Message for THE LORD'S DAY MORNING, November 22, 2015 THANKSGIVING SERMON

Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina

by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister

TOPIC: Thanksgiving, Gratitude

COUNT YOUR MANY BLESSINGS

Psalm 103:1-5 (NKJV)

Since today is the Lord's Day before Thanksgiving, we are going to

step aside from our series from Ecclesiastes, and focus our
thoughts on the subject of Thanksgiving this morning.

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 103. And let's

read the first five verses.

Psalm 103:1-5 (NKJV)

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:

3 Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases,

4 Who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with
loving-kindness and tender mercies,

5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed
like the eagle’s.

PRAYER
 INTRODUCTION

ILLUSTRATION: Johnson Oatman, Jr. was born April 21, 1856 in Medford, New
Jersey.

He was born to a very devout Christian family and attended Church

every Lord's Day. Oatman had the deepest admiration for his
father, Johnson Sr. , who had a great booming voice and was a very
talented musician. As a boy, young Johnson used to sit by his father
for hours singing the great hymns of the Church.

When Johnson grew into a young man he wanted to do something to honor

the deep faith of his father, so he enrolled in seminary and trained to
become a minister. For many years, Johnson Oatman Jr. moved from one
Church to another, never staying long in any of them. By his own
admission, he was not a very good preacher.

By the time he turned thirty six, Johnson Oatman had a strong sense God
was calling him to do something other than preach the gospel. He thought
back to those days when he spent many hours sitting beside his father
singing hymns.

So one night in 1892 , Johnson Oatman took a pen and some paper
and attempted to write his very first hymn. Within three years,
Churches all over the world were singing his hymns. Among his
own personal favorites was “No Not One.”

But in 1897 Johnson Oatman wrote his most beloved hymn of all, “Count
Your Blessings.” Listen closely to the beautiful lines of this song:

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
*Count your many blessings, see what God has done.
[*And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.]
 Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,

Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—*money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

***********************************************************

On a sign outside of a nursing home in Illinois were these words:

“Be grateful for small things, big things, and everything

in between. Count your blessings, not your problems.”

Do you spend more time counting your problems than counting your
blessings? If so, that would probably explain why you are
discouraged and miserably unhappy all the time.

There's not a day that goes by but what GOD doesn't bless you in
more ways than you can possibly imagine, and sadly, many of us
often forget that.
In the first five verses of this 103rd Psalm David gives himself a good
talking to. In verse 2 he admits his own struggle to stay focused
on God's blessings instead of on his own problems. He says.......

Psalm 103:2 (NKJV) “Bless the LORD, O my soul, (now listen closely)
AND FORGET NOT ALL HIS BENEFITS.”
BENEFITS.”

Like David, we all tend to have very short memories when it

comes to remembering God's blessings. My prayer is that God's
Spirit will work through this message this morning to remind all of
us to “Count Our Blessings” , not just during this Thanksgiving
season, but all 365 days of the year.

In these first five verses, David reminds us of five wonderful

blessings we should be thankful for; and from each of these five
blessings flows thousands of other blessings into our lives.

First of all.....

I. Be Thankful For The Blessing of GOD'S FORGIVENESS (v.3)

vs. 2, 3a “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:
Who FORGIVES ALL YOUR INIQUITIES.
INIQUITIES.

ILLUSTRATION

I want you to imagine the unimaginable for just a moment. You have
been arrested and charged with murder. After being held in jail for
many months, and going through a lengthy trial, a court bailiff leads
you into the courtroom in shackles to learn your fate.
The jury files into the courtroom after several days of deliberations.
The courtroom falls silent as the judge calls the court to order.
The Judge asks, “Mr. Foreman, have you reached a verdict?” Your heart
is pounding as you watch the jury foreman rise to his feet. The rest
of your life hinges on the words that are about to come out of his
mouth.

The foreman speaks, “Yes, your honor. We, the jury find the defendant
NOT GUILTY!”

