The First Thanksgiving Hymn

Man or a woman going back to the cancer center where they first heard the news of their terminal disease and going there.

Specifically, you got this country that is ripped apart by an division stopping for one day.

Right in the middle of the Civil War and giving all those illustrations are unnatural but as Stephen was just describing a moment ago. There are times when thankfulness is very difficult especially when were in the middle of a crisis. However, when we consider what God is done for us. Thankfulness is the appropriate response. Psalm 100 teaches this truth and that's our theme today. This is wisdom for the hearts with Stephen Davey.

Stephen is continuing through a series of select Psalms entitled the song volume 2 is lesson for you today is entitled the first Thanksgiving him here. Stephen right now before I let me tell you about this Sarah Helsley. She was born in 1788.

She was, among other talents. Poet affect her poem when her palms became famous Mary's lamb.

It was entitled begins very had a little lamb if I got was so universally known that Thomas Edison used those line you just said when he delivered his first speech ever recorded on his newly invented phonograph, we know that is a record player in a square thing that spins around these guests that has come back. Have you noticed that back in oh you should've kept all of those albums for any rate he use those words. Sarah became the editor of two different magazines for women. She would use her influence to argue for the end of slavery. She also appeal to one President of the United States after another to set aside one special day for an annual observation of Thanksgiving to God.

After decades of persistence. Abraham Lincoln was the president agreed and set it up at Lincoln.

By the way, if you know little of this history seemed really the most unlikely candidate to agree simply because launching a national day of thanksgiving would mean that they would all, thank God, right in the middle of the Civil War, which they did he proclaim it in the first observance was in 1863. Smack dab in the middle of a time when you wouldn't think anybody would want to thank God for anything. Lincoln's proclamation included these words will be difficult if you II therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States to observe the day of thanksgiving and praise to our father and I recommend them that while offering statements brazed due to him for blessings.

They do this with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience.

In other words Abraham Lincoln wanted Thanksgiving to become nothing less than a day of national confession and revival any combination preparers and begged to confess, thank God. Since that time, every president has proclaimed Thanksgiving is a national observance. They make a Thanksgiving proclamation's been happening now for 150+ years. However, I found it interesting that one year Thanksgiving was celebrated in December because Pres. Andrew Johnson forgot charging you know that the President of the United States forgot to give thanks to God. Well the truth is I I think that you know I resemble Andrew Johnson more than Abraham Lincoln but you I forget, according to Romans chapter 1, and one of the chief characteristics of digressing culture is an inability to be thankful we might think that the marks of a perverse culture. You know, a wicked culture would be something other than people who are ungrateful and in fact, Paul writes to Timothy is negatively free verse two and he actually put in gratitude in front of other words to describe a perverse culture. Words like unholy brutal, haters of good, treacherous, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of all that followed in gratitude. Interesting that Paul will describe his culture as a people who refuse to give thanks to what we did. Even though he right even though they knew about God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks. I think that's all that is really just sort of set the stage that one of the distinctive distinguishing marks of the believer over and against whatever that perverse culture may be, is thankfulness that Paul commands it to the early believers in Colossae. He says to be thankful, be thankful and grateful and say thank you express gratitude commands because our attitudes need reshaping and transforming we been pressed into the mold of our world which is in gratitude we now come to faith and entered the family got in this mark should distinguish us that we are now thankfully think of our own Lord who modeled this so amazingly in the hours leading up to his brutal crucifixion and sorrow when he would become drenched, as it were, with our sin sets aside a little bread and wine and and and then institutes what we call communion and as he does it in light of what's coming. He gives things get famous a few hours before being crucified like a surviving Jew going back to else which giving things to God FICA is like a parent going back to the intersection where a drunk driver took the life of their child and giving things that that's like a man or a woman going back to that cancer center where they first heard the news. There terminal disease and going there specifically to give thanks to God is like a country that is ripped apart by death and an division stopping for one day. Right in the middle of the Civil War and giving thanks to God that is that's unnatural. All of those illustrations are unnatural or super natural truth is we need to be taught to be thankful and we need to be reminded why because were like Andrew Johnson. We forget so let's go back to our Hebrew, the book of Psalms, literally translated the book of praises and Psalm 100, you could call Psalm 100 because it's the only Psalm specifically designated as a public… Thanksgiving you could call it the original Thanksgiving him. Psalm 100 Old Testament believers and 21st-century New Testament believers have the same question same question about giving thanks, how do we give thanks to God and secondly why do we give thanks to God's if you like to outline in your text. This original Thanksgiving him you can do with two were versus wanted to answer the question how verse three answers the question why and since some of us are remedial students and a little slow on the uptake. David repeats the lesson again.

