Free Thanksgiving sermon

"Gratitude"                                                           1 Samuel 31:7-13

Aim:  to emphasize the importance of gratitude.

Thesis:  God wants us to be a grateful people!

Introduction:

 

1.  Last Sunday we considered the sin of "grumbling" and what a negative habit it can be.  Since that time I've continued to think about that passage, and how hard it is to turn that around.  Maybe one of the reasons it comes so easily is that we all know instinctively how to be negative, but we don't have as many opportunities to practice being positive.  For example, I've known of stores and institutions that had a "Complaint Department":  but have you ever known of any place that had a "Compliment Department"?    And last Sunday we saw that the opposite of grumbling is gratitude.  This morning I want to offer a practical means of exercising gratitude.

(EXPLAIN CARDS)

 

2.  TURN TO 1 SAMUEL 31  On Wednesday nights we have been studying the period of the Judges:   during our Winter Quarter we will continue the story by reviewing the books of 1 & 2 Samuel.  The theme of Judges has been "In those days there was no king; every man did what was right in his own eyes."  Well  in 1 Samuel they finally get their long-sought king, when the prophet Samuel anoints Saul, a young man from the tribe of Benjamin. 

 

a.  Saul's story began with such promise!  But in our text this morning it ended with            tragedy.    Somewhere along the way Saul lost his dependence on God, engaged in        disobedience to His will, eventually lost his mental stability because of an insane jealousy   of the young warrior David, and in a final battle with the Philistines lost his life in a            horrible defeat.

 

b.  We have already learned in our Wednesday night class that the Philistines were both        wicked AND cruel. It was not enough for them to defeat their enemies, they invariably           wanted to humiliate them, even in death.   READ Verses 8-10  Thus ends the reign of the first king of Israel:  Deranged, deserted, defeated, dead, decapitated, displayed,       disgraced.

 

3.  But there is one note of grace is this sad spectacle that we often overlook:  the response of the men of Jabesh-Gilead!  READ verses 11-13.

 

a.  The body of the man who had once been God's anointed, had once ruled all the tribes          of Israel, was now subjected to the ultimate indignity of a public humiliation.

 

b.  To truly understand the significance of what they had done, you need to know, as Paul      Harvey used to say,  "the rest of the story."  You have to go back to the very beginning of           Saul's reign as king.  READ 1 Sam 11:1f.  "Nahash the Ammonite" [To lose the right eye             would render them defenseless in combat, since the shield was carried in the left hand.]

 

 

 

4.  Once you know the background, you can better appreciate the motivation of the men of Jabesh-Gilead:  they were acting out of GRATITUDE!  As we enter this season of THANKSGIVING, might be appropriate to consider its close cousin:  GRATITUDE!  Gratitude ought to be a mark of God's people:  we have been the recipient of so many blessings!

 

Deuteronomy 8:10-11  "when you are satisfied....be careful that you don't forget the Lord"

 

Romans 12:10  "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves"

 

Colossians 2:7  "overflowing with thankfulness"

 

BUT:  have you noticed how we often take for granted those who are closest to us?  Story of little girl who came home after a stay in the hospital – she received so much attention from everyone that she asked in bewilderment,  "Am I company?"

 

5.  The action of the men of Jabesh-Gilead is so remarkable because genuine GRATITUDE is, unfortunately, so rare.

 

a. One of the few times when even Jesus was astonished by human nature:  INGRATITUDE!

 

"Were not ten healed?  Where are the other nine?" (Luke 17:11-19)

 

b. The experience of Jesus is sadly true to life:  One stormy night on Lake Michigan, back in 1860, a side-wheeler steamboat collided with a lumber schooner.  It was a terrible     tragedy:  279 people lost their lives as the steamboat sank about a mile offshore of Winnetka, Illinois.  Even more would have died, however, were it not for the heroic efforts of Edward Spencer, a student at Northwestern University.  When he realized what had happened Spencer jumped into the freezing waters of Lake Michigan and swam out to the drowning passengers.  He towed one to shore and then immediately went back for another.  Single-handedly Edward Spencer rescued seventeen people that night.  But he paid a high price for his efforts, because the strain of that experience broke his health, and he was eventually confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.  On his eightieth birthday an interviewer asked him what was his most vivid memory of that fateful day.  He replied, "Not one of the seventeen ever returned to thank me".

