THANKS-GIVING PSALM 100

1 THANKS-GIVING PSALM 100 GIVING OF THANKS INTRODUCTION I. TO WHOM (V 1+ 4b) II. WHERE (V4a) III. HOW (V 1+2) IV. WHY (V 3+5) V. WHEN (selected scripture) CONCLUSION Preached at Living Hope Evangelical Church Oct. 10/2010

2 GIVING OF THANKS INTRODUCTION Well, good morning. Welcome to the service this morning. It is Thanks-giving weekend, and this morning we also want to make it a part of the Lord s Day as we gather here because of Him. May He truly sense in us a thank-full people. And so before we go any further, I d like us to stand and sing part of the Psalm that was read for us. Look at verse 4. Enter into His gates with thanks-giving, and into His courts with praise. We used to sing it at youth group, and some of you might not be familiar with the chorus, but we ll sing it twice and then the second time around you can help us, and may it come from the heart. As I started preparing this Thanks-giving message I thought of where our thoughts as Christians go when we think about giving thanks. Naturally we think of giving thanks to God, don t we? And that s where it ought to go, that s where it belongs. And then I thought of people that don t believe in God, atheists for example, I m sure they apprecialt this long weekend as well, and it is called Thanks-giving, how do they celebrate the Thanks-giving weekend. I m sure they have times that they feel good about the way life is going, and you wonder is it just people that are given the thanks for where they are in life? Or do they inwardly recognize that there is a God. I dug out the old World Book Encyclopedia and this is their introduction to Thanks-giving day; It is a day set aside each year for giving thanks to God for blessings received during the year. On this day people give thanks with feasting and prayer. And I thought, WOW, thats good for a secular information book. Thats where thanks-giving day started many years ago, and it would be interesting to know how the secular world would feel about a definition like this today.

3 Today we want to see what God s word says about thanks-giving. I ve made my outline from the 100 th Psalm, but I we will be looking at a lot of other scripture as well. And so the points we want to consider are; to whom we give thanks, where we do it, how we do it, why we do it, and lastly when to do it, which we don t find in this Psalm, so may the Word of God again find it s way into our hearts this morning. Think And Thank It has often been pointed out that thinking precedes thanking. When we are presented with a gift, it is because we think of its significance and meaning that we are led to express our appreciation. What, then, are the thoughts that, entertained by the Christian, lead to thanksgiving? And so to our text and the first point who is our praise and thanks-giving to go to? Turn again to Psalm 100 and look at verse 1 and the latter part of verse 4 THANKS-GIVING TO GOD Ps 100:1 A Psalm of Thanksgiving. Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Verse 4b Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. In both of these cases it is an imperative, it is not an option, it is a command. Ps 50:14 Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High. The first of the Ten Commandments says that Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. There is only one God De 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD [is] one! Somewhere in our thinking there should be thoughts of God. Perhaps we should start there. God what a train of thoughts should be started when we think of Him! Power, wisdom, goodness, grace, love, care: these are just some of the thoughts that come together when we read the word God. When Paul traces the downward path of mankind, he begins by saying that men, when they knew God,... glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful (Romans 1:21). That s where departure from God starts, ungratefulness. That s a sobering thought isn t it? Thanksgiving is thus really the product of careful cultivation. It is the fruit of a deliberate resolve to think about God, ourselves, and our privileges and responsibilities.

4 Have you done that lately? Have you sat down and just meditated on who God is, His attributes, His love for mankind, what He has done for you personally, the salvation He has wrought for you, and that at such a great cost. What great privileges we have, but with that come responsibilities as well, and a very important one is the giving of thanks. Giving thanks not because we have to, but because we want to. Le 22:29 "And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, offer [it] of your own free will. So to whom do we owe our Thanks-giving, it is the Lord our God, and the next question we ask, where do we go to offer out thanks to Him? WHERE Verse 4a says; Enter into His gates with thanks-giving, and into His courts with praise. What is the purpose of our gathering here this morning? We have come here this morning and as a body of believers entered His gates with thanks-giving and His courts with praise. When Jesus died on the cross the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom so that each one of us has access to the Father and His throne of grace at any time. It is at any time that we can go into His gates and His courts with praise and thanks-giving. But I want to take us to a time when we will be doing it literally in His courts, turn with me to Rev. chapter 4. We want to look at the throne room of heaven and what happens there. 1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this." 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

5 6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 11 "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created." What an account of what is taking place in the presence of God, and to think that those of us that have lost loved ones in the Lord, to think that they are doing this. They have entered His gates and courts, and I believe that one of the first things they will have done is to thank the triune God for their salvation and to sing praises to His name. That s where my thoughts went when I read this verse, and then to think that when we come to Him in prayer with thanks-giving that we are entering such a holy place. So we enter God s gates and courts with thanks-giving and praise, and according to this Psalm how are we to do it. HOW 1 Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Look at these four words, Joyful shout, gladness, and singing, and what have you got. I believe we d have some noise!!! Now I know we are not a Pentecostal Church and that s okay, but sometimes I believe we could be more expressive when and if we really feel passionate about something. Instead of praise the Lord, or thank-you Lord, we could put a little feeling and volume behind it: THANK-YOU LORD!!! OR PRAISE THE LORD!!!

