A Thankful Heart [21mb]

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This is a sermon based on Psalm 136. It was preached on the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving Day 2011 in a worship service that also included the Eucharist.

Written Excerpts:

Psalm 136:1 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Introduction:    Some have stated that ingratitude is the most prevalent sin of America. I’m not sure if that is true or if it even can be proven, but I am certain that it is one of the most prevalent sins in our nation.

Someone has illustrated the problem like this: Suppose a man comes up to my door one day and just hands me a $100 bill and says, “This is a gift for you. Have a good day.”

I might be shocked, suspicious, intrigued or experience any number of other emotions, but I would be very grateful. Suppose he does it every week for about 2 or 3 months. Then at the beginning of the next month on the same day that he has customarily stopped at my door, suppose he walks on by my door and stops at the next house and gives my neighbor a $100 bill. If I reacted like most people in our world, I would get angry and resentful because he passed me up and went to my neighbor. I might even open the door and yell to him, “Hey, where’s MY $100?

Most of us are far too quick to focus on the benefits we don’t have rather than to focus on the benefits and blessings we have been given in great abundance.

We certainly need to express our gratitude to God all year round, but especially at this time of the year when we in America have been granted a special holiday tradition for the purpose of giving thanks to our Creator and our God.

Transition:    In our Scripture lesson for today in Psalm 136 the author starts out with the exhortation to give thanks to the Lord.

This Hebrew poem seems to be written for liturgical use or public worship in the temple. The first line of each verse could have been sung as a solo or by a chorus, with the response possibly sung by the whole congregation of worshipers.

In this unusual song of thanksgiving, we are given numerous subjects for which to thank God. These subjects directly relate to the history of the people of Israel, but they have spiritual application for us even today.

Let us briefly explore the various reasons for which we are to give thanks to the Lord.

I.  We give thanks to the Lord because of His character. (v 1)

A.  He is good.

The psalmist declares the goodness of God as an established fact. We have discussed this attribute in earlier sermons, but this is a reminder that God is inherently good and He is the standard for goodness.

We often declare the goodness of God when we have received some special blessing that pleases us very much. However, the way we often express it gives the impression that God wouldn’t have been so good if that blessing had not been given. We must remember and declare that God is good all the time.

B. He is faithful.

In addition to this first description of God’s character (goodness), the response line that is used repeatedly throughout the psalm proclaims, “His mercy endureth for ever.”

Hebrew scholars tell us that the word “mercy” in these verses does not have a one-word equivalent in English or any other language. It conveys the compound idea of covenant faithfulness or steadfast, committed love or kindness. (Leupold)

The author of this psalm is emphasizing that the underlying nature of God that impacts all of His divine activity is His kindness and love that is rooted in His covenant-keeping faithfulness. The God of the Bible obligates Himself by covenants with Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob and He steadfastly demonstrates kindness because of His unfailing love and commitment to His people. What a stark contrast from the gods of other religions.

His covenant faithfulness is eternal, never-ending.

II.  We give thanks to the Lord because of His supremacy. (vv 2-3, 26)

A. He is God of gods and Lord of lords.

The psalmist is not teaching us that there actually are many other gods in the world over which Jehovah is supreme. But the point is that God is supreme and sovereign over everything, even those deities supposed to exist by heathens.

Some believe that the emphasis here stresses God’s sovereignty over all the priests and spiritual rulers of the pagans, as well as kings and magistrates of the world. (A. Clarke)

B. He is the God of heaven.

The heavens represent the wide expanse of God’s created universe and even there God is supreme and sovereign.

I thank God for His sovereignty and supremacy over every part of this world and this universe.

III.  We give thanks to the Lord because of His creative activity. (vv 4-9)

God’s creative activity is described generally (v.4) – “great wonders,” and specifically (5-9) – “the heavens,” “earth,” “waters,” and “great lights” (sun, moon & stars).

Time and again we have talked about the wonderful display of God’s power and His amazing design and creativity that is observable in our world of nature. All of these creative works of God are cause for thanksgiving.

It is an interesting thought that God’s creation is not only a reason to give Him praise and adoration (as indicated in Psalm 8 for example), but it is also a reason to offer thanks. I’m sure I do not fully comprehend the psalmist’s point here, but in some respect we need to thank God that His creation is so marvelous and awesome. Perhaps he is just emphasizing that the One to whom we give thanks is not only the Supreme Sovereign, but He is the Supreme Creator.

IV.  We give thanks to the Lord because of His deliverance. (vv 10-15, 24)

There are two kinds of deliverance referred to in this thanksgiving poem.

One is more specific in its detail and refers to the deliverance from the bondage in Egypt. (vv. 10-15)  The other (v. 24) is more general and seems to refer to deliverance from all enemies of Israel – and by application, all of God’s people.

The enemies referred to here were actual physical enemies of the people of God. But we can also apply this spiritually to every kind of enemy that would hinder or destroy our faith and love for God.

I thank God for every time He has delivered me from some enemy that was intent on my destruction.

