Sermon Notes: Stuck In Between

In case you didn't know it, this week is Thanksgiving!

(Sermon Notes 11/18/18)

It seems as though Thanksgiving is being forgotten, stuck in the middle between Halloween and Christmas. If you went to the stores in August and September and October, you saw lots and lots of Halloween decorations and costumes.  And then about mid-way through October (or maybe even sooner) they started putting out Christmas decorations.  If you looked hard enough, you might find a few things that had to do with Thanksgiving, but not really very much. It was either Fall or Christmas, but not much emphasis on Giving Thanks.

Perhaps we don't think we have much to thank God for...perhaps the material world has gotten to us, and we don't stop and think about where everything came from...or to Whom we should give thanks.

Our scripture for today is:

Psalm 100 (NKJV)

1.  "Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

2.  Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

3.  Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us,

and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4.  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

and into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

5.  For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

and His truth endures to all generations."

God warned the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 8:10-11 not to forget Him when they entered into the land which He had given them:

10.  "When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.

11.  Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today..."

(you can read the rest of that chapter for the full story)

God is not just talking to the Israelites in the 100th Psalm...see verse 1:

"Make a joyful shout to the Lord, ALL YOU LANDS!"

And He is not just speaking to the people in Bible times...see verse 5:

"For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

and His truth endures to ALL GENERATIONS."

The Meriam Webster definition of Thanksgiving is:

1. a: capitalized : THANKSGIVING DAY
b: a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness
2: the act of giving thanks
3: a prayer expressing gratitude

• When we live with an "attitude of gratitude" it has been said that those who frequently feel grateful have more energy
• Are less likely to become depressed

Don't leave your "attitude of gratitude" at the Thanksgiving table.

Acknowledge and remember that God has blessed us in mighty, mighty ways

Sometimes we get in the habit of complaining instead of expressing our thankfulness.

We have become so spoiled.  When we have to take an airplane flight somewhere instead of exclaiming about the miracle of "Wow! We're Flying!", we instead complain about how cramped the seats are, or the long lines we had to wait in at the airport, or that the WiFi didn't work on the plane...Things that we never even heard of not too many years ago, and now we are so spoiled we complain and gripe when we are delayed or uncomfortable for an hour or so.

People in Jesus' time were no different...In the book of John chapter six, just after Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two small fish,  the next day Jesus said to the multitude who chased after Him to the other side of the sea, 

in John 6:26-27

"Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

27.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life,

which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

The people came with an attitude of entitlement, expecting Jesus to keep feeding them, rather than acknowledging and giving thanks for the miracle of the blessing of the bread from heaven, which does not perish, but gives everlasting life.

The Biblical antidote to a complaining, demanding spirit is 

• to give thanks...express thanksgiving to God
• Read God's Word daily
• come together as a community of faith to encourage one another
• Draw closer to God

Recognize that we are all flawed, but when we do these things we will see that this will become the basis for our Thanksgiving.  When we begin to praise God and give Him thanks for all He has done we will find that our "attitude of gratitude" will become the norm rather than the exception.

Here are some words to reflect on as we enter this week of "Thanksgiving":

"Holy God, we thank You for the promise of Your Presence.

You call us to be part of Your new creation.

Loving Christ, we celebrate Your call to join You in God's new creation.

We come to join the harvest,

to help carry Your news out into the world.

Empowering Holy Spirit, we give thanks that You encourage us to respond with joy.

Come fill us now, as we gather to share Your Presence in the bread and cup."

Ephesians 1:3

"God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."

Amen! And Happy Thanksgiving!

Please Note : I want to repeat this disclaimer here...the notes, outline, and content included here are based upon my own personal understanding of the message that was being given.  I am not attempting to completely quote or reproduce this message or any other message I've shared previously.  Just as each person reading these notes may glean insights and thoughts that seem to directly apply to one's own situation and interpretation, my own delivery of these messages is skewed by my hearing and translation of what is being said.  Some may read my notes here and wonder if they were hearing the same message as I...and I say, God speaks to each of us as He wills...there are things He is trying to get across to each individual that may be entirely different than what the person sitting next to you in the pew is needing to hear...  That is how the Holy Spirit works! He knows what we need to hear and how to apply it to our hearts.  So it is with that understanding that I present these sermon notes to you.

Sermon Notes: FUMC Interlachen, FL, Pastor A.C. Myers, 11/18/2018