RCCG Sunday School TEACHER’s Manual 13 September 2020 Lesson 2 – Essentials Of Thanksgiving
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TOPIC: Essentials Of Thanksgiving
OPENING PRAYER: Lord, give me an understanding of what it means to praise and worship You. (Scroll down for RCCG Sunday School 13 September 2020 HYMN)
MEMORY VERSE: “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; ” – Ephesians 5:20
BIBLE PASSAGE: Psalms 105:1-7 KJV (RCCG Sunday School TEACHER’s Manual 13 September 2020)
1 O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.
3 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.
4 Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
5 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
6 O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.
7 He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth.
INTRODUCTION:
People are other too brief and ignore details or too busy to glorify God and thank Him for His blessings (Psalms 103:2). Usually, many believers focus on what God has not done than on what He has done. Giving of thanks is the most distinctive marks of a true believer (1 Thess. 5:158). Therefore, knowing the basis of thanksgiving is a necessity for Christians.
TEXT REVIEW: Psalms 105:1-7
A. The Psalmist highlights the essentials of thanksgiving as follows:
i. Call upon God’s name – v1b
ii. Make known His deeds among the people-v1c
iii. …..…………….…………………. v2a
iv. ………………….…………………. v2b
v. ……………………………………… v3a
vi. …..…………….…………………. v3b
B The Psalmist further admonishes believers to:
i. Seek the Lord and His strength – v4a
ii. …………………………………… 4b
iii. …..…………….…………………. 5a
iv. …..…………….…………………. 5b
C. Who should give thanks to the Lord?
i. …..…………….………………….. v6
D. Why should we give thanks to the Lord?
i. …..…………….…………………. 7a
ii. …..…………….…………………. 7b
LESSON OUTLINES
LESSON OUTLINE 1. THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE
- Description of Thanksgiving
A. Thanksgiving is the act of appreciation or showing gratitude to someone especially for good deeds.
i. The bible commands believers to thank God(Psalm 50:14; Philippians 4:6).
ii. This is good (Psalms 92:1) and pleasing to God regardless of circumstances or conditions (1 Thess. 5:8).
iii. The call to give thanks to God is clearly expressed in the bible (1 Chron.16:8; Psalms 105:1, etc).
iv. Every believer must appreciate what God is doing and declare privately! (Dan 6:10) and publicly (Psalm 35:18).
v. Thanksgiving should, therefore, be cultivated like a habit (Colossians 3:17).
The above terms contain the idea of giving thanks and honour to one who is worthy of praise. - Thanksgiving is essential for the following reasons:
A. Giving thanks to God keeps us in the right perspective of our relationship with Him (Psalm 30:4; 106:1).
i. When our hearts are filled with thanksgiving, we keep the sins and temptations of greed, selfishness, and self-sufficiency away (Romans 7:23-25).
ii. As we thank God daily, we are reminded of all God has given us and that everything we have is from God (John 3:27; James 1:17).
B. The following are other important reasons for thanksgiving:
i. For the gift of Christ (2 Corinthians 9:15), His power and reign (Rev. 11:17).
ii. For the salvation of our souls (Psalm 103:2-4).
iii. We are also to be thankful, not only for the things we like, but for the circumstances we do not like (1 Thess. 5:18).
We do not thank Him for evil, but that He is sustaining us through it (James 1:12:13).
We do not thank Him for harm He did not cause, but we thank Him when He gives us the strength to endure it (1 Corinthians 15:57; 2 Corinthians 12:9).
iv. We should thank Him for His great promises, knowing that all things will work for our good (Romans 8:28).
v. When we give God our thanksgiving the way the bible tells us, we release supernatural authority over whatever situation we are facing (Romans 8:37).
CLASS ACTIVITY 1: Students should mention the unpleasant situations for which they found difficult to thank God.
LESSON OUTLINE 2: ACCEPTABLE THANKSGIVING
- Conditions for acceptable thanksgiving.
A. We must present ourselves as living sacrifices before God (Roman 12:1-2)
i. God must accept us before He can accept our thanksgiving/offerings (Gen. 4:3-5).
ii. Only genuine children of God (John 1:12; Romans 8:1) with ‘clean hands and pure minds/conscience’ can give acceptable thanks to God (Psalm 24:3-5).
iii. We must, therefore, live uprightly (Psalm 15:1-5).
B. Believe God for who He is and what He does with an assurance in our hearts of greater things He will do (Psalm 107:8. Hebrews 11:6; Ephesians 5:20).
- Anyone with a heart of gratitude should not be coerced into thanksgiving (2 Corinthians 9:7). Rather, it should flow from the inner man to the outside (Psalm 95:2; 100:4).
CLASS ACTIVITY 2: Is it possible that a believer offers an unacceptable thanksgiving unto God?
SUMMARY: An understanding of the essentials of thanksgiving will enable a believer to thank God in an acceptable manner.
CONCLUSION: We should not give thanks only when we are told to but must .and thanksgiving a daily and continuous attitude (Psalm 119:164).
EVALUATION: What are the essentials of an acceptable thanksgiving?
CLOSING PRAYER: Father, let my thanksgiving be acceptable to you.
ASSIGNMENT: Mention five (5) areas of life which believers are encouraged to give thanks.
NOTE:
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RCCG Sunday School HYMN
- O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
O how I love Thee well,
I am happy, it makes me glad
To rejoice at Thy birth. - O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
Thy friendship suits me well,
Both young and old will sing Thy song,
We long for Sunday School. - O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
Christ was Thy first teacher,
The Holy Spirit, great teacher,
Does manifest in thee. - O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
This testimony is sure,
That God, the Father Almighty,
Poured His blessing on Thee. - O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
Though the sun be so bright,
Or if the clouds black with rain,
I’ll be in Sunday School. - O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
I rejoice to see Thee,
Will thou pass over me today?
Without my being blest?