Verse four.

How we give thanks in verse five. Why David enters the first question how do we give thanks 3 Keywords You Could Cir. in your text.

The first keyword is the word shout shout joyfully to the Lord literally raise your voice with words of celebration.

These would be verbal statement you're putting in the words and your lifting them up to God as you praise. We sort of interop darkness of our world. With these statements of thanksgiving, light up the darkness like fireworks light about an evening sky blazing color. If you notice in verse one as far as David is concerned, all of the earth is invited to join this all of the earth should join the second key word here is Sir circle that verse to serve the Lord, would you notice he right serve the Lord with gladness. If you have any serving the Lord. But you're not really glad about it.

It might be because you forgot your survey. Ultimately you're not serving the church are not serving that ministry or not. Serving this pastor certainly are not serving your children or your spouse or that department or that role you are surveying the Lord serve the Lord and I want to make a note here to David does not put it. After serve the Lord. There's no. Here, David commands us to serve the Lord with gladness. Can you imagine being told to be glad to be happy.

Really you are commanded to be happy or to be glad. Sure you can imagine that your children you tell me better change your attitude :-) stop that pouting put a smile on your face or you're not getting a happy whatever you this mother Baker really enjoys that until I do enjoy. Where did you learn to enjoy statement like that your parents, your parents taught me that because they said that was way before happy you're my age, listen young man you better adjust your all and say parents you better adjust your attitude I learned as a child how to live forever became a preacher. All those words beginning with the same letter, adjust your member that does have merit because now you're old enough to know that you can adjust your attitude. God evidently thinks so too, because David is not right here serve the Lord. Whether your glad about it or not even say that he actually says serve the Lord and be glad about it when our children were little.

They got an allowance for doing their chores, but they only got paid. If they did their chores with a good we were brutal serve our household with lab to get this we expected them to adjust their attitude simply because it was our will and that's what you say to your kids because I was sad so we raised the same way you did. Evidently you adjust your attitude simply because it's our will. Why because you want to prepare them one day to serve the Lord with the right attitude because their heavenly father is going to command them and find out sooner or later he expects them to serve him with glad so evidently this is something the world able to do that. Paul writes to the Thessalonians in second Thessalonians 518 in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God. We give thanks in everything because our attitudes are adjusted simply because it is his will between the thankful heart is necessarily a personality trait to an active will surrender to the will of God found it interesting to discover that Sarah Hale wasn't exactly the most positive person. She certainly wasn't beyond grief and sadness. She was 35 years old. She delivered her fifth and last child. That same year. Her husband unexpectedly died for the rest of her life. She wore black clothing is a sign of her sorrow and it's really intriguing to me is that it is after her husband's death that she convinced the president of the United States to invite the world to give thanks she would wear some kind of black clothing for 57 hours. The third key word here.

In this song is the word same come before him with joyful singing goes on to tell us how to think God by adding this come into his presence. Come before him literally come before his face with joyful singing and in a few moments ago. We have the opportunity to do that from where I was sitting. It sounded like exactly what we were doing wonderfully joyful singing.

We were given a chance did you buy the was a joyful or was it a chore. In fact coming to the service.

I am say that in the evening because you are all here for the right motive right you, expressly not because it's the thing to do. You got a clock and you come back at some basic is this an obligation, or is it another opportunity is him and sing and shout with joy maybe maybe you're like Joanne son, only the last percent after one Sunday on their way home mommy what's the highest number you have ever counted to. She said well I've never really thought about. I don't know, and it was obviously leading question and so she said what's the highest number you ever counted and he said 5372. She said will why did you stop there.

He said well the church service was over. How many of you counted these lights, the honest is to go ceiling tiles and I was growing up the fact that one of God's antidotes to ingratitude is so shout joyfully.

That's grateful action served with gladness that the grateful attitude and come before him with singing that's grateful access in and work were just amazed that we can come before his face sing John Phillips now with the Lord. I often quote from my enjoys his writings so much from England. He captured this sense of access. When in his commentary told the story about boys standing in London and there he been in front of the gate. There Buckingham palace and you don't get very close. Anything talking on the jacket of one of those guards any saying I want to see the king. I want to see the king.

