Today we are going
to look at “WHY ONE SHOULD GIVE GOD THANKS! 1 Samuel 12:24 says, “Only fear the LORD, and serve Him
in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things He hath done for
you.”
Colossians
2:7 says, “… Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all He has done (for
you).” “What can I
offer to the LORD for all He has done for me?” (Ps.
116:12, NLT).
At this time of the year, families
traditionally gather to celebrate and thank God for all His blessings. They
gather to express their gratitude to God for His many blessings.
Beloved,
if you would look
back
and list your blessings and name them one by one, it will surprise you what the
Lord has done for you. If you woke up this morning and your name is not in the
obituary list in the Newspaper, brace up, square your shoulders and shout for
joy for this is the day the Lord has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it.
You’ve
got food on your table. You’ve got clothes on your back. Many all over the
world are homeless. But as for you, you’ve got a roof over your head. You’ve
got your legs to move from one point to the other. You’ve got your hands to
help you do things for yourself. You’ve got your life with you in that you are
still in this part of eternity to make up for heaven. You are not lying down on
a hospital bed. Get to any of the hospitals and see for yourself how many are
suffering from diverse kinds of illnesses.
Maybe you think
that it is by your connections, or by your strength that you are where you are
today. Have you not read, “It’s not by might, nor by power but by My
Spirit says the Lord?” (Zech. 4:6).
Have you not heard that by strength shall no man prevail? (1 Sam. 2:9).
Is it not written in your Bible that the race is not to the swift, nor the
battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of
understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill?” (Eccl. 9:11).
Maybe you think
that you are rich because you’ve worked so hard? Have you not read, “It
is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth
mercy?” (Rom. 9:16). It is not by labour, it is by favour.
Have you never read
that it is the Lord that gave you the power to make wealth? (Deut. 8:18). Have
you not read that Paul planted, Apollos watered, but it is only God that gives
the increase? (1 Cor. 3:6).
Therefore,
it is wisdom for us to gather to celebrate and thank God for all His blessings.
We gather to express our gratitude to God for His many many blessings.
What is gratitude? Gratitude is a natural
expression of thanks to someone in response to blessings, protection, or love
received.
Appreciating God
for what He has done for us so far will take you to your next level.
Shouts of joy (Ps. 42:4), songs of
praise (Ps. 145:7), and music and dance (Ps. 150:3-5) all added to the
spirit of thanksgiving in worship.
What
then is thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving
is a public acknowledgement or celebration of divine goodness.
Why are you
thankful to God? For
me, I am particularly thankful to God because:
1.
God is good, kind
and loving. 1 Chronicles 16:34 says, “O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good;
for His mercy endureth forever.”
Psalm
136:1-26 says, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
2. Of the unspeakable Gift of Jesus
Christ. 2 Corinthians 9:15 says, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable
Gift.”
In
John 3:16 Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His
ONLY begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.”
3.
Of what God for has done for us in
Christ Jesus. Do you really know
what came in the package when you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and
personal Saviour? If you look into that package, you’ll see healing for your
body (Isa. 53:4-5; 1 Pet. 2:24), prosperity, promotion etc.
Jesus
Christ came to give us Identity, Position, Inheritance and Ability. And because
of what Christ has done for me I am:
•
A New Creation (2 Cor. 5: 17).
- Light (Cor. 6:14).
- The light of the world (Matt. 5:14)
•
The salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13).
•
A god (Ex. 7:1-2; Acts 14:11; Ps. 82:6).
•
A covenant child of God (Jn. 1:12; 1 Jn. 3:2).
•
A person (people) of God (2 Chron. 7:14; 1 Pet. 2:9).
•
Called by His Name (2 Chron. 7:14).
•
The righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:21).
•
An over-comer (1 Jn. 4:4; Rev. 12:11).
•
Always triumphant (2 Cor. 2:14; Col. 2:15). 2 Corinthians
2:14 says, “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ,
and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place.”
•
More than a conqueror (Rom. 8:37).
•
A success (Jer. 29:11; Ps.1: 3).
•
The image of God (Gen. 1:26-27).
•
A king (1 Tim 6:15; Rev.17: 14, 19:16; Eccl. 8:4).
- A lord (1 Tim. 6:15; Rev.17: 14, 19:16).
- A chosen generation (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 17:14).
•
A royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9).
•
A peculiar person (1 Pet. 2:9; Titus 2:14).
- A holy person (1 Pet. 2:9).
•
His elect (Col. 3:12).
•
A good soldier of the LORD Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 2:3).
•
An ambassador of heaven. An ambassador for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20).
•
His workmanship created unto good works (Eph. 2:10; Ps. 139:14).
- Of great value to God (Mt. 6:8; 10:30).
- Beloved of God (Jn. 3:16; Eph. 3:19; 1 Jn. 3:1-3; Rom. 8:38-39).
- The apple of God’s eye (Deut. 32:10).
- A special treasure (Ex. 19:5).
- Fearfully, wonderfully and skilfully made (Ps. 139:14-15).
- A partaker of divine nature (1 Pet. 1:3-4).
