Lizzy, as you know, parent helps me with the newsletter.
She proofs it and I appreciate that very much.
She does some sheep also puts the puzzle in there and so I
appreciate her help very much. And Bob Iger Gene also helped me
before that. So I appreciate these sisters
helping out with the newsletter. She sent the newsletter back to
me and and said there's a little more space.
Maybe we could put something in there about Thanksgiving and I
thought that was a good idea. And so I started looking for
quotes, you know, I just Add a little space filler and about
look for quotes on the news on the internet about Thanksgiving
and I read quite a few and, you know, some were funny and some
were, you know, very thoughtful but I got to thinking, you know,
the Christian needs to be thankful everyday.
Not just on the holiday and we have a lot to be thankful for,
you know. And so I thought a lesson about
being thankful would be fitting and I found this outline on the
on the internet and I think it's really could really be helpful
to us because we do have a lot to be thankful for.
And and we are more thankful to God.
Of course, then than people who do not have faith, But sometimes
we just forget to express our thankfulness.
And so we want to talk about this morning barriers to
thankful to Thanksgiving. The scriptures of course, tell
us to be thankful. First Thessalonians 5 and 18
says in everything, give, thanks for.
This is, the will of God in Christ Jesus, for you, Ephesians
5 and 20 says, giving thanks always for all things to God.
The father, in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, Hebrews, 13
and 15. Therefore by him, let us
continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God.
That is the fruit of our lips giving.
Thanks. X2 his name.
There was a there was for young college, boys, sharing
apartment, and of course, they shared the expenses and they
were working part-time. So they needed they needed to
share that that expense. And of course they shared their
meals. And they took turns fixing the
dinner meal. And as usual, you know, with
young men, the meals were very plain and and but Joe would
always say no matter what. That was.
A mighty fine dinner. No matter who fixed it.
And one day it was particularly bad and he still said that was a
mighty fine dinner. And someone asking, why do you
always say that this food is probably hardly fit for
consumption? And he said that when he was
young, his mother always fixed the dinner, and she was spend
all afternoon fixing it because there was 11 kids and he said,
one day, they came to the dinner after she called them and there
was just straw on all of the plates.
And his father says, what is this straw doing on my plate?
And she said that's the first time you've ever said anything
about my dinner. So, you know, this was in Dear
Abby, by the way. Sometimes we just forget to say
thanks and take things for granted.
You know, this is one of the this is one of the barriers to
thanks to Thanksgiving and that's thoughtfulness.
It's interesting that the word think and thank are from the
same root English word. We're often.
We often fail to be grateful and express our thanks.
Because we just don't think about it.
We need to think about what God has done for us.
We need to think about his love and and the great sacrifice that
he's made for us. The Psalms Express a lot of
Thanksgiving to God. Psalms 30 David writes there
about at the time of his of the the the at the time, the of the
dedication of his of his house. I'd like to read all of the
30th. Psalm I will extol You O Lord
for you have lifted me up and have not let my foes Rejoice
Over Me O. Lord my God I cried out to you
and you healed Me O Lord, you brought my soul up from the
grave. You have kept me alive.
That I should not go down to the pit.
Sing praise to the Lord, you Saints of his and give, thanks
at the remembrance of His holy name for his anger is.
But for a moment, his favor is for Life weeping.
May endure for a night but joy comes in the morning.
Now, in my Prosperity, I said I shall never be moved.
Lord by your favor. You have My Mountain stand
strong, you hid your, you hid your face and I was troubled.
I cried out To You O, Lord, and to the Lord, I made
supplication. What profit is there in my
blood? When I go down to the pit Will
the dust praise you. Will it declare?
Your name here? O Lord and have mercy on me.
Lord, be my helper. You have turned from for me my
mourning into dancing. You have put off my sack cloth
and clothed me with gladness. To the end that my glory may be.
May sing, praise, to you and not be silent.
Oh Lord, my God I will give thanks to you forever.
In Psalms 103 and the first five verses there.
