Psalm 107

Psalm 107 and the Call to Thanksgiving

So some of you might remember that in several weeks ago I it was my turn to pray publicly and and I had mentioned psalm 107 in my prayer and It's been rolling around in my mind, so I'm gonna ask us to open our Bibles to psalm 107 and Little different than the book of Revelation, but I.

I.

Hope we can Agree that no matter where we are in God's Word. It's always a blessing if God is pleased to bless us. So what I want to do is to read the whole psalm. I read a portion of it the last time During that prayer time, but I want to read the whole psalm and then we'll stay here and I just want to try to Give us some thoughts to think about.

Concerning.

This whole idea of Thanksgiving and what it really means to give thanks and how we can Keep ourselves in a sense in a spirit of Thanksgiving because I do think that's very important for us. So I'm gonna read the entire psalm.

And again, remember I read New King James. So I'm close. I almost made it, right?

But.

One day someday. I'll be there brother. All right, so. Psalm 107. Okay, thanks to the Lord for he is good for his mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.

Gathered out of the lands from the east and from the west and from the north and from the south. And they wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way and they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty their soul fainted in them.

And then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble when he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way. That they might go to a city for habitation. Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men.

He satisfies the longing soul and he fills the hungry soul with goodness. Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death bound in afflictions and irons because they rebelled against the words of God.

Despised the counsel of the Most High. Therefore he brought them down. He brought down their heart with labor and they fell down. There was none to help. And then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he saved them out of all their distress out of their distresses.

And he brought them out of the darkness and the shadow of death and broke their chains and pieces. Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness for his wonderful works to the children of men.

For he has broken the gates of bronze cut the bars of iron in two fools because of their transgression and because of their iniquities were afflicted and Their soul abhorred all manner of food and they drew near to the gates of death.

And then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he saved them out of their distresses. He sent his word and he healed them. He delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men.

Let them sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving and declare his works with rejoicing. Those who go down to the sea and ships who do business on great waters. They see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep.

And he commands and raises the stormy wind which lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens and they go down again to the depths and their soul melts because of trouble and they reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and are at their wits end and.

Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble and he brings them out of their distresses. And he calms the storm so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet. So he guides them to their Desired haven.

Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness. And for his wonderful works to the children of men. Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people and praise him in the assembly of the elders and he turns rivers into a wilderness in the water spouts into dry ground and A fruitful land into barrenness for the wickedness of those who dwell in it.

He turns a wilderness into a pool of water and dry land into water springs and Dairy makes the hungry dwell that they may establish a city for habitation and so fields and plant vineyards that they may yield a fruitful harvest and he blesses them and they and they Multiply greatly and he does not let their cattle decrease.

When they are diminished and brought low through oppression affliction and sorrow. He pours contempt on princes and causes them to wander in the wilderness Where there is no way. Yet he sets the poor on high far from affliction and makes their families like a flock.

The righteous see it and rejoice and all iniquity stops its mouth. Whoever is wise will observe these things and they will understand the loving-kindness. And as I said as I Read this psalm and it kind of floated in my mind and I and I thought well, you know what this is there's so much here to think about and and certainly we don't have the time to go through it all but I'm gonna try to Pull out some thoughts for us that that I trust will will feed us and and That's what the Word of God really ought to do, right?

It ought to feed us. It ought to nourish us spiritually. It ought to give us Something within us that we can grab on to especially when times of issues troubles problems Situations all the things of life me and Navelli were talking before to study.

I was just talking about how life in the world sometimes is so cruel and so harsh and so Callous and and that people are rude and crude and and not that we as Special in and of ourselves, but but there is something within us that by the Spirit of God that allows us to Continually praise the Lord and so as we think about these things concerning Thanksgiving that that that's my desire and I'm not gonna get into the background of when the psalm was written or Anything like that because again for time's sake, but I do believe that if we if the Spirit of God will help us.

