A Season of Gratitude
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Seasons sometimes come because of the calendar. Seasons can also come because of the climate. We all experience seasons of some sorts. Solomon, in his incredible wisdom, wrote in
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
He goes on to list in that beautiful chapter lots about life and how different seasons come and go. We all could testify to that as we have experienced different seasons. Charles Swindoll wrote a devotional book many years ago he titled GROWING STRONG IN THE SEASONS OF LIFE. It was a beautiful portrayal of the four seasons of the year and how they compared to the process of our lives. One aspect I can remember is that in all season, we should give thanks.
It is not just about a season of thanksgiving, but rather a season of thanksliving, thus that is the title of our sermon series for the next few months. We will look at several passages that implore us to be thankful. Over the next few weeks we will honor our veterans as we are thankful for the land of opportunity; we will be thankful for the cross; and also an emphasis on a thankful life. Today, we will look at a Season of gratitude as we study .
Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.
Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
Proclaim the Pronouncement (vs.1)
Proclaim the Pronouncement (vs.1)
Notice the directive in verse 1 that tells us to proclaim the pronouncement. We are to give thanks to the Lord. What do we need to do in order to give thanks? In order to give thanks, we need to understand what it means what the Lord has done for us. We have been given the very breath of life. We have been given the opportunity to have abundant life and to choose freely to live under the directives that God has given us. God has created us, He knows us and calls us by name. There is no one else who knows you better. says
O Lord, you have searched me
and you know me.
reminds us that God knows our very being and knows all about our heart, the center of who we are. Yet, He loves us in spite of any fault we have. For that, we should be thankful. Yet the proclamation we have here is to give thanks to the Lord, and then is says to call on His name. Not only does He know your name and may name, He gives us the directive and permission to call on His name.
We are to give thanks for what the Lord has done
Think with me just what that means. The Creator of all things, the One that is all knowing; the One that is all powerful; the One that is everywhere desires for you and I to call on His Name!
When we call on the Name of the Lord, we don’t get ignored. We learn from scripture like that He will answer us. We learn from scripture like that we will be saved.
Because our God is personal, caring and loving, He hears us and responds to us. That is a privilege we can be thankful for not in a season but for a lifetime.
We give Him thanks and call upon His name, then we are to proclaim to the nations what He has done. Are you able to share with those around you what the Lord has done for you? Do you tell it? Do you show it? Remember going to elementary school and being able to participate in show and tell? You could bring an object to school and show it to your classmates and tell about it. That is what we are being told to do right here, to show and tell the world about God and what He has done for us!
Proclaim the Praise (vs. 2)
Proclaim the Praise (vs. 2)
We also are told to proclaim the praise by singing to Him, singing praise to Him and telling of His wonderful acts. You might say, “I can’t sing.” First and foremost, nowhere does it say you have to be able to sing. It says to sing! It is a matter of attitude in that singing is the overflow of the heart.
We see this admonition several times in the Psalms.
Sing to the Lord, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.
Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.
Psalm 33:
Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
We are able to sing and sing praises because of all the good things He has done for us. Is the Lord good to you? Tell your neighbor right now, “The Lord sure is good to me.” We need to tell of His wonderful acts! You know, if we think about it, every breath we take is an absolute wonderful act of God! Every provision we have is a wonderful act of God! Let’s make sure we do not take any of this for granted.
Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
Proclaim the Purpose (vs. 3)
Proclaim the Purpose (vs. 3)
When we glory in His name and let our hearts rejoice, we are proclaiming the purpose for which we are created. We are created to give God glory in all we say and do.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Cori
Have you discovered your purpose? I have talked with many people over the years that have struggled with this. They do not understand what their purpose is in life. This verse reminds us that God desires us to glory in His name.
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
The Message paraphrases the end of that verse this way: “Everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him.” (:16B)
The world tells us that it is all about us. Just look at some of the advertising slogans that are thrown at us day in and day out:
Twix candy bars say, “Two for me none for you.”
Burger King says, “Have it YOUR way.”
McDonald’s says: “You Deserve a Break today.”
Butterfinger candy bars say, “Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger!”
