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Text to begin service:

Ps.92:1 "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High."

Reading:

                Ps.136:1-26

Introduction:

Teaching children to say thank you.

What does the Bible have to say about giving thanks?

Many indications given in the Bible but not necessarily exhaustively.

The whole subject of giving thanks is tackled in various ways:

1.       There are descriptions given of the form I/we give thanks or I will/we will give thanks

2.       There are plenty of exhortations to give thanks: oh give thanks

3.       There are prayers for God to intervene and act on behalf of His people so that His people might give thanks

Who?

1.       All His works shall give thanks to the LORD

2.       That includes All men – (Rm.1:21)

3.       And that means "we" together should give thanks

4.       And that means "I" individually should give thanks

To Whom?

1.       To "the LORD" who is variously described in the various contexts of thanksgiving

2.       To the "LORD my God"

3.       To the "LORD our God"

4.       To the "God of our Fathers"

5.       To His Name

Where?

1.       In the place of worship

2.       In the company of fellow believers – congregationally & corporately (I give thanks in the company of others and give thanks with others)

3.       Publicly – before the nations

4.       In Heaven

Why?

1.       It is good and right to give thanks (Ps.54:6; Ps.140:3)

2.       He, the LORD is good and His steadfastness love and faithfulness endure forever

How?

1.       Wholeheartedly – the attitude of the heart is so important, what is our attitude really like?

2.       With a warm desire

3.       Joyfully

4.       In song

5.       Humbly and reverentially – mindful of His presence

6.       Regularly

7.       Ceaselessly

For what?

1.       His steadfast love or mercy

2.       His faithfulness

3.       The deliverances granted to His people

4.       The comfort He brings to His people

5.       The wisdom He gives to His people

6.       The might He gives

7.       The answers to prayer He gives

8.       Etc. etc…

And these are just some of the many reasons the Bible mentions for giving thanks – the first three steadfast love, faithfulness and deliverance are probably the three most commonly mentioned in the Bible. 

The word "thanksgiving" is also frequently often associated with the idea of sacrifice – true giving of thanks may well prove costly! But how wholesome true thanksgiving is replacing and banning foolish and crude talk. All the good things that God gives to us – such as food and marriage - are to be received with thanksgiving and in no way denigrated.

A closer look at Ps.136

You would have to be a very inattentive reader or listener not to realize the importance the Psalmist places on the steadfast love (or mercy) of the LORD and His faithfulness. In 26 verses the Psalmist repeats his refrain 26 times:

"for his steadfast love endures forever"

It is clear that this is the driving theme of the Psalm. It is the thought of the LORD's steadfast love and of His faithfulness that leads the psalmist to exhort his hearers to give thanks to God. His exhortation is repeated three times in the opening three verses where the only variant is the way in which he refers to God.

In v.1 he employs the covenant name of the LORD. This is the personal name of God which He revealed to His people as He brought them into a special relationship with Himself. This name reminds us of the closeness that exists between God and His people.

In v.2 the psalmist focuses upon another aspect of God, His greatness. God is so great that the psalmist refers to Him as God of gods.

Then in v.3 he moves on again and employs yet another description of the God who deserves our thanks – this God holds all authority: He is Lord of lords.

This is the God whom you are exhorted to return your thanks!

But the psalmist has by no means finished putting before his readers descriptions of this great and glorious God. Although he has finished for the moment with titles and names he most certainly hasn't said nearly enough about the God to be thanked and praised and he proceeds to show us just who this God really is!

v.4 He is the wonder-working God. He is the only such God.

In other parts of the OT highlights there are withering descriptions of the idols of the nations which are nothing other than the works of men's hands having ears but not able to hear, having eyes but not being able to see and having noses but being unable to smell. They can't even move themselves but need to be carried by the same human hands that fabricated them!

How different is the God of the psalmist!! He and He alone works wonders. None beside Him can and He needs no help from anyone else as He performs His mighty works.

vv.5-9 God is described in these verses as the Creator of all things.

vv.10-16 Now it is His role as the great deliverer and liberator of His people that is the psalmist's centre of attention.

vv.17-22 move the description on a little further and the language used describes God as a great and mighty warrior who goes into battle on behalf of His people for whom He also makes rich provision.

vv.23-25 shows us how kind and generous this God really is. He is ready to stoop and take notice of the insignificant and doesn't refuse to help those of lowly estate. He rescues His people from their enemies and generously makes provision for all that He has made. He is even interested in giving us the food we need to eat!

Small wonder then that the psalmist thinks that our thanks are owed to such a great generous and kind God!

But before we move on have you noticed how small a place is assigned in this psalm to everyday blessings such as food! True this is a real blessing for which we should be profoundly grateful as we should for many other mundane, "ordinary" blessings that so many of us enjoy such as: a choice of nice clothing, a nice place to live, a measure of health and strength, safety as we travel by bus, car, train, ship, plane etc. Some of us are blessed with employment and then again we have friends and family. These are very real blessings for which we should be really and truly thankful.

But these blessings fill such a small part of the psalm to show us that other blessings are to be valued far more highly and which when enjoyed should call forth even more thanksgiving!

In OT times the people looked back to political and military deliverances that they had known at the LORD's hand as He had brought them firstly out of slavery in Egypt then secondly as He led them into a new land where He protected them from all their enemies all the while providing bountifully for them.

For us living in NT days we need to ask ourselves whether there is anything in any way comparable that we can look at, something which would cause us to react with a similar thankfulness.

We might be tempted to consider some of the various national deliverances that this country has known over the years eg. during the two world wars and we would certainly be right to return thanks to God for preserving our liberties and our freedoms and our relative prosperity.

However there is something more important than that. The Bible as  a whole testifies to a still greater deliverance yet – a deliverance from the bondage of sin that stops us living us in harmony with God and with others. The deliverance thus spoken of includes a breaking of the bondage of sin and a freedom from the very great consequences of sin, eternal separation from Almighty God.

Jesus came into the world as a great demonstration of God's love for sinners. He came to be the sinner's friend and did so by taking upon Himself the guilty and the penalty of our sin. Because He died we are set free!!

Have you understand just what it is that God has done for you in Jesus Christ? Have you received the proffered gift of the salvation you so much need, a gift which is the only answer to your need?

Thankfulness is the most natural of all responses to this greatest of all gifts!

If you're not tremendously thankful for Jesus Christ and His salvation is it because you remain a stranger to Him and to what He offers? Maybe you're not very thankful because you have no personal experience of what He offers.

Paul wrote to the church in Rome and told them that all men knew enough to know that God existed but that they simply didn't want to acknowledge the fact. Is that your position concerning the good news of Jesus Christ? Perhaps you are simply refusing Him. Oh, don't go on doing that!

How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? Come to Christ and live and be thankful!

Amen.