The Godliness of Giving THANKS – Psalm 100

Governor William Bradford's Thanksgiving Proclamation - Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.

Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye
little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in
the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand
six hundred and twenty-three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye
Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty
God for all His blessings.
--William Bradford, Ye Governor of Ye Colony

In similar fashion, we are delighted to give thanks to our great God and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are all so very blessed!

The story is told of two old friends bumped into one another on the street one day. One of them looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, "What has the world done to you, my old friend?"
The sad fellow said, "Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars."
"That’s a lot of money."
"But, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand free and clear."
"Sounds like you’ve been blessed...."
"You don’t understand!" he interrupted. "Last week my
great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million."
Now he was really confused. "Then, why do you look so
glum?"
"This week... nothing!"

I have formulated an acrostic for this morning’s message to help us in our giving of thanks.

T - Take every opportunity you can to say thanks to God – this is God’s will concerning you!

1Th_5:18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

H - Have a daily devotional time in which you can regularly give thanks

Eph 5:20  Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

1Ti 2:1  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

Heb 13:15  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

A - Acknowledge where our blessings come from

Jas 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Neh 2:8  And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

Name the specific things for which you are thankful – it makes your gratefulness more of a reality

Job_5:9  Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:

Job_9:10  Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.

We cannot count all the things which His wonderful hand has provided for us, but we ought to busy ourselves trying!

Things have changed a lot since Wm Bradford’s proclamation. Think about it! The pilgrims had no peanut butter, no Doritos, no refrigeration to keep their Diet Coke chilled.  Al Gore hadn’t invented the internet yet. They got around by self ambulation (they walked everywhere they went). They had no running water, no on demand hot water and no purified water. If they wanted to eat, they had to produce the food. What do we do if we want to hear music? What do you suppose they had to do? Think of the infrastructure of our city – Streets, sidewalks, sewer, plumbing, water, trash, bridges, and the list goes on. They had none of it!

If we would just open our eyes and see all there is to be thankful for, we would be more thankful! By the way, we have sunglasses to aid in that vision, they didn’t.

Psa 107:1  O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psa 107:8  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Also verse: 15, 21, 31

Know that God is watching over you – He’s got your back… and your front and your side. He is above you, in you, over you, He walks before you and is your rear guard.

Romans 8 tells us that

>The Father is for us in salvation: Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

>Son is for us in our prayers: Rom 8:34  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

>Spirit is for us in our infirmities: Rom 8:26  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Add to that the fact that He has commissioned His holy angels to protect us!

Serve the Lord with gladness

Psa 100:1  A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Psa 100:2  Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Psa 100:3  Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Psa 100:4  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Psa 100:5  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Giving THANKS – it is not just an act, but a way of life! It is not for a certain Thursday in November, but a 24/365 attitude.

Question. You have much to be thankful for… have you expressed it to the Lord lately? Do you let others know how thankful you are for them?

Giving thanks is a very godly thing to do, not being thankful is wicked!

Just a Few

Rev 3:4  Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

We tend to paint a picture of judgment day where crowns are passed out indiscriminately and in abundance and all is joy and happiness.

But I sometimes wonder if the words "Well done!" will be as generously spoken as we imagine.

The fact that I am saved from sin and to salvation, from hell and to heaven, from wickedness and to good works, from the kingdom of darkness and to the family of God is all I could ever need. But to gain heaven and be in the eternal presence of the Saviour is so much more. Then, to assume that God owes me commendation for my lackluster service and dispassionate living is tantamount to the entitlement mentality which surrounds us on every hand.

There were just a few worthy in that Sardine can called a church who would walk with Christ in white because their garments were not defiled with the filth of their culture.

I can't help but think that only a few will make it from many of our churches today. Didn't the Master Himself say that "...straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."?

I have to ask myself again as Mr. Watts did so long ago,

Must I be carried to the skies
   On flowery beds of ease?
While others fought to win the prize,
   And sailed through bloody seas?

Church of the Living Dead

 Rev 3:1  And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2  Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

It seems so many "places of worship" are awaiting just another nail or two for their coffin and then they will be ready for burial. There is no fire in the pulpit and no urgency in the pew. Their message is a watered-down homilies preached by powerless girly men to unconverted congregations disinterested in the powerful truths of the Word of God.

Sardis Church was one of imperfect works before God. Yes, they were involved in programs which soothed their collective conscience. Perhaps they had dug a few wells in African villages or made some doilies for poverty stricken Asians or sent reading glasses to the elderly in Babylon. But these works were not born of the Spirit.

The Turkish Times often reported the goings on of this church in their social columns, but their works were not being recorded in heaven, for the church was dead.

You know this kind of church in your town. It is the church where the elite meet to eat and greet. They have the name and the money and the programs. People visit around and settle in this church because it is socially attractive. The pastor is mild-mannered and well-behaved. It is a good place for social networking. You can find a realtor, a doctor, a Mary Kay or an AMWAY rep here.

But what you can't find is the Spirit of God changing lives, a missionary fervency, systematic teaching of the principles of the Word, soul-winning or a stirred up baptistery tank.

If you are part of one of these funeral parlors, get out before the stench of death settles upon you. Find a church on fire, where the pulpit burns with a passion for the resurrected Christ and sinners find new life in Him.

There is Much at Stake for Living a Faithful Life

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 28  And I will give him the morning star.

 

The overcoming, faith member of the Thyatiran Church was given this twofold promise from the Savior:

1. He would be granted power over the nations

2. He would receive the morning star

The first part of the promise is plain, overcomers who have been faithful over little will rule over vast kingdoms in the Millennium when we sit down with Christ and occupy thrones as kings and priests.

The second segment of the promise is a bit more difficult to determine. The morning star is that bright, indicating star, Venus. While I have doubts that any individual could receive this prize, a greater morning star would be available the victorious believer.

It is also said of Christ Jesus that He is the Morning Star, known as the Light of the World. He has arisen to give the light of grace and glory. He illumines the soul. He it is that will be granted to faithful believers. We will take joy in sharing the brilliant glory of Christ as lesser lights shining to the universe. He, the bright and Morning Star, is the ultimate reward for those who faithfully overcome.

We at His Feet Shall Fall

Rev 2:18  And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;

Have you ever heard this... "When I get to heaven, I am going to tell the Lord a thing or two?"

The truth is, we will not be able to hold the gaze of these flaming eyes. All of our excuses will fail us. All of our questions will vanish. Any concerns we had will be inconsequential. We will simply fall at His feet in reverential fear. His agenda alone will matter. There is no way we could stand in the presence of the One whose feet are like fine brass. The only words that we just might be able to work up will be "Lord! You are holy!"

Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess Jesus as Lord and God the Father will be glorified. It will only be by His grace, love and mercy that we will be enabled to look upon His face.

Soon, brothers and sisters, so very soon, our transport to heaven will occur and immediately we will be in the presence of this righteous Judge and holy Savior.

Are you preparing for that day?