Why God's People Should be Thankful
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Many NT references identify thankfulness as a distinctly Christian trait. (Col 3:15, 17; Eph 5:17-21; Php 4:6-7)
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
the parallel passage from Ephesians
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
among Paul’s final instructions in his first letter to the Thessalonian church
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
when dealing with conflict in the Philippian church,
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Of all the people in the world Christians should be the most thankful!
Ps 107 is a call to thankfulness because of God’s mercy and grace to those he has redeemed
giving thanks or offering thanksgiving occurs 6x in this Psalm
written for Israel after being delivered by God out of captivity
Ps 107 contains 4 illustrations of God’s redemption
1st, God’s redemption is for those who are lost
2nd, God’s redemption is for those who are imprisoned and enslaved
3rd, God’s redemption is for those who are sick and on the brink of death
4th, God’s redemption is for those who are in a life threatening storm
each is a picture God’s saving grace
each shows how he rescued his people, and how he continues to rescue repentant sinners
John MacArthur divides each picture into 4 parts: Their Plight, Their Petition, Their Pardon, Their Praise
each provides a picture of the kinds of situations sinners find themselves in
each provides a picture of God’s willingness and power to rescue and deliver
The Lost
The Lost
This is the sinner wandering with no direction, restless, hungry, thirsty, desperate for safety and security.
looking for satisfaction but never finding it
looking for security and protection, fellowship, safety
Their Plight
Their Plight
4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in;
5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
a picture of the Israelites wandering for 40 yrs in the wilderness under the judgment of God where a whole generation died
also describes any lost sinner, wandering aimlessly, struggling to find satisfaction, lasting joy and contentment and never finding it
they are wandering the trackless desert of sin, hopelessly pursuing the dead-end promises of the world, their flesh and the devil
They are perishing in that wilderness, looking to satisfy their hunger and thirst.
Their Petition
Their Petition
Ps 107:6a Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
Israel cried out to God over and over again in her trouble and trial and the Lord heard them
they confessed their sin, they admitted their failure and God graciously responded
they are an illustration of sinners who recognize their lostness, their hunger, their thirst and that the world does not have the answers
they see the futility of their lives going from thrill to thrill, from job to job, from relationship to relationship, from marriage to marriage, from thing to thing, from experience to experience
in their futile efforts to find lasting contentment they finally realize they need God!
They come to understand that only God can satisfy their deepest longings.
so they cry out to him in their lostness and hunger and thirst
they turn to God as the king of a glorious city where there is an abundance of food and water and shelter and peace and security and fellowship
how does God respond to their cry?
Their Pardon
Their Pardon
Ps 107:6b-7 … and he delivered them from their distress. 7 He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.
when the Israelites cried out to God he answered
though their situation seemed hopeless they were redeemed
so too, when the lost sinner cries out to God he answers
this is all about God’s lovingkindness
there is no working to earn God’s favour, no trying to straighten out their life
all they did was cry out to God in their trouble
they are nothing, they bring nothing, they have nothing to offer
all they said was, “I am desperate, please save me!”
God responds with pardon and that is grace.
unmerited, unearned, undeserved kindness
and it says in v.7 that God led them by a straight way
this means that it was a good road, without twist and turns and detours, a road without steep mountain passes or treacherous ravines
reminds us of Jesus’ words in
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
when the sinner receives such a glorious pardon what is their response?
Their Praise
Their Praise
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!
9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
we were hungry and thirsty in the barren land of sin, we were lost, we didn’t know where to turn, we had no direction, no hope of finding our own way
We cried out to God and he gave us everything we needed!
and what is our response but to give thanks for God’s amazing grace!
what is that place of peace and safety and provision and refuge?
it is heaven and eternal life
We are on the road to heaven with the sure and certain hope of eternal life. (Rev 21:4)
listen to how it’s described in Rev 21:4
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
though we haven’t yet reached that place God has given us all the help and the resources we need to ensure that we get there
The Prisoner
The Prisoner
Their Plight
Their Plight
10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons,
a prisoner in a dungeon waiting to be put to death
darkness: there’s no light
shadow of death: they are about to be executed
affliction: they are being tormented
irons: they are chained up
why are they in such a terrible place?
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help.
because they rebelled against God they were given into the hands of their enemies and made captives
rebellion against God was a sin that Israel committed against God over and over again
This is also a poignant picture of sinners experiencing the misery of their rebellion against God.
they’ve rebelled, they’ve disobeyed, they’ve disregarded God’s Word and as a result they find themselves enslaved to all kinds of wretched passions and desires
chained to their sins, they cannot see the light of freedom, they are tormented by the consequences of their foolish choices
life is very hard and hopeless (Job 14:1)
All who reject God will find out that this is what a life without him is like either in this life or the next.
no matter how hard he tries to be his own master and the captain of his own ship he will never find the freedom and joy he is desperately seeking
enslaved to lusts and passions they become their chains and their tormentors, always promising and never delivering
all the enslaved sinner has to look forward to is death
in that condition we come to the Petition
Their Petition
Their Petition
this is where every slave of sin must come
Ps 107:13a Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
In their hopelessness with only the prospect of death they have nowhere else to turn but to the Lord!
