Having just turned the calendar to November, many of us are already turning our eyes to Thanksgiving Day, and in fact, the month of November is typically a time to focus on the season of harvest and to be thankful for all that God has provided for us.
One of the things we teach our children at a young age is the importance of saying “thank you.” Perhaps there were trick-or-treaters at you house last Thursday night and when you dropped candy into their bucket a parent close by said, “What do you say?”
How many of us are truly cognizant of all the things that God has done for us… of all the blessings of life that He has dropped into our “bucket” - so that we realize our need to say “thank you.”
But is it enough to simply say “thank you”? Are the words alone sufficient?
That is the question Andrea Crouch asks in his song My Tribute: “How can I say thanks for the things you have done for me, things so undeserved yet You gave to prove your love for me.”
That is a probing question. It is a question that first acknowledges “all the things (God) has done for us”, and secondly recognizes our need to respond appropriately and meaningfully.
This morning I’m starting a new sermon series entitled “How Can I Say Thanks?”
The question we must face is how can we truly express our thankfulness to God in a manner pleasing to Him? I would suggest that there is much more that we can do than simply uttering the words, “Thank you”.
I. We thank God by Worshipping and Praising Him.
A. Praise is thanking God and rejoicing
1. For What He "has" done for us.
a. Isaiah 12:4-6 "And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee."
b. For physical life, material blessings – 1 Chronicles 29:12-13 “Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name
c. For the gift of His Son – 2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
d. For eternal life – Colossians 1:12-14 “giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
2. What He "Is" doing for us.
Psalm 68:19 “Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation! Selah”
3. What He "will" do for us.
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
B. We rob ourselves of blessings by not thanking God for what all that he has done, is doing and will do for us.
C. God has given us far more blessings than we’ve ever thanked Him for.
II. We thank God by our Stewardship.
A. Stewardship is an expression of gratitude to God. It reminds us that we are the administrators, not the owners, of our assets. It fills a need deep within each of us to worship God and to thank Him for the abundant blessings He has showered upon us.
B. With little or no exception we all bring some kind of income into our households. Do we honor God by giving a tithe of our income to the church?
C. The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 8 – 9 identifies
7 New Testament motivational principles to give
1. A response to God’s Grace.
a. Grace mentioned 3 times in 8:1-10
b. [2Co 8:7 NKJV] 7 But as you abound in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us--[see] that you abound in this grace (of giving) also.
2. A response to the example of Christ who gave Himself for us.
[2Co 8: 9 NKJV] For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
3. A response to human need. (The Church helped Paul)
4. An expression of thanksgiving to God.
[2Co 9:12 NIV] 12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
5. A form of sacrifice to God.
[2Co 8:2-3 NKJV] 2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. 3 For I bear witness that according to [their] ability, yes, and beyond [their] ability, [they were] freely willing,
6. A way of symbolizing one’s commitment of all one’s resources to the service of God and man.
7. A concrete proof of love.
[2Co 8: 8 NKJV] I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love ….
One last verse: 2 Corinthians 9:6 - 7 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
Remember, we are asking ourselves today, “How Can I say Thanks for all the things You have done for Me?”
Is it too much to give generously the tithe and offerings that God asks of us – tithes and offerings that release further blessings into our lives as well as enabling the church to reach those who are lost and need Christ?
G. Unfortunately, too often our actions demonstrate that many Christians place a low value on what God has done for us, and therefore a low estimation on what we owe the Lord and our obligations to the Church.
Illustration: In central Texas, a rich cattleman, whose son had committed murder, hired the best criminal lawyer that money could buy to defend his boy. He was acquitted. The lawyer presented his bill. It was staggering. The attorney said, "I hope you do not think it too large?" "Oh, no, not at all," he responded. "You have saved my boy. I would gladly have paid you twice the amount." That winter a faithful pastor won that boy to Christ, and thus saved him from a life of drunkenness and sin. When the pastor asked the rich man for a contribution toward the kingdom of God, his thank offering was one dollar! How much should we give to Him who saved us? – adapted from William Moses Tidwell, "Effective Illustrations."
How thankful today are you that God saved you from a life of misery and an eternity in hell?
How thankful are you that God saved your son… your daughter?
How thankful are you that God has set you free from the bondage of sin, restored your health… your family… your joy… your peace… truly changed your life?
Does your giving reflect your gratitude?
Or does your giving look like a person who leaves a dollar on the table after an expensive meal with an excellent server?
To those who understand the blessings of giving and tithing, and who support the ministries of SpiritLife by your generous giving, I just want to say, “Thank You!” Your giving makes the ministry of our church possible!
III. We thank God by our Obedience
Yes, we thank God by our sacrificial giving, but the Scripture ways there is something more important than sacrifice…
A. 1 Samuel 15:22 So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.
B. Obedience is an expression of thanksgiving and worship unto the Lord.
C. John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
D. Obedience is an expression of grateful appreciation for what God has done for us and what we know he will do.
How Can I Say Thanks? By Living a Life of Obedience to God’s Word!
IV. We thank God by our Serving and Sharing.
Illustration: I recently heard about a woman who telephoned a friend and asked how she was feeling.
"Terrible," came the reply "my head's splitting and my back and legs are killing me. The house is a mess, and the kids are simply driving me crazy."
The caller said, "Listen, go and lie down, I'll come over right away and cook lunch for you, clean up the house, and take care of the children while you get some rest. And then I’ll fix dinner for Sam when he gets home from work."
"Sam?" the complaining housewife grasped. "My husband's not Sam."
"Oh dear me, I must have dialed the wrong number." exclaimed the first woman.
There was a long pause. "Does that mean you're not coming over?"
In John Chapter 10 Jesus disciples were in a bit of an uproar – upset at James and John because they had asked to sit on the right hand and the left hand of Jesus in the Kingdom
[Mark 10:41-45 NLT] 41 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 42 So Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Jesus said, “I came to serve.” - I’m Here to Serve!
The Bible recognizes serving as a Spiritual Gift.
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is… SERVING, let him serve” Romans 12:6-7
But The fact is, you don’t have to have the gift of serving to SERVE others!
But if you are “full of the Holy Ghost” – mature in Christ, and THANKFUL for all God has done for you, you will serve.
- Jesus set us the example of what serving was all about. He came to serve us.
- And He served us ultimately by giving His life on the cross so we could be forgiven.
E. Are you giving thanks by serving others?
Once again we ask, “How Can I say Thanks?”
- By Worshipping and Praising God
- By our Stewardship/Giving
- By our Obedience
- By our Serving and Sharing