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 of his benefits, who forgives all your iniquities,
who heals all your diseases? Who redeems your life from
destruction? Who crowns you with
loving-kindness and tender Mercy who satisfies your mouth with
good things. So that your youth is renewed,
like the eagles. In 105 and 1 through 30, give
thanks to the Lord call upon his name.
Make known his deeds. Among the peoples sing to him,
sing praise to him. Talk of all, his wondrous Works
glory in His holy name. Let the hearts of those who
Rejoice who seek the Lord. In 106, praise the Lord.
Oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his Mercy endures
forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of
the Lord, who can declare all his praise blessed are those who
keep Justice? And he who does righteousness in
at all times? David here.
Writes about his about praise to God, when he was at the height
of his of his Rule, and he was very well blessed then, but
David had hard times too and David blessed the Lord even
during his hard times, I like the account of Jonah who in the
belly of the whale gives praise. And thanks to God.
Jonah two, and seven says, when my soul fainted within me, I
remembered the Lord and Prayer went up to you into your Holy
Temple, those who regard worthless Idols forsake their
own Mercy, but I will sacrifice to you with the voice of
Thanksgiving. I will pay.
What I have vowed salvation is of the Lord.
In it's something when we can remember to praise God, when we
are troubled, you know, we often pray our most Earnest prayers
when we have the most trouble. And, but oftentimes, it's for
help because we're needing help, but, we need to remember,
Remember to thank God at those times to sometimes when we're
doing well it's easy to forget and just take our blessings for
granted. But we need to thank God always
at when in the good times and the bad.
What are we blessed with, you know, wherever we're blessed by
God, by the day, we blessed because we have another day to
live, we know that God, created the heavens and the earth and
the and Peter says that same word keeps it in store today.
So it is because God willed it, that we have another day and
that we have this hour and moment.
So we can thank God for that. Just having another day of life
and and we You think about those who do not believe and they
don't give God. Thanks, they believe the World
created itself or that was just created by an accident.
But we need to thank God because we recognize him as the Creator
and the sustainer of Life. As We Know It.
We have our Bibles, we have our song books, we have this
building, we have song leaders and teachers and we have fellow
church members. We have a, we have peace and
strength in this congregation and all of these things.
I'm also thankful that the the prayer leaders are often are
very diligent and faithful to mention these things.
When they pray and they do very well here about that.
And again, we need to think about God's forgiveness and his
Redemption, his mercy and his grace, and how great that is,
and what a great price, he was willing to pay for us.
Dr. Paul Reese tells a true story about a man whose job.
It was to transport. A mental patients, who had been
committed to a mental hospital and he was delivering one day, a
patient and dropped him off. And as he was walking back to
his car, he heard somebody yell to him.
Hey fella and he turned around and from one of the upper four
floors, he says are you talking to me?
And he says, yeah you He says, have you ever thought to thank
God that you have a healthy mind?
And all his 15 years of delivering unstable people, and
mentally ill people to this hospital.
He never thought to thank God that he had a healthy mind.
So we just need to be thoughtful and think about the things we
have to be thankful for. Faithless nastas is a barrier to
thankfulness. Of course, our strong faith
prompts us to be thankful and to give God thanks.
People who refuse to believe can never really be thankful in
Romans the first chapter, 22 and 21.
It says for since the creation of the world his invisible
attributes are clearly seen being understood by the things
that are made even his eternal power and godhead so that they
are without excuse because although they knew God They did
not glorify him as God nor we're thankful, but became futile in
their thoughts and their foolish Hearts were darkened.
This is pretty interesting. If you think about it, they knew
God, it talks about the heavens, of course, declaring the glory
of God. And and and and we can know God
just through the creation but they knew God, but they refused
to to glorify. Him or give him.
Thanks Kaufman quotes, RC bell and says an expressive change of
voice is noted in the last Clause where the active voice
records. The negative, the negative
action of the Gentiles in refusing to glorify God or give,
thanks, but the passive voice was used in.
Describing what happened afterwards?
Their senseless Hearts were darkened.
They made the Just choice. Not to believe, God.
They knew God it says it's not that they were they lack the
information because they knew God but they chose not to give
him. Thanks or not to glorify him.
The Hebrews are a good example of this.
