“God is always trying to give good things to us, but our hands are too full to receive them.”
Saint Augustine
Passage
A Psalm for Thanksgiving.
1Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
2Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.
3Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
5For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 100:title–5 (NASB95)
Background
Quote-Augustine of Hippo (aw-GUST-in Latin: Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings influenced the development of Western philosophy and Western Christianity, and he is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers. His many important works include The City of God, On Christian Doctrine, and Confessions.
According to his contemporary, Jerome, Augustine "established anew the ancient Faith". Believing the grace of Christ was indispensable to human freedom, he helped formulate the doctrine of original sin and made significant contributions to the development of just war theory. When the Western Roman Empire began to disintegrate, Augustine imagined the Church as a spiritual City of God, distinct from the material Earthly City. The segment of the Church that adhered to the concept of the Trinity as defined by the Council of Nicaea and the Council of Constantinople closely identified with Augustine's On the Trinity.
Passage-The genre of Psalms is Songs and Poetry written by multiple authors; David, Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon, Ethan, and Moses. 51 of the Psalms are anonymous. They were written over the span of approximately 900 years (Beginning at the time of Moses 1440 B.C. and through the captivity in 586 B.C.).
The Psalms include praises of joy, laments, blessings, and thanksgivings. They are directed at God and they help us express ourselves to Him. We read about the Psalmist’s emotions from one extreme to another, from praising, delighting in and worshiping God with fervor, to repentance and crying out to Him in despair.
Psalms sits at the very center of the Bible. The major themes found in Psalms are Praise, God’s Power, Forgiveness, Thankfulness and Trust. “My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever” (145:21).
Opening Statement
Sometimes we don’t feel very joyful or think we have much to give thanks for. Sometimes we are holding onto things we should be and need to set them down or make hard choices about who we are and where we are going.
Ask: What does it mean to be thankful?
Point: Please see the Definitions page
Ask: What if I don’t have anything to be grateful and appreciative about?
Point: Giving thanks is still the right thing to do, and may even be the start of a return. Please read the following:
16Rejoice always;
17pray without ceasing;
18in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19Do not quench the Spirit;
20do not despise prophetic utterances.
21But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
22abstain from every form of evil.
23Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–23 (NASB95)
Ask: That just says to give thanks in Christ Jesus. That doesn’t give me something to be thankful for, does it?
Point: Please read the following:
8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
10For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
Romans 5:8–10 (NASB95)
Ask: Is the fact that the God of all creation sent His Son to earth to die for our sins because He loves us not something worthy of rejoicing over and giving thanks?
Point: Yes, it is.
Ask: But that’s an intangible that comes after death and I need something to give thanks for now.
Point: Please read the following:
19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,
20having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
21in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,
22in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:19–22 (NASB95)
Ask: What does that mean that “…Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone?”
Point: Please read the following:
24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
Matthew 7:24–25 (NASB95)
Ask: How does that Matthew scripture above reflect an answer to the preceding question?
Point: If we anchor ourselves to God through Jesus Christ we are likened to a wise person.
Ask: How do I build my house on a rock? What does that mean?
Point: The answer is in verse 24 above in the words of Jesus, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them.”
Ask: Okay, I’m supposed to do what Jesus says to do in scripture but I don’t understand very much of what Christ said so what do I do?
Point: Please read the following:
1My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments;
2For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you.
3Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man.
5Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.
6In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
7Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.
Proverbs 3:1–8 (NASB95)
Ask: How do I know I can trust God if I’ve never identified His blessings or hand in my life?
Point: Please read the following:
6“For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
7“From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’
8“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.
Malachi 3:6–8 (NASB95)
Closing Statement
God is the rock of our salvation. He is the author of the heavens and the earth. It is He who sent His Son to die for our sins so that no one who believes on Him should perish but have everlasting life. If we are still alive drawing breath we can give thanks for what Jesus did for us, personally, so long ago. That is the beginning. That is the foundation upon which we can build to reach recovery or new heights. Take stock in where you are in the world. Take stock in where God is in relation to you meaning how close or far you are from His ways and His path for your life. That will tell you how much work you have before you, but always give thanks because the Rock of our foundation doesn’t change unlike everything else in the world.
Questions for the Week
Question 1 Read the full parable of the house built on the rock versus the house built on sand in Matthew 7 provided for you at the end of the lesson.
Question 2 Consider your “house” and it’s “foundation.” How much of it is built on rock and what portion is built on sand?
Question 3 What can you do to “act” on “these words of mine” as Jesus said to do in Matthew 7:24-25?
Question 4 Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide your studies and contemplations of these questions.
Question 5 Give thanks to God in prayer all week for any answers He has already provided and the answers that have not yet been identified as given or are coming.
Definitions
thankful
thangk-fuhl
adjective
1. Feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative.
The Parable of the House Built on a Rock and Sand
15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.
19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.
21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
26“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27“The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
28When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching;
29for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
Matthew 7:15–29 (NASB95)