Sermon Notes 11-30-08

November 30th 2008 "The Heart of Thanksgiving!”
"Praise ye the Lord, Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high-sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord." Psalm 150

God's Email
One day God was looking down at Earth and saw all of the evil that was going on. He decided to send an angel down to Earth to check it out. So he called one of his best angels and sent the angel to Earth for a while. When she returned she told God, yes it is bad on Earth, 95% is bad and 5% is good. Well, he thought for a moment and thought maybe he'd better send down a second angel to get a second opinion. So God called another angel and sent him to Earth.When the angel returned he went to God and told him "Yes, the Earth is in decline. 95% is bad and 5% is good." God said this was not good. So he decided to send e-mail to the 5% that were good. He wanted to encourage them, give them a little something to help them keep going.Do you know what that e-mail said? Oh, you didn't get one either, huh? Bummer.

Points to Ponder:
1st What is your Attitude?

A. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says ---"IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS CONCERNING YOU."

INGRATITUDE IS A VERY SERIOUS SIN---Romans 1:21God turned mankind over to a “reprobate mind”— "Because, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imagination, and their foolish heart was darkened."

Ephesians 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”-these verses teach, that what appears to be adverse is not really so!

B. This last Thursday we celebrated our national holiday---Thanksgiving! Deuteronomy 8:10-11 "When thou eatest and are full, then thou shall bless the Lord thy God for the good land which He has given thee. Beware thou forgetest not the Lord thy God. "The Pilgrims landed in the worst of times—mid winter, December 11th 1620, and they were thankful! What made the difference?—They had come from a place of now religious freedom to a place of total religious freedom!
In that first harsh New England winter, 90 of the 102, were sick at one time and only seven well enough to move around and care for the others!
One by one they died---wives, husbands, children, and they laid them in the frozen ground!
51 out of the 102 died that first year!
Yet that first Thanksgiving Day---they found so much, so very much to be thankful for! They offered their praise to God!

Yes, THANKSGIVING IS AN ATTITUDE and A LIFE STYLE!

Psalm 100:4 "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his name."

Points to Ponder:
1st What is your Attitude?
2nd What’s on the Inside Comes Out!

A. Habakkuk 3:17-18 “17Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18Yet I will praise the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”

No one likes to be poor!
No one likes to loose their job!
No one like to be in a car accident!
No one likes to have a toothache!
No one likes broken relationships!

B. STOP AND THINK!---EPHESIANS 1:3 "God has blessed us with every blessing in heaven because we belong to him."

Joke: A pastor is walking down the street one day when he notices a very small boy trying to press a doorbell on a house across the street. However, the boy is very small and the doorbell is too high for him to reach. After watching the boys efforts for some time, the pastor moves closer to the boy's position. He steps smartly across the street, walks up behind the little fellow and, placing his hand kindly on the child's shoulder leans over and gives the doorbell a solid ring.Crouching down to the child's level, the pastor smiles benevolently and asks, "And now what, my little man?" To which the boy replies, "Now we run!"

We need to begin to THINK THANKFUL THOUGHTS---in doing so we get our eyes off our own situation!

Habakkuk 3:17-18 “17Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18Yet I will praise the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”

Joke: Some people say, "I go to church, so I am a Christian." But that's like saying if you go to McDonald's you are a Quarter Pounder.

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom”—do we only praise the Lord when we are being blessed?

What’s on the Inside Comes Out!

Jesus said: Matthew 12:33-35 “33“A tree is identified by its fruit. A tree from a select variety produces good fruit; poor varieties don’t. 34You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For a man’s heart determines his speech. 35A good man’s speech reveals the rich treasures within him.”
What’s on the Inside Comes Out!

Points to Ponder:
1st What is your Attitude?
2nd What’s on the Inside Comes Out!
3rd What’s on Your Breath?

Psalm 150:6 "LET EVERYTHING THAT HAS BREATH PRAISE THE LORD."
When Sheri whats to know if I have been into her cookies, she smells my breath!

Illustration: Once I was driving home late from church and an CHP, pulled me over. Be bent over and says: “Have you been drinking?” I answered, “No!” He analized my breath and then determined that I had not be drinking.
What’s your breath like? What’s on your lips? Praise I hope!

What is praise? Praise is acknowledging Who's you are and Who belong to!

GOD DELIGHTS IN HEARING OUR PRAISE TO HIM!

Psalms 150:1-6 "Praise ye the Lord, Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high-sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord."

PRAISE is a measure of our SPIRITUAL VITALITY!

Psalms 100:4 "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise."5. Praise is saying thank you God!

Psalm 146:1-10 “Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. 2 I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. 4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. 5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-- the LORD, who remains faithful forever. 7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, 8 the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. 9 The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. 10 The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD.”

Praise is focusing our heart on God.
Psalms 103:2 “Yes, I will bless the Lord and not forget the glorious things he does for me.” (Psalm 103:2, tlb)

Praise God for who He is

Jehovah-tsidkenu------The Lord Our Righteousness!
Jehovah-m'kaddesh----The Lord Who Sanctifies!
Jehovah-shalom--------The Lord Is Peace!
Jehovah-shammah-----The Lord Is There!
Jehovah-rophe---------The Lord Who Heals!
Jehovah-jireh-----------The Lord's Provision Shall Be Seen!
Jehovah-nissi----------The Lord My Banner!
Jehovah-rohi-----------The Lord My Shepherd!

There Is No Higher Worship Than Your Praise!