Sermons

S. R. Psalm 103:1-5

Introduction

1. What comes to mind when you hear the word thanksgiving?
   1. Turkey, cranberries, pumpkin pie, football?
   2. God, Jesus, family, brethren, forgiveness, salvation?
2. To be thankful is to be grateful, to be appreciative of benefits received;
   1. All benefits come from God, (James 1:17)
3. When we fail to give thanks:
   1. Deuteronomy 6:10-12 – “¹⁰"Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, ¹¹and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, ¹²then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”
   2. Romans 1:21 – “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” (NNAS)
4. We are not in control
   1. “That’s at least partly because the West seems to believe it has already achieved a kind of eschaton in which the reign of human ingenuity and prosperity and technology has supplanted the reign of God. The mark of the secular West is that it actually believes humans are ultimately in control of all things. We believe the world is the way it is because we make it that way. We talk about “directing our own evolution.” It’s a conceit as old as the human race: “you will be like God.”
   2. But of course we aren’t. So when events don’t turn out the way we think they should, our illusion is shattered and our response is panic and flailing.” John Stonestreet 11-19-2015 Breakpoint

Outline

1. Be Thankful
   1. Paul’s thankfulness even in prison
      1. Ephesians 5:4 – fitting words
      2. Ephesians 5:20 – always
      3. Philippians 4:6 – instead of being anxious
   2. Thankfulness in the Colossian Letter
      1. Colossians 1:12 – joyously
      2. Colossians 2:7 – overflowing
      3. Colossians 3:17 – as you do all in His name
      4. Colossians 4:2 – keeping alert
2. Forget None of God’s Benefits
   1. Psalm 103:1-5
   2. Some of those benefits are:
      1. Food Acts 14:17; 1 Timothy 4:3-4; Romans 14:6
         1. Did you ever know Jesus to eat without praying first?
         2. John 6; Matthew 15:36; Luke 24:30-31, 35
         3. In the storm, Paul gave thanks in the presence of all Acts 27:35
      2. Health Issues
         1. A Samaritan (Luke 17:11-19)
         2. Hezekiah (Isaiah 38:1-6, 9, 18-19)
   3. Thanks for brethren:
      1. Ephesians 1:15-16 – faith & love
      2. Philippians 1:3-5 – participation in the gospel
      3. Colossians 1:3-4 – faith & love
      4. 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 – faith, love, & hope
      5. Philemon 4-5 – faith & love
3. Thanks for Salvation
   1. Romans 6:17 – by obedience freed from sin
   2. Romans 7:22-8:4 – set free from the law of sin and death
   3. 2 Corinthians 9:15 – God’s indescribable gift!
   4. 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 – victory over physical death
4. Conclusion:
   1. Let us not forget any of His Benefits
   2. Let us always, through every challenge, joyously overflow with thanksgiving.