 

 

Blow, blow, thou winter wind,

Thou art not so unkind

As man's ingratitude.

Thy tooth is not so keen,

Because thou are not seen,

Although thy breath be rude.

 

Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,

Thou dost not bite so nigh

As benefits forgot:

Though thou the waters warp,

Thy stings is not so sharp

As friend remember'd not.

(Shakespeare, As You Like It, vii, 173)

 

 

Body:

 

WHY THE GRATITUDE OF THE MEN OF JABESH-GILEAD WAS SO REMARKABLE:

 

1.  THEY DIDN'T FORGET.  It had been 40 years since their deliverance by Saul, but they didn't forget what he'd done for them.  For some reason it is so easy to forget to express our thanks!   Tom Peters is one of the top business consultants in the world-   he has written several best-selling books, is paid many thousands of dollars by corporations to make speeches, has a newspaper column.  His newest book is entitled The Pursuit of Wow!  In it he has a section he calls "the most important piece of advice in this book."  What profound management insight does this highly-respected consultant give?  "Don't forget your thank-you notes!"

 

2.  THEY HAD NOTHING TO GAIN.

 

Their action was totally unselfish.....a mark of genuine gratitude.  Not flattery, not "buttering up," not manipulation.

 

ONLY ONE CAVEAT:  THEY WAITED UNTIL AFTER HE WAS DEAD!

 

Nancy Dickerson was a news reporter back in the early '60's, when Eleanor Roosevelt died.  The day after the former first lady's death, Dickerson read a letter she had written the day before.  It was a letter of thanks she had intended to send Mrs. Roosevelt to express her gratitude- but Eleanor Roosevelt died before the letter reached her.

 

If with pleasure you are viewing,

Any work a man is doing;

If you like him or you love him, tell him now.

Don't withhold your approbation,

Till the parson makes oration,

And he lies with snowy lilies o'er his brow.

If he earns your praise, bestow it.

If you like him, let him know it.

Let the word of true encouragement be said;

Do not wait till life is over,

And he's underneath the clover,

For he can't read the tombstone when he's dead.

 

Dan Williams  

 

 

 

What was prohibition?

The Truth About Prohibition

           Through the years, there has been a useful body of pertinent research done by well-recognized historians on the general background of Prohibition.
            For example, Bernard Weisberger, a nationally- recognized historian who writes a current-events column ("In the News") for the popular historical journal American Heritage, recently addressed the widespread (mis)conception that Prohibition "didn't work." Among the facts cited by Weisberger are:
            "Prohibition did reduce drinking.  The average annual per capita consumption of alcohol by Americans of drinking age - that is, the total alcoholic content of all the beer, wine, and distilled spirits they consumed - stood at 2.60 gallons" in 1910.  In 1934, after more than a decade of prohibition, Weisberger reports the per capita average of 0.97 gallons.
            "Census Bureau studies show that the death rate from chronic or acute alcoholism fell from 7.3 per 100,000 in 1907 to 2.5 in 1932,  Prohibition's last year.  Deaths from cirrhosis of the liver, one cause of which is alcohol abuse, dropped from 14.8 per 100,000 in 1907 to 7.1 in 1920 and never rose above 7.5 during the 1920's.  Economic studies estimated that savings and spending on household necessities increased among working-class families during the period, possibly from money that once went to drink." These are not the propaganda of some biased zealot, but the factual report of a nationally known historian.  Furthermore, Weisberger reports that one reason why Prohibition may be commonly thought so unsuccessful is that even the above improvements were achieved with a minimum of enforcement.  He continues:
            "Drinking might have been cut back even further if more resources had been devoted to enforcement.  In 1922 Congress gave the Prohibition Bureau only $6.75 million for a force of 3,060 employees (including clerical workers) to hunt for violators in thousands of urban neighborhoods, remote hollows, border crossings, and coastal inlets.   State legislators were equally sparing: in 1926 state legislatures all together spent $698,855 for Prohibition work, approximately one-eighth of what they spent on enforcing fish-and-game laws.  Even so, by 1929 the feds alone had arrested more than half a million violators.  "
            Nor is this "new" information; a 1968 article by historian of science John C. Burnham of Ohio State University in the Journal of Social History revealed even more data along the lines Weisberger adduces.  To imply that attempts to restrict alcohol sales can't be effective ignores the available evidence.  Professor Norman H. Clark's 1976 study, Deliver Us From Evil, makes a persuasive case that during Prohibition, arrests for drunkenness and alcohol-related crimes declined markedly.
            Of course, a much earlier author reminds us across the ages that "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Prov. 20:1).

