It is Good to Give Thanks to the Lord
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Bible Reading
Bible Reading
“What is going to happen here in the next hour or so will never happen again in the history of the world. Never will this group of people be gathered under this Word in this place the same away again. It happens once and it will be gone.”
Inscription above the passage; Song of the sabbath day.
Only Psalm labeled this way.
Doesn’t speak of the Sabbath, shows us what is to be done on the Sabbath.
Shows us that the Sabbath rest was linked with corporate worship, what do today should not be burdensome to you.
We are rejoicing in the Lord of the Sabbath that has given us rest.
It is the Lord’s Day and we are the Lord’s people and we are here to be gathered under the Lord’s Word!
Today we will see and respond to the fact that “It is good to give thanks to the Lord.”
Do you love our gathering together on Sunday and view it as indispensable to your life as a Christian?
Unlike some Sundays where you are exhorted from God’s Word and we pray for God’s blessings upon you to go and live out the truth. You pass the sihn on the way out reminding you to not be a hearer only of the Word. Today you will get the sermon and the opportunity to respond before we leave.
Pray before Bible Reading
Pray before Bible Reading
Psalm 92 (KJV)
A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day.
1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,
3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.
4 For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
5 O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.
6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.
7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:
8 But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.
9 For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
11 Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.
12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
Preparation for Thanksgiving
Preparation for Thanksgiving
Hot take: Thanksgiving may be my favorite day of the year. Before you judge me and tell me that my favorite day should be a religious holiday let me ask you what is not religious about taking time to express gratitude to our God.
The first Thanksgiving was a three-day harvest feast in 1621 that celebrated the successful harvest of the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag people:
The first Thanksgiving was a three-day harvest feast in 1621 that celebrated the successful harvest of the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag people:
In 1620, a hundred and two English separatists boarded the Mayflower and set out toward the Americas.
They were in search of the purity of religion to restore the right worship of God in a new land where they would be free to plant churches without the oversight of the Church of England.
The first winter they spent in America, half of the settlers lost their lives in a brutal New England winter.
Although people often refer to the Pilgrims as “Puritans,” they technically were English Separatists, Christians who had decided that the state-sponsored Anglican Church was fatally corrupt, and that they should found their own churches.
Specifics
Food: The meal included deer, shellfish, corn, roasted meat, and the fruits of the harvest, such as pumpkin. There was no mashed potatoes because they hadn't been shipped back to Europe from South America yet. There were probably no wild turkeys eaten at the time. Sadly, no cranberry shaped like the can.
What should be remembered and replicated is that they worshiped God for His providence. They traced every blessing they had received back to its source, God Himself.
It is good.
It is good.
It is good to give thanks. v.1
It is good to show forth His loving kindness and and faithfulness. v.2
It is good to sings praise unto His Name. v.3
It is good to give thanks to the Lord
It is good to give thanks to the Lord
Psalm 92:1 “1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:”
Both right, reasonable, and good.
Both right, reasonable, and good.
It is right in that it is the will of God which echoed throughout the Bible.
It is right in that it is the will of God which echoed throughout the Bible.
1 Chronicles 16:8 “8 Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 “18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
According to the Apostle Paul, gratitude is more than a pumpkin-spice-feeling. It is a matter of obedience to the will of God.
It is reasonable in that he deserves our praise which is seen every where we look.
It is reasonable in that he deserves our praise which is seen every where we look.
Psalm 96:8 “8 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.”
Revelation 4:11 “11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Thanksgiving is defined as a worshipful response to God, acknowledging His character and deeds.
Giving thanks to God is more than right and reasonable; it is also good
Giving thanks to God is more than right and reasonable; it is also good
“It is good ethically, for it is the Lord’s right; it is good emotionally, for it is pleasant to the heart; it is good practically, for it leads others to render the same homage.” - Spurgeon
Expressing gratitude completes our enjoyment of God’s blessings.
We are given three ways in which this is good.
We are given three ways in which this is good.
1. The Lord has made me glad through His works.
1. The Lord has made me glad through His works.
Psalm 92:4 “4 For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.”
