An Attitude of Gratitude

Well as most of you know our pastor Conley is ill today and so cannot be with us and he made a call to Doug Myers who goes to Bethany Baptist Church in Stockton Under pastor

Kyle who's become fairly close friends with Conley as these churches are our church, and there's being bound together

Doug Myers a member there at that church. I was pleased to meet him and his wife Margie Thank you for being with us

Thank you for Doug for answering the call and bringing the Word of God to us this morning from Psalm 103 as you see an attitude of gratitude

So brother, please come and bring us that word Good morning.

Everyone's a pleasure for me to be with you my wife and I to be with you today I'm gonna be speaking about cultivating an attitude of gratitude.

So I would like to have us turn to Psalm 103 We're gonna focus particularly on verses 1 through 5 this morning that's going to be our focus and if we can

And I know we can Let's stand together and honor the reading of God's Word Psalm 103 verses 1 through 5

Psalmist writes bless the Lord. Oh my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name

Bless the Lord. Oh my soul Bless the Lord.

Oh my soul and forget none of his benefits who pardons all your iniquities who heals all your

Diseases who redeems your life from the pit? who crowns you with loving kindness and Compassion who satisfies your years with good things so that your youth is renewed like the

Eagle Let's pray Father we do ask this morning that you will bless the reading of your word to our hearts

That it would Penetrate into the deepest recesses of our souls and there by the work of your gracious Holy Spirit to bring conviction of sin and righteousness and judgment

To bring to our hearts Lord the very hope of the gospel the blessings that come from a

God who Who shows us all of his benefits in this life, and I pray this morning

Lord that you will be pleased to renew within us a fresh a heart of genuine

Thanksgiving for all the goodness mercy Blessings all the provision all that you have done to Make our lives

What they are today and to prepare us for glory we simply ask these things and Pray them in the blessed name of our

Lord Jesus and together say Amen Please be seated

An Old Testament German scholar wrote about some 103 these words. He said one of the finest blossoms on the tree of biblical faith

Spurgeon wrote and I'm quoting Here is too much in the psalm for a thousand pens to write

It is one of those all Comprehending scriptures Which is a

Bible in itself? And it might alone almost suffice for the hymn book of the church

It is it is a glorious hymn a Hymn of praise to our

God, which I believe in very practical ways gives us clear Instruction and insight into how we can cultivate an attitude of gratitude

In other words if I was to summarize everything that I wanted to say

About this psalm in very practical ways. I would say that we're being taught how to live a life of thanksgiving and Gratefulness and it's something that I think we really have to work at Cultivating an attitude of gratitude is vitally important because daily we are

We are bombarded with all kinds of negativity we have and hear about personal suffering we hear of sickness and death and destruction and riots and looting and We have in this political season all kinds of political

Infighting and we have people that are going through economic hardships and there are wars

Being declared and wars on the horizon and it just goes on and on and we have our own personal struggles and trials and hardships and so it would be easy for us to slip into Grumbling and complaining and and Losing what the psalmist gives us is a biblical perspective on life

And that is we are to live our lives with an attitude of gratitude no matter what we might be experiencing or the circumstances that are happening around us and So what we need to do and I think this psalm helps us

We need to kind of cultivate the soil of our hearts.

We need to weed out emotions and Perspectives and attitudes that are going to hinder us from being able to see

God's goodness and expressing that in terms of Thankfulness for all of the mercy and the grace that he shows us day by day and so what we're going to do and I'm gonna repeat this probably a number of times because I think this is the main point that That we want to glean from this passage.

We have to really Work hard put effort in to cultivating

Again an attitude of gratitude and I believe this is what this glorious psalm is teaching us and So for our purposes this morning, we're going to focus on verses 1 through 5 and as we work our way through the passage

I want to make two basic points and then elaborate on those points

First of all, I want us to see in this passage three timeless truths

So if you're taking notes these are three timeless truths that help us keep our perspective and Then secondly as we work our way through the passage.

I'm going to give us and I think we'll see from David's psalm a pattern a

A Pattern that encourages our gratefulness and thankfulness as a lifestyle and There are four simple points that we're going to draw from this psalm.