Very same thing. To in Hebrews, the fourth
chapter talks about God's delivering of the children of
Israel to the promised land. And that they threw a lack of
faith, would not go in and God promised they would not go in.
And so he drove them and, you know, for the, the Wilderness
years until all of that generation passed away, Except
for Joshua and Caleb. They were the only two of the 12
Spies that, that were confident and had faith.
That they could go in and possess the land, but the ten
spies convinced the rest of the Israelites that they couldn't
make it. They couldn't do it.
And so, God says, in Hebrews, the fourth chapter verse 11, let
us therefore be diligent to enter the rest lest one fall
according to the same example of Disobedience that can't the new
King James says, or unbelief, the King James says listen to
the definition of this word Disobedience, it means
disobedient Disobedience unwillingness to be persuaded,
willful unbelief, obstinance they would not believe Joshua
and Caleb believed, but the rest of them would not believe, you
know, how could they not believe?
They had just been delivered from Egypt, and saw the mighty
works of God. Saw God part the sea and they
walked across on on dry ground. How could they not believe they
willfully refuse to believe? They chose to not believe and
that's the way people will do and people that That won't
believe cannot be thankful Joshua believed, and he led the
people into Israel and the Hebrews 11 and 30 says by faith,
the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for
seven days, Joshua believed and he led the People by that faith.
We know that all gifts come from God, James 1 and 17, every good
gift. And every perfect gift is from
above, and comes down from the Father of Lights with whom there
is no variableness or shadow of turning.
We recognize that everything comes from God and we give God,
praise, and thanks because of that faith in him.
Discontentment is another barrier to being thankful.
Philippians, 4 and 11, not that I speak in regard to need for.
I have learned in whatever state.
I am to be content. I know how to be abased, and I
know how to abound everywhere in.
And in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry
both to abound and to suffer need Paul is a, it's remarkable
that Paul would say that that he could say that, you know, no
reading about his travels and about all of all that he endured
and and suffered through, it's amazing that he could be content
no matter what came his way. But we need to learn to be
content that way to First, Timothy 6 and 6 now godliness
with contentment is Great game for we brought nothing into this
world and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
I'd like to read a little quote from Barnes on this verse
Philippians 4:11 a contented. Mine is an invaluable blessing
and is one of the fruits of religion in the soul.
It arises from the belief that God is right in all his ways.
Why should we be impatient Restless discontented?
What evil will it Remedy by it? What want supplied, what
calamity removed so you No, our trust in God, our faith in God.
Really can make us content because we know that we can do
all things, as Paul said through Christ.
Who strengthens us. Proverbs 15 and 15.
He that is of a merry heart hath, a continual feast.
Consider of this. This is an interesting fact
about the pilgrims. And they were, they were
grateful of the 102 that were on the Mayflower.
Only 46. That is 46 died the first year.
Only three couples of all of those escape, the death of one
of their partners. They had only a few personal
possessions and lived in crude log huts.
After those first few hard years, they had a custom that at
their Thanksgiving dinner. There would be five kernels of
corn on each plate and they would have to think of five
things to be thankful for and That Grew From the allotment or
the well, their allotments. Each day of of corn was five
kernels through the first year. And so that reminded them of the
hardship, but it also prompted them to be thankful for what
they have now. Selfishness.
Those who are selfish. Cannot be have a hard time
giving. Thanks, Matthew, 18 and 23.
23 through 25 35. Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven
is like a certain King who wanted to settle accounts with
his servants and when he had begun to settle accounts one was
brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
But as he was not able to pay his master commanded that he be
sold and his wife and children and all that they had and that
payment be made the servant therefore fell down before him
saying Master have patience with me and I will pay you all.
Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion.
Released him and forgave him the debt, but that servant went out
and found. One of his fellow servants, who
owed him, a hundred denarii, and he laid hands on him and took
him by the throat saying, pay me what you owe?
So, his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him
saying have patience with me and I will pay you all And he would
not but when and threw him into prison till he should pay the
debt. So when his fellow servants saw
what he had done, they were very grieved and came and told his
master, their master, all that had been done, then his master
and he after he had called him said to him.