Especially at this time of year that we will have More of an attitude of Thanksgiving to carry us through all those days and even those times with The situations of life to come on us anybody. Let me I Know the answer but I'm gonna ask anybody here free of situations maladies.

Troubles.

Anybody brother what you free? No, okay. Brother Jack you free none of us are free from the things that That come upon us day by day and then we get a little bit of a reprieve, right? And then next thing, you know, there you are again In the middle of something whatever it would be and the diversity is amazing in and of itself right and and we'll see that in the psalm, so Just some thoughts and and if you have thoughts to add to it, that would be great too.

Six Reasons Psalm 107 Calls Us to Give Thanks

So let me start it this way. Six times in the psalm and you can read it on your own six times. You can trust me that the six or prove me that there isn't six times in the psalm were instructed to give thanks to the Lord.

Six times in this psalm we are in that sense told to to give thanks unto the Lord and We'll look at the reason why and the reason is this He's good. Is there any other reason not to give thanks to the Lord other than the fact that he is Good, and we need to understand that in in the truest sense.

That really even as the Lord Jesus taught there's really none good but God and that is That is a cause for us to be thankful to him. How many gods are there? But one God. There he alone inhabits eternity.

Therefore all our thanksgiving all our praise all our worship all our. In that way all our thoughts should be centered around him and focused on him. But in the psalm, it says with we are told to give thanks to the Lord and If you and I would would focus in on that if we would just set our minds this way.

How often do we contemplate the goodness of God. How often do we contemplate the goodness of God. And I will say this that the giving of thanks. And if you disagree, we could speak about it. But the giving of thanks is is so essential.

To our worship.

Does anybody disagree with that? That the giving of thanks is is. You. You can't really.

Be a.

Believer in the term the way people use it if there is not a thankfulness that resides in our hearts. That it is so essential. It is so if you will united to the reality of it that Those that do not give thanks and we'll talk about that a little bit but those that do not give thanks They really have no basis For saying that they believe in God.

Again, these things are these things are united and really remember it has to be Thanksgiving. Not just the like Last week. Everybody was happy Thanksgiving. I don't know how many people said to me happy Thanksgiving and I don't know how many people I wanted to say and it just even in passing in the grocery store at This place to that place and I wanted to just say to them and you can't do it because you can't do it all the.

Time.

What do you mean by Happy Thanksgiving? Same thing like we're gonna start seeing people and they're gonna say Merry Christmas. People really don't have a thought for it. I Will just say this when people sneeze how many people say god bless you.

Just be honest. Yeah, okay, I never say god bless you and I do it for a specific reason. I hope that gets and I've gotten some response for that but I often think of Why people say god bless you when you sneeze and I know what's supposedly behind it, right?

It's because you when you sneeze what happens. Your heart stops right and so it's the way of saying I hope you don't drop dead. We just we we inverted and we say god bless you, but I never say god bless you because I It's just not.

How many people say that? Without any thought it's almost like a reflex and It really ought not to be that way. When we when we give thanks it ought to really be in spirit and in truth. It ought not to be some some reflex or some some Religious thing that we do is not just an activity.

It really is again Something that I believe is it is united to our heart and I thought about The Lord Jesus himself and you know many times He gave thanks to the father. And let me just remind us of a couple of them when the disciples Understood who he was.

When they confessed that he was the Christ, you know what Jesus did. He gave thanks He gave he says I thank thee father that you have revealed this to them. There wasn't there was a reflect a Reaction even on the part of the Son of Man and the Son of God of giving thanks to the father for the understanding that other people have and.

So you and I need to think about that. You remember when He raised Lazarus from the dead and all that that whole account of the sorrow Martha and Mary in the mourners and and He comes finally and then she says Lord.

He's been in the ground For days and he stinks and you know what Jesus did when he raised Lazarus.

He gave thanks to the father he always.

