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Be it your mental health or the health of a system, clinging to show the parts that works to claim you are fine is not proof you are. You might not be lying, but the end result is the same. You will continue to crumble.
Do you thank GOD indeed? | Jerusalem Assembly [Nov.12/19]
How are you this morning? No really, how are you?
It’s a question we often ask one another, just as a
greeting, but there is a question of evaluation.
In English we often say how do you do? How are you?
In Hebrew we only ask: What is your shalom?
● How is your peace?
● How is your peace with GOD?
How is your peace with family? with neighbours?
So this morning, I want to focus (not just saying it
as a phrase of greeting) but actually asking:
● How are we?
● How is our peace w/ GOD/family/neighbours?
>> Let’s ask GOD for help with that (prayer).
LORD we thank YOU for this privilege to get together
with these dear people on this Sabbath morning.
And we ask for the help of YOUR HOLY SPIRIT,
that YOU will to turn our attention to YOU.
That YOU will open the eyes of our hearts
to see the SCRIPTURES.
So we can look in the mirror
& fix what needs to be fixed.
So that we can glorify YOU.
In JESUS Name, Amen.
A.] Need for Spiritual Exam
Who was here last week, put up your hands.
Okay I think most of you, so last week we heard from
John Black about evaluation. It was mostly about:
How do we evaluate ourselves?
The GOD Who Evaluates | John Black [Nov.4/19]
We also had communion, whenever we have the
LORD’s Supper, we always talk about our
need to examine/evaluate ourselves.
And as a continuation to that I really want to
examine our spiritual states today.
Cause it is important to GOD,
HE wants us to be in a good place.
We are HIS children; HE loves us.
We are called by HIS Name.
People can’t see GOD, but
they are supposed to
recognize HIM in us.
B.] How to measure spiritual state?
So in what way & how can we measure our spiritual state.
You know people often care about their health, & they
say the most important thing to have is your health; &
it’s true that health is important,
but spiritual health is
even more important.
So with GOD’s help, I want us to go through a few
verses that talk about examining our spiritual state.
Just like you can go to a doctor & have different types
of blood tests that are meant to examine different
aspects of your health.
We are not going through all the different tests, that
you can do on your spiritual state.
>>We’re going to focus on 1 specific point.
I really want to focus on thanksgiving.
Because one of the ways that a person can really examine
their spiritual situation is:
How much are you giving thanks to GOD?
I want to say that again, one of the best ways to
evaluate our spiritual state is how often we’re
giving thanks to GOD.
Is giving thanks to GOD something that defines you?
If it does, then great, thank GOD.
Continue to do that, it brings HIM glory.
If that is not what defines you, then
we need to find the reasons.
And we need to see what we can change.
I have heard of people who pray:
GOD may YOU please give me a thankful heart.
GOD has already done everything, so we can
have such a heart. >> But it depends on us.<<
So this lesson focuses on: being thankful to GOD.
Am I giving thanks to GOD?
C.] Definition of Thanksgiving
In order to do that, let’s start with defining thanksgiving.
Then we will go through the WORD of GOD, see how
the SCRIPTURE teaches us about this subject.
Why do we give thanks
How do we give thanks
When do we give thanks
But first of all, let’s define it: What is thankfulness?
When we open a dictionary, it’s defined differently,
but it’s often the same principle.
Thankfulness is the expression of the
heart towards a good source.
By thanking, you’re not focusing yourself on the good
thing, you’re focusing on the source of the good thing.
In the Hebrew, the word for giving thanks comes from
the same root as the word to confess.
And that’s not a coincidence.
Because the meaning of confession is to
clarify truth without trying to cover it.
Thankfulness & confession have the same root in the
Hebrew language. So thankfulness is in a way:
Recognizing the good deed/thing.
There’s even an expression that implies that in Hebrew.
C1] Biblical Definition
Now let’s see how according to the Bible we define it.
Thankfulness to GOD is to recognize
from the heart that this is something
that comes from GOD, &
to direct the thankfulness to GOD.
Thankfulness to GOD is an expression of the
heart towards the source of the good
while knowing that this source is GOD.
We have defined what it means to be thankful
& to be thankful to GOD.
1.] Why do we give thanks
Now we will ask ourselves why?
It is a big subject of course.
