Sermons
The He(art) of Thanksgiving
THE HE(ART) OF THANKSGIVING
Sermon Outline By Terry Siverd
Cortland Church of Christ / November 19, 2017
If I asked you to write down a few of the attributes of God, our combined lists would probably include the following.
Non-Moral Attributes - - omnipresence (ubiquitous) … omniscience … omnipotent … immutability (unchanging).
Moral Attributes - - holiness … righteousness & justice … goodness … truth … loving … merciful … etc.
As creatures made by the hand of God and in the image of God we strive to cultivate various Christian virtues.
2Pet.1:5ff enumerates: moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness & love.
Gal.5:22f / The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control.
These two lists of Christian virtues or characteristics are not meant to be exhaustive.
With our sermon title before us, we can’t help but notice a “biggie” that is missing from both Peter’s list and Paul’s list.
GRATITUDE!
Having a heart of thanksgiving is underscored in so many places in the Scriptures.
In Eph.5:18f Paul adds to the list of virtues extolled in his letter to the Galatians.
Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father…
Singing is a wonderful vehicle for expressing gratitude to God - - please join us tonight for a time of ThankSinging.
In Philip.4:6, Paul exhorts - - Be anxious for nothing,
but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let you requests be made known to the Lord.
Similarly, in Col.4:2, Paul admonishes - -
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.
In 1Thess.5:18, Paul writes - - In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Paul closes his epistle to the Hebrews with these words of encouragement (Heb.13:15) - - Through Him then,
let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.
I have cherry picked a few choice textual nuggets that speak of the importance of having a heart of thanksgiving.
I have selected five popular citations from the New Testament that we ought to all recognize.
I would hope that we have these pretty well memorized. If not, that would be a really good thing to do!
There are scads of other passages (from both the Old and New Testament) that promote the cultivation
of a grateful heart. Indeed, being grateful and thankful is a key ingredient to our Christian walk.
For all of us as Christians: to not possess a THANKFUL HEART is to be woefully inadequate in our imitation of Christ.
Among all five of the text we have just quoted, once can detect a sense of urgency and determination.
This attitude of gratitude is not intended to be just an occasional serendipitous spiritual hiccup.
These exhortations come with strong urgings: always … in everything … devote yourselves … continually.
When it comes to gratitude, the challenge is not how to grateful on GOOD days.
Most of us do pretty well in being thankful when things are going well.
The problem comes when the problems come. The ultimate test of how thankful we are comes when life tumbles in.
John Gipson has penned a brief essay titled, Thanksgiving For A Leaky Roof.
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but I had an opportunity to practice it last night.
Strangely enough, it was a leaking roof which caused me to be thankful. I had gone to bed and was almost asleep
when suddenly it sounded as if someone had turned on the shower. I staggered into the bathroom, turned on the light,
and saw water pouring in from around the light fixture. Climbing up on the roof at that time of night in the middle of a
heavy downpour was considered and quickly rejected. I could go up into the attic from the inside, but if I found the leak
there was hardly anything I could do about it in the middle of a thunderstorm. It seemed to me that the only sensible
thing to do was to clean up the water, set a bucket under the leak, and go back to bed. I decided to be sensible.
Back in bed my first reaction was to be upset over having such a leak. Then it struck me that I had a lot to be thankful for.
I was thankful that I had lived in this house almost 20 year without the roof leaking.
During countless storms I had been sheltered in warmth and security.
I was thankful that the leak was in the bathroom and not directly above my bed.
I was thankful that the bathroom floor was tile and not carpet.
I was thankful that I had a door I could shut to block out the noise of the drip, drip, drip.
I was thankful that I wasn’t Abraham, Isaac or Jacob, or any of those others, who spent their lives in tents.
I was thankful that on such a night I had a roof over my head, leaky though it be. I thought of people
all over the world who were cold, hungry and wet. How they must be longing for the comfort I enjoy.
In prayer I thanked God for countless blessings and fell asleep.
Upon awaking I thanked Him for the rest of the night, and for a roof that could be patched.
It could have been blown off in a tornado. I feel good today. How about you?