6 But I also believe it shouldn t be just a show, it should come from the heart. So maybe we need to check our hearts. These verses also talk about singing. I know this building isn t very conducive for our singing, but most of us could make a little more air go through our vocal chords. Let us remember who it is that we are doing it for, to bring honor and glory to God. Ps 32:11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all [you] upright in heart! Ps 95:2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. Ps 98:4 Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises. I don t know about you, but when I read verses like this I get the picture of passion and if we say we really feel that way, some of us need to notify our faces. J.V.Mcgee says; There are times when we have long faces; problems beset us, temptations overcome us, or we come to God in repentance, asking Him for forgiveness. We cast ourselves upon Him. But none of that is worship. You worship God when you come to praise Him. He wants you to be happy. At the time of this writing most of the bars have what is called a happy hour. I wish we had a happy hour in church, without the liquid. Let s tune up and get ready to worship the Lord. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. 1 If we don t feel thank-full this morning, thinking that we have an excuse for a long face, I want to encourage you to get in the word and see if you can really excuse a long face. And that s where we want to go next What could we give reasons for thanking and praising Him? WHY? Ps 100:3 Know that the LORD, He [is] God; [It is] He [who] has made us, and not we ourselves; [We are] His people and the sheep of His pasture. Ps 100:5 For the LORD [is] good; His mercy [is] everlasting, And His truth [endures] to all generations. Is that your testimony; yes!! The Lord He is God, and I know that it is He that has made me, I have no part in it, and then to top it all off, I m His child and a sheep in His pasture. Paul says in 2Co 9:15 Thanks [be] to God for His indescribable gift! If you are here this morning a child of God, can you say; THANK-YOU GOD? 1J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1981 by J. Vernon McGee.

7 Listen to all the benefits you have if you are a sheep of His pasture. 1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever. That s the life, or should be the life of a person that is a child of God. He supplies everything we need and more. And when we walk through the darkest times in our lives, the valley of the shadow of death, He is with us. He blesses us to the extent that our cup runs over and then, surely GOODNESS and MERCY shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. What a promise!! If you have come here this morning as a child of God, with a long face, believing that you have a good reason for it, think again, and believe God and ask Him to help you change your heart and attitude. Yes, as believers, we are His People and sheep in His pasture. And then it says in Ps 100:5 For the LORD [is] good; His mercy [is] everlasting, And His truth [endures] to all generations. We were going for a walk in our neighborhood some time ago and as we were passing this one house there was a man and his children on his driveway, so we went over and introduced ourselves and then visited for a while. During the course of our visit I turned the conversation to spiritual things and asked him if they were church going people, and he said yes, they were just back from High Level, they attended the Mormon church. When I got home I did a little research on the Mormons and what they believe, and all I can say is, that any person that professes to be a Mormon is part of a cult and on the way to Hell.

8 It is a works Religion and the Bible clearly tells us it is ONLY BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH. And so this morning we can again say; Thank-you Lord for who you are and what you have done for us. Ro 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Ro 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Ro 5:11 And not only [that], but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. We should be thinking daily about the privileges that we have in Christ. God has loved us and made us significant Eph 1:3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ. Eph 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Through the sending His Son to die for us, we have been redeemed. The Father has accepted us in the Beloved Son. Ps 107:1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for [He is] good! For His mercy [endures] forever. Pastor Phil in his messages on God spoke on the goodness of God as His greatest attribute Ps 107:15 Oh, that [men] would give thanks to the LORD [for] His goodness, And [for] His wonderful works to the children of men! And then thank God for His truth that endures to all generations. Tit 1:2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, Heb 6:17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, Heb 6:18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. So how do you feel this morning, did you come with a thank-full heart? Or did you need to be reminded?