So let's begin By looking at verse 1 the psalmist said

David says Bless the Lord. Oh my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name

Bless the Lord. Oh my soul and forget none of his benefits and David as you notice repeats it twice so David as He thinks about God's goodness as he expresses his gratefulness

He cannot contain what is in his heart He just bursts forth from the very

Center of his being from the depths of his soul. He offers up praise and thanksgiving and adoration and for emphasis

He repeats it twice I Think if it's repeated

It's important and it was important for David to repeat the very

Feelings and the very desires of his soul as he seeks to express his thanksgiving to God and the point seems to be this

That genuine gratefulness and thanksgiving to God for David and For us hopefully begins by blessing

God before we get to his blessings Now this is important so I want to repeat it

Genuine thankfulness begins by blessing God before we ever bless

God for his blessings and This is a critical point and this is the first truth that I want to bring out this morning

That we must remember that God is always better than his blessings

This is a Baptist Church, right? Reformed Baptist Church. Can I get an amen? We have truth number one

God is always better than his blessings

So God does bless us. He blesses us with with health He blesses us with family with children with marriage with material blessings with jobs

These are all Blessings from God and the list could go on and on But the high and holy one who abounds in all these blessings the blessings of unconditional love the blessings of of life the blessings of family the blessings that are

Material the blessings that are spiritual mercy and patience and forgiveness and compassion

These are these are the things that our focus must be on not on the material blessings

But on God who gives the blessings And I wants to look again at verse 1

David says bless the Lord. Oh my soul and All that is with in me bless his holy name

So genuine praise comes from the depths of our being Here David I think is is

Summoning himself. He's he's willing himself to bless God. I love the way one translation put this

One translation put it this way bless the Lord. I tell myself

Every part of me like every nook and cranny of my being

I'm Summoning myself. I'm willing myself to bless God And so here's the second essential truth.

Not only Must remember that God is better than his blessings But the second truth is this

Genuine praise and gratefulness comes from the soul It comes again

From the very essence of our being and so we really do make a choice to rejoice

We give thanks and we express our gratefulness to God as an act of our will

It's not something that we do just because we feel like it But it's something we choose to do and there will be times when through tears and heartache and pain

We will need to choose to make a choice to Rejoice we we don't do it

Just when the mood strikes us or just when things are going well, and we sense the blessings

We feel the presence of God. Those are the easy times and of course we give him praise in those times

But there are times when we must make a choice To rejoice

There will be times when things are going well, it may be a good year Things are going well at work and with our families

But there are times when when we're struggling physically or emotionally we may be struggling that way this morning

We may be going through a spiritual desert There was a time when

David said my soul cleaves to the dust Revive me according to thy word

There's times of spiritual dryness there are times when we are

Involved and suffering and hurt over a damaged relationship a broken relationship

We may have serious financial challenges In those times the prophet

Habakkuk Shows us Where we are to put our focus

Reminds us That we are to rejoice The prophet gives us perspective.

Let me read Habakkuk 3 verses 17 and 19 for us the prophet writes this

Though the fig tree should blot not blossom and There be no fruit on the vines though the yield though the yield of the olive tree should fail and The fields produce no food

Though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls verse 18 yet I Will exalt in the

Lord. I will rejoice in the God of mine salvation now Think about this we put it in perspective

He is speaking prophesying to an agricultural Community Crops and herds failing.

This is a horrifying thought for a for an agricultural society it would produce famine starvation suffering and Possibly death and Likewise there will be times in our lives when we suffer loss when when there will be

There will be tears of sorrow streaming down our faces and in those most difficult seasons of life in the midst of pain and hardship and suffering and loss

Those are the times beloved church when we must make a willful choice to rejoice and The Prophet says what do we rejoice in?

