Mills Memorial Baptist Church
Wednesday Evening Worship 1/14
  • Singing I Go
  • Rejoice in the Lord
  • 1 Chronicles 16:1–3, 7, 34, 35–36
    Definition: Appreciative — Expressing thanks to God and others for the ways they have blessed and served me.
    1 Chronicles 16:1–3 (KJV) 1 So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God. 2 And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. 3 And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine.
    Now, before we jump to verse 7, notice what we just read.
    David didn’t treat the ark like a decoration.
    He treated it like the center of worship.
    There are sacrifices.
    There is blessing.
    And then there is generosity.
    The people leave that day fed, strengthened, and cared for.
    That’s a pattern.
    When God is honored, people are helped.
    In verses 4 through 6, which we’re skipping, David appoints Levites for a very specific ministry.
    They are to minister before the ark, and the Bible uses words like record, thank, and praise.
    In other words, David builds a rhythm into the life of God’s people.
    This isn’t a one-time emotional moment.
    This is gratitude on purpose.
    And verse 7 is the moment David puts a song of thanksgiving into their hands.
    1 Chronicles 16:7 (KJV) 7 Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.
    From verse 8 all the way through verse 33, David’s song stretches our hearts in several directions.
    It remembers what God has done.
    It calls God’s people to make His works known.
    It invites the whole earth to worship.
    It lifts our eyes from our small world to a big God.
    It’s the kind of thanksgiving that isn’t just a feeling.
    It’s truth.
    It’s testimony.
    It’s worship.
    And then, right in the flow of that song, there’s a line that becomes a familiar chorus in Scripture.
    It’s simple enough for a child to say.
    And deep enough for a suffering saint to cling to.
    It teaches us that gratitude isn’t anchored in how easy life is.
    It’s anchored in who God is.
    1 Chronicles 16:34 (KJV) 34 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; For his mercy endureth for ever.
    In the verses around this section, David has been calling the people to declare God’s glory, to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, and to remember that the Lord reigneth.
    So when we say, He is good, and His mercy endureth for ever, we’re not just repeating a slogan.
    We’re agreeing with reality.
    We’re confessing God’s character.
    And gratitude grows best in that kind of remembering.
    Now, the song doesn’t end with a smile alone.
    It ends with a prayer.
    Because real gratitude doesn’t ignore real need.
    It praises God for His goodness, and it asks God for His help.
    That’s not inconsistency.
    That’s faith.
    Gratitude says, Lord, You’ve been faithful, and then it adds, So we’re trusting You again.
    1 Chronicles 16:35–36 (KJV) 35 And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, And gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, That we may give thanks to thy holy name, And glory in thy praise. 36 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.
    And when the people say Amen and praise the Lord, it’s a reminder that thanksgiving is not just private.
    It’s congregational.
    It’s something we practice together.
    And it becomes a testimony to everyone around us that the Lord is good, and that His mercy really does endure forever.
    Wednesday night prayer meeting is where we say out loud what we really believe about God.
    If we really believe He is good, then gratitude shouldn’t be rare.
    If we really believe He is sovereign, then gratitude shouldn’t disappear when life is hard.
    But most of us don’t struggle to “know” we should be thankful.
    We struggle to stay thankful when we’re tired, pressured, disappointed, or distracted.
    And we also struggle to be thankful to people.
    We can be quick to notice what others didn’t do, slow to notice what they did do, and silent when appreciation would strengthen them.
    Tonight, we’re going to see gratitude as a Christlike trait that transforms our prayers, our attitudes, and our relationships.
    And we’re going to leave with a simple decision.
    Will I be the kind of believer who receives God’s goodness and then returns thanks to God and to others?
    The Bible tells us in
    1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV
    18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

    I. The Foundation of Gratitude: God Is Good

    If gratitude is going to have a foundation that doesn’t crack when life shifts, it has to start with something steadier than my mood or my Monday.
    So before I talk about what I’m facing, I have to settle who God is.

