Thanksgiving – This is the Season

Bikers Church Cape Town

Thanksgiving - this is the season Pastor George Lehman Thanksgiving is not just a December thing. It’s a lifetime attitude. Luke 2:10 – But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will come to all the people. It isn’t what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart. If Thankfulness was determined by what’s in our pockets most of us would have good reason to be unthankful. We all understand we need to be thankful. How many times do we really express it? Once in a while or is it constant. A thankful heart is far more important to your experience of life than most people realize. It puts you in a great frame of mind. Most people know they should be thankful, but do not put a premium on proactively cultivating a thankful heart. The optimist says, “the cup is half full”. The pessimist says, “the cup is half empty”. The thankful child of God says, “my cup runneth over”. - Go for it!! Tonight, we come to express our thankfulness to our Heavenly FATHER. Our favorite attitude should be gratitude [dankbaarheid]. (A mother was reading from a book of Bible stories to her little daughter Lucy when she came to a page showing Christians being fed to the lions. The little girl began to whimper. Mom said, “It’s all right honey, I’m sure they’re all going to heaven.” The little girl answered, “But Mommy, that little lion in the corner doesn’t have a Christian!” I think it’s safe to say that Lucy missed the point. (Hope you don’t miss the point of this sermon…) An unthankful heart will produce negative issues in your life. I personally have rarely seen a happy ungrateful person. Romans 1:21 says, “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.” (Clearly being thankful is on Gods heart for mankind - how much more for His children) If you’re not thankful to God for what happens in your life, then, who takes the credit? You do! You become puffed up, arrogant, and vain. You become stuck on yourself. That kind of focus just darkens your heart, creates a foolish heart, and keeps your attention on things you have done and achieved. One of the surest and best ways to remain positive and have a great attitude is to express gratitude and appreciation. Thankfulness to God should be as regular as our heartbeat. They say God as 2 dwellings - one in Heaven and the other in a THANKFUL heart. Psalm 95:2 says, “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving.” Experiencing the presence of God requires that you be a thankful person. We see it again in Psalm 100:4 - “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving.” (Not complaining, murmuring or grumbling) Ephesians 5:20 (Amp) - At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. Philippians 4:6 says, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; For you to have answered prayer, you need to pray out of a heart of thanksgiving. Many Christians pray out of a heart of desperation instead of a grateful heart. Thankfulness is God’s will for our lives. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (Amp) - Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]. Colossians 3:15 (Amp) - And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always]. “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them” - JFK Quotes: You cannot be a testifier until you’ve been through the test of fire. Of one thing you should be thankful, only you and God have all the facts about yourself. Real happiness comes when we stop murmuring and complaining about the troubles we have and begin to offer thankfulness for all the troubles we don’t have. Therefore, we want Gods church, His body, to come give thanks and deep appreciation for what He has done. So, we want to bring as the following scripture: Hebrews 13:15-16 (NIV) - Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess His name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Heaven is a place where we will be thankful for: Having received what, we did not deserve; and For not receiving what we did deserve. Psalm 106:1 (Amp) – Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!