11-22-09 Sermon Review

It's been awhile since we've had sermon reviews. But I will be starting them up again starting this week.

What Does It Mean to Give Thanks?
Various texts

Thanksgiving is an essential, natural part of Christian life. Throughout the New Testament believers are told to pray with thanksgiving, receive with thanksgiving, make requests with thanksgiving, sing with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving permeates all our doing to the point that Paul can say, "in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). However, Christians do not seem to understand the biblical idea of thanksgiving. I want to address four characteristics of thanksgiving so that we may give thanks with a biblical understanding of thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a response. We are not told to give thanks without precedent. On the contrary, we are told to give thanks because giving thanks is exactly the proper response for what God has done for us in our lives. Thanksgiving is the fitting response for the recipient of grace, and that is what we are. If we do not "feel like giving thanks" it is because we do not understand grace. It is because we are blind to everything God has done, is doing, and will be doing for us. We do not understand how much we have in light of our unworthiness. It only takes one look at the cross of Jesus Christ to remind us the immeasurable grace we have received. It is in response to this gift that we give thanks. There is always a precedent for thanksgiving.

It is possible therefore to make thanksgiving a simple gesture rather than a response. For instance, a teacher might say thank you to a student who turns in their homework. The teacher might feel happy that the student turned in his homework for he could have easily done otherwise, but the thanksgiving is a gesture, not true thanksgiving, since the student was obliged to turn in his homework. We see this in Luke 17 in Jesus' parable about the master and the slave. Jesus explains that the master does not thank the slave when the slave finishes what he is commanded. This is because the slave has the obligation to fulfill his duties. The master does not thank the slave. And so, we make thanksgiving a gesture of politeness and not true thanksgiving when we look at all that we have and think we deserve it. Thanksgiving is a response to grace, and grace by definition is something undeserved and unmerited. Too often we take God's gifts as our rights and by doing so obligate God to do good to us. No. He is our God, our gracious God who is free to do as He pleases. He has chosen to be gracious with us; so let us give thanks.

Thanksgiving is relational. The Bible shows that thanksgiving is an idea that occurs between two persons. Since thanksgiving is a response to grace, it presupposes that there is a giver. The idea of thanksgiving is a response towards the giver, not primarily a feeling we have inwardly. The question we must ask this thanksgiving is not primarily "What are we thankful for?" but rather "To whom should we give our thanks?". Many men feel thankful; few give thanks. Only when the Giver is recognized can we understand the value of what we have in our hands. Paul writes over and over again in his epistles that he gives thanks to God. Have we thanked God for all that He has given us? We commit idolatry every time we rob God of the thanks He deserves by not properly acknowledging Him as the Giver of all good things and directing our thanks elsewhere.

Thanksgiving is an action. Interestingly, the Hebrew word group for "thank" is derived from the Hebrew word for "hand". It is also translated as "confession" or even "choir". The Jews considered thanksgiving as primarily an action and not a feeling. Instead of stressing being thankful, we need to stress giving thanks. This is not to say that being or feeling thankful is not important. It is. However, simply being or feeling thankful is not the biblical directive of giving thanks. Thanksgiving is an action that you take. We say "Thank You" instead of saying "I am thankful." It comes out as confessions before God. It comes out as praises to His name. It comes out as trust in His character and obedience to His will. This is the biblical idea of thanksgiving.

Lastly, thanksgiving is rooted in joy. Thanksgiving does not exist where joy does not exist. It is impossible to give thanks without being joyful. It is no wonder that the word "thanksgiving" is found mostly in the psalms and in the context of joyful praise towards God. Joy is defined as exceeding delight caused by something good. It is the inward pleasure we feel for receiving grace. Thanksgiving is an extension of that joy going back to the Giver. Joy shows that you recognize what God gave you is good. Thanksgiving brings back the glory to God. Joy shows that you are delighted. Thanksgiving shows that you are more delighted in the Giver than the gift.

But have we not heard that we should give thanks in everything? Doesn't that mean we need to give thanks to God even when we don't feel the joy? God wants us to give Him the proper thanksgiving He deserves. When we feel that God has not been good to us and when there is no joy to beam out into thanksgiving towards God, we are in sin. We do not see the world as God sees it. We are blind to grace. We do not confess that what God's Word says about our situation is true. If we do not feel the joy, it is because we are sinful and blind. Do not play the hypocrite by giving God empty thanksgiving. Be honest with God and tell Him that you are in sin by not recognizing and embracing what He has given you and where He has placed you as a wonderful gift for your good. Do not mask your bitterness towards God with empty Thank You's. He sees right through you. Deal with your wrong thinking, your wrong perceiving, and then come to give thanks. As you repent of this sin, God will give you the joy you desire which will spring forth into the thanksgiving you long to give.

This Thanksgiving, I pray that we may all give thanks to God as He deserves. May He be so gracious as to let us continue in such thanksgiving all our days. God bless!