Thank You | Pastor Greg Ford Sermon | One Church Columbus

ICEBREAKER:

What is your favorite Thanksgiving meal side dish?

MESSAGE NOTES:

Sermon: Thank You

Let’s recall this concept of 3 different words. IN - OUT - UP

IN - OUT - UP

ME - US - GOD

IN - looking internal , OUT - looking external, UP - looking to God

We are going to look into Thank YOU internally, externally, and to God

First it’s worth to note these terms. In-attentional Blindness & in-attentional amnesia.

…failing to see what’s right in front of us. Some researchers have suggested that in-attentional blindness is in fact a kind of in-attentional amnesia, in which people consciously perceive unattended objects but quickly forget them.

How does Thankfulness apply to this? 3 things to engage this conversation.

Rituals - Rhythm's - Response

Ritual’s - Making sure we have routine tings to bring us back into a mindset. Thanksgiving is a yearly Ritual where we gather to give thanks.

Rhythm’s - We look to Psalm 136:1-26 for this. Read Psalm 136. The author of Psalm wrote 26 gratitude statements to God. Look at how the author of Psalm’s is expressing gratitude for things like creation and how the world works. We could argue we are in a better position today to understand the Micro and Macro of Gods Creation. We see it daily in front of us. Pastor Greg shares a fact from a book on the science breathing. An average breath in takes in 12.5 sextillion molecules! That’s more than sand particles on every beach shore combined in the world. God created that and each breath is a gift.

Response - We look at Paul as he writes to the Philippians Church he is in a Roman Prison. He writes in Philippians 1 that he thanks God for them. While he is prison! He expresses gratitude for others to God. Because of his Gratitude for the people he loves he is able to stay on mission in prison. Read Philippians 1:12-14. Where in our lives have we been distracted to God placing us in scenarios to serve and be a light for him because we are focused on the down of the situation?

The magic can happen in Intentionality and Specificity

You hear a child pray and say thank you for specific items in their life. imagine how your life could transform for thanking God for the small details in your life. Not to check a box but because the details matter to God and they should matter to us.

Last note. Don;t wait to be thankful when it is done in your life. Yes thank God for what he has done. But like a pie in the oven you can smell it while it not finished. remember to thank God for what God is doing in your life but it’s in process.

QUESTIONS:

QUESTION 1:
What Ritual’s do you or your family currently have to remind yourselves to step into Gratitude>

QUESTION 2:
When Rhythm’s could you created to help create a mindset of gratitude when your in a prison like Paul?

QUESTION 3:

How do you think focusing on the specific things to thank God for would impact your life?

Question 4:

Write out your own version of Psalm 136. Take time to write and think on what you could thank God for.

GUIDED PRAYER:

God thank you for your faithfulness and grace. God thank you for the truths you speak over our lives. God help us be intentional on how we approach gratitude. Lord I pray that you would transform our hearts to help us focus on the specific details of what we are thankful for. Thank you God. we love you, praise you, and worship you. In Jesus name - amen.

One ChurchNovember 21, 2023