Being Thankful at Thanksgiving: The Fruit of Thankfulness
TITLE: Being Thankful at Thanksgiving: The Fruit of Thankfulness
TEXT: Psalm 100
ETS: The Psalmist issues a call for people to worship God, with a heart of thanks.
ESS: An attitude of thankfulness bears positive, transformational fruit in the believer’s life.
OSS: Believers will make the choice to live a lifestyle of thankfulness.
PQ: How can living in an attitude of gratitude transform my life?
UW: Fruit
Psalm 100
1 Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth!
2 Worship the LORD with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
INTRODUCTION:
The key to the whole psalm is found in verse 4.
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.”
His gates and his courts are located where God lives. In the Psalmist’s day, the place of his presence was the temple.
Question: Where is the place of God’s presence today?
(1 Corinthians 6:20-21) “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
There are two words for “temple” in the NT.
ιερόν = refers to the whole temple compound.
ναός = refers to the inner temple (Holiest Place)
This is the one used of the believer’s body (note: John 14:16-17).
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.”
God is with you wherever you go… (Psa. 139:1-12) (Note vs. 7)… I can never
escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!
…when I travel and when I rest at home…
… If I go up to heaven or down to the grave
… If I ride the wings of the morning or dwell by the farthest oceans…
… in the darkness or light…
This means that wherever we are … what ever we are doing, God’s presence is there…because He lives in us, we are always in his special presence. We are to live in an attitude of gratitude and worship.
Living in an attitude of gratitude will produce life-transforming fruit…
What types of fruit are produced in the life of the believer who lives in an attitude of gratitude?
1. LIVING IN AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE TRANSFORMS THE BELIEVER’S EMOTIONAL STATE
(Psalm 100: 1-2).
“1 Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth!
2 Worship the LORD with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.”
!! A. Living in an attitude of gratitude produces gladness and joy, rather than paranoia, anger, and bitterness.
!!! 1. Personal experience; Time spent in expressing thankfulness to God
changes my emotional state.
2. LIVING IN AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE TRANSFORMS THE BELIEVER’S EGO-CENTERED FOCUS
*(Psalm 100:3).
“3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”*
!! A. Living in an attitude of gratitude produces a recognition that there is a higher purpose than serving self.
!!! 1. This also causes a reliance on a higher source of provision than self.
(Philippians 4:6-7) “6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
3. LIVING IN AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE TRANSFORMS THE BELIEVER’S EVENT-CENTERED FOCUS
*(Psalm 100:4-5).
“4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.”*
!! A. Living an attitude of gratitude produces an understanding of God’s goodness, faithfulness, and unfailing love that overshadows all circumstances.
(Philippians 4:11-13, 19) “I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength…And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”
4. LIVING IN AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE TRANSFORMS THE BELIEVER’S EVANGELISTIC ABILITY
*(Acts 2:42-47). “42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.
44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.
45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.
46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—
47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”*\\
!! A. Living in an attitude of gratitude produces an attraction of unbelievers toward the message of the Gospel, because of the demonstration of God’s power in us.
(Philippians 1:12) “And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.”
So What?
What type of spirit do you see expressed by the world at large? Is it gratitude or ingratitude?
What type of spirit do you see expressed by those who claim to be Christians?
How has the prevailing attitude expressed by the church affected her witness to a lost world?
What Now?
1. Am I willing to ask the Lord’s forgiveness for my own ingratitude?
2. Am I willing to take time to make a list of the good things God had given to me?
3. Will I make it a continual practice to look for the things God has done and is doing for me and thank Him for them?
CONCLUSION:
/Expressing Gratitude In Africa
In another African dialect, the Karre, the expression for thankfulness is “to sit down on the ground before” another. A thankful Karre will go to the home of his benefactor and sit on the ground before his hut. No word need be spoken; his silent vigil signifies his gratitude. The man who is thankful to God, therefore, sits before God to enjoy his presence. He is never satisfied merely to tip his hat to God as he passes; gratitude demands that he seek God’s presence and fellowship.
—Roger William Thomas/