Thanksgiving aligns the believer’s heart with God’s will, fostering humility and reliance on Him.
Thanksgiving is essential for spiritual health, countering tendencies like materialism, pride, and idolatry.
Thanksgiving combats envy, jealousy, and discontentment by shifting focus to God’s goodness.
What is the work of His hand that we are most grateful? The cross.
Thankfulness is linked to rejoicing and praying, as seen in 1 Thess and explains that these commands reprogram believers to live as God’s people. 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 “16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
2. He has made us able to overcome.
2. He has made us able to overcome.
Psalm 92:10 “10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.”
Any of you have your room decorated with unicorns as a kid. / maybe a rhino, or an ox, or some extinct animal with one horn
The horn was a symbol of strength and might.
Exalting us with His power, the Lord anoints us with fresh oils, a sign of His presence, His blessing, joy and happiness in Him.
“But my horn” is in contrast to what God did with their enemies in Psalm 92:7 “7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:”
3. He has caused us to grow strong.
3. He has caused us to grow strong.
Psalm 92:12 “12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.”
We bust love how he emphasizes that this happens even in old age. Psalm 92:14 “14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;” / Good promise to claim this week. How you doing? Fat and flourishing.
Look at what is happening today!
You put aside your works to delight in His works and He prepares you to flourish and be fruitful because you put aside your works to delight in Him and His works. (repeat)
Respond with Prayer
Respond with Prayer
Thanksgiving plays a transformative role in prayer.
However, as people grow older, their prayers often shift toward petitions rather than praise.
It is good to tell one another we are thankful, but we must not neglect to express our gratitude to whom all blessings flow.
Transition: We will do this at this time through prayer.
Transition: We will do this at this time through prayer.
It is good to declare His loving kindness and and faithfulness.
It is good to declare His loving kindness and and faithfulness.
Psalm 92:2 “2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,”
1. God’s loving kindness shines bright every morning. v. 2,4
1. God’s loving kindness shines bright every morning. v. 2,4
Our God loves us with a steadfast love. Psalm 92:2 “2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,”
Our God has done a wonderful work. Psalm 92:4 “4 For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.”
2. God’s faithfulness is seen even in the darkest of nights. v.5,15
2. God’s faithfulness is seen even in the darkest of nights. v.5,15
Our God has unfathomable wisdom. Psalm 92:5 “5 O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.”
Our God is unshakeable. Psalm 92:15 “15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”
God’s faithfulness is the object of our thanksgiving: God Himself.
Every blessing originates from Him, as affirmed in James 1:17, and all thanksgiving should trace back to Him as the source of goodness.
James 1:17 “17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
Festivals like the Feast of Booths and Passover taught Israel to recall God’s faithfulness.
3. The brutish man does not see these things. v.6
3. The brutish man does not see these things. v.6
Psalm 92:6 “6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.”
The psalmist is not name calling. He’s talking about people who can look at the works of God and not delight in the God who made those works.
God describes those who do not see this as brutish, foolish, and dull.
Distinct from the who will flourish like the palm tree. v.12
Because they do not look at the works they live without any sense of accountability to God or any expectation of judgment.
“Neither were thankful” is one of the descriptors of an unbelieving heart. Romans 1:21 “21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
There are those who lives spring forth and grow quickly but quickly become as our yards in the winter.
Neighborhood has bermuda grass. All yards are brown and ugly now. One neighbor has green grass. I asked my neighbor who is retired biology professor “how did that happen” His answer was simple, “he didn’t know what he was doing when he planted grass.” To this world we often look like the ones “who do not know what we are doing.”
We are living in response to seeing that God’s works are great and His thoughts are deep.
We are those see, know, and declare that our God is the most high.
We are those see, know, and declare that our God is the most high.
Another way to say this “Delight in the love he has shown us”
Notice this description of God in v.1 and v.8 (Psalm 92:8 “8 But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.” )
This is the word most translated to “most high” is “Elohim”
Higher in rank, in title, in beauty, in position, or in intelligence. / in NBA players use this gesture to show someone is too little to stop them
Let their highest praises be reserved for God, striving to live as a thankful and joyful people.
