Thanksgiving 26th November 2017 One Hebrew word for “praise” is yadah, meaning “praise, give thanks, or confess.”

What is meant by Thanksgiving? It is the expression of deep gratitude, especially to our almighty God.  Psalm 100:4 Go through His open gates with great thanksgiving; enter His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and bless His name. 5 For the Lord is always good. He is always loving and kind, and His faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation. In order to begin our pursuit of God, we must first learn to come before Him with hearts filled with thanksgiving! Before we can dwell with God, we must first learn that there is a proper way to approach Him.

The Scope of Thanksgiving. They should not be limited to only good times/circumstances But also when things go terrible wrong thereby giving us the opportunity to demonstrate our faith in God. Thanksgiving will draw our hearts out to God and keep us engaged with Him, it will remove our attention from ourselves and give the Holy spirit room in our hearts.

The Benefits of Thanksgiving. (1) Giving thanks to God unlocks many doors. (2) Whenever thanksgiving goes up, showers of blessings automatically comes down-Ps 100:5. (3) It strengthens faith - strengthens our dependence on God for every provision and upholds the biblical truths on the faithfulness of God. (4) It keeps our lives clear of darkness, anxiety, sin and deception. Rom 1:21, Phil 4:6 (5) It draws us closer to God.

How Can We Show God How Thankful We Are? (1) Be thankful that God is in control. (All things are possible with God). (2) By identifying His lordship over our lives.(Gr. “kyrios” the owner of my life.) (3) By counting our blessings and realize that we are what we are because of God. (I am a child of God). (4) By giving thanks in prayer. (Especially answered prayers). (5) By praising Him in all circumstances. (Good and bad). (6) By repentance. (Realizing that only God can forgive). (7) Be thankful that your true home is waiting for you. (Your true home is in Heaven).

Psalm 103. What stood out in the reading of Psalm 103? David never once gave thanks for tangible things. He gave thanks for the intangible things. Verse 3: He forgives all my sins. Verse 4a: He heals me. Verse 4b: He surrounds me with loving-kindness and tender mercies. Verse 5a: He fills my life with blessings. Verse 5b: My youth is renewed like the eagle.

Why do you think David gave thanks for the intangible things? Matthew 6:19-21 gives us a clue “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

What is your treasure that is laid up in heaven? David says his greatest treasure is that God loves him and has compassion on him….. and no person can take that away from him.

How often do we give thanks to God? Is it a yearly event set aside when St. Stephens celebrates Thanksgiving Sunday? Is it never? Is it a daily habit? Thanksgiving to God is fundamental to a believer because it is the only means of communicating with God which is inclusive of worship, prayer, faith, holiness, giving and sacrifice.

What are the results of being unthankful? Romans 1:21 teaches that being unthankful is the cornerstone sin of all other sins, with a trajectory that leads to covetousness, worshipping creatures more than God, and pride, gossip and all kinds of malice that eventually lead to full-scale rebellion against God (Romans 1:21-33)

If we become unthankful to God we will miss out on the greatest purpose of our lives…… To love and worship God.