    A. Gratitude Begins with God’s Character, Not My Circumstances

    1 Chronicles 16:34 says, “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.”
    The command to give thanks is anchored in a fact: “for he is good.”
    If I lose sight of God’s goodness, gratitude will dry up.
    But, when I purposely remember God’s goodness, gratitude has something solid to stand on.
    Psalm 100:5 echoes the same truth:
    Psalm 100:5 KJV
    5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; And his truth endureth to all generations.
    That means the baseline of our life is not “What happened to me today?”
    The baseline is “God is good today.”

    B. Gratitude Grows When I Remember Mercy, Not Just Blessings

    1 Chronicles 16:34 ties thanksgiving to mercy that “endureth for ever.”
    Blessings may change, but mercy doesn’t.
    Some nights you can list answered prayers.
    Other nights all you can say is, “Lord, I’m still standing because You’re merciful.”
    Lamentations 3:22–23 reminds us that His mercies are new every morning.
    Lamentations 3:22–23 KJV
    22 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
    Even in the midst of pain, we can thank God for mercy that kept us, forgiveness that cleansed us, and grace that carried us.

    C. Gratitude Becomes Christlike When I See Jesus as the Greatest Gift

    If God gave you Christ, He has already proven His goodness to you.
    Romans 8:32 says about God the Father…
    Romans 8:32 KJV
    32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
    The cross is God’s loudest statement: “I am good, and My mercy endures forever.”
    So gratitude is not about pretending life is easy.
    Gratitude is confessing that God is good and Christ is enough, even when life is heavy.
    Once gratitude is anchored in God’s goodness, it doesn’t collapse when the week gets complicated.

    II. The Practice of Gratitude: In Everything Give Thanks

    A. God Commands Gratitude as a Lifestyle, Not an Occasional Reaction

    1 Thessalonians 5:18 says,
    1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV
    18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
    It does not say “for every thing,” as if every painful thing is good in itself.
    It says “in every thing,” meaning in every situation, we can still find reasons to thank God.
    Some things we thank God for.
    Some things we thank God in.
    And we can do that because God is present, God is wise, and God is working.

    B. Gratitude Is God’s Will, Which Is Possible With God’s Help

    Notice this is “the will of God in Christ Jesus.”
    That means Christ is not only our example, He is our strength.
    When my flesh wants to complain, Christ enables me to obey.
    John 15:5 KJV
    5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
    Gratitude is one of those things we can’t manufacture long-term without the Lord.

    C. Gratitude Protects My Heart From Three Thieves

    First, it guards me from…

    1. Bitterness

    Hebrews 12:15 warns about a root of bitterness that troubles and defiles.
    An unthankful spirit is often the soil where bitterness grows.
    Second, it guards me from…

    2. Anxiety

    Philippians 4:6 connects prayer with thanksgiving, and then God’s peace follows.
    Philippians 4:6 KJV
    6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
    Anxiety says, “God might fail me.”
    Thanksgiving says, “God has carried me before, and He will not stop now.”
    Third, it guards me from …

    3. Pride

    When I thank God, I’m admitting I’m not self-made.
    1 Corinthians 4:7 asks,
    1 Corinthians 4:7 KJV
    7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
    Gratitude keeps me honest about where help really came from.

    D. Gratitude Is a Choice I Practice Before It Becomes a Feeling I Enjoy

    If you wait to feel thankful, you’ll be thankful about once a month.
    But if you choose gratitude, feelings start to follow obedience.
    Psalm 103:1 says,
    Psalm 103:1 KJV
    1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: And all that is within me, bless his holy name.
    This chapter is David preaching to himself.
    Sometimes gratitude is you talking to your own soul until it remembers what it keeps forgetting.
    But gratitude isn’t only vertical.
    The definition tonight includes God and others.
    Christlike gratitude doesn’t stop at “Thank You, Lord.”
    It becomes “Thank you” to the people God used.

    III. The Fruit of Gratitude: Thankful People Strengthen People

    If gratitude has real fruit, it won’t stop with words to God.
    It will spill over into the way I speak to, about, and for the people God has placed in my life.
    That’s why the first mark of a thankful person is this: Gratitude to Others Is Part of Christian Maturity.

