Thanksgiving (Psalms 103:1)
Today I would share a message about thanksgiving. Throughout the Bible, there are 177 verses including “thanksgiving”. This emphasises the importance of thanksgiving.
The essence of gospel and true power of a believer can be found from thansgiving.
When we have a group of people chatting, we can easily know who is the man of faith. It is the person keep talking about “thanksgiving” and “grace”, regardless of the circumstances.
Thanksgiving is a habit. Thanksgiving and dissatisfaction are buried together in the earth. While some people dig the gold named thanksgiving, some dig the rock named dissatisfaction.
Today Psalms 103 is a poem of David. What does our poem of the day start with? It starts with
Then, today we would look at Psalms 103 and find out 3 things that David had been thankful for, and praised for. I hope all of us can end this year with these 3 titles of thanksgiving.
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1) Forgives all your sins.(Upper vesrse 3)
The biggest grace God has given us is “the grace of forgiviness”.
Jesus Christ died to wash away our sins and that gave us salvation.
This is the law of God.
That’s why Christians are saying, There is no way of salvation other than Jesus!
What would have happen if you and I did not meet Jesus Christ? I don’t even want to imagine it. If it was the case, I would have been living in vain and despair during, and wouldn’t avoid eternal punishment after death. So what a blessing it is to have the grace of being able to belive in Christ.
So
Romans 4:6-8 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousnesss apart from works. “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered, Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them”
it is said that there is no bigger grace than forgiveness of sins.
Here, “forgiveness” is an active participle meaning forgiveness that is continued endlessly.
In Psalms 86:5
So the writer of Hebrews wrote,
We are blessed with the grace of forgiveness. The first lesson in today’s text is to be thankful for the grace.
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2) Heals all your diseases. Lower verse 3
The ‘diseases’ mentioned here is not restricted to the diseases of our body, but includes the mental pains and all side effects of sin. It means that when we go in front of Jesus, there is healing and recovery.
In Exodus 15:26 . “Healing” means to recover to the original state.
Isaish 53:5 By his wonds we are healed
Matthew 8:17 He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases
In verse 14, it says
Because he made us with dust, he knows that we are weak and easily broken.
There are still diseases that are incurable. But God knows my everything and so he can heal and renew me. We have to be thankful for that grace.
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3) Satisfies your desires. Verse 5
Every people have their way of expressing frustration. Nothing in the world can give a satisfied answer to what we want.
But Lord can achieve all of our desires, and he wants us to be satisfied.
Numbers 6:24 ‘“The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’
시 107:30 They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.
This is a true story. There was a boy living in Haenam of Jeallanam-do. He had to cut wood every day after Primary School to help for the poor living. And he started going to Sunday school.
The boy’s dream was to go to Middle School. The boy started writing a letter.
The postman saw the mail had no address, but wrote “to God” in the place. So he send this mail to Pastor Lee Jun Mok of Haenam-eup Church.
Next Sunday the boy was sent to Middle School. He studied hard and becomed a university professor after studying abroad. He is Doctor Oh yeong Suk, who was the former president of Hansin university.
I would like to suggest you to ask God of your desires with simple and pure heart just like this boy. God would answer your prayers and desires in mysterious ways.
So let’s thank God who satisfies our desires with good things so that our youth is renewed like the eagles’s.
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? Conclusion
What grace did David ask us to live in?
1) Forgives all your sins.
The grace of forgiveness is the most sourceful and ultimate, that nobody can take away.
2) Heals all your diseases.
Another name of Jehovah our God is “Jehovah Rapha”, ‘the God who heals’.
If we get close to Jehovah Rapha our God, all dieseases will get away.
3) Satisfies your desires.
God always satisfies our disires with good things so that our youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
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