Their Pardon
Their Pardon
Ps 107:13b-14 and he delivered them from their distress. 14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.
this is pure grace!
this person had nothing left but a wrecked life!
at the command of the Redeemer the prisoner’s chains fell off, they’re brought out of their prison into the light, they’re freed from his torment
God does all this in spite of all that the sinner had done against him
this was the subject of Isaiah’s prophecy about Jesus in Isa 42:6-7
6 “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
God is ready, willing and able to set any prisoner free who will cry out to him! (Isa 42:6-7)
he does it for no other reason than that they ask!
if you are a sinner and realize you are in a prison what can you do?
cry out to God and ask for freedom
ask God to forgive your sins
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
leads to 4th part
Their Praise
Their Praise
15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron.
Those for whom God shatters the doors of bronze and cuts the bars of iron thank the Lord for giving them freedom. (Ps 107:15-16)
the response to such free and amazing grace is gratitude
The Sick
The Sick
this is the 3rd picture of the sad state of the sinner
Their Plight
Their Plight
17 Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.
example of Israel in Numbers 21:4-9
God sent poisonous snakes among them for their sin so that many died
when they repented God had Moses make a serpent and put it on a pole so that all who looked at it would be healed
a sad picture of the sinner who is sick and near to death
they suffer affliction because of their sinful ways
as they persist in their sin they eventually lose all hope of life and reject the very thing that can save them, the living Word of God
like the those near death who stop eating this tells us how severe their spiritual illness was
They refuse the spiritual bread that can give them life and as a result their death is imminent. (Ezk 33:10-11)
some sinners in this desperate state cry out to God
Their Petition
Their Petition
Ps 107:19a Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
They were fools, loving their sinful ways, having rejected and spurned God’s instructions and warnings.
now in their desperation they cry out to the Lord
why would he listen to such fools?
and if he did answer that would not be fair!
but that is grace!
Their Pardon
Their Pardon
Ps 107:19b-20 … and he delivered them from their distress. 20 He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.
he delivered them out of their distress just as he did the lost and the prisoner!
why did he do so?
because they asked
that is grace, undeserved mercy and kindness
they cried out
they didn’t give an offering, they didn’t go to church, they didn’t clean up their lives
When sinners realize they are lost, prisoners to sin and sick unto death and they cry out to God, he pardons!
Their Praise
Their Praise
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
this is what we do when we gather together each Sunday worship
we are here because of the mercy and grace of God
we were lost but have been found
we were slaves but now we are free
we were sick but now we are healed
and what better response to our kind and merciful Father but praise, worship and thanksgiving!
We are a group of redeemed sinners thanking and praising God for his salvation!
The Storm Tossed
The Storm Tossed
not only were we lost, prisoners, sick unto death but we were about to drown in a great storm
we were lost, miserable, sick and and now fearful
This portrays the terror of sinners who are afraid of death.
while most drown in their sin some cry out
Their Plight
Their Plight
23 Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end.
the fury and violence of the storm brings them to utter despair and hopelessness
examples of Jonah, the disciples (Mk 4:35-41) and Paul (Acts 27)
some might picture in their minds the Titanic sinking into the depths of the frigid Atlantic Ocean but with no life boats!
the terror comes because of all the time you have to think about your death but are powerless to do anything to stop it!
so it says, “terror seized their hearts”
so it is with every sinner who sees his doom
The storms of life cause terror in the awakened sinner.
Their Petition
Their Petition
Ps 107:28a Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
they have no hope of rescue
apart from divine intervention they are doomed
In that place of hopelessness they cry out to God to rescue them.
Their Pardon
Their Pardon
and again, what is God’s response?
Ps 107:28b-29 … and he delivered them from their distress. 29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
instantly, in a moment God caused the storm to be still, the waves to cease, the wind to stop and the rain to quit beating on them
and it says in v.30
30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.
God guides the lost, God frees the prisoner, God heals the sick and God saves the sinner from disaster.
all that was required was to call upon him
God takes people who see that their lives are going nowhere, who understand that they are enslaved to evil passions and desires, who recognize they are dying without hope, who are terrorized by the storms of life and in every case he hears their cry
they were headed to hell and they called on him
and such were some of you
you called out to him and he heard your cry
and what is our response?
Their Praise
Their Praise
31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!
such is the attitude of all who have been redeemed by the Lord
we were those people: wanderers, prisoners, mortally sick and in grave danger
we have been graciously rescued and the all we can do is give thanks
and so we can say of ourselves what the Psalmist says in vv.32-42
We are filled with gratitude because Jesus took our place, paid for our sins, died the death we deserved to die and then gave to us his righteousness.
if you have not yet cried out to God but can identify with one or all of the pictures I urge you to call out to merciful and gracious God and I guarantee that if you do, you will leave this place more thankful than you have ever been in your whole life!
6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.