Even the car dealers jump in on this: “Everything We Do is Driven By You”
-Ford
However, you are alive because God wanted to create you! The Bible says in
In his hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.
God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don’t find it lying around on the surface. It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene.
1 Corinthians 12:
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your love, O Lord, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.
Psalm 138:
God’s motive for creating you was His love:
Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
Ephesians 1:4
His purpose is for you and I to glory in His name. When we glory in His name, our hearts will rejoice. It is the very reason our hearts beat. Knowing your purpose gives meaning to your life. Without God, life has no purpose and without purpose there is no meaning.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah
Knowing your purpose simplifies your life. It defines what you do and don’t do. You can ask, “Does this activity help me fulfill God’s purpose in my life or not?” You can base your decisions on how you use your time and resources and therefore simplifying your life. It gives you focus.
Knowing your purpose simplifies your life.
Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.
Understanding your purpose will also help you be motivated in your life. What is your motivation? Proclaim the purpose.
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Proclaim the Power (vs. 4)
Proclaim the Power (vs. 4)
Not only is there an admonition to proclaim the purpose, there is also an admonition to proclaim the power of Who God is. When you look to the Lord, what do you see? Do you see something that grants you every wish or do you see the One that created and gave you every good and perfect gift as described in ? is not just telling us to look at God, but to look at God and His strength.
“Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared:
Strength is power. It is a condition in which one can exert great force or withstand great force, with a focus of having ability to do what is desired, intended or necessary.
”13
“In your unfailing love you will lead
the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them
to your holy dwelling.
The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
you founded the world and all that is in it.
Psalm 89:
Stephen Charnock was a Puritan writer who lived in the 1600’s. He wrote of God’s strength saying, “The power of God is that ability and strength whereby He can bring to pass whatsoever He please, whatsoever His infinite wisdom can direct, and whatsoever the infinite purity of His will can resolve.” From Genesis to Revelation we see the power and strength of our God. His strength energizes all His other attributes. That is why we can quote over and over saying:
For nothing is impossible with God.”
All the peoples of the earth
are regarded as nothing.
He does as he pleases
with the powers of heaven
and the peoples of the earth.
No one can hold back his hand
or say to him: “What have you done?”
Daniel
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
S
If our God is stronger than strong, then we can be assured that He is able to take care of His children.
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
When we proclaim His power, the text also tells us in doing so to seek His face always.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
When we seek God’s face, what do we find? It is hard to picture what God looks like. We may try to humanize His features but that is not going to give us an accurate picture.
What then does it mean to seek his face always? Let me try to explain it this way. I have a picture on my desk of my earthly father. It is an unsuspecting photograph of my father at the helm of my brother in law’s boat. It reminds me of an old man and the sea portrait. As I look into my father’s face, I am reminded of his love, instruction and I saw him to be. When we look at the face of God, we see a portrait of His love, His faithfulness, His strength and His glory. It is a picture of love testified and it causes me to see more of His faithfulness, His goodness, His mercy and His grace.
Notice when we seek His face, we will be able to remember His great works. We proclaim it first, and then according to this text, we ponder, we remember the wonders He has done, His miracles and the judgments pronounced.
Proclaim then Ponder (vs. 5)
Proclaim then Ponder (vs. 5)
Have you ever thought about the wonders of our God?
Many, O Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.
Psalm 40:
Wonders refer to those works of God that are incomprehensible. They are extraordinary, marvelous, and amazing. Over the years God has done wonder after wonder and continuously shown His people His great works.
He has performed miracles and shown His great power. The Psalmist makes mention here of His pronounced judgments. The judgments consist of His justice , His ordinances, and His decrees. It refers to His guidelines and the way of life He has proclaimed.
As we ponder on these things, something quite incredible happens. It becomes portrayed as a beautiful spiral.
This passage starts off with giving thanks, calling on the name of the Lord, remembering what He has done, looking at His glory and who He is. As we do these things we get to think even more about the works of God and that causes us to thank Him more, call on His Name for greater things, recognizing more of His glory and seeing more of His love and faithfulness.
As this happens, it becomes more than just a season, it becomes a way a life. A season of thanksgiving becomes a season of thanksLIVING.
How are you doing with that?