What pushes all of that sorrow out of the way the Prophet says?

we will exalt in the God and We we will exalt in the Lord and rejoice in the

God of our salvation And this brings us to our third point

The third timeless truth that we're talking about this morning That we not forget all of God's benefits

Verse 2 the psalmist says again bless the Lord. Oh my soul and forget none of his benefits

So the the third timeless truth is we must work to remember his blessings

We must work to remember his benefits because life gets busy right

We have family we have various activities We have problems there are everyday challenges of life with with with children and and other responsibilities and we quickly we so quickly forget all of God's goodness all of his benefits and This is why the scripture recall tells us in a number of places to recall and to remember

God's benefits Psalm 105

Verse 5 remember his wonders which he has done

Psalm 77 verse 11 David says I shall remember the deeds of the

Lord surely. I will remember thy wonders David is or the psalmist is willing himself to remember to go back to think back

God has provided God has been good. God has been merciful and And so this is what

David is exhorting us to do this morning he remembers we remember we recount

God's benefits and Blessings and this becomes our focus in verse 3 and following Let me read verse 3 again

Remember the God who pardons all your iniquities who heals all your diseases who redeems your life from the pit

Who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion? Who satisfies your years with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle?

so I've given us three timeless truths and Now I want to give us four points or four

Ways that you and I can cultivate an attitude of gratitude for very simple points nothing profound here but What we see first of all as David B Recounts the blessings of God he he begins with the greatest gift that God gives pardon for our iniquities

Forgiveness for our sins verse 3 he pardons all of our iniquities not just some of them but all of them and we cultivate

Again, we encourage We engender in our own hearts an attitude of gratitude when number one

We regularly give thanks for our salvation. I Know we're thankful But we need to express it in prayer to others to one another we need to Regularly give thanks for our salvation because there's there is no greater blessing in this life than the free gift of salvation our glorious God our merciful

Savior Pardons all of our iniquities of all the blessings that are listed here in this psalm

Through verses 1 through 5 David gives the most attention to the blessing of forgiveness and salvation

Now if you if you jump down to verse 10 David writes that God has not dealt with us

Verse 10 God has not dealt with us according to our sins

No rewarded us according to our iniquities We Haven't gotten what we deserve in this life.

God's been merciful. He's been good. He's been gracious. He's been forgiving Jump down to verse 12

There David writes as far as the east is from the west so far has he removed our transgressions from us and so through the

Prophet Isaiah he writes this in Isaiah 43 25 I Even I am the one who wipes out all of your transgressions for my name's sake for my glory

I Wipe out all of your transgressions for my own sake and I will remember them no more

Micah 719 writes He will again have compassion on us.

He will tread our iniquities under foot Yes, that will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea see the

Lord throws our sins into a sea a vast sea of forgetfulness and Remembers them no more

One man says he puts up a no fishing sign our salvation

Involves God's forgiveness This is one of his great blessings the greatest of all our salvation also involves freedom from Satan's dominion from the power of sin no longer walking in darkness no longer blind no longer deceived

Want to take this idea of God's redemption from sin a little further Paul wrote writes in Romans 6 6

These words knowing this that our old self is crucified With him that the body of sin might be done a lot done away with that.

We should no longer be Slaves to sin For he who has died is freed from sin so our salvation is not only being rescued from eternal torment and judgment in a place where the scripture says there is weeping and gnashing of teeth and Those that are there will be an eternal torment.

That is what God has delivered us from but he's also delivered us from the ongoing consequences of sin

Dominating our lives We are no longer slaves to sin

Now There's a lot to impact there at what Paul writes in Romans But he's talking about our union with Christ that we have become by the

Spirit the work of the Spirit of God United with Christ for all of eternity and being united with him

We're united with him in his death and also in his resurrection But Mainly what we want to focus on here just simply is that we're no longer slaves to sin that Paul writes

We've been freed from the power and the dominion of sin and that's one aspect of our salvation and God's mercy and goodness to us in That we've been delivered from from worldly sinful destructive attitudes and lifestyle

We've been freed from all of that and I just wonder what Kind of person would we be?

Where would we be? Where would you be if? God had not been merciful to save and deliver from the power of sin

I Have a list here I'm gonna go through it

Addicted to drugs alcohol Immorality greed in prison and a mental institution living on the streets trapped in a cult

Now we might have thought well, you know that didn't happen to me We might have thought well You know,

I'm a good person. I go to church But in reality, there's no one good no not one

Paul writes in Romans chapter 3 There's none good and God even though there is goodness that we might feel in us

God has mercifully revealed the stench of our sin and our need of a

Savior and our hearts our hearts should just well up with overflowing praise and and Gratitude we we really should not be able to contain it when we call

God's merciful delivering us from the bondage of sin and his continuing work of sanctification where he is preparing us for the day that we will be received into his presence and their bask in his love and glory for all of eternity praise the

Lord Here's another truth.