Gave thanks. Just like it says that Jesus always did the things that pleased the father. One of the things that pleased the father is the.

Thought of.

Thanksgiving being thankful being If you will of a spirit of Thanksgiving. Rather than again, just the reaction and the god bless you and happy Thanksgiving and all those other kinds of things. When Jesus Fed the 5 ,000 Remember that account right.

Where told him to sit down and there's so many people and all they have is a couple of loaves of bread and a couple of dried fish and and Jesus tells him to sit down on the grass and groups and and guess what he does.

Yes, thanks. Do you think he was just? Filling some religious activity. Or was it really? Something on on his part that even though he is and Was and always will be the Son of God at the same time. He's the Son of Man and as the Son of Man He is the greatest example of one who gave thanks.

How about us where do we fall in. Are we are we are we? Characterized by an attitude of Thanksgiving or we characterize as Grumblers Marmoris. Those finer things of life, right? You know, it's weird to me anyway.

It's weird to me how even in the world. Well, let me pose it as a question. Would you agree that even in the world at large? When people are unthankful. Do you find it? Disruptive. Do you find a how it that it it kind of rubs against the grain?

Let's just say you do something for someone and and it really is something that you don't have to do. You just want to do or whatever the situation is and and from them. There's not even a hint of Thankfulness, I think sometimes we as parents and certainly I can remember even as a.

Child.

There were things that were done for me by my parents and by others and and I never even said, thanks. I Just took it as hey, I'm entitled to this. And I do think it. It finds it rubs against the grain if you will and the world is.

Is.

What Paul says. Know what Paul says what is one of the characteristics of the ungodly? Yeah, have you read it in Romans they're unthankful and It's not just that they don't say God bless you when someone sneezes.

They're Unthankful, they're unthankful for who God is. They're unthankful for what God does they're unthankful for the blessings and They are characterized more as Grumblers and disruptors and murmurs than they are in Paul.

Even Paul. Who followed Christ man? That's what Paul say says follow me because I follow Christ I'm and Jesus continually gave thanks and guess what? So does Paul if you read almost every one of Paul's epistles in.

The opening of.

Everyone just about every one of his epistles. Unless you don't believe. Maybe if you believe. Hebrews was written by Paul, so I'm not trying to open a door here. I'm just leaving it alone, but maybe that one not so much.

Almost every other pistol up Paul opens up. What does he open up with? I give thanks. He gave thanks to the Father. He gave thanks to the Son. He gave thanks to the Spirit.

He gave thanks for the believers that he was writing to in the book of Revelation.

How many times. And brother Mike's taking us through and we'll see it more. But if you read through the book of Revelation, guess what? There's a whole lot of thankfulness going on. Not only of the the the angels give thanks.

The.

The souls of them who have been redeemed. Guess what? They're characterized by Thankfulness you see. Worship and thankfulness go together. It is not just something that we kind of it's up to me like Christmas time.

I.

Don't think candy's listening this morning. So I probably have a couple hours of reprieve for that. But candy will start decorating for Christmas. Oh my goodness. Our house has been lit up like a runway for.

Yeah, yeah and.

Christmas Day or the day after Christmas. He'll go back in the closet. Now other people do it other ways. But you see thankfulness or not to be like that. It's not something we ought to pull out. Light up and then put away for another season.

It ought to characterize our life it ought to be that other people see in us. A If you will a sense of Thanksgiving and I'm gonna get to this in the psalm. But but there is so many times remember what Paul says in in Colossians.

He says. And whatever you do in word of deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. What giving thanks To God the Father through him. Guess what. That's not a suggestion. That's not an option. That's a command.

And that command ought not to be grievous to us. Let me ask you if you had to characterize yourself. Which is not easy to do because we all. Yeah, we all have a slant less way let's put it that way. But but if we had to characterize ourselves.

Would you say that one of the characteristics that you see in you and coming out of you is a sense of thankfulness? Or is it more of grumbling mumbling.