- by Steve Wolfgang

 

No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities I Timothy 5:23

A Little Wine for Your Stomach's Sake

Paul advised Timothy, “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities” (I Timothy 5:23).
 

“NO LONGER DRINK ONLY WATER…”

By this statement we learn that Timothy’s habit had been one of total abstinence from wine until instructed otherwise by the apostle. This is as it should be. Solomon taught, “Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly” (Proverbs 23:31). Since the appearance of wine ought not to be admired, how could imbibing in the same have God’s approval? Without the exception provided in the passage under consideration, wine should be abstained from.
 

“…BUT USE A LITTLE WINE…”

In the limited circumstance in which the use of wine is permitted, its quantity must also be limited. The authorization to use wine was not to be construed as a license to become intoxicated, for drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God (I Corinthians 6:10), as it is written, “Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). Only a slight amount is here permitted for a specific purpose.
 

“…FOR YOUR STOMACH’S SAKE AND YOUR FREQUENT INFIRMITIES.”

The specific purpose for which Timothy was permitted the slight use of wine was its health benefit. It was not given as a social beverage, but as medicine. In particular, it was given for a remedy, not for prevention. Timothy was already known by Paul to experience frequent stomach trouble when the apostle suggested the use of a little wine to alleviate his ailment. The regular use of wine to prevent illness is not under consideration and is nowhere authorized in Scripture.

- by Bryan Matthew Dockens

 

Onesiphorus

“He Often Refreshed Me”

Paul, in recounting to Timothy his imprisonment in Rome, wrote, “The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains; but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me — the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day — and you well know what services he rendered at Ephesus” (2 Timothy 1:16-18).

What brought Onesiphorus to Rome is unknown.  Was he there on business? Was he a tourist? Whatever it was, Onesiphorus was not just focused on himself.  While in Rome, he made considerable effort to locate Paul, and he kept trying until he succeeded. (Someone less dedicated might have made a minimal effort and said, “Oh well, I tried!”) He came again and again.  These visits refreshed Paul, both the company itself as well as any needed provisions he may have received.

It is easy to get caught up in our own busy lives and fail to remember those who could use some encouragement. Stop. Take a moment to think about someone you could refresh. Then act. It likely won’t take you nearly as long or be as hard as it was for Onesiphorus. Be such that others can say of you, “He often refreshed me.”

- by Frank Himmel

 

The Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star

Passwords and PIN numbers are part of our everyday life now aren't they? Everything we do seems to have some level of protection to it, especially if you use the internet. It might be dealing with Credit cards, accounts or even buying groceries… almost everything.

I was reminded of this the other day, by my wife, Melody. I was getting ready to leave the house and she kissed me lovingly and said, 'Be careful and come home to me". I said, 'I will!" She looked me deep in the eyes and said, 'I mean it, you stay safe and come back to me," and paused. I was touched at her concern, then she finished her thought by saying, "After all, you're the only one who knows all of the passwords." I sometimes forget what a good sense of humor she has… at least I think she was kidding.

Passwords are important. They help keep us safe and get us into places we want to go; they are part of the "rules of our modern world," so to speak. You have to go through the proper procedure. Identification (ID), user names and passwords are required for us to operate within the system.

Understanding that, it surprises me at how many people object to God placing restrictions and requirements on their lives. They want to have a relationship with God, they want to enter his presence, his kingdom, yet they don't want to follow his rules.

God, in His Word, says, "Do this," or "Don't do this." He says, "This is acceptable behavior," and "This is unacceptable." He says, "If you want to be part of my kingdom and go to Heaven, here are the rules." Yet people insist on saying, 'God really didn't mean it, you have to change to rules to meet the times."

Isn't it funny that God ends his wonderful book with these words in Revelation 22:14-19 "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let the one who hears say, "Come!" Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll."

Funny isn't it that folks want God who offers them eternal life, but they won't listen to his requirements? Yet, they follow the rules of their bank and internet businesses strictly and don't think anything of it. How about you?