I just Want us to get a hold of this morning our greatest blessings in this life are not material

It's not our children, it's not our grandchildren, it's not our homes our job or income our family

It's it is it is nothing of a material nature they the greatest blessing

Is spiritual And Paul writes of it again, I want to Bring us back to Ephesians chapter 1 you mentioned this morning pastor

There in Ephesians verses 3 through 13 You don't have to turn there.

I just want to recall real quickly Paul Giving us a list again of the spiritual blessings that we have in Christ For example in verse 3 blessed to be the

God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with what? every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ and so he lists these spiritual blessings and again

I Have this in my note pastor and you mentioned it He mentions in Christ or in him at least nine times by my count

Nine times so if it's repeated It's important It's repeated.

It's important. And so he lists those spiritual blessings and the greatest blessing when he says in Christ, he is our greatest treasure and All our spiritual blessings are mediated to us by virtue of being united with Christ for all of eternity

Nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus And so again, let's just quickly look at Paul's list verse 4.

He says He chose us before the foundation of the world that we might be declared holy and blameless

No longer any earthly sacrifices To sort of took to mediate although Christ always is the mediator, but they represented

Those animal sacrifices are one true and living mediator who mediates before God for us in heaven

Verse 5 he has adopted us as sons and daughters verse 7 We have redemption forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace which he has lavished upon us

But we just we can't even imagine all the the goodness and the grace that is is

Coming to us by virtue of our union with Christ verse 11. We have an inheritance verse 13 sealed with the

Holy Spirit of promise Now here's my question.

It's an honest question. When was the last time that? We went to God From the very depths of our being

Expressing to him maybe with tears streaming down our face. Oh, Lord Thank you for your multiplied blessings

That you have given mercifully To me through your blessed

Son the Lord Jesus Christ the indescribable gift of salvation

It may it may it may have been a long time for some of us and I would just simply say this there is there is there is nothing unspiritual about Drawing up the emotion within us

And I think it begins by confessing some sin We confess our sin before God he's faith on righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness and I believe once we start confessing that opens the floodgates of prayer and praise and thanksgiving

Here's another quick application when we remember

God's Benefits be sure to focus on our merciful God who pardons all of our iniquities

David writes this in verse 3 Yahweh is the one who heals all our diseases

Yahweh's the one who heals all your diseases so we cultivate an attitude of gratitude number one when we when we think and Rejoice and remember in God's salvation, but number two when we remember to give thanks for our healing our healing

I Want us to think about all the times the Lord has healed us day in and day out What what if we never got over the mumps or a cold or the chicken pox or a headache or?

A sore throat or a fever what if we never got over that just had to live with these things day in and day out suffering

What if a cut or a broken bone? Never healed anybody here ever had a broken bone

Yeah, I see some hands. I got hit by a motorcycle once broke my leg But it healed you've been healed

God is a healer God is a wonderful God in that he gives healers

He has given knowledge and medicine to doctors and hospitals with advanced technology in many ways

I Should have said this first in many ways he had he has not in many way

He has created our bodies to heal themselves God has

God has given brilliant scientists and doctors the skill to treat various ailments and diseases

That in years past would have left individuals, you know, you know handicapped

Possibly suffering, you know the rest of their lives and and leading to death But in reality what we understand and what we know is that that God is the one who heals in Exodus God declares

I The Lord am what your healer? I am your healer and here's something else to consider

Not only that he heals us physically But I agree with some of the commentators who seem to recognize that deal that David is is also speaking about What we might call inward diseases diseases of the heart and the soul and the mind

I Just kind of attend to agree with that there is a there is as you well know as we well know there is a sickness of the soul and They're just as bad as physical diseases, if not worse bitterness and envy and anger

Anger is the great destroyer the first murderer

Recorded in Scripture King was an angry man.

