Scripture: Luke 2:2129, 3638

1
Scripture Luke 221-29, 36-38

• 21 On the eighth day, when it was time to
  circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name
  the angel had given him before he had been
  conceived.
• 22 When the time of their purification according
  to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph
  and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to
  the Lord
• 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord,
  "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the
  Lord"),
• 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what
  is said in the Law of the Lord "a pair of doves
  or two young pigeons."
•  .

2

• 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called
  Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was
  waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the
  Holy Spirit was upon him.
• 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
  that he would not die before he had seen the
  Lord's Christ.
• 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple
  courts. When the parents brought in the child
  Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law
  required,
• 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God,
  saying
• 29 "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
        you now dismiss your servant in peace.

3
Continued Luke 2 36-38

• 36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the
  daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She
  was very old she had lived with her husband
  seven years after her marriage,
• 37 and then was a widow until she was
  eighty-four. She never left the temple but
  worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
• 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she
  gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to
  all who were looking forward to the redemption of
  Jerusalem.

4

• Theme Reasons for giving thanks to God
• Introduction
• Current difficult events and issues in the world
  and in our lives could
• make us a complaining people, instead of a people
  giving thanks to
• God.

5

• 1) GIVE THANKS TO GOD BECAUSE IT IS GODS WILL
  FOR EVERY
• CHRISTIAN
• 1Thes 518
• give thanks in all circumstances, for this is
  God's will for
• you in Christ Jesus.
• Eph 520
• always giving thanks to God the Father for
  everything, in the name of
• our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Luke 1717-18
• Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where
  are the other nine
• Was no one found to return and give praise to God
  except this
• foreigner?"

6

• 2) GIVE THANKS TO GOD BECAUSE THANKSGIVING BRINGS
• GODs MIRACLES INTO OUR LIVES
• Psalm 50 14 -15, 23
• 14 Sacrifice thank offerings to God,       
  fulfill your vows to the Most High,
• 15 and call upon me in the day of trouble
         I will deliver you, and you will honor
  me."
• 23 He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me,
         and he prepares the way        so that I
  may show him the salvation of God."

7
Num1326-144

•  26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the
  whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert
  of Paran. There they reported to them and to the
  whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the
  land.
• 27 They gave Moses this account "We went into
  the land to which you sent us, and it does flow
  with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.
• 28 But the people who live there are powerful,
  and the cities are fortified and very large. We
  even saw descendants of Anak there.
• 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev the
  Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill
  country and the Canaanites live near the sea and
  along the Jordan."  
• 30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses
  and said, "We should go up and take possession of
  the land, for we can certainly do it."
• 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We
  can't attack those people they are stronger than
  we are." 32 And they spread among the Israelites
  a bad report about the land they had explored.
  They said, "The land we explored devours those
  living in it. All the people we saw there are of
  great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the
  descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We
  seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we
  looked the same to them."

8
Continued Num 141-4

•  
• 1 That night all the people of the community
  raised their voices and wept aloud.
• 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and
  Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If
  only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert!
• 3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only
  to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and
  children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be
  better for us to go back to Egypt?
• 4 And they said to each other, "We should choose
  a leader and go back to Egypt."

9

• Num1326-144
• Complaining and grumbling See the problem
• Infectious withdrawal from Gods plans and
  purposes
• Contrast with Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16)

10

• 3) GIVE THANKS TO GOD BECAUSE YOU HAVE A LOT TO
  THANK
• GOD FOR
• Problem of forgetfulness
• Counsellor Norman Vincent Pale and the
  middle-aged man
• CONLUSION
• Simeon and Ana praised and thanked God for Jesus
  in spite of their
• difficulties