Thanksgiving becomes not just a command but a pathway to experiencing God’s goodness more fully.
Transition: We will do this at this time through a declaration of God’s loving kindness and faithfulness. T.J. Gabriel will come and declare in testimony the loving kindness and faithfulness of God.
Transition: We will do this at this time through a declaration of God’s loving kindness and faithfulness. T.J. Gabriel will come and declare in testimony the loving kindness and faithfulness of God.
Come with a song of thanksgiving
Come with a song of thanksgiving
Psalm 92:1–3 “1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: 2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, 3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.”
“How Good It Is To Thank the Lord”
by Isaac Watts in his early 40s
How good it is to thank the Lord,
And praise to You, Most High, accord,
To show Your love with morning light,
And tell your faithfulness each night;
Yes, good it is Your praise to sing,
And all our sweetest music bring.
O Lord, with joy my heart expands,
Before the wonders of Your hands;
Great works, Jehovah, You have wrought,
Exceeding deep Your ev’ry thought;
A foolish man knows not their worth,
Nor he whose mind is of the earth.
Let it not be said that in this moment that our thoughts are not where the thoughts of the foolish man would be. Let the joy of your heart expand before the wonders of His hand.
1. When this kind of gratitude has taken up residence in our hearts, what is the result? The result is music.
1. When this kind of gratitude has taken up residence in our hearts, what is the result? The result is music.
Theology is not complete until it warms you hears and moves you to live out the truth in obedience. / I would be concerned with any place of Christian education, such as a church or seminary, that is not filled with singing.
The result is musical gratitude. The result is lots of strings.
Gratitude means music. Music doesn't mean gratitude.
Eating turkey makes you sleepy. If you are sleepy that doesn’t mean you have eaten turkey.
Worship that please God in this Psalm
Worship that please God in this Psalm
Worship that pleases God is perpetual and constant. 92:2
Worship that pleases God is instrumental 92:3
Worship that pleases God is joyful. 92:4
Worship that pleases God is grounded in the recognition and celebration of His greatness. 92:5
2. The normal pattern for God's people is to express gratitude through music.
2. The normal pattern for God's people is to express gratitude through music.
I sing because I am happy! I sing because I am free!
Singing in pursuit of happiness turns music into an idol.
Spurgeon says, fine music without devotion is but a splendid garment upon a corpse.
But when you turn to God by faith and say, I know I'm supposed to thank you for everything and I don't feel like it right now, but I want to take a step of faith and I want to sing to you by faith, that's different. / Saw this last week when my friend sung “How Great Thou Art” at the Memorial Service of his mother
You should be singing to keep from bursting. You sing because your heart is full of gratitude. We want to vent joy
God created this world to sing praises to His Holy Name!
God created this world to sing praises to His Holy Name!
The mountains break forth in singing? Isaiah 44:23 “23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.” / not going to encourage break dancing, but will encourage break forth in singing
Shall the valleys sing? Psalm 65:13 “13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.”
Shall the forests sing? 1 Chronicles 16:33 “33 Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the LORD, because he cometh to judge the earth.”
Shall the stars sing? Job 38:7 “7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”
Will we men, women, and children not sing?
Will we men, women, and children not sing?
Shall the only ones with lungs not sing?
Shall the ones with the most to be grateful for not sing?
Shall the ones with the greatest capacity to understand how good God has been to us not sing? That makes no sense. No sense whatever. It is good to give thanks, to rejoice before the Lord.
Transition: We will do this at this time through singing. We now come with a song of thanksgiving. We will have the children join us.
Transition: We will do this at this time through singing. We now come with a song of thanksgiving. We will have the children join us.
Word to the children. We have learned today from Psalm 92…
Word to the children. We have learned today from Psalm 92…
It is good to give thanks
It is good to show forth His loving kindness and and faithfulness.
It is good to sings praise unto His Name. We want your help doing this!
End by praying through Psalm 92.