--Russ Lawson

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus

Saving for retirement. Exercising and losing weight. Mending a broken relationship. Daily Bible reading.  Many are the objectives, goals, and needs we all have in this life, but just as many are the excuses we often give for not addressing them.  We fall back on lack of time, how we feel, whose fault it is, and generally why we cannot do what we know we should be doing.  It seems that until we are convicted of our need to do something, we will always find ready excuses.

But, when we are motivated to do something, we will not let anything stop us.  We find the time, muster the will, and channel the discipline necessary to keep plugging away until the objective is achieved.

Living for Christ is the greatest objective there is.  It fulfills the very purpose for our existence. It benefits everyone around us. It is imperative to gaining heaven as home.  It positively influences those closest to us.  But, when it is not our greatest priority, we will come up with a bevy of excuses. These run the gamut from sports activities to work to hypocrites to personal weakness to whatever else may come to mind.  Until we are motivated, we will find excuses.  So, what should motivate us to live for Jesus?

• His sacrificial love (Gal. 2:20).
• Fear of judgment and eternal punishment (Mat. 25:31-46).
• The debt we owe (Rom. 1:14-17).
• The love we have for Him (2 Cor. 5:14).
• Our love for our family and others close to us (Ti. 2:3-4; Eph. 5:25).
• An understanding of our purpose (Phil. 1:21-24).
• The hope of heaven (John 14:1ff).
• A sense of obligation to our spiritual family (1 Th. 5:11; Mat. 18:12ff).
• A desire to do what is right and serve Jesus as our Master (1 Pe. 2:20; Mat. 7:21).

All of these (and more) are excellent motivation for enduring the difficult in order to successfully overcome in this life. They will help us to eliminate every impediment that stands in our way.  As the writer of Hebrews says, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. 12:1-2).  Neal Pollard

Better felt than told religion

They Say He Is a Liar

My friend had an "experience"--"better felt than told"--he "got" something. Some people tell my friend he has allowed his imagination to deceive him; that he had no feeling, no experience. Some even accuse him of faking the whole story. This makes my friend very unhappy. He doesn't like to be called a liar. He says, "I know what I feel."

Now I believe my friend. I know him to be an honest man. If he tells me he "felt something" I will not deny this.

But sometimes I try to check his unwarranted conclusions concerning the meaning of these feelings. My friend assumes that because he "had a feeling" his sins are forgiven. Why could not this just as well mean his sins were multiplied??

God alone can forgive sins; and His Word states the truth concerning such matters as these (John. 17:17). When my friend says he knows his sins are forgiven because he "felt something" I must remind him that the Bible allows no such evidence. It even warns us that feelings can be deceptive (2 Thess. 2:10-12).

Christ is the author of eternal salvation unto all them who obey Him (Heb. 5:9). And Christ teaches us to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS?

- by Robert Turner

 

Creative uses for paper clips

Paper clips are amazing. They can be put to use in hundreds of ways other than holding paper. BDT (Before Duct Tape) I even used them in an emergecy to hold together a ripped pant leg. Today we used them to hang banners. Here is a short list of some of the things for which you can use paper clips.

1. hem holder
2. cigar filter unstopper
3. spray bottle unclogger
4. eye glass repair
5. hair barrette
6. zipper tab
7. clean fingernails
8. Xmas ornament holder
9. unclog Elmer's glue bottle
10. calendar holder
11. belt holder
12. emergency cotter pin
13. emergency diaper pin (boy! do I date myself there!)
14. strawberry huller
15. cherry pit remover
16. hymn marker (for organists)
You get the idea I'm sure. They are useful and versitile.

Jesus is much like a paper clip for our lives. He helps hold things together in our lives, he sticks together the rips and tears that the world leaves in our lives. He gives us purpose and life.

Paul writes to the Colossian church in Colossians 1:12-18 "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."

Christ may be our paper clip, but he is so much more! He holds our lives together when the world wants to tear them apart.

--Russ Lawson

Out of the frying pan and into the fire

Have you ever heard the saying: "Out of the frying pan and into the fire"?

The Italian author Laurentius Abstemius wrote a collection of 100 fables. Abstemius' fable 20, concerns some fish thrown live into a frying pan of boiling fat. One of them urges its fellows to save their lives by jumping out, but when they do so they fall into the burning coals and curse its bad advice.

The fabulist concludes: 'This fable warns us that when we are avoiding present dangers, we should not fall into even worse peril.' Is there a spiritual application to this? I believe there is!