But I’ve summarized it to 4 different points:
1.1] Verbalize GOD is our Source
1st thing I want to say is:
Thanking is to confess that this comes from GOD.
We can read this in James 1:16,
James 1:16-17 | Do not be deceived, my beloved believers.
Every good & perfect gift is from above, coming down
from the FATHER of the Heavenly lights, with whom there
is no change or shifting shadow.
If you are parents then you are always giving good
things to your children. But you notice when they
don’t acknowledge that it comes from you, &
that they are not thankful. They’re ungrateful for
anything you ever give them.
They just take it for granted & just want more & more;
you feel like there’s something that is not okay there;
like something that’s missing.
This is especially if you have teenagers, who think
they have a room that is only theirs.
When you’re actually the one paying the rent for it.
This is mine! This is mine!
But actually all that they have is from you.
Now it’s easy for us to recognize this
with teenagers, but we are often
the same towards GOD.
Because everything good that we have in life,
it comes from GOD. And we often take it for granted.
And GOD doesn’t want us to take it for granted.
● Is it because HE’s so egotistic & wants to hear
our thankfulness to HIM all the time?
No, it’s because HE loves us; & HE knows
it is good to give thanks to the LORD.
That’s the next thing, HE knows that us
recognizing this comes from HIM & giving
thanks to HIM—that it does good for us
because we are created in HIS image.
And it is something good for our being.
● And as a saved people, even though we cannot
walk next to HIM like we did before the fall in the
garden of Eden.
We can still walk throughout our life
with our eyes fixed upon HIM.
Knowing that everything good comes from HIM,
& being filled with thankfulness for that.
● And you know in the secular world when they
try to get GOD out of the picture.
They try to do that in their own way.
They talk about having positive thoughts
(positive thinking).
They say that if you suffer from depression that
is something that will help. If you start to develop
a habit of positive thinking.
The problem is that’s only part of the truth.
Because the most important element there is missing.
>> What’s missing is thankfulness to GOD.
1.2] Intimate Relationship with GOD
That brings me to the 3rd point of
why we need to be thankful.
Because thankfulness leads to
true & intimate relationship
with GOD.
And it is a sign that you are saved.
Thankfulness to GOD is a sign of saving faith.
I want us to turn to Luke 17:12-19, it’s a well known
story about the 10 lepers.
Luke 17:12-19 | As HE entered one of the villages,
HE was met by 10 lepers. They stood at a distance
& raised their voices, shouting,
“JESUS, Master, have mercy on us!”
When JESUS saw them,
HE said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were on their way, they were cleansed.
When one of them saw that he was healed,
he came back, praising GOD in a loud voice.
He fell face down at JESUS’ feet
in thanksgiving to HIM—&
he was a Samaritan.
“Were not all ten cleansed?” JESUS asked.
“Where then are the other 9? Was no one found
except this foreigner to return & give glory to GOD?”
Then JESUS said to him, “Rise & go;
your faith has made you well!”
Remember this story because we’re going to go back to it.
But I want to go back to this point:
Being thankful to GOD
is a sign of saving faith.
Because to this one leper who came back, only to him,
JESUS said: You are saved! Your faith has made you
well. Your faith has saved you.
A sign of good relations with GOD,
good relations with JESUS, is that
you have the HOLY SPIRIT within you
—without that you don’t have salvation.
Without that you’re not born again.
So someone who is filled with the HOLY SPIRIT is
also filled with thankfulness.
In that context we want to read a few other verses.
Ephesians 5:18-20 | Do not get drunk on wine, which
leads to reckless indiscretion.
Instead, be filled with the SPIRIT.
Speak to one another w/ psalms, hymns, & spiritual songs.
Sing & make music in your hearts to the LORD, always
giving thanks to GOD the FATHER for everything in
the name of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.
I don’t need to add that much to it, whoever is filled with
the HOLY SPIRIT, s/he is also filled with
thanksgiving unto GOD.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 | Rejoice at all times. Pray
without ceasing. Give thanks in every circumstance,
for this is GOD’s will for you in CHRIST JESUS.
Do not extinguish (quench) the SPIRIT.
WHY? Because it’s GOD’s Will; & bc it’s good for us.
1.3] GOD’s commandment
The fourth point: WHY to give thanks?
Is because giving thanks to GOD is a commandment.