NOT GUILTY!” A flood of relief sweeps over you and you begin to sob.
“NOT
The bailiff unlocks your shackles, and you hear the judge declare,
“You are free to go!” Slowly those words begin to sink in! You are
free to go. You are free from condemnation. You are free from
confinement. You are free to go home. You are free to begin a brand
new life. And its all because you have been forgiven of the charges
against you.

1. Until you and I come to realize just how depraved we

are without Jesus Christ, we can never fully understand
or appreciate the forgiveness of God.

2. There is absolutely NOTHING good in our sinful nature.

Even at our very best we are still miserable, wretched
sinners.

3. In fact, we are so bad, at one time you and I were on

“death row” charged with the murder of Jesus Christ,
the only begotten Son of God. We were faced with
spending all of eternity in the horrible place called hell.
4. There was absolutely nothing we could do to save
ourselves. But by His own grace, GOD chose to pay the
penalty for our sins by offering His only begotten Son on
the cross, so that through the shedding of His precious
blood we might have the forgiveness of sins. And the day
you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, God
pronounced you “NOT GUILTY!”

5. Do you truly understand and appreciate just how

blessed you are that God has forgiven you?

-God's forgiveness means you have been set free from the
guilt of ALL your sins. That's what David tells us in verse
3....”He forgives ALL your iniquities.”

-God's forgiveness means you have been set free from eternal
condemnation.

Romans 8:1 (NKJV) says, “There is therefore now no

condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do
not walk according to the flesh, but according to the
Spirit.” (Romans 8:1 NKJV)

-And God's forgiveness means you have been set free to

enjoy the abundant life one can only have through Christ
Jesus.

John 10:10b (NKJV) “I have come that they may have

life and they they may have it more abundantly.”
 4. Because of the blessing of God's forgiveness you and I
don't have to live like a condemned man or woman any
more. We don't have to live under the tremendous
burden of guilt and shame. We can face death and our
eternal future with confidence and not fear.

5. Let us be thankful for the blessing of GOD'S FORGIVENESS!

Count your many blessings!

Secondly.....

II. Be Thankful For The Blessing of GOD'S HEALING (vs.2,3b)

Psalm 103:2, 3b “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His
benefits, (now look at the last part of verse 3)
WHO HEALS ALL YOUR DISEASES.”
DISEASES.”

1. This year I have lost three of the dearest friends I have

ever known. My dear friend Louis Hall died of heart
disease. My dear friend Bonner Adams died of cancer.
And my dear friend Johnny Adkins died from the after-
effects of a cerebral hemorrhage.

2. Some of you have lost loved ones to various diseases as

well. So what does David mean when he says, “He
heals ALL your diseases?” Does he mean that all of God's
children are promised healing and full recovery from
physical diseases? Life itself teaches us this isn't true.
3. GOD indeed does grant healing according to His divine
will and I believe that all healing is divine.

-If you were ever sick and now you are healthy, give thanks
to GOD!

-If your cancer or the cancer of a loved one is in remission,

give thanks to GOD!

-If you nearly died in an accident but survived, give thanks

to God!

4. But we must understand when David says, “He heals

ALL your diseases” he is most likely referring to
spiritual diseases rather than physical.

5. Millions suffer from cancer. But not everyone gets

cancer. Millions suffer from heart disease or
Alzheimers or Parkinsons or Lou Gehrig's disease,
disease but
not everyone gets those diseases.

6. But sin is a natural, hereditary, epidemic, deadly

disease that affects every human being on earth,
without exception. This is why SIN is the worst
disease of all.

Every woe man experiences on earth is some how

related to sin.
 7. You and I have been healed of this dreadful disease.
That doesn't mean we are no longer sinners,
but that we are “in remission” from the deadly
consequences of sin. And that is because GOD has
provided us with the only thing that will cure us
and that is the precious blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.

8. Let us be thankful for the blessing of GOD'S HEALING. Count

your many blessings!