You Wicked. Servant.
I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.
Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow
servant just as I had pity on you and asthma.
Master was angry and delivered him to the torturers until he
should pay all that was due him. So my heavenly father also will
do to you. If each of you from his heart,
does not forgive his brother, his trespasses.
You know this this servant owed owed his master, a huge sum,
it's a totals about 16 million dollars and in that day it would
take him two hundred fifty thousand years at their wages to
pay that back. So it was a huge debt that his
master forgave him yet, he wouldn't forgive his fellow
servant that tiny debt. That was owed him.
That debt. He would have Denari was a day's
wages so it would it take him 100 days to work that debt off.
So, you know, and he says, just so it is so your heavenly father
also will do to you. If each of you from his heart,
does not forgive his brother, his trespasses, you know, if we
could, if we could compare the debt that God forgives us
through Christ with what someone might transgress against us.
It would be a tiny thing. so we need to be forgiving and willing
to forgive, Those who trespass against us just as God for
Christ's sake, forgives us. Paul says that great
Thanksgiving is given to God through our generosity.
You know, he talked to the Corinthians and how that the in
second Corinthians the Night chapter, he tells them how they
should give and to give generously because God will
bless them so that they can give them more and then he says, In
verse 10 now, may he who supplies seed to the sower and
bread for food supply and multiplied, the seed you have
sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness while you are
enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes
Thanksgiving through us to God for the administration of this
service. Not only supplies the needs of
the Saints but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to
God. He's saying that the that
Thanksgiving to God is compounded by their generosity
and their giving because it not only is is a sign of their
Thanksgiving and their trust in God by giving so generously.
But their gift also causes many to give Thanksgiving to God.
Selfishness looks to self and says I and myself you know, why
should I be thankful I earned it or I deserve what I've received
or why help others. They haven't helped me.
We need to not be selfish. Love is not selfish.
Love thinks of others and we need to think of others and not
of ourselves. Those people who receive letters
for the to Santa Claus say that they receive thousands and
thousands of letters, requesting a specific gifts saying what
they want to receive for Christmas.
But as far as they know they say they only receive one letter of
thanks to Santa. And I just mention that to say
that to say this that we're we seem to be.
It seems to be in our nature from a very young age to be
selfish. And we need to not do that.
We need to to fight that barrier to thankfulness.
Failure to be thankful. Comes from neglect. in Luke 17
11 through 19 talks about Jesus healing 10 lepers,
Verses 11 through 19. Now, it happened, as he went to
Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and
Galilee, then as he entered a certain Village there.
Met him ten men who were lepers who stood far off and they
lifted up their voices and said, Jesus Master have mercy on us so
when he saw them he said to them go show yourselves to the
priests. And so it was that as they went,
they were cleansed. And one of them when he saw that
he was healed returned. And with a loud voice glorified
God, And fell down on his face and At His Feet giving him
thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
So, Jesus answered and said, where are the, were there, not
ten cleansed but where are the nine where they're not?
Any found who returned to give glory to God, except this
Foreigner? And he said to him rise.
Go, your way your faith has made you.
Well, You know surely these men were thankful leprosy is a
terrible disease and there was no cure in that day and here
they were cleansed of their leprosy but they neglected to
give. Thanks a surely, they were
thankful but they neglected to give.
Thanks only this Samaritan, went back and gave Jesus.
Thanks for helium. I guess that's a an example of a
real neglect. Just just letting it pass when
we should give thanks. We need to resolve to be
thankful people and I think we are, I think we are and and it
tells in our in our public prayers and it's telling in our
faith, all of these things can be a barrier to our being
thankful. We need to fight these barriers
and and take them down and be thankful people.
Sorrowing Hearts, sweeten, your grief with gratitude burden,
Soul lighten, your burden by singing?
God, praise disappointed one. Dispel your Heartache by making
others. Grateful sick.
One grow strong in your soul thanking.
God that you are healthy and strong spiritually.
We have a lot to be thankful for.
We need to. We need to express that thinks
and be diligent about it because God is certainly worthy of our
thanks and praise for all he does.
We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
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