We can receive this story with a smile, but in reality not all of us have mastered this he(art) of thanksgiving.
I’ve been thinking lately about some of our brothers & sisters in Christ and dear friends who are battling cancer.
They are facing a problem much more severe than a simple leaky roof.
Is it also possible to write an essay on thanksgiving when life confronts us with a really big challenge?
I am thankful that I have access to superb and caring doctors and specialists who are able to help me with my ailment.
I am thankful that my sovereign Creator has thus far blessed my life with a number of enjoyable and fruitful years.
I am thankful that I am surrounded by family and loved ones who support, nurture and care for me deeply.
I am thankful that my level of pain is somewhat manageable - - that the pain I do experience is bearable.
I am thankful for my loving church family - - young and old, who have been in constant prayer on my behalf.
I am thankful that my life is anchored in Christ Jesus and that I have a peace that surpasses understanding.
I am thankful that I have been redeemed and that I have the sure promise of life eternal with the Lord.
This brings me to the primary focus of this morning’s sermon.
In pondering the attributes and characteristics of God we don’t normally think of gratitude.
Gratitude is not typically a response or behavior we expect from THE CREATOR.
After all, who would GOD express thanks to??
We rightfully understand that doxology (thankful praise) is directed heavenly.
For from HIM and through HIM and to HIM are all things. To HIM be the glory forever. Amen (Rom.11:36).
As God’s creation we have an obligation to express our praise and gratitude to our Creator.
And, as human beings standing on common ground, we sense the need to be thankful to those around us.
But God is GOD.
He is exalted and mighty and higher than we are.
He is worthy of praise and honor and the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.
God Himself is the giver of every good and perfect gift … everything good comes from above (Js.1:17).
The sacred writings enlarge and expand our view of God by allowing us to focus on the life of Jesus.
In his gospel prologue, the apostle John declares (Jn.1:14) - - And the Word became flesh, and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus is God en-fleshed.
So many amazing things capture our hearts and minds regarding Jesus.
One thing that I want us to dwell upon this morning is the heart of Jesus.
The heart of Jesus in the flesh was A HEART OF THANKSGIVING.
As The Son of God - - God in the flesh - - we hear, among many things, our GOD being thankful.
It blows our mind to try to comprehend this idea: God being grateful to God.
But it is right here, recorded in black and white in the pages of the Holy Scriptures.
I have preached dozens of thanksgiving sermons, but this is a concept I’ve never explored.
In closing, let’s note Jesus’ heart of thanksgiving.
Although He Himself is a part of the Godhead, Jesus gives thanks to His Father.
THANKFUL FOR SUSTENANCE
Mt.15:36 / (Jesus) took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started
giving them to the disciples, and the disciples in turn, to the multitudes. cf. Mk.8:6 and Jn.6:11
THANKFUL FOR THE SIMPLICITY OF THE GOSPEL
Mt.11:25 / I thank (praise) You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have
hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to the little children.
THANKFUL FOR ANSWERED PRAYER
At the raising of Lazarus, the stone was removed from his grave and Jesus prayed - -
Jn.11:41 / Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
THANKFUL FOR THE CROSS
In the very shadow of the cross, at the passover supper (Lk.22:17)
When He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, ‘Take this and share it among yourselves.’
That cup was the fruit of the vine was symbolic of the blood of His cross.
We are charged in Scripture to BE THANKFUL.
Not just for the easy and good things of life, but also for the difficult and painful things.
Jesus, God in the flesh, shows us the importance of being thankful in all things.
Dear Father,
Day by day, we are learning the value of a heart of gratitude.
In this regard, we confess that we are not always what we should you.
Forgive us Lord when we grumble and complain about so many things - - often little things.
Give us an untiring determination to keep on pursuing a steadfast and sure heart of thanksgiving.
May such become a constant in our lives - - a virtue that will sustain us through all of the ups and downs of life.
Grant, Lord, that when it comes our time to walk in the valley of the shadow of death, that we may do so with a grateful heart.
Through Christ, our great and grateful Savior, we pray. Amen.