- Carved into His palms (Isa. 49:16).
- God thinks about me always (Isa. 49:16; Jer. 29:11).
- A stranger and a pilgrim in this world that is very temporal (Heb. 9:27; 1 Pet. 2:11; Col. 3:1).
•
Not
natural but supernatural. Not
normal but abnormal. I don’t belong
to this realm.
•
Complete in Him (Col. 2:10), and in Him I live, in Him I
move, and in Him I have my being (Acts 17:28).
•
A citizen of Heaven.
- A member of God’s household (Eph. 2:19).
- God’s property (Eph. 1:13).
4.
Bringing me out of a horrible pit,
from miry clay severally. Psalm 40:2-3 says, “He [God] brought me up also out
of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and
established my goings. 3 And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise
unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”
What
is miry clay?
Miry clay is a situation so bad that except help comes from outside, you are
gone. It is like quick sand. The more you put in the second leg so that you can
step up, the more you will sink in. You are in a situation beyond the help of
man; a situation you can’t even help yourself. Have you been there before?
Examples of people that have been there
abound in the Scriptures. For instance:
a) The man that was paralyzed from neck to toe (Mk.
2:1-12):
b) The man that was paralyzed for 38 years (Jn. 5:1-9).
c) The wife of the son of a prophet (2 Kings 4:1-7):
d) Shedrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego (Dan. 3).
e) Daniel (Dan. 6).
5.
God is for us (me). Romans 8:31 says, “What
shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”
Do
you know that one with God is a majority? You plus God is greater than a
majority. Job learnt this lesson on his bed of affliction. Job praised God even
when he was down to nothing. He knew that whenever one is down to nothing, God
is up to something.
In
Job 1:21 Job began to praise God saying, “Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and
naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed
be the name of the LORD.”
In
Job 13:15 Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him…”
In
Job 19:25 Job said, “For I know my Redeemer liveth…”
As
Job began to thank and praise God, God broke that curse over his life and gave
him double for his trouble (Job 42:10). Beloved, God will give you double for
your trouble if you’ll learn to thank and praise Him in that your situation.
Giving
thanks to God is the key to releasing the supernatural power of God upon your
life in your situation. If you need a miracle in your life, be thankful
and give God thanks for that situation you are in right now. Joshua learnt that
same lesson in the battle against Jericho.
Jonah learnt that lesson in the belly of the fish. David learnt that lesson in
the battle against Goliath (1 Sam. 17). Daniel learnt that lesson in the den of
lions (Dan. 6). Shadrach, Meschach and Abed-nego learnt that lesson in the
fiery furnace (Dan. 3). Paul and Silas learnt that lesson in the dungeon in
prison (Acts 16:16 – 38).
In
Isaiah 54:17 God said, “No weapon that is formed against
thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment
thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their
righteousness is of Me.”
5.
I am thankful because I am going to
Heaven (Jn. 3:3-7). I am thankful to God because He has made a way for
me to come to Heaven. I am so glad that I am a citizen of Heaven. Heaven is my
eternal home because I am a member of the family of God.
If
you really know what you have in Jesus Christ, no one needs to ginger you up
before you give God quality thanks.
6.
I am thankful because God loves me.
In John 3:16 Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.”
1
John 3:1 says, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because
it knew Him not.”
7.
I am thankful because NOTHING can separate me from the love of God which is in
Christ Jesus. Romans 8:35-39 says, “Who shall separate us (me) from the love of
Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed
all the daylong; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. 38 For
I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans
8 begins with “no condemnation” and
ended with “no separation.” In Romans
8:1 the Scriptures say, “There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit.”
Listen
beloved, you can never do anything so bad or so good to make God love you less
or more than He loves you right now. Even when you don’t love Him, God still
loves you. Even in your worst state, God loves you but hates that sin in your
life.
8.
I am thankful to God because He
fights all my battles for me. He is Jehovah Nissi. He contends with
they that contend with me (Isa. 49:25).
In
Romans 8:37 the Bible says, “Nay, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through Him that loved us.”
There is a world
of difference between being a conqueror and being more than a conqueror. A conqueror is the one who fights a battle
and wins. But more than a conqueror is one who does not take part in any form
of battle, but knows that the battle is already won even before the battle
starts.
God
fought for David against Goliath (1 Sam. 17). He fought for the children of
Israel against the Egyptians in the Red Sea (Ex. 14). He fought for them
against the Amalekites. He fought for them against the children of Moab, the
children of Ammon, and the people of Mount Seir (2 Chron. 20).
Psalm
23:4-5 says, “Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy
rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth
over.”
9. I am thankful to God because He forgives ALL our sins (Ps. 103:3; Col.
1:13-14; Col. 2:13-14; Isa. 43:25; Isa. 1:18; Prov. 28:13; 1 Jn. 1:9).
In Psalm 103:1-22, David’s praise focused on God’s
glorious deeds. It is easy to complain about life, but David’s list gives us
plenty for which to praise God: He forgives our sins, heals our diseases,
redeems us from death, crowns us with love and compassion, satisfies our
desires, and gives righteousness and justice. We receive all of these without
deserving any of them. No matter how difficult your life’s journey, you can
always count your blessings—past, present, and future. When you feel as though
you have nothing for which to praise God, read David’s list.