Not only in the NT, but also in the OT.
Let’s look at Psalms 50:14.
● Psalm 50:14 | Sacrifice a thank offering to GOD, &
fulfill your vows to the MOST HIGH.
The writer here is saying thanksgiving is like a vow
you have to pay. A sacrifice of thanksgiving is when
we are filled with thankfulness to GOD.
We do it out of thankfulness to GOD.
● Hebrews 13:15 Through JESUS, therefore, let us
continually offer to GOD a sacrifice of praise, the
fruit of lips that confess HIS name.
A good tree only bears good fruit, so too those who
depend upon the LORD as their source/vine/rock, will
continually praise GOD no matter their circumstance
You won’t be able to love your enemy, when they
do damage to your (pride/body/possessions/family)
if that is what you treasure most.
Those safe from harm/theft are those who love GOD
[Luke 12:20; 14:33; Luke 6:46 vs. Matthew 7:22-23]
● Romans 12:1 | Therefore I urge you, fellow believers,
on account of GOD’s mercy, to offer your bodies
as living sacrifices, holy & pleasing to GOD, which is
your spiritual service of worship.
Idolaters will do anything to please something/one
other than GOD, thus “HE will give them up to the
desires of their heart” [Romans 1:24; Psalm 81:12],
for GOD is not mocked, what a man sows, he reaps.
[Galatians 6:7; Job 13:9]; We serve a jealous GOD,
who yearns fellowship w/ those who bear HIS image.
We’re all in a state of becoming, while our LORD draws us
to HIS being; only those who ultimately choose/obey will be
transformed into HIS very likeness (loving/merciful/kind)
1.4] Not Emotion Feeling
What is your answer when someone says,
“How can I give thanks to GOD, if I don’t feel thankful?
I don’t have this thankfulness in me.”
● Giving thanks to GOD has nothing to do with feelings.
It shouldn’t be dependent on your
feelings, to be more precise.
Thankfulness to GOD is a step in faith.
Just like love & joy, people tend to
connect these with all kinds of emotions.
It’s true that it often comes with these emotions, but
it is not dependent on our emotions.
Otherwise GOD wouldn’t give
us as a commandment.
How can you command someone to love
[or to be happy / give thanks]?
You would feel that it is artificial, but not GOD,
HE wants us to do these things no matter what
circumstances we are in.
We often look at the world through these filters
(darkened glasses which Satan has put on us);
we see everything in a gloomy light;
everything is black or dark.
But GOD wants us to
see things through
HIS perspective.
Through the wonderful things
HE has already done, & the
things HE has promised.
Even if we can’t feel it with our emotions GOD wants us
to recognize it. And in light of these things to
proclaim these things comes from GOD &
it is wonderful & we should give thanks to HIM.
>> Because it’s true.
We can see throughout the book of Psalms, how
the writers of Psalms & how they do it &
GOD also fills them with joy.
The secular world (who don’t know GOD); they
take GOD out of the picture & they encourage
people to think positively.
GOD doesn’t always tell us to
think positively, HE tells us to
look at the truth.
The way GOD created it.
And the things that are actually the truth.
Look at the truth of GOD, at the Word of GOD,
& give thanks for that.
RECAP: So why give thanks to GOD?
It’s for our own good.
It glorifies GOD.
because it’s truth that we have
so many things to be thankful for.
Before we come to the next question:
What do we give thanks for?
I’m going to stay on this 1st question of:
Why give thanks?
Psalm 95:1-11 | Come, let us sing for joy to
the LORD; let us shout to the Rock of our
salvation! Let us enter HIS presence with
thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to HIM
in song. For the LORD is a great GOD, a great
King above all gods. In HIS hand are the depths
of the earth, & the mountain peaks belong to HIM.
The sea is HIS, for HE made it, & HIS hands
formed the dry land. O come, let us worship & bow
down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
For HE is our GOD, & we are the people of HIS
pasture, the sheep under HIS care. Today, if you
hear HIS voice, do not harden your hearts as
you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the
wilderness, where your fathers tested & tried ME,
though they had seen MY work. For forty years
I was angry with that generation, & I said,
“They are a people whose hearts go astray,
& they have not known MY ways.”
So I swore on oath in MY anger,
“They shall never enter MY rest.”