Mourning.

Contention dish that the other thing. That's not an easy question to ask. I mean answer but it's something that you and I ought to really think about and This psalm is a psalm of great Teaching for us and that's why I wanted to look at it of how we ought to be thankful in in all the Situations of life and so let's look at a couple of the situations and and think about it.

And and the one who's in view, of course is who it's the Lord. It's Jehovah. It's the it's the eternal God. It's the the one only true God the one who is father son and Holy Spirit. And what's interesting and again, you could check my math, but Thirty three times in the psalm You will find either the word he or his Oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good.

It's his mercy. He has redeemed you read through this psalm over and over again. And that's what you're gonna continually find. He delivered them. He led them. All that men would give thanks for his goodness and his wonderful works to the children of men.

You see our thankfulness ought to have.

An object in view.

And it ought to be God. It ought to be the the triumphant triune God and not just The God of men's imagination. I always get a kick out of you know as it gets around Thanksgiving. You'll see it in on the news or whatever in conversation.

So what are you most thankful for? I'm thankful. I got a new truck this year. I'm thankful for this and I'm thankful for that. I'm not saying that we shouldn't be thankful that certainly we should. But how often do you hear someone say I'm thankful to God?

That doesn't even some people say I'm thankful for my family. Well, where'd you get your family from?

Huh.

What. And I'm not saying Lord not to be thankful. But our thankfulness can't just stop because we have a family or of course we have a job or because we have a house. Because who's the giver of that? Job in the house and the family it's God.

And so many times I think what happens is our thankfulness only reaches Here when it ought to really reach.

All the way up there.

And so when you read the psalm, it's it's all about him and his it's in his mercy. And we could define and look at either all of these things. It's in his goodness. It's in his wonderful works you read through the psalm.

I'm Not leading you wrong at this point. It's it's in his wonders and blessings. His actions towards us. Also want to point this out in many ways. It has to do with us crying out for help. The Thanksgiving sometimes is A way in which we thank God and at the same time we cry out for help.

I want you to look at look at verse 6 just for a second. And we'll come back again around to this but verse 4 says they wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way and they found no city to dwell in and hungry and thirsty their Soul fainted in them and then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble.

Look at verse 13 again. We'll come back around. But look in that situation that those who sat in darkness. They cried out to the Lord in verse 19. They cried out to the Lord in verse 28. Where they had reeled to and fro and staggered like a drunken man and they are at wits ends.

Then they cried out my friends. That's.

In many ways one of the Components of prayer, isn't it? Cry out to the Lord. And in order to be accompanied with Thanksgiving even like Paul said whatever we do in word of deed do all to the glory of God giving.

Thanks to the Father and In every situation of life. We ought to be thankful if there's anybody who's accomplished that you need to come up here and help us because There ain't a one of us that can honestly say that That we're thankful and that we are always crying out crying out to to to the Creator for help crying out to to find relief.

There's a word in Italian and I although I heard it on the news the other day, but it was an Italian news newscaster. Actually was Neil Cavuto and I heard him say the word agita. Anybody know what agita means?

It's anxiousness.

Okay.

Your guts are twisted up is what it is and and and people will say. I remember my family when I was with them up there in the northern country. They would say don't give me agita. Don't turn my stomach and you know when you get that agita.

We ought to cry out in thankfulness and look to God. To I think it's not 94 says in the midst of my anxieties. Your comforts have been my delight and that's Psalm 94 17 In in the midst of my anxieties your comforts have been my delight.

Not not another person's come God's comfort and we ought to be thankful for that. We ought to be those who are able to look up and Think about this and and in many ways that again is the is the cry of prayer if you will.

It's it's like there's an attitude within us or ought to be in us of understanding our frailty and That we ought to understand. Not only that we need to cry out not only that we need to be thankful. But we need to have the understanding that we are the frail ones not God.