And of course that garden standing there stoically not flinching. If you've ever been there. You know your GED if you try to get blank.

That's just standing talking away on this Jack. I want to see the king and people would say we can help you policeman came by Phillips rights said that this little boy your your neck of the see the king and allowed at that time his entourage with some press snapping pictures arrives on some kind of walking tour and one of the men well dressed, overhears the conversation and says what's the matter son and the little boy's as well as and everyone's surprise he holds out his hand and he says will come with me parents until he leaves this boy through the gate of the unlock it down several quarters into the presence of the king. This little boy taken hold of by the Prince of Wales.

The king's son that granted access to this is our privilege. We we have access to God the father because were being held by the hand of his son and as he takes you down the corridors and as you prepare to come before the face of your Emperor because of that access your ready to say nothing that answers the question why why do we thank God.

David says in verse three will, don't you know the Lord himself is God. In other words, he is to be praise not just for what he does because of who he is.

He is God that that's enough well what kind of God is he David described in verse five. Well, for one thing, he's good he's good. His lovingkindness is everlasting. In other words, is not to change his mind. He will not forget you. Although you might forget him noticed.

Further, verse five.

This faithfulness is to all generations is another way of saying, generation after generation after generation after generation after generation. Guess what, he is still the same. He isn't fickle is faithful. We thank God because of who he is. That's not all. We offer thanks to him, not only because of who he is, not because of what he has done. You notice the back of the verse three and take a closer look.

It is he who has made us and not we ourselves. In other words, God is the creator who crafted us inside and out. He wired you. He gifted it. If you're not able to joyfully praise God. It may be because you're struggling with how he made and how he crafted David writes another summer. He reminds us that we were woven together by him in her mother's room. Someone 39 verse 13 he decided everything about us every ability you have and every disability you have happen still been premeditated by God, he gave you all the strengths you would need. He gave you all the weaknesses you would need because you need both your strengths allow you to bring in praise your weaknesses force you to depend on his power, he made you and better still, he is still making you is not finished is not through the way, Kenneth Weise, the Greek scholar paraphrase. Philippians 213 for God is the one who was constantly putting forth his effort in you not only made he plans on keeping that's the next phrase verse three we are his people and the sheep of his pastor, I'm so glad David didn't write here we are his people and stallions in his stable or we are his people and eagles soaring majestically and now we are fearful to mid dirty ignorant, utterly helpless prone to wander, she but here's the good we are his sheep were his.

You think you have anything to praise God for the devotional book entitled Springs in the Valley tells of Amanda found the bar and select and of course just a parable you got a barn where Satan evidently kept his seeds ready to be so in the human heart. Amanda found that the seeds of discouragement were more numerous than any other sea there were bags of them literally stacked everywhere throughout the we ask around. He learned it was because the seeds of discouragement would grow almost anywhere. One of one of the individuals.

Stephen's demonic beings question. He reluctantly admitted there was one place they could never get those seeds to take root wears that the demon replied in the heart of a grateful person.

That's a parable.

Here's the truth you know it really is impossible to be at the same time anxious proud, selfish, materialistic, boastful bidder, grateful see it really is one of the distinctive characteristics that set us apart from the rest of the world, because the rest of the world is selfish and proud and materialistic and boastful bidder since we discovered that gratitude is a command active will something we brace for sick so we make up our mind to do this because it is will of our God and were mindful that the adjuster added a shout. What's serve. Let's see to him why because of who he is because of what is done, he made us, and he is still making us investing effort.

In spite of everything and anything.

He plans on keeping in Aeschylus for today's reminder on how why we should ask breasts thankfulness was encouraging to you today. You've been listening to wisdom for the heart. The Bible teaching ministry of Stephen Davey Stephen pastors colonial Baptist Church in Cary, North Carolina and is the president of shepherd's theological seminary.

You can learn more about our ministry by visiting us online@wisdomonline.org while you're there, be sure and look around and especially pay attention to the link at the top of the page that takes you to our magazine. We have a monthly magazine that features articles written by Stephen as well as a daily devotional guide and there's a form you can use right on that website to request the next three issues be sent to assure and do that today if you prefer you can call us and we can help you over the phone. Our number is 86 648 Bible. That's 866-482-4253 and I hope you'll call us today our email address is info@wisdomonline.org join us at this same time tomorrow for more wisdom