To start with Solomon tells us in Proverbs 27:12 "A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."

What is a phrase we might uses to explain this thought to someone: "Look before you leap" or "You wouldn't jump off a cliff, just because your friends do, would you?"

The question we might ask is "What are spiritual cliffs that folks jump off of today?"
Sometimes they involve sin, sometimes they involve relationships, sometimes they just involve making bad decisions and sometimes our cliffs involve facing challenges…Sometimes your life challenge feels like you have gone from the frying pan into the fire……

So what has been your cliff, your challenge? Is it physically or spiritually, and how do you handle it?

Let me make a suggestion for handling difficult things in your life. One of my favorite passages is Romans 8:28: Paul writes there: "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."

Let me give you the "Russ Revised Version" of is verse: "Do your best to serve God, love him and no matter how badly you mess things up, God will be able to make something good come from it." Even if you don't see it or understand it, God has the power to work it to the good!

So it may seem that you have gone from the frying pan into the fire, but don't forget to trust in Him, Our God and King.

That's why Psalm 23:1-6is so dear to so many of us. It reminds us of who is in control of our world and our life. David wrote: "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."

So face life's challenges trusting in God!

--Russ Lawson

Who killed custer?

There's quite the controversy over who killed General George Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn in Montana on June 25, 1876. There is even a book by the title, "Who Killed Custer?," authored by Bruce Brown. There are so many mysterious and hard-to-document events that made up this notorious battle that symbolizes the "Indian Wars" of the late 1800s.  Brown, analyzing eye witness accounts, gives an interesting top three suspect list:  (1) an Oglala Sioux warrior named White Cow bull, shooting him near the beginning of the battle, (2) Custer himself, committing suicide as he dashed away from the battlefield near the battle's end on his horse Victory, and (3) Brave Bear, a Southern Cheyenne warrior, given the honorary title of "Custer's Killer" at an Indian council in 1909 (www.astonisher.com/archives).  About ten years ago, the Helena Independent Recordrevealed the long-circulated, but secret oral history of the Northern Cheyenne Indian storytellers, crediting a woman, Buffalo Calf Trail Woman, for striking the fatal blow (helenair.com).

It is fitting that a man surrounded by so much controversy and whose reputation and achievements are incredibly enigmatic would have such a mysterious cloud hanging over his death. His killer is upheld by many as a tangible standard-bearer of justice and righteous revenge. For others, it is simply a matter of historical fascination.  There are even those who lamented his death, as the brash and rash Custer was widely viewed as a "war hero" by his U.S. contemporaries in the years immediately following his death. Yet, one thing we know for sure.  Custer was killed.  Two fatal bullet wounds loudly testify.

There is another mystery, one with far weightier and eternal implications.  Who killed Jesus?  He is the most enigmatic figure in human history.  He was viewed contemptuously as a blasphemer and traitor by the religious leaders of His day. He was viewed with depraved indifference by the masses who switched from adoration to execration in a matter of days.  He is viewed even more diversely today, 2000 years after He died on the cross.  The power and proof of the resurrection is a matter to write about another day (see, for example,https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/644-resurrection-literal-or-merely-symbolic).

But, there is another vital question surrounding the death of Jesus.  Who was really responsible?

• Was it the devil? Yes!
• Was it the Jewish leaders? Yes!
• Was it the onlookers that day? Yes!
• Was it Pilate? Yes!
• Was it the Roman soldiers? Yes!
• Was it God? Yes!
• Was it you and me? Yes!

How could all of these be mutually responsible for the death of Christ? There is no controversy.  The devil desired Jesus' death, through which he longed to defeat the Lord's purpose (cf. Gen. 3:15; Rev. 12:4ff). In this, he failed (Heb. 2:14). The people that day were instruments in the hands of God, who accomplished His eternal plan of salvation through Christ's death, burial, and resurrection (Acts 2:23; 3:18; etc.). We are responsible because we sin (Rom. 4:25) and He had to be made sin for us (2 Co. 5:21). The good news is that the death of Jesus was not the defeat of God's plan. It accomplished the plan.  However, for the plan to be effective, we must properly respond to it.  The fact of His death does nothing for us, if we do not respond to it the way Scripture tells us to.  Thus, there is a much more important question than, "Who killed Jesus?" It is, "Who will follow Jesus?"

 

--Neal Pollard