III. Be Thankful For The Blessing of GOD'S REDEMPTION

(vs.2, 4a)

Psalm 103:2,4a “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His
benefits. WHO REDEEMS YOUR LIFE FROM
DESTRUCTION.
DESTRUCTION. “

1. That word REDEEMS has many different meanings.

One meaning is “to be rescued from danger in a time of

trouble.” For example, think of the thousands of miles
you have driven over the course of your life time, and
not been involved in a fatal accident. Every year
thousands of people die in automobile accidents, but
the fact you are here this morning is proof you have
been “redeemed” from that danger. And that is
certainly something to thank GOD for, isn't it?
2. But the word “redeemed” also has a deeper, spiritual
meaning.

To be “redeemed” means to be “bought back.” It

was a term used in slavery to describe the
transaction where someone bought a slave from
his owner and then set him free.

None of us likes to think of ourselves as “slaves.” But

before we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior
that is exactly what we were. We were slaves to Satan.
He had us “chained” to a life of sin, and his plan was to
hold us hostage all through our earthly life, and to destroy
any hope of ever being set free to enjoy eternal life.

But Jesus Christ “redeemed us.” He bought us back

with His own blood in order to set us free from eternal
destruction so that we might have eternal life with Him
in heaven.

3. Let us be thankful for the blessing of GOD'S REDEMPTION.

Count your many blessings!
Fourthly,

IV. Be Thankful For The Blessing of GOD'S LOVING-KINDNESS

and TENDER MERCIES (vs. 2, 4b)

Psalm 103:2, 4b (NKJV) “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His
benefits. WHO CROWNS YOU WITH LOVING-
KINDNESS AND TENDER MERCIES.
MERCIES.

1. Notice that word “crowns.” The crown reminds us of

our position as the children of God.

2. To be “crowned with loving-kindness and tender mercies”

means that God knows our every weakness. He knows
how difficult our life is here on earth. He knows how
we are greatly tempted, and that we face many
troubles.

3. As David says down in verses 10,11, “He has not dealt

with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to
our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.”

4. God doesn't cast us aside when we fail. He never

gives up on us. Instead, every single day He crowns us
with His loving-kindness and tender mercies. So let us be
thankful and count our many blessings!
Finally,

V. Be Thankful For The Blessing Of GOD'S GOODNESS (vs.2, 5)

Psalm 103:2,5 (NKJV) “Bless the LORD O my soul, and forget not all His
benefits. (verse 5) WHO SATISFIES YOUR MOUTH
WITH GOOD THINGS,
THINGS, so that your youth is
renewed like the eagle's.”

1. There is nothing on earth that can satisfy us like God,

not money, not material things, not anything.

2. The “good things” David is describing does not and

cannot come from anything we can visibly see around
us. Everything we see can only provide temporary
satisfaction at best.

ILLUSTRATION: This coming Thursday we will enjoy our big

family Thanksgiving Dinners, and we will stuff ourselves until
our bellies can't hold any more. But then about four or five
hours later, we'll load up a plate of left-overs and heat it up
in the microwave and do it all over again. WHY? Because
the things of this earth can only satisfy us temporarily.

3. But the “good things” of God can satisfy us for all

eternity. His love, His joy, His peace, His grace, His
mercy, and so much more. Let us be thankful for GOD'S
GOODNESS. Count your many blessings!
 CONCLUSION

Back in the 1860's there was a ministerial student at a seminary in

Evanston, Illinois by the name of Edward Spencer. While a student, Edward
Spencer was also a member of a life-saving crew.

One time a ship ran aground on the shore of nearby Lake Michigan,
and Edward Spencer waded again and again into the frigid waters
to rescue 17 passengers. As a result of his heroic efforts that day,
Edward Spencer's health was permanently damaged. And just a few
years later he died. The minister who conducted his
funeral noted his heroism that day in the frigid waters of Lake
Michigan and sadly noted not a single one of the seventeen people he
rescued ever thanked him for saving their lives.

Two thousand years ago, GOD sent His Son to rescue us from
eternal death. Have you thanked Him? Have you thanked Him
today? Can we ever thank Him enough?

Let us be thankful for God's forgiveness, His healing, His redemption,

His loving-kindness and tender mercies, and His goodness.

Count Your Many Blessings!