God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask to think. Right. How many of us have memorized that verse? How many of us are? Constantly crying out to God to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask to think little different.

But it's the cry of the frail to the Almighty. It's the cry of of the desperate to the all-sufficient one. That's another one that that at times seems so troubling. How many men will cry out women? What young people that cry out to Lord when they're in a jam.

When they're in trouble when they're hurting. But how many will cry out in thankfulness and cry out to the Lord when things are just going really good or do we begin to think that. We don't really need to be as thankful as we are as at other times because we've got it handled.

Yeah, and it's all in the situations of life. So so let me take you through this and I thought this was pretty cool. Look, first of all, there's this area if you will of wandering verse 4 the various situations of life so in verse 4 speaking of people speaking of Israel in.

In some ways but also in a wide sense. Talks about people who wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty their soul fainted in them, which what? Then they cried out to the Lord and he delivered them out of their distresses and Led them forth by the right way that he might go to a city of habitation in there.

There's the result again. Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness. And the wonderful works to the children of men how many of us were found by God when we were wandering in a wilderness?

How many of us were if you will in a desert place whether it was physically spiritually or above and yet God comes and. And they cry out and he delivers them and he leads them and Where does he lead them to that?

They might go to a city for habitation? That great in verse 10 through verse 12. It talks about those that were in darkness and death. Look at it. He in verse 9. He fills the hungry soul with goodness and those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Bound in affliction and iron because they rebelled against the Word of God and they despised the counsel of the Most High and he brought them down he brought down their heart with labor and they fell down and there was none to help and Then they cried out to the Lord and he saved them out of their distresses.

And he brought him out of darkness in the shadow of death and he broke the chains in pieces. All that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and his wonderful works to the children of men.

How many of us were in absolute spiritual darkness. God came to us now I do understand that many have had. If you will a Christian background right one of these I when I go set free it's it's it's a Revolving door because it's only they're only there for a certain amount of time some of them fall out some of them.

They call it blessing out and then they wind up back there. One of the things that I usually will ask from time to time. There's how many of those guys? There have had exposure to some sort of Christianity Before they were there and it's amazing to me.

That almost it almost happens every time. I Would say three-quarters of those guys that are there have had some exposure to Christianity. But there is a number of them that will say that before they came to set free.

They never even opened a Bible.

That's how dead they were.

That's how much in darkness they were. And yet some of those guys and I say this some of those guys are the most thankful.

That I've met there.

Because they really. There's a there's a way in which when you're. When you're bound in darkness and all of a sudden you see light. Sometimes it's easier to distinguish it. Then it is if you've left if you've lived in a life of gray all your life.

Right that I think it's. I think I heard the best way to see stars is to crawl down into a well and look up. Because the darkness of the well brings out the brightness of the stars. And so if you look at this.

And that they wandered in darkness in the shadow of death and and they Rebelled and they were living that life and and then they cried out. And he delivered them out of their trouble. In verse 17 to 18 it talks about another.

Group.

It says fools because of their transgression and because their iniquities were afflicted and Their soul abhorred all manner of food and they drew near To the gates of death and then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he saved them out of the distresses.

Listen, if you go through the Gospels Who who are some of the most Pentecostal people in the Bible. The lame? The blind.

The deaf.

The.

Hindered.

The paralytic. The woman who had the issue of blood. They were some of the most thankful People that were given to us as examples in the Bible. Versus the grumbling mumbling unthankful Jews how many of us would say that we were found in that sense of.

Having. You know, I think about it a lot. I think about people of. And I know people. I Had a boss one time and his daughter was a paralytic. I mean she was confined to a wheelchair and I'm I got close to him and we actually went out to dinner with him and his wife a couple times and that woman Carried that daughter everywhere they went and Her body was her body began to break down.

Because she literally had to carry the daughter everywhere she went and. And I it was an example to me of how thankful.

That I ought to be.

