiving." We are to go "into his courts with praise." We are to "be thankful and bless His name."
2. Note again some of the other colorful expressive words in this psalm, "joyful," "shout," "serve," "gladness."
3. When we come together to purposefully, publicly offer our gratitude to God, that thanks offering should be expressive.
Have you ever seen those TV commercials where someone wins the publisher’s house sweepstakes? How do the people act when the TV crew comes to their door? Do they say, "Oh, well thank you, I guess" or do they shout with jubilation? Folks we have much more to be thankful for than a million dollar prize. We have eternal riches beyond our wildest imaginations!
4. In Jewish worship, it was not uncommon for people to become excited and shout for joy.
5. Does the Lord Jesus receive glory when we come into His house with faces so long we could eat corn from a Coke bottle? Is He praised when we sit like bumps on a log saying nothing, doing nothing and feeling nothing? Is He blessed when we mindlessly mumble the words of the songs? No, of course not.
B. Thanksgiving is both an Attitude and an Action.
1. Yes, true thanksgiving comes from the heart. When we consider all that God has done for us, the Holy Spirit will lead us in an attitude of gratitude.
2. However, when we have the right attitude, we express our thanksgiving with action. We become passionate.
3. Folks, I don’t have to shout to praise God, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. In fact, it feels pretty good. It’s apparent that worship in biblical times was punctuated with shouts, "Amen," "Hallelujah," "Glory."
IV. True Thanksgiving is Perpetual (v.5).
A. Note Three Perpetual Attributes of God.
1. He is always GOOD. V.5 says, "For the Lord is good." Every good thing in life, faith, family, health, happiness all comes from God. In fact, Ja.1:17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." There is no "variation" [like the teeth of a saw] with God. He is ALWAYS GOOD. There is no "shadow" with God. He is not shady. He has not a dark side. He is ALWAYS GOOD.
2. His MERCY is everlasting. Let’s turn to Psalm 136. Note the repetition of the phrase "For His mercy endures forever." I will read the first part of the verse and you echo that constant refrain. Mercy means withheld judgment. You and I deserve judgment. In our hearts we are desperately wicked. Yet God not only has mercy on us today, but His mercy is everlasting!
3. His TRUTH endures. Jesus said in Mat.24:35, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." Is.40:8 says, "The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever." From the time that God first inspired Moses to record the book of beginnings until today, the Word of God "endures." It will endure forever.
B. Because God’s Blessings are Perpetual, our Gratitude should never cease.
1. God’s goodness, His mercy and His truth are perpetual. They never end. They endure for ever. Lam 3:22-24 says, "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, says my soul, Therefore I hope in Him!"
2. We have so much for which we can be thankful. God has blessed us all immeasurably. Let’s not let this week be consumed with food, football, family, shopping and all the other festivities without remembering the One from whom all blessings flow.
CONCLUSION: An old farmer was sitting on the front porch with his wife. He thought about how much she meant to him. They had shared each other’s lives for 42 years. As they swung together, he said, "Wife, you’ve been such a wonderful woman that there are times I can hardly keep from telling you." Let’s not have that attitude with God.