We can suffer from jealousy guilt addictions we know in our culture now there is a an epidemic of of addiction to pornography

Alcohol drugs these these diseases do great damage to the soul and to relationships and Yet God by his

Holy Spirit and his word he brings healing to our To our hearts to the depths of our being

David wrote in the Psalms He restores my soul and so today the

Lord Jesus Christ heals the sin sick soul He brings healing to the sin afflicted heart

For anyone who would call upon him today know that he alone is the one who brings forgiveness who removes guilt and frees from the power of sin and Satan who has held us in bondage so I would

I would Plead with you come to him if this is your condition come to him in Genuine repentance and faith put your faith in him alone and plead with him to rescue you

Humbly ask in faith and repentance Lord Jesus heal me heal me in the depths of my soul cleanse me of my sin

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and God will heal and may our souls this morning just be filled with with overflowing gratitude and praise to the one who heals both body and soul

I Look with me at verse 4 God is the one who redeems your life from the pit

Now David is really referring here specifically to to a physical death

I think that the broader idea that we can draw as a point of praise and Thanksgiving to cultivate an attitude of gratitude is to reflect on God's Redemption and deliverance and whatever form it comes to us

There is redemption and forgiveness that we give God Thanksgiving and praise for on several occasions

David had the experience of God's Deliverance from the pit of death from his enemies

One time he wants in the Psalms. He writes my enemies have surrounded me.

They're closing in Saul being one of them as we remember from the

Old Testament and no doubt there have been times When God's unseen hand of mercy as It delivered

David from his troubles from his enemies Has delivered us from serious from serious

Injury from suffering from an enemy and possibly even from death, you know in thinking about this you know,

I remember I I'm going back when I was a young man before I was a

Christian the foolish things So many unsafe unwise foolish things

I did we can go back maybe you have those memories and You think back?

How did I get out of that Unscathed for the most part

It was God's mercy his God God's deliverance we need to Remember just in the everyday activities of life.

God is redeeming and God is delivering But there's something even greater here to recognize that that he talks about the pit of death and Even for David Though he knew that he could die and he eventually did he like us

Have the hope of eternal life God's final act of redemption will be receiving us into his glorious presence and ultimately the power of death

God's deliverance Will come to all of us one day

Psalm 73 24 the psalm this rights with I counsel thou will guide me and afterward

Receive me to glory So one day when this life is over We will be received into glory and our finite minds cannot begin to comprehend

The app the the unbelievable and Unimaginable glories of eternal life.

I Think it's good if we try Let's give it our best but but our minds

Still are going to fall so far short Paul writes this in 1st

Corinthians 2 9 Things which I has not seen and ear has not heard and which has not entered the heart of man

Listen all the all that God has prepared for those who love him

We cannot imagine that one day when we see the Lord Jesus Christ in all of his perfect perfection and glory

Unimaginable and we will fall at his feet and Worship him for all of eternity

There are hardships in this life The hymn writer put it this way

Of times the day seems long our trials hard to bear were tempted to complain

To murmur and despair, you know this hymn, right? But Christ will soon appear to catch his bride away all

Fears forever over in God's eternal day It will be worth it all when we see

Jesus I'm gonna repeat that sounds so good

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus Life's trials will seem so small when we see

Christ One glimpse of his dear face our all sorrow will erase

So bravely run the race Till we see Christ verse 5

David writes God is the one who satisfies your ears with good things So that your youth is renewed like the eagle

There are many things in this life that we take for granted many things that God has filled our lives with but we do

Take them for granted and Here's my fourth Fourth point

We must recognize our many many material blessings,

I know You may think this is trivial, but it's really not

Do we thank God for clean water? millions and millions of people in third world countries live in abstract absolute poverty

Absolute poverty without without basic sanitation human

Human waste and garbage just running running down the street. I've Been in third world countries.

I've seen it for myself the stench being so bad you just had to Literally hold your nose to get past it and we complain because oftentimes our water doesn't taste good

So we buy bottled water Do we thank God for the blessing of a hot shower indoor toilets machines that wash and dry our clothes and dishes?

I bet almost everybody here has a dishwasher Or maybe that dishwasher is sitting next to you.