To God. And God doesn't afflict willingly, right? We know that God has a purpose but to be bound by that with someone who's who's got a If you will a lifelong affliction and how we ought to be those who give thanks To the Lord for his goodness and his wonderful works.

We're in Psalm 107. So, all right, I want to I want to make one quick point from verse 20 and In verse 19 it says they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he saved them out of their distresses and look friends He sent his word and healed them.

How thankful are we this morning for the Word of God? Even the new King James or Are we truly thankful that God has revealed himself to us. I'm talking about Revealing himself in in that he has given us his word.

How many of us find reading the Bible is a burden instead of a pleasure? Instead of being thankful that not only That God is but that God has revealed himself to us that he's given us his word and his word is able to to Fulfill and meet every need we have empowered by the Spirit of God or not that to cause us to be thankful.

He sent his word and men ought to be thankful. Because look at it in verse 20. He sent his word and he healed them and he delivered them from their destruction. Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and his wonderful works To the children of men you see in every area of life friends In in every situation of life In and I'll just have to move quickly now, but in verse 23, there's another group of people.

Look what it says those that go down to the sea and ships who do business in great waters. They see the works of the Lord his wonders in the deep. He commands and raises the stormy wind which lifts up the waves To the sea and they mount up to the heavens and they go down again to the depths and then their soul melts Because of trouble.

I'll tell you what how many have ever been on the rough sea.

Then.

I'll tell you why they don't. It'll wake you up. And then there they are and their soul melts because of trouble and they reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and they are at wit's end and. And then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble and he brings them out of his distresses and he calms the storm So that its waves are still remember when they when Jesus was sleeping in the boat, right?

Master, do you not care? And calms the scene. This is all you little almost. Probably not the best paraphrase. It's almost like The Lord saying come on.

Boys.

Am I not the master.

Where is your faith?

But I know that nevertheless this there's all these areas God Brings us through so many things friends so many afflictions and so many situations and and and and it's never because God has a.

Malicious.

Thought towards it now. He might have a judgmental thought to it, but that's not the same as malicious. That God has no pleasure In the death of the wicked. But that the wicked would what? Turn and live.

How we ought to be thankful that God in all the situations of life in every situation. There is there's some on the in this situation is some in that situation. There's some on the seed is some that are afflicted.

There are some that are a dead end and have not a single thought of God. And God comes and God saves from every tribe and nation and kindred and tongue and situation and and. Even the angels in heaven rejoice.

And I believe that's rejoicing includes Thanksgiving over what? One sinner who repents and it happens in the city and happens in the prison happens on the sea. Thought about this. Are we not thankful that God distributes to all men in that whole thought of common grace.

I mean, I'm thankful for the butcher the baker and the candlestick maker. I'm thankful that God puts within the heart of one man to be a carpenter, but that's when I need to have a House built or I need something to be done.

I certainly am thankful for God for the doctor. Because I do not want the carpenter. Operating on me with a scroll saw and you and I ought to be thankful that God Distributes to all men and I don't mean men.

I'm saying that generically but men women and that this one is given to this and that one is given to that and and then. And then in a sense it all blends together. I mean, what would we do if everybody was a carpenter?

Well, I'm surely not a carpenter. Don't call me if you want something straight. But God is so good he rules over giving gifts even to the ungodly and. And again, and I guess I have to close but let me let me try to just close it this way and just read what it says and look what at verse 33 and we'll just read to the end and it proves that point of what I'm saying that you and I ought to be able to see the.

If you will the height and the depth and the breadth and the length of the grace of God and and how it ought to cause Thankfulness and look at it in verse 33. It says this he turns rivers into a wilderness and Water springs into dry ground and our fruitful land into barrenness.

For the wickedness of those who dwell it he turns a wilderness into a pool of water. And dry land into water springs and he makes the hump there. He makes the hungry dwell that they may establish a City for habitation and he sows Fields and plants vineyards that they may yield a fruitful harvest.