Making the Vision Clear | Find Your Thank You
Pastor Ricky Jenkins
September 19 & 20, 2020
Digging Deeper Jeremiah 29:10-11 Sermon Review and Discussion
Pastor Ricky opened in a prayer, asking our Father to give us a
glimpse of what is in store for us as we take steps toward our
future. Table of Contents for today’s sermon:
• Thanksgiving • Find your thank you • Theme verse to help you
find your thank you • Good news when there is no good news
Thanksgiving Psalm 100 admonishes us in verse 4 to, “enter the
gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.” The psalmist
is clearly trying to point out two things to us:
1. Because God has been good, the psalmist says, because of what
God has done, I will have a thankful heart. 2. I will have a
thankful heart, not only because God has BEEN good, but also
because God will CONTINUE to be
faithful. This is a promise we can hold on to in times of
trouble, times like these. This is the Gospel in a nutshell. Find
your Thank you Ricky talked about a man named Matthew Henry. Even
though he was robbed, he found his thankfulness. Here is Matthew’s
quote about being robbed: “I thank Thee first because I was never
robbed before; second, because although they took my purse, they
did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it
was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, and not
I who robbed.” The lesson here is that there is always something to
be thankful for. Yet, one constant in Christianity is that it is
not easy. As a believer, sometimes you have to do the work to find
your thank you. Ricky listed several items he is thankful for. What
are you thankful for? What does your list look like? Theme Verse:
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the
LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and
a hope.” At a retreat in January, the elder board and Ricky,
adopted Jeremiah 29:11 as the theme verse for Southwest for 2020.
One certainty, that we’ve learned from experience, is that promises
from God are often realized amidst the problems of life. Ricky
talked about many items of uncertainty right now: finances, careers
have been changed, many of our systems have been uprooted. However,
God says, “The one thing you won’t have to worry about is what I
think of you. I love you, and I will be with you. I’ll carry you,
I’ll speak to you, and I will deliver you!!” Ricky presented a
slide that read, “When today does not make sense, God says look at
the record from yesterday. Hold fast to my promises for tomorrow,
so you can find strength to be thankful today!” Context of the
text
• The Israelites were on time-out! • God says even in punishment
He is thinking of us.
• Ricky referenced how a parent puts their child in time-out.
You are thinking of them constantly and God does the same for
us.
Study Questions and Applications
1. In reading Jeremiah, Ricky referred to the Israelites as
being in time-out from God. Have you ever felt like God has put you
in time-out? What were the circumstances? And what did you learn
from it?
2. The Elder Board and Ricky chose a verse for 2020 to guide
them through the year. Do you or your family have a verse that you
use to guide your spiritual lives?
3. Ricky has talked about his journal, and in the sermon, he
listed items he is thankful for. Have you ever journaled items you
are thankful for and shared them with God and/or your family? If
you have never done this, it is a great exercise to perform, then
review it on days when you are feeling overwhelmed or sad.
Prayer Numbers 6:24-26 King James Version (KJV) 24 The LORD
bless thee, and keep thee: 25 The LORD make his face shine upon
thee, and be gracious unto thee: 26 The LORD lift up his
countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
