Sermon: Thanksgiving
Bible Passage: 1 Chronicles 29:10-21
Background
I. David’s view of the LORD God:
a. The LORD is great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign over sky and earth (verse 11a)
i. Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours
b. The kingdom that David was ruling belonged to God (29:11)—“Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all”
c. God is the source of wealth and honor (29:12, 14)
i. 1 Chron 29:12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things.
ii. 1 Chron 29:14 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand
d. One’s view of God has a direct impact on his/her worship of Him (cf. verse 10-11 and read verse 2-5)
e. David’s thanksgiving to God is filled with humility, love, and worship
II. David’s view of himself
a. “Who am I?” and “What is my people” (verse 14)
i. Cf. 2 Sam 7:18 King David went in, sat before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that you should have brought me to this point?
ii. A successful king’s self-realization, which is free of pride and arrogance
iii. “Who am I?” “what is my people”—one’s real assessment before God and himself
iv. He acknowledges that they were resident aliens and nomads (29:15)
• 1 Chron 29:15 “We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope”
• They do not have permanent claim over anything as their own
b. It is God who has changed their status from nomads to a nation of people—David never forgot his or his nation’s past
c. David ruled as the king of Israel with this awareness, which protected him from becoming arrogant and entitled
III. David’s view of wealth
a. God is the source of wealth (29:12)
i. “Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all”
ii. “In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all”
b. God owns all that belong to David and nation Israel (29:16)
i. “O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own”
c. Therefore, serving God in any capacity and giving generously are not favors he and his people extended to God
i. It is an acknowledgement of God’s ownership over everything
ii. And His gracious sanction to enjoy them
Summary
IV. David’s thanksgiving involves:
a. An acknowledgment of who God and who we are
b. A tracing of God’s fingerprints in our life (I am what I am is because of God)
c. An expression of reverence for God
d. A cultivation of humility, renouncing of entitlement, and renewal of stewardship
e. A rededication to God (verse 17 “LORD, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you”)
V. For David and his people, thanksgiving was both words and action Luke 17:11-19
a. Four things:
i. Turned back (verse 15)
ii. Praising God with a loud voice (verse 16)
iii. Fell at Jesus’ feet (verse 16)
iv. Thanking Him (verse 16)
b. The Samaritan leper knew that his illness was incurable
c. He knew that only God could heal him
d. When he received healing, he understood Jesus’ divinity
e. He was both profoundly thankful and deeply worshipful
Take Away:
Express your thanksgiving to the Triune God with words and action