Here is the manuscript for the third sermon in the series “Taking the Stew out of Stewardship”. Many people think of stewardship only in terms of offerings for some worthy cause. The principle of stewardship applies to every area of life.
If, as someone has said, the giving of thanks is a vaccine, an antitoxin, an antiseptic, what person is there who does not need such protection against spiritual infection?
In our text, “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth forever”, the psalmist revealed three things about thanksgiving.
First, he pointed out the object of our thanks: “O give thanks unto the Lord.” Second, the psalmist gives the reason for our thanksgiving. Give thanks to the Lord “for he is good.” God is good so His blessings are abundant. They just flow from Him because He is good. And third, the psalmist revealed the motivation of his thanksgiving : “his mercy endureth for ever.”
Thanksgiving or gratitude is a grace, a gift from God. Like all his gifts, we can take it or leave it. We can use it or neglect it. In this, as in all good things, we are to be stewards.
For an audio recording of the sermon click the YouTube link at the end of this manuscript.
You can see the entire service from November 22, 2020 on the Christ Church YouTube Channel. https://youtu.be/wI8Kn4S087Q
Scripture
Psalms 118:1-18 NIV Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.” When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord ; he brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down. I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my defense ; he has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord ’s right hand has done mighty things! The Lord ’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord ’s right hand has done mighty things!” I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.
Our text today comes from the scripture that Jean read Psalm 118:1-18 the text is verse 1
Text: “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth forever” (Ps. 118:1).
Introduction
If, as someone has said, the giving of thanks is a vaccine, an antitoxin, an antiseptic, what person is there who does not need such protection against spiritual infection?
In our text, “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth forever”, the psalmist revealed three things about thanksgiving.
First, he pointed out the object of our thanks: “O give thanks unto the Lord.”
As James said, “Every good and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (1:17 ASV). God who owns all things is the object of our thanksgiving.
Second, the psalmist gives the reason for our thanksgiving. Give thanks to the Lord “for he is good.” God is good so His blessings are abundant. They just flow from Him because He is good.
And third, the psalmist revealed the motivation of his thanksgiving : “his mercy endureth for ever.”
What is it about thanksgiving that’s so important?
Thanksgiving or gratitude is a grace, a gift from God. Like all his gifts, we can take it or leave it. We can use it or neglect it. In this, as in all good things, we are to be stewards.
First of all Our stewardship of thanksgiving must be constant.
It must be unvarying. We should give thanks at all times and under all circumstances.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 5:15-20 NIV Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
One day just try thanking God for everything. When you get up thank Him for waking you. Thank Him for the sun, or rain, or whatever the weather is that day. Thank Him for that cup of coffee, or juice, that piece of toast. Thank Him for your family. Thank him for your car, just thank Him. In addition to that thank the people you see that day for whatever they do for you. If someone says hello say hello back and tell them thank you.
I think that what you will find is that everybody you meet that day or almost everybody you meet will respond with a smile and a return thank you.
Why shouldn’t we be this constant in expressing our thanks to one another every day and always and especially to God?
In times of prosperity we should give thanks. By and large we, in America when compared with most of the world, are an affluent people. Even in these very difficult times. The food on our tables today and on Thursday will demonstrate this. Whether prosperity makes for good or bad depends, in part, on the spirit in which we receive. Are we thankful? God has given us this grace of thanksgiving. Are we using it?
Of course we should give thanks in times of prosperity but we should also give thanks in times of adversity. Mlst will say that this is hard of all, and it is. But being thankful in these times will help us grow to be like like Christ. Which is what God wants for us that's why He will work out even the difficult times for our good, becoming more like Christ is a very good thing.
We know the scripture
Romans 8:28-29 NKJV 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. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
In the Old Testament the prophet Habakkuk gives us an example of rejoicing in difficulty, in the midst of utter desolation for the nation of Israel he gave thanks:
Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord , I will be joyful in God my Savior.
Now that is thanksgiving in the middle of a mess!
Giving thanks; cultivates your character, increases your joy, and conquers your problems in that thanking God takes your mind off your problem and while thanking and praising God your attention is on Him. Your problems may not go away when you give thanks, but they stop being such a problem. You live from the inside out. What goes on around you no longer controls the condition of the world within you.You can't control the problems that come into your life but you can control how you respond to them.
While we can thank God in all things we shouldn't be faking our thanks either, acting like we aren't affected by or bothered by our troubles. We are human beings and we have emotions. If we try to hide those emotions we aren't being honest with ourselves and more importantly, we are not being honest with God. We should let our real emotions show in our conversations, or prayer time with Him.
David knew a few things about suffering and adversity. He struggled through family brokenness, betrayal, the death of a child, and much more over the course of his life. Through his writings in the Psalms we see his incredible strength and determination to cling to hope in hard times. Even in our greatest struggles God is walking beside us and what feels like the end may just be a bend in the road. Here’s an example of David giving thanks in adversity;
Psalms 71:1-8 NIV In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel. For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord , my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you. I have become a sign to many; you are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.
C) In times of doubt we should give thanks.
This is difficult, but with God’s help we can do it.
Many of us are going through very difficult times right now. We may be struggling financially, with an illness, grieving over the loss of a loved one or a relationship whatever. We don’t know from one day to the next what’s going to happen. You pray and pray and nothing happens. It's at these times that you think that either God doesn't hear you or He has abandoned you. I've been there but what I've discovered is that God has provided a way for me to get out of that funk through something that He has already provided, His Word and we can go to His Word and give thanks even in times of doubt.
