Glynlea Grace United Methodist Chruch

SCRIPTURE

Genesis 12:1-3

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves."

Acts 2:44-45 & 4:32-35

And all who believed were together and had all things in common; ⁴⁵ and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need.

Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common. ³³ And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. ³⁴ There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold ³⁵ and laid it at the apostles' feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need.

FOCUS and FUNCTION

Focus: We are very good at saying thank you. Most people are in the habit of saying

thank you when they receive a gift or a favor. Saying ‘thank you’, however, is

only part of having gratitude. A truly thankful person will not only say ‘thank

you’ but will also show his/her gratitude by taking care of and properly using

what they were given. How much appreciation are we showing for the blessings

God has given us? Are we using our blessings to serve God and neighbor or

primarily to satisfy our own desires? Are we doing more than simply saying,

“Thank you God”?

God expects us to use the blessings He has given us to bless others. We are

blessed to be a blessing. Are we blessing others with the time, talents and

treasures God has given us? Are we using our blessings to expand the Kingdom

of God here on earth? Let’s begin to be truly thankful for what God has blessed

us with.

Function: To encourage the congregation to show genuine thankfulness for their time,

talents and treasures by using them for the advancement of the Kingdom of

God here on earth.

The Sermon

I. Introduction: Simply saying ‘thank you’ is not enough

A. Most of us are really good at saying ‘thank you’. We say ‘thank you’ when:

· We receive a gift or favor

· We eat meals

· Every Sunday morning

· Every year during Thanksgiving

B. Saying ‘thank you’, however, is only a small part of showing genuine gratitude

· To show genuine gratitude we must properly take care of and use whatever is given to us.

· The story of the ungrateful boy

- Spoiled since the day he was born: Given huge piles of presents every Christmas and a huge party every birthday

- When given presents, he’d open a present, quickly say, ‘thank you’, and then toss it aside to open the next one.

- He would play only with the toys he liked best. The rest of the toys he ignored.

- He didn’t take care of what he had and expected his toys to be replaced when they broke

- His lack of care for his toys demonstrated that he was not truly grateful for what he had

· Are we like this little boy? Do we show genuine gratitude for the blessings God has given us? Do we use our God given blessings the way God wants us to use them? Do we use our God given time, talents and treasures to help others and expand God’s kingdom on earth?

· To show genuine gratitude for God’s blessings we must use them in accordance with God’s wishes. How does God want us to use his blessings? Genesis 12:1-3 answers this.

II. Genesis 12:1-3

A. Genesis 12:1-3: Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves."

B. Abram was blessed to be a blessing. In the same way, God blesses us to be a blessing. God blesses us with time, talents and treasures to be a blessing to others

C. The early Christians understood this. Let’s look at Acts 2 and 4.

III. Acts 2:44-45 & 4:32-35

A. Acts 2:44 – 45: And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need.

B. Acts 4:32 - 35: Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need.

C. Modern day equivalents of Acts 2:44-45 & 4:32-35

· A person living in a four bedroom house deciding to sell the house and live in a one bedroom house. Taking all the profit and giving it to the church to be used to help the poor.

· A person selling his big boat, Harley Davidson motorcycle and big house and then giving all the profit to the church to be used to help the poor.

· A person cashing in all his/her stocks, bonds and mutual funds and giving all the money to the church to be used to help the poor.

IV. How we are showing genuine gratitude for everything God has blessed us with

A. Food, tithe commitment cards and time/talent commitment cards are on the communion rail. The food will be donated to Arlington Community Service

B. Everything on the communion rail demonstrates our genuine gratitude for the time, talents and treasures that God has blessed us with.

C. If you have not already done so, demonstrate your gratitude for everything God has blessed you with by committing some of your time, talents and treasures to the advancement of God’s kingdom.