Home for the Holidays Part 2
This newest series of messages on Internet Pastor is called “Home for the Holidays”.
We are in a series talking about the holidays and family which we have called Home for the Holidays. Last week we talked about what a family is supposed to be and we will talk more about families in the weeks ahead. Today, with Thanksgiving coming up this week, I want to talk about how we can make sure we don’t get caught up in the holiday hype, get so concerned about having a Martha Stewart Thanksgiving, that we miss what Thanksgiving is really all about. So, today I want talk about being grateful or thankful for what God has done in our lives. It starts with first realizing that everything you own, everything you are comes from God. Without God there would be nothing in your life.
1 Chronicles 29:16b (NCV)
16 But everything has come from you; everything belongs to you.
So it all starts with God. So when we start asking, “What am I thankful for?” we really have to thank God for everything. Of course, to do that in a sermon would take days, so I just thought I would get you started with four things, and then you can add your own list as you go.
1. I am grateful to God for the Grace He has shown to me
Ephesians 2:8 (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–
What is grace? Grace is everything God does for you even though you don’t deserve it. Everything God does in you and through you and for you and to you and by you is by grace.
Here are some things that God does for us by His grace
Psalms 103:2-12 (NIV)
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits– 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: 8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
2. I am thankful to God for the plan He has for me
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
God has a plan for your life and it is a good plan. It is not a plan we need to be afraid of or worry about, it is a good plan.
His plan is so amazing, He is even able to take all of our messes, and all the things that people have done to hurt us and weave them into an awesome plan for our lives.
3. I am grateful for the home He has prepared for me in Heaven
2 Corinthians 5:1 (NIV)
1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
1 Peter 1:3-5 (NIV)
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
As Christians, we don’t have to be afraid of the future. Since we know that we will be with Him for eternity, we are able to face this live with a whole new perspective, a God perspective that allows us to live life as an adventure. We have a living hope because Jesus has defeated death.
4. I am thankful to God for the changes He is making in me
Philippians 2:13 (NIV)
13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)
18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
I am glad that I am not the same person I used to be. God is helping make changes in my life that I could never do on my own.
God loves us just the way we are, but He loves us far too much to let us stay that way
He not only gives you the desire to do the right thing, He gives you the power. God never asks you to do something He doesn’t give you the power to do. Many of you have seen radical transformation of your, changes in your relationships, changes in your own life. You ought to be thankful from the bottom of your heart.
This is one of our purposes here at the Vineyard. To be involved with God in the process of changing lives. When you get to the bottom line of everything, it isn’t about programs, or the music or the message, it’s all about changing lives. Jesus has the power to change us that we can find no where else and for that we can be extremely grateful.
Come back often to see the latest sermons or bible studies on your Online Pastor site. We are blessed to be your Pastor Online!
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