Here are some of the scriptures that I turn to at those times that it feels as if everything is falling apart.
Hebrews 13:5-6 (NKJV) 5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."6 So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"
Psalm 34:17 (NKJV) 17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.
Isaiah 43:2 (NKJV) When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.
Lamentations 3:21-23 (NKJV) 21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.22 Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Our stewardship of thanksgiving must be discerning or given with good judgment, remember I said give thanks in not for all things
Let me give you an example.
Philippians 3:13 NKJV Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
When Paul wrote this he did not mean that he wanted to forget everything. His memory was selective. He did not want to forget such things as his experience with Christ on the Damascus road. In fact, he told that story again and again. He did not forget God’s help in hard places nor his guidance when he didn’t know which way to turn.
Like Paul, our thanksgiving must be discerning.
True thanksgiving remembers the best of the past.
Psalms 103:1-5 NKJV Bless the Lord , O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord , O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
True thanksgiving sees the blessings of today, the blessings of the present.
Ours is a day of uncertainty and confusion, a global pandemic, racial unrest, serious political divisions, economic uncertainty, strife, injustice and evil. Instead of saying woe is me, we should say, “What a great day to be alive!” What an opportunity to share the peace and joy of salvation through Jesus Christ. One of the church fathers, Polycarp, said many many years ago, “My God! in what a century you have caused me to live.” What you need to know about Polycarp is this. He was born about AD 70, and he was burned at the stake at the age of eighty-six because he refused to “swear by Caesar.” and yet he still praised God for his being alive and experiencing what God was doing at that time. We can do the same today.
But even more important, true thanksgiving undergirds us for the future.
Perhaps the most remarkable of the recorded prayers of Jesus is his prayer before the tomb of Lazarus, a man dead four days. He prayed to the Father in the past tense, as he thanked God for what God was about to do as though it were already an accomplished fact: Here’s Jesus prayer
John 11:41-42 NIV So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
Our faith can never compare with his, but we do have the promises of God to us. We read some of them earlier.
Our stewardship of thanksgiving must be vocal we shouldn't keep it to ourselves.
Psalms 107:1-2 NKJV Oh, give thanks to the Lord , for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
When you return from a trip abroad outside the US you go through customs and are asked if you have anything to declare.
This means “Do you have anything in your baggage purchased abroad for which you should pay customs as you bring it into the United States?”
Let’s ask that same question from a spiritual perspective. “Have you anything to declare?” Well,do you? What is there in your mental and spiritual luggage to declare—to declare with thanksgiving unto God?
Psalms 107:1 NKJV Oh, give thanks to the Lord , for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
So let people know that you are thankful.
Conclusion
It’s a way of living, a daily act of expressing gratitude to our Maker who first gave to us.
John 3:16 NKJV For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
There's no better thanksgiving wisdom than that found in;
Psalms 100:1-5 NKJV Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 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. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
In this one Psalm there are a number of instructions listed that can help us live our Thanksgiving . .
● Make a glad sound to the Lord
● Give worship to the Lord with joy
● Come before him with a song
● Be certain that you acknowledge that the Lord is God
● Come into his presence with joy, and into his house with praise
● [Remember] for the Lord is good . . . his mercy is never-ending . . . his faith is unchanging
I know that there are times when it is very difficult to thank God. Many of the events of this year and their aftermath have caused hardship, confusion, loss, and depression, and that doesn’t even include our personal struggles.
But I want to give you a reminder of why even in the most difficult of circumstances you can be thankful
Philippians 4:19 NKJV And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi is seen as one of the most encouraging books in the Bible, and Paul was in prison when he wrote it. He awoke to chains and cell walls each morning, but he still chose to encourage the believers to rely on God’s faithfulness and keep their minds fixed on things above.
If you are in a hard season, even when there is no obvious reason, read verse 19 again and be encouraged that the God who deserves all our praise will not leave you He will be there to pull you through. Then, give God your praise, and thanksgiving.
"Lord, teach us to offer you a heart of thanksgiving and praise in all our daily experiences of life. Teach us to be joyful always, to pray continually and to give thanks in all our circumstances. Change our outlook and attitude into one of joyful contentment in our present circumstances.
Jesus, we want to be like You who obeyed the Father without complaint. Convict us whenever we complain or compare ourselves with others. Give us Your attitude of humility and thankful acceptance. we want to be like the Apostle Paul who learned contentment in every circumstance. We choose to continually offer You a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that give praise to Your name (Hebrews 13:15). We long to bring a smile to Your face. Teach us the power of a thankful heart. We know that Your truth dwells in a thankful heart.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Let me end with the thing that we should thank God most for …….. salvation.
The Bible tells us that we are separated from God because we have sinned.
Romans 3:23 NIV for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 NKJV For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God loves us—He loves you, He loves me—and He wants us to be part of His family forever. He loves us so much that He sent His only Son into the world to die as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. All we need to do is reach out in faith and accept Christ as our Savior and Lord:
Romans 10:9-10 NIV If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
If you do know Christ, how long has it been since you thanked God for your salvation? We should not let a day go by without thanking God for His mercy and His grace to us in Jesus Christ.
Sermon Audio
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