I don't know. Do we thank

God for the for the way we can clean our homes?

there are Robots that will vacuum our carpets mow our yards

We have computers We have heating and air conditioning We have cars that can travel great distances and we travel in air -conditioned

Comfort and some cars will even drive you there. Well Some people take a nap or play on their phones

Seeing that on the freeway How about our jobs the ability to earn an income pay our bills provide for our families?

Are we grateful? Again, this is not trivial.

Are we grateful for? the ability to see the beauty of God's creation to hear to taste

I read the article Sometime back of a woman Who lost her her sense of taste?

Just one day it was gone Couldn't taste her food anymore got no pleasure out of it and In the article described how occasionally

Occasionally her sense of taste would come back and immediately she'd rush out to her favorite restaurant

Have a meal with her husband Just just enjoying it just taking it all in and then in an hour.

So it was gone Sense of taste was gone. We take it for granted. She didn't we have been recipients of all of God's benefits

Let's not forget them first of all his salvation then his healing then his redemption and Deliverance from eternal death and his material blessings remembering all his benefits and his blessings for David and for us

This is refreshes and revigorates our hearts David said That it renews your youth like the

Eagle it's a renewing Thing in our soul and in our spirit it allows us to sort of spiritually soar like an eagle spiritually mentally

Emotionally, I remember having a little thing with my son when he was a little guy and You know, there might be some complaining or whatnot and I say hey, hey

Jared Do we want to be like the turkeys? Do we want to be a turkey

And we had a little thing we'd go back and forth. They'd say hey Jared, you want to be a turkey? He said he'd say and I taught him this

I'd say hey, he'd say hey No, dad We don't want to be like the turkeys you want to eat the turkeys and soar like an eagle

Well, thank you for that complimentary laugh That's What we do when we count all of God's blessings what did the hymn writer write

Count your blessings what? Name them one by one counts are many blessings.

See what God has done So I want to finish with this.

I'm I'm just about done, but I want to leave with something that you can take home work with Your family on if that's necessary and it probably is like it is in my home

Number one three very simple points of application number one Today maybe over over lunch or or dinner

Or sometime this week go home sit down with your family and together write out a list of God's blessings

And it should be real long Right write out a list then take that list go over it and Thank God offer him praise and then take the list and put it on the refrigerator or post it somewhere in your home

So that when we are tempted to grumble and complain We go or we take our children to that list and say look look at all the blessings.

God has given us a reminder of God's goodness number two

Meditate and memorize possibly it's be good to hide the scripture in our hearts that we may not sin against God the psalmist said

Meditate and memorize on path on this passage psalm 103 or another passage if you don't want to try to memorize five verses then go to First Thessalonians 5 17 and all things and all things give thanks for this is

God's will for you in Christ Jesus It doesn't say be thankful for everything But it says give thanks in all things because God is working all things in our lives for his glory and our good and then finally

Ask God to search our hearts for any ungratefulness there might be just a small modicum of Ungratefulness in our souls and we need to Take that and expunge it

From our lives and from our thinking There may be a lack of thanksgiving and these things are our sin

They are ungratefulness is a sin and we must confess it first John 1 9 says if we confess our sins he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness

And I hope and pray that God will help each and every one of us to cultivate an attitude of gratitude

Let's pray father.

We we pray that by the Word and by the Spirit you will take the truths of your word and Drive them deeply into our hearts.

We we know Lord. There are areas where we have not seen you're working through the trials and the tribulations through the problems and The suffering we know

Lord that we have lost our perspective in many ways and We need the

Spirit of God to take the words of this Glorious psalm this wonderful Word of God and drive it

Into the depths of our being and thereby the grace of the Holy Spirit work to expunge from our lives anything

That would fail To recognize your goodness your blessings your many manifold benefits

Oh God If there be one here Lord who does not truly understand at this point in their lives

Their need of a God who offers salvation who redeems their life from the pit from eternal death and Damnation we pray

Oh God for your mercy this morning that you would pour it out upon them revealing them as being under the judgment and the wrath of a holy

God, but yet a merciful God a compassionate God a forgiving

God who offers Pardon for sin do your work

Oh God in our hearts Be pleased to glorify your blessed