    A. Gratitude to Others Is Part of Christian Maturity

    Paul modeled this constantly.
    He didn’t only pray for churches, he thanked God for them and told them so.
    Romans 1:8 says,
    Romans 1:8 KJV
    8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
    Philippians 1:3 says,
    Philippians 1:3 KJV
    3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
    Paul’s gratitude wasn’t vague.
    It was personal and expressed.
    That is maturity.
    Immaturity assumes people should know.
    Maturity says it out loud.

    B. Gratitude Honors God Because It Recognizes How He Uses His People

    When you thank a brother or sister for serving, you’re acknowledging God’s grace at work in them.
    1 Peter 4:10 teaches that we are stewards of gifts God gives.
    1 Peter 4:10 KJV
    10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
    So when you see someone using their gift, gratitude is the proper response.
    It also kills jealousy.
    Instead of competing, you start celebrating God’s work in others.

    C. Gratitude Repairs Relationships by Changing What I Focus on

    So many relationships strain because we keep a mental record of hurts and forget to keep a record of helps.
    Love doesn’t ignore sin, but it also doesn’t live with a magnifying glass on every flaw.
    In the midst of the “love chapter” where Paul is describing what godly love looks like he says…
    1 Corinthians 13:5 KJV
    5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
    …meaning it doesn’t keep scoring in a vindictive way.
    Gratitude moves my attention from “What am I not getting?” to “What have I been given?”
    That shift can soften a home, it can heal a friendship, and it can sweeten a church.

    D. Gratitude Becomes a Ministry When It Is Specific and Timely

    “Thanks for everything” is nice.
    But “Thank you for praying with me,” or “Thank you for showing up,” or “Thank you for being faithful,” is powerful.
    Proverbs 16:24 KJV
    24 Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, Sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
    Some people are one sincere word of appreciation away from not quitting.
    And God may want to use you to speak that word.

    E. Gratitude Spreads Because It Is Contagious

    Complaining is contagious, too.
    But so is thanksgiving.
    When one person starts thanking God in prayer meeting, it reminds others of mercy they forgot.
    When one person starts appreciating others, it builds a culture of encouragement.
    Hebrews 10:24 KJV
    24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
    Gratitude is one of the simplest ways we can do that.
    Now, gratitude is easy to talk about.
    But prayer meeting is where we practice it.
    So let’s bring this right down to a decision and a plan we can actually live.

    Conclusion

    God is good.
    His mercy endures forever.
    So in everything, we can give thanks.
    And because Christ is transforming us, we can become appreciative people, thankful to God and thankful to others.
    Here is the decision tonight.
    Will you choose gratitude as obedience, not as a convenience?
    First, decide to thank God even before anything changes.
    Some of us are waiting on God to fix a situation before we worship Him for His goodness.
    Tonight, choose to thank Him because His character hasn’t changed.
    Second, decide to express thanks to at least one person this week.
    Not a vague comment.
    Something specific.
    A text.
    A call.
    A sentence after church.
    “Thank you for the way you’ve blessed and served me when you…”
    Third, decide to turn prayer meeting into a thanksgiving meeting again.
    When you pray tonight, don’t only bring needs.
    Bring thanks.
    Name mercies.
    Mention answers.
    Praise Him for who He is.
    May the Lord forgive us for how easily we complain.
    May He restore in us a thankful spirit.
    May He help us see His goodness and His mercy again.
    May he help us appreciate the people that He has placed in our lives.

      • 1 Thessalonians 5:18KJV1900

      • Psalm 100:5KJV1900

      • Lamentations 3:22–23KJV1900

      • Romans 8:32KJV1900

      • 1 Thessalonians 5:18KJV1900

      • John 15:5KJV1900

      • Philippians 4:6KJV1900

      • 1 Corinthians 4:7KJV1900

      • Psalm 103:1KJV1900

      • Romans 1:8KJV1900

      • Philippians 1:3KJV1900

      • 1 Peter 4:10KJV1900

      • 1 Corinthians 13:5KJV1900

      • Proverbs 16:24KJV1900

      • Hebrews 10:24KJV1900

  • Nearer My God to Thee
Mills Memorial Baptist Church
millsmemorialbapt@gmail.com
989-843-6433
https://millsmemorial.faithlifesites.com
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