10. I am thankful to God because He heals ALL our sicknesses and diseases (Ps. 103:3; 1sa. 53:4-5; 1 Pet. 2:24; Jam. 5:14-16).
10. I am thankful to God because He redeems (saves) our lives from destruction (Ps. 103:4; Ps. 34:22; Jn. 10:10; 1 Pet. 5:8; Eph.
6:10-12; God’s promises: Ps. 91:3-8; Ps. 23:4-5; Isa. 43:2; Isa. 54:15, 17).
Psalm 107:15-16
says, “O! that men
would praise [give thanks to] the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful
works to the children of men! 16 For He hath broken the gates of brass, and
cut the bars of iron in sunder.”
In a certain
city in the northern part of Nigeria,
God spoke to a certain Moslem, the son of one of the leaders of that faith, and
showed hell to him in a revelation. As he woke up, he quickly sought for a
church, went to the pastor, and gave his life to Christ. On hearing the
testimony of what the Lord had done in the life of that former Moslem, the
other Moslems gathered to set his house ablaze as he slept. But as they got to
his house, all they saw was a wall of fire all around his house. They had no
access to the house because Jesus had become the wall of fire around that New
Creature in Christ as He promised in Zechariah 2:5. Jesus, the Angel of the
Lord had encamped around that New Creation in Christ.
Psalm 34:7 says,
“The
Angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.”
This was also
what happened in the case of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (Dan. 3). Jesus
was the fourth Man in that fiery furnace that Nebuchadnezzar put them
into. Nebuchadnezzar had no idea of the
promise of God for His children.
In Isaiah 43:2
God promised, “When you pass through the waters, He will be with you; and through the
rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall
not be burnt, nor shall the flame scorch you.”
Jesus also
protected Daniel from the den of lions. When the hungry lions saw Jesus, the
“Lion of the tribe of Judah,” they became powerless.
The same Jesus
protected me from a poisonous snake in November, 2002. As I finished the Sunday
sermon, I walked into my office in the church. Some people followed me into the
office, and as I sat down to counsel with them, one of them said, “Daddy, that’s
a snake behind you.” I thought he was kidding. However, it was true. The snake
was right there behind my seat, but could not do anything. Besides, I came into
that office around 6.00 am
to prepare for the Sunday service. I stayed in that office, probably with that
snake until about 9:15 am
when I eventually came out for the service. The snake was killed and burnt. To
my surprise, the next day a mad man that was passing the major road to the
church, on getting to the very spot where the snake was burnt, stood there
complaining bitterly and pointing at the church. I happened to be standing
outside with some other brethren.
I lifted up my
voice and said to him, “Greater is He that is in me than he that is
in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4). And as soon as I shouted Holy Ghost fire,
the man ran for his dear life.
This same Jesus
has also been protecting you from one danger or the other on daily basis. Won’t
you give Him thanks?
11. I am thankful to God because He crowns [surrounds] us with loving kindness (Ps. 103:4; Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:8).
12. I am thankful to God because He fills our lives with good things – Who gives us plenty of good things (Ps. 103:5; Ps.
23:1-5): good parents; good spouses;
Spirit-filled friends; well-paid jobs; good environment. He gives us houses we did not build, vineyards we did not
cultivate, and favours we did not merit.
13. I am thankful to God because He makes us young again like the eagle (Ps. 103:5). Are
you not aware that you are looking younger every day as compared to your
counterparts? He renews your strength to be like that of a youth.
Because
God gives you all sorts of good things so that you lack nothing, you are always
looking young. God adequately maintains you.
14. I am thankful to God for
the victory over sin and death that He gives us in Christ.
1 Corinthians
15:57 says, “How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus
Christ our Lord!”
15. I am thankful to God for giving me a
priceless inheritance in Christ (1 Pet. 1:3-4).
16. I am thankful to God because the spirit of thanksgiving puts a seal on the blessings I have already
received. Example is the case of the
ten lepers. The very one that came back to give God thanks was made whole in
that: (a) his destroyed parts grew back and he became as if he never suffered
from leprosy; (b) He also received eternal life.
If
you are not thankful, then
you are not Spirit-filled. Ephesians 5:18-20 says, “And be not
drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19
Speaking to yourselves in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs, singing and
making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all
things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Psalm 124:2-4
says, “If it had not
been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: 3 Then they had
swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: 4 Then the
waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul. 5 Then the
proud waters had gone over our soul. 6 Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given
us as a prey to their teeth. 7 Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare
of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. 8 Our help is in the
name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”
In spite of all
the obstacles that the devil brought your way, can’t you look back and see
where you are today and give God thanks? He is Jehovah Ebenezer, the LORD that
has brought you thus far. Quit complaining and start praising God for His
goodness, love and faithfulness.
Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!
- Your friend: I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor) 26.11.2017
Promise of God
for the week: “Though thy beginning was small, yet thy
latter end should greatly increase” (Job
8:7).
No comments:
Post a Comment