America didn't invent Thanksgiving, but we do it the best. Christians have been giving thanks for centuries. We are so blessed and yet we complain so much. We are materially rich, but spiritually poor.
Luke 17:11-19 (ESV) "On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he was entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.' When he saw them he said to them, 'Go and show yourselves to the priests.' And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, 'Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?' And he said to him, 'Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.'"
I. When we have it good we forget about God.
Deuteronomy 8:11-14 (ESV) "Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."\
When we get all the things we sometimes forget about God. When you get to the "Promised Land" don't be surprised when God has to remind you how you got there. The Israelites did this many times after they left Egypt. God would save them and in no time they would think they could make it on their own. Christians today do the same thing. When times are good don't forget who helped you get there...God.
II. Physical health is a poor substitute for eternal security
10 men were healed, but 1 man was saved. The Samaritan man knew what was really important...his spiritual healing. Christians should care about their physical health, but their spiritual health is much more important. The Samaritan man was not worshiping how he should have been, but he was the 1 man who came back and gave thanks. Every true gift that we have is not deserved. Our salvation is an undeserved gift.
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV) "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Americans gather around the table and generically give thanks but do we truly give thanks? We tend to gripe about the meal, a game or someone also sitting around the table. Are we really thankful?
III. You can't truly be thankful unless you know who to thank!
James 1:17 (ESV) "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation of shadow due to change."
Our greatest need is our salvation. God's offer of grace is for everyone.
Galatians 2:20 (ESV) "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
IV. Thanksgiving/gratitude is a mark of spiritual maturity.
Colossians 2:6-7 (ESV) "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."
Seek to grow in gratitude everyday. Practice gratitude. Start every day with prayer and end everyday in prayer. Make it a habit.
ACTS Prayer
A...Adoration
C...Confession
T....Thanksgiving
S...Supplication
Write out your prayers. Keep a prayer journal. It helps you stay on task and you can see your answered prayers. Walking outside while praying, pray before eating.
V. If you're truly thankful...it should flow out to others.
The Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower were not perfect. They faced tough times, but they were trying to honor God. They were separatists. 102 set sail on September 6, 1620. The first Thanksgiving was in the fall of 1621. Almost 50 died before the fall of 1621, yet they gathered to give thanks. Their numbers grew and grew. New arrivals came and they were fruitful. They numbered in the thousands in just 71 years. They then merged with the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691. They were Puritans and the two groups would form what would become Massachusetts. 10 million of the 340 million Americans are descended from those on the Mayflower. They suffered but God blessed them.
Closing Scripture
Psalms 67:1-3 (ESV) "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be know on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the people praise you!"
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