Be Thankful Building Character Psalm 107 1 9

Be Thankful Building Character Psalm 107: 1 -9

Ingratitude • Ugly sin of human pride, wisdom, indulgence and calloused heart, Rom 1: 21; 2 Tim 3: 2 • “Counting our many blessings” acknowledges God as the Giver and ourselves as recipients, Psa 103: 1 -5 2

Count your many blessings • Thank God for His goodness with joy, service and praise, Psa 100 • Thanksgiving is to be found in Zion, Isa 51: 1 -3 • Citizens of the kingdom of heaven thank the Lord! Col 3: 15 3

Giving Thanks • Natural result of life in Christ, Col 3: 3, 10 • Opposite of self-centeredness, arrogance and rebellion – Springs out of love, joy and praise – Where there is thankfulness, we find contentment – Without it, anxiety and lusts abound 4

What it means to be thankful • “Grateful acknowledgement of benefits received” – Giving thanks presupposes… • Review of blessings received, Phil 1: 3 • Knowledge our blessings are from God, Jas 1: 17 vs. Dan 4: 30 • We know we are not worthy of our blessings, 1 Tim 1: 12 -13 “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 5: 20) 5

When we must be thankful • Before (expectation), 2 Chrn 20: 12, 2021 (Honor and faith, Heb 13: 5 -6) • During (reliance), Acts 28: 15 – Aware of God in your life (Rom 8: 28) • After (acknowledgment), Exo 15: 1; Dan 2: 23 – Remembering God (Lk 17: 15 -19) “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 5: 20) 6

What we are thankful for • Things physical and spiritual, ordinary and extraordinary, received and withheld, 2 Cor 12: 10; 1 Ths 5: 18 – Paul’s chains, Phil 1: 12 -14, 18 – All things work together for good, Rom 8: 28 (Phil 1: 13; 4: 22) – Nothing can separate from God, Rom 8: 35 -39 “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 5: 20) 7

What we are thankful for • For God’s attributes and works – Salvation, the church, the word, His judgments, Psa 96: 1 -3 (103: 1 -5) • For brethren, family, food (1 Tim 4: 4), all men (1 Tim 2: 1), memories (Phil 1: 3), brethren (Col 1: 3) - Everything! 1 Ths 1: 2 -3; 5: 18 “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 5: 20) 8

How we give thanks • He is the means of all we receive, Eph 1: 3; Col 3: 17 • We give thanks… – By our words: Lips (prayers and song), Heb 13: 15 – By our lives: Sacrifice/service, Heb 13: 16; Col 2: 7 “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 5: 20) 9

We give our thanks to God • God is the Giver of all good gifts, Jas 1: 17; Psa 106: 1 – Does not limit our thanks exclusively to the Father, 1 Tim 1: 12 – God is the first cause of our blessings, Rom 1: 20 -21 “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 5: 20) 10

Ingratitude • Reveals pride, self-sufficiency, selfsatisfaction and self-love, 2 Tim 3: 1 -4 – Lack of thanks toward God spawns additional sins of ingratitude, 2 Tim 3: 2 -5 • We have been called by the gospel to peace with God and men in the body of Christ – be thankful! Col 3: 15 11