2008 sermon on
Thanksgiving
1)
There is a country song, sung by
2)
The title of this song is: “40 hour week.”
3) It
begins with these words: “There are people in this country who work
hard every day.”
4) “Not for fame or fortune do they strive . But the
fruits of their labor are worth more than their pay
5)
And it's time a
few of them were recognized.
6) The song refers to
7)
It talks about the one behind the counter, ringing up
the sale, the firefighter and the mail person.
8)
It includes the
9)
The truck driver, the warehouse worker, the waitress,
mechanic and policemen are also mentioned.
10) A
key part of this song is, “let me thank
you for your time.”
11) We
live in a country that often forgets to be thankful.
a)
We see people doing jobs that we want done but we may
not appreciate their work.
b)
Society and individuals can be forgetful when it comes
to gratitude.
c) Many have more than enough to
survive day by day, but they are not grateful because they want more.
d) When times are good,
thankfulness is often the last things on people’s minds except at Thanksgiving.
e)
When times are bad, people often complain about what
they do not have or what they have
lost.
12) The Bible has a lot to say
about the subject of thanksgiving and this information is positive and
negative.
13) Most
of the information is positive – God teaches people to be thankful.
14) The
subject of thankfulness is also treated in a negative manner.
a)
In Rom. 1 Paul says there were some people who turned
against God so God turned against them.
b)
More
than once in the opening chapter of Romans Paul speaks about God “giving up” on
certain people.
c)
Those who God turned from were very wicked and vile
people.
d)
Part of the wickedness described in Rom. 1 was a lack
of gratitude.
e) Rom. 1:21 says some ancient
people in the past did not fare too well because they were not thankful.
15) Perhaps
this lack of appreciation is also associated with verse 22.
16) Paul
said people “professed wisdom” (they thought they knew a lot and were really,
really smart).
17) Sins
such as thanklessness were not a very bright choice.
18) At
least two other times in the New Testament we read about unthankful
people.
a)
One of these times is found in Lk.
6:35.
b)
Jesus said God is “kind” to people. This statement probably does not surprise us.
c)
Jesus went on to say God is kind to “evil people.”
d) God is not enthused about
those who are interested in doing evil, but He still wants them to be saved.
e)
He is merciful in sparing their lives so they have a
chance to repent and obey the gospel.
f)
Lk. 6:35 says God is kind to
others as well.
g)
If you have turned to this passage let’s look at the
entire thought – READ
19) We
know that a lack of thankfulness is a serious sin (Rom. 1:21).
20) As
bad as this is, God still seeks to be “kind” to those who are guilty of
thanklessness.
21) Unthankful
people are really a demonstration of God’s love.
a)
Imagine
the anger that we have seen from people who failed to receive appreciation for
what they did.
b) Someone gave time to someone
they really didn’t have and the receiver of that gift was not thankful.
c)
Someone gave money he needed for something else, and
the receiver was ungrateful.
d)
We share important information with someone and they
are not appreciative.
e)
People really get bent out of shape when they help
someone and there is no gratitude.
f)
With mankind, a lack of appreciation just one time is enough to terminate
future help.
22) Contrast
this common human attitude with God.
23) We
may help one person with one thing one time and there is
no appreciation at what we did.
24) Many
will say, “That is it. I helped you
once, you were not appreciative, and the help is over.”
25) This is not the way God works. God loves man even if he is not thankful.
26) Even though a person does
not appreciate his ability to breathe, move and work, God loves him.
27) If
this lack of gratitude happens day after day, God still loves the ungrateful
person.
28) Imagine
someone who takes all of God’s blessings and is never ever thankful for a
single one.
29) God
still loves that man throughout His entire lifetime.
30) God’s
love for the thankless is not limited to just one man—it applies to all people.
31) Day
after day God loves a world full of thankless and ungrateful people.
32) He
is truly a unique and loving God.
33) God’s
love will not save a thankless person because there are conditions for
salvation.
34) God’s
love does give people a chance to repent and make things right with heaven.
a)
We learned from Rom. 1 that a lack of gratitude is a
very serious matter.
b)
Paul reminds of this point a second time in 2 Tim. 3.
c)
As this chapter opens he told Timothy “grievous”
(perilous) times would come.
d)
We will read the first five verses; listen or look for
some information about thanksgiving.
e)
READ 2 Tim. 3:1-5.
35) A
lack of thankfulness is placed side by side with some very bad activities.
36) It
is put in the same category as being disobedient to parents and loving money.
37) It
joined with pride, traitors, slanderers, and people “who do not love good.”
38) I
said earlier that thanksgiving is dealt with positively and negatively in the
Bible.
39) The
three passages introduced thus far leave no doubt that being thankless is the
wrong way to live.
40) This
is why the New Testament speaks of thanksgiving as something we need to do.
41) Inspired
writers refer to things like “abounding in thanksgiving.”
42) Whether
circumstances are easy or hard, we are to look for things in which to be
thankful.
a)
Many years ago there was a Scottish minister by the
name of Alexander Whyte.
b)
This preacher was known for his “uplifting prayers in
the pulpit.”
c)
No matter what was taking place in life he found
something for which to express thanks.
d)
One Sunday morning the weather was very, very bad.
e) A worshipper thought the day
was so awful the preacher would finally fail to express thanksgiving.
f)
The preacher said, “We thank Thee, o God,
that it is not always like this.”
43) We
can choose to be distraught at our circumstances in life or we can be thankful.
44) If
we have not been all that thankful lately, some changes are in order.
45) Maybe
its time for us to go back to God’s word and see how others have lived.