9 I know there are times in my life when I need to step back from the situation I might be in at the time and look at the big picture, God, His provision physically and spiritually, what He has done for me on the cross, and all the promises of a glorious future with Him for all eternity. As Christians we know all those things, and yet sometimes we feel our situation is unique or special. It seems that we just can t rise above the circumstances, and so we don t have this thank-full heart attitude that we should have. I d like to read of some difficult situations that people have been in and they gave thanks despite of them. WHEN 13179. Thankful After Robbery Matthew Henry, the famous scholar, was once accosted by thieves and robbed of his purse. He wrote these words in his diary: Let me be thankful first, because I was never robbed before; second, because, although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because, although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed. 13150. Corrie Thanks God For Fleas Corrie ten Boom in The Hiding Place relates an incident that taught her always to be thankful. She and her sister, Betsy, had just been transferred to the worst German prison camp they had seen yet, Ravensbruck. On entering the barracks, they found them extremely overcrowded and flea-infested. That morning, their Scripture reading in 1 Thessalonians had reminded them to rejoice always, pray constantly, and give thanks in all circumstances. Betsy told Corrie to stop and thank the Lord for every detail of their new living quarters. Corrie at first flatly refused to give thanks for the fleas, but Betsy persisted, and Corrie finally succumbed to her pleadings. During the months spent at the camp, they were surprised to find how openly they could hold Bible study and prayer meetings without guard interference. It was not until several months later that they learned the reason the guards would not enter the barracks was because of the fleas. God had a purpose for those fleas, and that was to further the gospel. It s so hard for us to think like God does, isn t it? And then there is always someone that complains about the weather.

10 13181. Thankful For Unusualness Dr. Alexander Whyte of Edinburgh was famous for his pulpit prayers. He always found something to thank God for, even in bad times. One stormy morning a member of his congregation thought to himself, The preacher will have nothing to thank God on a wretched morning like this. But Whyte began his prayer, We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this. Young people, I have a word for you, learn to do this now, as you grow and mature in your faith, learn to be a thank-full person. Thanksgiving is the product of careful cultivation. Even when you feel your parents don t understand you, when you think, my, I hope it doesn t take too long before they grow up, in the midst of that thank the Lord that they care about you and love you. 13158. Giving Thanks Always Martin Rinkart, whose hymn of praise Now Thank We All Our God is sung in thousands of churches, penned this song during an epidemic in which the number of the dead was so great that they had to be buried in trenches. During one especially oppressive period Rinkart conducted up to 50 funerals a day as a plague swept through the town, and thirty years of war wreaked it s own terror on the people. His own wife was taken away; he lost his property and was driven to desperate extremes in finding food and clothes for his children. Yet during those years of darkness and despair when death and destruction greeted each new day, Pastor Rinkart wrote 66 sacred songs and hymns. Among them was the song Now thank we all our God. As sorrow crouched all around him, Rinkart wrote; Listen to the words and consider them in the context in which he wrote them. NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD 1. Now Thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices, Who wondrous things has done, in whom His world rejoices; Who from our mother s arms, hath blessed us on our way With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today. 2. O may this bounteous God, thro all our life be near us, With ever joyful hearts, and blessed peace to cheer us, And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed, And free us from all ills, in this world and the next.

11 3. All praise and thanks to God, the Father now be given, The Son and Him who reigns, with them in highest heaven, The one eternal God, whom earth and heaven adore; For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore. I just absolutely cannot picture myself even thinking words like this in a situation similar to what he was in. I can imagine myself sick to the stomach, and walking around in a daze not even being able to think clearly, but you know what this tells us of this man? It tells us that here was a man that loved the Lord with all his heart, soul, and mind. That was his life, that was his passion, he knew his God very intimately, that is why he could pen words like that. The verse in Romans 8 must have been very real to him, Ro 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to [His] purpose. You might be here this morning struggling with some circumstance that you are in, and you were definitely not in thanks-giving mode this morning. My first question to you would be; are you a child of God, are you a sheep of His pasture? Then you probably know what my advice would be to you, Thank-you Lord,...... but Pastor, you don t really know my circumstances...thank-you Lord. Remember Php 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; Php 4:7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. When the doctor gives you the bad news of test results, when friends let you down, things at work don t pan out, either with your employer, or a fellow worker, all things that can discourage us, and take the joy out of life, if that is what we focus on. Even if we can t thank God for the fleas in our life, there are still many other things we can thank Him for.

12 And so my prayer for all of us is that despite the circumstances we are in, that we will be able look beyond that and enter into His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise, because He is worthy. I ll close with these verses in; 1Ch 29:10 Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said: "Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all. 12 Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all. 13 "Now therefore, our God, We thank You And praise Your glorious name. Re 7:12 "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen."