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Psalm 103:1-22
A man writing
at the post office desk was approached by an older fellow who had a
post card in his hand. The old man said, "Sir, could you please
address this post card for me?" The man gladly did so, and he agreed
to write a short message on the post card, and he even signed it for
the man, too.
Finally the man doing the writing said to the older man, "Now, is
there anything else I can do for you?"
The
old fellow thought about it for a minute, and he said, "Yes, at the
end could you just put, 'P.S. Please excuse the sloppy
handwriting.'"
Thanksgiving
or complaining - these two words express two contrasting attitudes
of the souls of God’s children.
Thankfulness or its lack is the thermometer by which our spiritual
temperature can be gauged.
Thanksgiving or its lack manifest if we are in the will of God or
not. See I Thessalonians 5:18.
I have never met a defeated thankful Christian.
Psalm 100:4 tells us to
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his
name.”
It is
good thing that America has set aside a day of THANKSGIVING. The
Thanksgiving proclamation was given by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 “It
has seemed to me fit and proper that [the gifts of God] should be
solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged with one heart and
one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my
fellow citizens . . . to set apart and observe the last Thursday of
November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent
Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”
Thankfulness is a commanded grace, a crowning grace,
and a conquering grace.
I
believe that INGRATITUDE is the worst of vices.
“When
thou hast thanked God for every blessing sent, what time will then
remain for murmurs and lament.”
I. I am
thankful for the provision of salvation -
Isaiah 45:22
“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the
ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”
A.
Thankful for the simplicity of the provision of salvation
Acts 16:31
John 6:47
B.
Thankful for the availability of the provision of salvation
All are invited.
2 Peter 3:9
1 Timothy 2:4
The death of Christ is sufficient for all -
Romans 8:32. There has never
been a sinner born that Jesus did not die for.
C.
Thankful for the certainty of the provision of salvation
II. I am
thankful for the preservation of the Scriptures
See
I Peter 1:23-25. Oh, how
thankful I am that I can hold in hand the preserved Word of God.
The
Preserved Word of God:
A.
Provides the church’s message – “the
gospel”
God has not changed the message He wants preached to the
world. It is the Bible that gives us the message we are to preach.
B.
Prescribes the church’s method
(I Corinthians 1:18,21)
God has found no substitute for the preaching of the gospel!
C.
Produces the church’s members
It is the preserved Word of God that comforts the saved,
compels the soldier, and converts the soul.
III. I am
for the presence of the indwelling Spirit
See
1Corinthians 3:16. Spirit takes
up permanent residence in the believer at the moment of salvation.
A. Thankful
for His ministry of consolation (John
14:16,17)
B. Thankful
for His ministry of education (Titus
3:3:11,12; John 14:26)
The Holy Scriptures is the textbook, the Holy Son is
the theme, and the Holy Spirit is the teacher in our
education.
C.
Thankful for His ministry of illumination (John
16:13)
He sheds light on what He has already written. HE will
explain to us what He has written. He is not revealing new truth,
but he does cause us to understand the truth He has already
revealed.
D.
Thankful for His ministry of intercession (Romans
8:26,27)
When we do not know how or what to pray, we have the
indwelling Holy Sprit to rely upon. When we pray selfishly,
ignorantly, or narrowly, the Holy Spirit comes alongside to assist
us in or weakness, interceding for us.
We have two weaknesses in prayer revealed in these verses.
We know not what (matter) we should pray for as we ought. As
to the matter of our requests, we know not
what to ask. We are not competent judges of our own
condition. Who knows what is good for a man in this life? (Ecclesiastes
6:12). We are short sighted, and very much biased in
favor of the flesh. Jesus even told the sons of Zebedee,
“ You know not what you ask for,” (Matthew
20:22).
As to the manner, we know not how to pray as we
ought. It is not enough that we do that which is good, but we must
do it well, seek in a due order; and here we are often at a loss__
affections cold, thoughts wandering, and it is not always easy to
find the heart to pray.
The apostle speaks of this in the first person: We know not.
He puts himself among the rest. If so great a saint as Paul knew not
what to pray for, what little reason have we to go forth about that
duty in our own strength! Folly, and weakness, and distraction in
prayer are all to common upon the saints.
I am thankful for the help which the Spirit gives us in the
duty of prayer. He helps our infirmities in the ministry of prayer.
IV. I am
thankful for the possibilities in supplication
Matthew 7:7-11 and
Jeremiah 33:3
Matthew 21:21,22
“Jesus answered and said unto them,
‘’Verily I say....”
Mark 11:24
“Therefore I say unto you, What things
soever....”
Ephesians 3:19,20
Prayer
has divided seas, rolled up flowing waters, made flinty rocks gush
into fountains, quenched flames of fire, muzzled lions, disarmed
vipers, marshaled the stars against the wicked, stopped the course
of the moon, burst open iron gates, and conquered demons. WHAT HAS
PRAYER NOT DONE?
A
Thankful I can bring my frustrations to God in supplication
B.
Thankful I can bring my feelings to God in supplication
C.
Thankful I can bring my foes to God in supplication
D.
Thankful I can bring my family to God in supplication
E.
Thankful I can bring my failures to God in supplication
F.
Thankful I can bring my future to God in prayer
V. I am
thankful for the privilege of service -
1 Timothy 1:12
I am
so thankful that Christ allows me to serve Him.
What a
privilege it is to serve Christ.
A.
Privilege of service because of His position
B.
Privilege because of His passion
C.
Privilege because of His power
D.
Privilege because of His provisions
VI. I am
thankful for the partnership with God’s saints
How
thankful I am for my brothers and sisters in Christian this church!
See Philippians 1:3-5.
My
REMEMBRANCE of you is with GREAT APPRECIATION.
One of the
failures in our life is how prone we are to forget. How forgetful
are we of those God has put in our life.
A.
Thankful for your labor in the gospel
B.
Thankful for your love of the gospel
C.
Thankful for your loyalty to the gospel
Conclusion:
It was
Thanksgiving season in the nursing home. The small resident
population was gathered about their humble Thanksgiving table, and
the director asked each in turn to express one thing for which they
were thankful. Thanks were expressed for a home in which to stay,
families, etc. One little old lady in her turn said, "I thank the
Lord for two perfectly good teeth, one in my upper jaw and one in my
lower jaw that match so that I can chew my food."
If we
will just think, we will thank. The folks who are not thankful just
don’t think much. The people who are thankful are faithful!
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