46) Rather than judge our
circumstances by the lives of our peers, let’s see what the Bible tells us
about others.
a)
In preparing this material I looked through the first
half of Matthew (chapters 1-14).
b)
I found some things that remind me about the need to
always be thankful.
c)
Others can probably benefit from this material as well.
d)
We probably remember at least the basic details of Mary
and Joseph becoming parents.
e)
By becoming parents they had to go on the run – they
had to take flight.
f)
I have never been exposed to a threat where I had to
flee for my life.
g)
That is probably true for the majority of others in
this setting.
h)
Mt. 2:13 says Jesus’ family had to “flee.”
i)
This was not running next door to
some other house or even escape to another city.
j)
They had to flee to another country with a small child.
k)
Whatever happens in my life, I am glad I have been
spared this experience.
47) At
the end of Mt. 2 we find that some innocent children were slaughtered by Herod.
48) I
have never had to endure this type of circumstance either.
49) Imagine
the government coming and not only taking your child, but the government kills
your baby.
50) People
in the past have experienced it. In some
places this is still a daily possibility.
51) Our
circumstances may not be always be pleasurable, but
here are 2 things many get to avoid.
52) In
Mt. 3:4 John was eating locusts and wild honey.
a)
Do we think it would have found it hard to be grateful
for this type of food? It was
nourishment.
b)
If we have plenty of food, and maybe even a variety, we
have much to be thankful for.
c)
Compare today’s lunch, whatever it is, with locusts and
honey and see if you are not grateful.
d)
Skipping a few chapters we come to Mt. 8:2 and read
about a leper.
53) This
fellow did not need to go to the doctor to figure out what was wrong with him.
54) He
knew. He had a problem that was so bad
he had to be off by himself or with other lepers.
55) This
man had a death sentence. There were no
treatments or good medicines for him to use.
56) Without
Jesus, he was sentenced to a awful and probably very
painful death.
57) Whatever
physical maladies we suffer, it will probably not be as bad as leprosy.
58) We
likely have doctors, treatment options, and good medical care available to us.
59) For
these things we should be very, very grateful even when there are serious
health issues.
a)
At the end of Mt. 8 we read about people who were demon
possessed.
b)
These men lived in the graveyard; they cut themselves
and could not think correctly.
c)
There may be some days when we feel pretty bad, but we
will surely never be like these men.
d)
If we can think reasonably and we are not
uncontrollably cutting ourselves, we can be grateful.
60) In
Mt. 9 we encounter a man who was so sick he had to be transported on a pallet.
61) Later
in this chapter there was a woman who had an “issue of blood.”
62) This
was another serious problem; it had lasted for 12 years.
63) We
may have problems that last for many years as well, but we do have some great
medical care.
a)
We have options that did not exist 2,000 years ago.
b)
We have options that did not exist 50 years ago, or in
some cases, exist last month.
c)
In this land we have clean facilities, competent
doctors, and advanced technology.
d)
Few are enthused about going to see a doctor, but we
can be grateful that we have this choice.
e)
Beginning with verse 23 we find that Jesus brought back
to life a child who had been killed.
64) I
recently had some contact with a single mother in her 60’s; she is not a
Christian.
65) She
lost a daughter who was just past the age of 40.
66) This
woman has no real religious faith and the death of her middle aged child has devastated
her.
67) This
type of loss is not easy for a Christian, but for a non-religious person it is
much, much harder.
68) If
we have never lost a child we have something for which to be thankful.
69) We
may have lost possessions or something else due to a theft, fire, earthquake,
tornado, etc.
70) If
we are an adult who has have never lost a child, we have much to be thankful
for.
71) In
verse 27 of this chapter we find Jesus meeting up with 2 blind men.
a)
In our culture people complain about some interesting
things.
b) Eye ware is too expensive;
it may be too heavy, too flimsy, too easily scratched, or too something else.
c)
Imagine if glasses could have cured the problem these
men had—they would have been overjoyed.
d)
Our eyesight may not be as good as we like. If we can see, we have to be grateful for.
e)
In Mt. 14 John was imprisoned because he was a
righteous man.
f)
This is not our lot in life.
72) We
meet, at least for the present, in a public place and no one bothers us.
73) Rather
than hide our assemblies, we can broadcast who we are, where and when we meet.
74) Without
fear we can tell people what we believe and publicly say what the Bible
teaches.
75) This
has not always been an option for God’s people.
a)
In the past there were Christians who had to meet in
secret.
b)
There was a time when Christians met in catacombs (a
place for the dead).
c)
It smelled so bad in these places that authorities
often did not go into the tombs.
d)
Our culture is somewhat different, so we might need a
different illustration.
e)
Some cities have underground tunnels where drainage
water goes.
f) Imagine meeting for services
in one of those tunnels – we would be exposed to sewage, rats, moisture.
g) Would we meet for worship
and Bible study in a large sewage area if this were our only option?
h) Others have met in worse places
to stay faithful to Christ.
i)
Every time when come to this structure we should be
thankful for a nice, clean place.
j)
This is also an incentive to maintain what we
have. Having a building is a great
blessing.
76) The
remaining 14 chapters could be gone through in a similar manner, but I think
this is enough.
77) We
have, as we look at Bible characters and our lives, so much to be thankful for.
78) Even
in the worst of times (when we have health problems or a bad economy) we have
very much.
79) If
we are a Christian we have a very simple choice.
a)
We can reason that we are not happy with what we have
and we want more.
b)
This is a form of thanklessness and God is not pleased
with this choice.
c)
Option 2 is to recognize that our life is not perfect
and it never will be while we are on this earth.
d) If we have found Christ, we can worship and
serve Him without persecution, and we have food,
e) clothing and shelter each day of our lives,
we have so much to be thankful for and we will be
f)
grateful to God every
day of our life.
80) Are
we thankful to God day after day?
81) If
we are not, something is wrong. We would
like to help you fix that problem.