Lesson Overview
11/22/2009
We went around the room and discussed plans for Thanksgiving and each shared things that we are thankful for. Some things included family, God's provision, health, plans that God has even begun in our lives yet, second-chances, unity in marriage, etc.
What are some ways that we show thanks to other people?
- Hugs
- Verbal "thank you"
- Gifts
- Returning the favor
What good does it do to express thanks?
- Shows that we appreciate the person
- Makes the "giver" feel good
- Lets them know we don't take them for granted
This may come as a huge shocker so prepare yourself ...
The lesson title for today is ...
"GIVE THANKS"
Psalm 116 is classified as a Psalm of Thanksgiving. When read, it pretty clearly breaks into two sections:
1. Why is the Lord worthy of praise?
2. What am I going to do about it?
Reading of verses 1-9
Reasons the Psalmist gives thanks:
1. "He heard my voice"
2. "He is gracious"
3. "He is righteous"
4. "He is full of compassion"
5. "He protects and saves"
6. "He is good"
7. "He has conquered death"
8. "He gives joy"
9. "He directs my path"
If you remember the lesson entitled "God is Great" in late September, I suggested a problem with describing God. I said that we encoun0ter a problem because human language uses man-made words to define things, but words like "great," and in this passage, "gracious," "righteous," and "good," cannot be used to adequately define God. Instead, God defines these words. That being the case, it's important to look at each of these words, think about the pure meaning of each of them, and recalibrate our understanding of who God is.
This immediately leads to another challenge ...
Is it possible for us to show enough gratitude or properly praise God, not only for what He has done, but for who He is?
Consider this:
We cannot possibly offer pure love and gratitude. Pure love is love that is unconditional, with no expectations or requirement of the recipient. Quite possibly, the closest we come to this is the love we have for our children, but it still isn't pure, because we are not. We cannot offer pure, unadulterated love and thanksgiving to our God. Any love offered from creation to Creator is in large part based on how we benefit from Him - there are no other possibilities. God understands this, and this further complicates any possible understanding of why He loves us! Why does He love us?! We do nothing to contribute to who God is. He IS without everything we can possibly offer. We therefore cannot adequately love, thank, or "repay" Him.
The Psalmist understands this impossibility, but that understanding drives him. It becomes his sole purpose, his passion, and his one desire to try.
Reading of verses 10-16
V.10: "I believed, therefore I said..." and "though I am afflicted..."
V.11: "all men are liars"
Consider these verses against Romans 3:3-4, which says "What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar."
This seems to be where the Psalmist is going here. Perhaps a translation could be "no matter who has argued that God is not faithful, regardless of the affliction I suffer and those who doubt God, I believe He is who He says He is!" (Remember Job)
V.12: "How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me?"
...
1. "lift up the cup of salvation"
- This signifies public affirmation because it refers to being seen offering himself to God in the temple by everyone around.
2. "call on the name of the Lord"
- This also denotes a public sign of worship. It also points to including God in his life in every circumstance.
3. "fulfill my vows to the Lord"
- The Psalmist most likely made vows to God when he was afflicted, things he said he would do if God would only deliver Him, as we often do. Taking this further, don't we make vows to God when accepting Christ? We vow to follow Him, obey Him, serve Him, and include Him in our life.
4. "do so in the presence of all His people"
- Again ... public affirmation. Consider this quote from the Adam Clarke commentary ...
"He who neglects public worship is not very likely to keep up private devotion, either in his family or in his closet."
5. "serve Him"
- Verse 16 says He "freed me from my chains" and "I am Your servant"
So backward from human thinking. This servanthood is a submission to a Holy and Perfect Master. It is a choice.
6. "sacrifice"
- Why is it a sacrifice? What does his mean by this?
When we give our lives completely, we sacrifice our sinful desires, etc. But isn't it also a sacrifice of our pride and reputation to outwardly proclaim our faith? This is what we should be doing as a small part of our gratitude and devotion.
Here is a passage by CS Lewis that speaks of praise and thanksgiving. When Lewis first became a Christian, he had a difficult time with the fact that God told us to praise Him, and that His believers mandated thanksgiving. In his Reflections on the Psalms, he finds an answer.
"...we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment ... It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. (...) [what] if one could really and fully praise even such things to perfection - utterly 'get out' in poetry or music or paint the upsurge of appreciation which almost bursts you? Then indeed the object would be fully appreciated and our delight would have attained perfect development. The worthier the object the more intense this delight would be.
"If it were possible for a created soul fully (I mean up to the full measure conceivable in a finite being) to 'appreciate,' ... to love and delight in, the worthiest object of all, and simultaneously at every moment to give this delight perfect expression, then that soul would be in supreme beatitude. It is along these lines that I find it easiest to understand the Christian doctrine that 'Heaven' is a state in which angels now, and men hereafter, must suppose ourselves to be in perfect love with God - drunk with, drowned in, dissolved by that delight which (...) flows out from us incessantly (...) in effortless and perfect expression, our joy no more separable from the praise in which it liberates and utters itself than the brightness a mirror receives is separable from the brightness it sheds. The Scotch catechism says that man's chief end is 'to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.' But we shall then know that these are the same thing. Fully to enjoy is to glorify. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him."
Couple of reminders:
1. The Learner Guide is a great resource throughout the week to aid in Bible study and to prepare you for Sunday morning's lesson. Take advantage of it!
2. Knowledge of Scripture is integral to a close relationship with God. I encourage you to read, meditate on, memorize, and apply God's word DAILY.
3. Next week, Jeremy will be teaching on Psalm 119. If you remember, this is the longest verse in the Bible with 176 verses. While Jeremy will only be focusing on a section of this, I encourage you to spend time this week reading the entire thing. It may also be a good one to refer to as difficult family situations and such arise during this Thanksgiving week!
4. Remember that we are attempting to start and finish closer to the times allotted to our class. For this to work, we need to try and be in the room by 9:15, begin announcements at 9:20, and start the lesson at 9:30. There are obviously times when this is difficult or even impossible. Let's just do our best!
Have a great week, and remember that Thanksgiving should be a 24/7/365 (366 on Leap Year) state of the heart!!