V.  We give thanks to the Lord because of His providential care. (vv 16-25)

These verses describe God’s protection through the wilderness journeys of the Israelites as well as providing the land of Canaan for them to live in permanently. God destroyed the wicked kings and nations in the Promised Land so that His covenant people could inherit the land He had promised centuries earlier to their forefathers.

In addition to the protection and provision of land, God has also provided food for all flesh, man and beast. Although the reference here does seem to be quite general – “for all flesh,” yet with the contextual reference to wilderness wanderings, it may have specific reference to the manna and quail provided for them in the travels from Egypt to Canaan.

Conclusion:    Today we are observing communion which is always a celebration of thanksgiving for the salvation provided through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Let us now turn our attention to this blessed opportunity to remember our Lord’s sacrifice and suffering for us.

Rev. Kevin Green - New Castle City Rescue Mission [37 mb]

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This is a message given at our church by Rev. Kevin Green who is the Executive Director of the City Rescue Mission in New Castle, PA.

Christian Parenting [26 mb]

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This is a sermon that was preached regarding the task of Christian parenting and passing the faith on to the next generation. This sermon coincided with the dedication of three children to the Lord during our worship service.

Written Excerpts:

Proverbs 22:6  Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

Introduction:

Today we have had the happy occasion of dedicating three beautiful girls to the Lord at the request and choice of their parents who have promised to nurture them in the knowledge of the Lord.

I wanted to speak a message from God’s Word today that is appropriate for the occasion, but the message on my heart is not a sermon merely directed at these who have presented their children for dedication to the Lord, but it is a message for all of us to take to heart. I pray that the Lord will help all of us to recognize the fact that we all play an important role in helping our children know Jesus as their personal Savior and to see something in us that makes them desire to have what we have.

I could reminisce a little this morning if we had time and talk about some of the people in our church when I was growing up. I could name you several different names of individuals in our church that I knew had a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ. I listened to their testimonies and saw them praise God even when times were tough and I would frequently tell myself, “That’s the kind of Christian I want to be.”

Dear friends, that is the kind of influence we can have on our kids. Yes, the parents have the bulk of the responsibility for their training, but you and I have the privilege and responsibility as well to demonstrate a life before them that makes them hungry to know the Lord as we do. Let’s live up to it.

Today I want to talk to you a little while about “Christian Parenting.” I suppose that you already know without me saying so that this topic is so large there is no way we can cover it today. Let me briefly touch on a few critical aspects of being a Christian parent.

I.          To be a Christian parent one must first of all have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

In other words, in order to be a Christian parent, one has to be a Christian! But, we are not simply talking about claiming a specific religion or a basic knowledge of the Bible. I am talking about being born again by the Spirit of God. (John 3:3) It is impossible to pass something on to our children that we do not possess ourselves.

Acts 1:8 “…ye shall be witnesses unto me…”

One cannot be a witness about something that he / she has no direct knowledge or experience of. A witness cannot testify on the hearsay of another person. All of us here need to recognize the vital importance for each of us to be certain of our relationship with Christ and let our lives testify to a vibrant, winsome and holy life. Our kids are watching each of us and they know how to spot a phony.

II.        To be a Christian parent means we make every effort to successfully pass the knowledge of God on to our children.

Turn with me to Judges 2:7, 10, 16-17.

I want you to notice the pattern that is described in these verses.

When the generation that grew up during the leadership of Joshua died off, their children are described as “not knowing the Lord, nor the work which He had done for Israel.”

John Wesley – knew not; “[they had] no experimental, nor serious and affectionate knowledge of God, or of His works.”

The people that followed the Lord and did know what God had done failed to successfully pass the faith and knowledge on to their children, and therefore that next generation abandoned the ways of the Lord.

What all is involved in this effort to pass the knowledge of God to our children? According to Deuteronomy 6:6-7 it is a lifestyle that is permeated with the knowledge and the presence of God.

Key words: “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 

In other words, you are to teach them at all times, in every manner possible or imaginable and in circumstance. In other words, “Don’t let one opportunity slip by without somehow turning it into a lesson about God’s provision and His wonderful grace.

This passage seems to be speaking primarily about a consistent life that matches up with what we say. Sure, we talk of God’s truths in all times of the day and in all kinds of circumstances, but that talking must be backed up with consistent living.

Now, do we always succeed at this? Not me. If I take a serious look back over my life and the years my kids were growing up, I know I missed some opportunities. But, we can’t let the moments of failure discourage us from continuing to do the best we can. We can’t afford to give up and give in.

III.       To be a Christian parent means we never give up intercessory prayer for our children to personally know God and make heaven their home.

Pray, pray, pray!!

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4 ³For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: ⁴(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Ephesians 6:12   For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

The Devil is fighting hard for the souls of our kids and grandkids. We must not give up praying and striving against the forces of evil that would destroy them and tear them down.

Conclusion:

Friends, our children are the most valuable “possessions” we have. I was talking to a young mother not long ago and I was trying to help her understand that bringing a child into this world is an awesome responsibility.

That son or daughter is a living soul that will never cease to exist, and will live forever in either heaven or hell. May God help all of us to take seriously our responsibilities – not only as parents, but as Christian adults who have an influence over the minds and hearts of our children.