One very important sermon that you will be asked to talk about most times is on birthday and thanks. As a Minister, you get to be called on to deliver a short sermon about birthday and thanks which can be a bit tasking because there was not necessarily a birthday celebration in the Bible.
Notwithstanding, there are lots of scriptures that we can use to show why it is important to be thankful even during someone’s birthday. This article, which is a sermon outline, is going to provide a quick sermon about birthday and thanks that you can use if you are called upon to speak at a birthday briefly.
Outline On Short Sermon About Birthday And Thanks
Topic: The Need For Thanksgiving During Birthdays
Text: Psalms 118:24
Objective: The goal of this short sermon about birthday and thanks is to show us how thanksgiving is important, especially during birthdays. Also, this charge is going to help us realize or find out crucial ways where we can express our thanksgiving to God.
By way of introduction, it is important to state that birthdays are special occasions as they are reminders of the day we were born and we understand that nobody was born or entered the Earth without God’s approval.
This means that for every person on Earth, God is intentional about their existence and that’s why he allowed their birth and allowed them to be alive until they saw another birthday. This is why we must be thankful to God since we are alive, not because we have the will, strength, power, intellect, or survival skills that make for the preservation of life.
So we want to look at reasons why it is important for us to be thankful to God on our birthdays.
Why Should We Be Thankful To God During Our Birthday?
There are a lot of reasons why we ought to be thankful to God when we see another year around the sun. They include:
We Are Expected To Be Thankful Always – 1 Thess 5:18
Not just for birthdays alone, it is important for us to always be thankful as it is a good practice. In the text we read, the Bible clearly admonishes us that we should always give thanks for everything.
It means whether things are going the way we want or they aren’t going the way we want to, God expects us to be thankful to Him.
This is similar to what apostle Paul also wrote in Philippians Chapter 4 Verse 6 where he says that in every everything, emphasis on the word “everything.” It says in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. In everything we do, we should be thankful.
Being thankful is as easy as saying “Thank you Jesus” every moment you get. You must not necessarily have the time to set apart and worship God, pray, and do all of the religious activities that make for thanksgiving to God.
Just deciding that you are going to say “Thank you Jesus” at every given time during your day is enough way to be thankful to God.
Give thanks when you complete a project, give thanks when you get out of the house and into your car, give thanks when you get to the office, give thanks when you are able to brew a cup of coffee, give thanks when you enter/leave a restaurant, give thanks before you eat, give thanks once you wake up, give thanks as you sleep.
When you build this practice into your daily life, you are going to notice a revolutionary change. Your mind is going to become more open to the goodness of God and with that openness comes a manifestation of His goodness.
It is good to give God thanks – Psalm 92:1
The Bible says that we should give thanks to God because it is good. What this simply means is there are benefits that comes with giving thanks.
Scattered round scriptures are several reasons why it is blessed to give God thanks.
When you look at Psalm 67 verses 5 and 6:
You’re going to observe that God promises that when we praise and give Him thanks, He will make the Earth to yield her increase. Now, He doesn’t stop there. He says He is going to bless us.
So one of the reasons why we should give thanks is because it is good and it is good because when we are thankful to God, He blesses us. This is the truth of scripture.
God Preserved Us To See Another Year – Psalm 121
Another reason why we should praise God or thank him during our birthdays is because he preserved us. This does not need explanation as we would only be unwise and ungrateful to think that the reason we are alive is because we wanted to be alive.
There are several persons who are more righteous and are better off than us who are dead already. This is not to say that we thank God because misfortune happened to other people.
It is just to point our minds to the fact that the reason we are alive is not because we are deserving of being alive. The reason we are alive and seeing another birthday is because God preserved us.
In Psalms 121:4:
The Bible says that the one who keeps Israel will not sleep or slumber. This lets us know that God watches over us and because we are in His watchful gaze, He preserves us. Therefore, no evil or harm can befall us.
In verses six and seven of the same chapter, it says that the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The reason is that the Lord will preserve you from all evil and will guard your soul.
It continues in verse eight, stating that the Lord will preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
Our existence and ability to celebrate another birthday is not due to our own merits, but because God has preserved us. What we owe Him for this is our gratitude and thanksgiving.
We Are Created For His Worship – Revelation 4:11
The Bible teaches that God is worthy to receive glory and honor because He created all things, and all creation was made to give Him pleasure. This understanding reveals that we are objects and instruments of God’s pleasure.
As such, one of the ways we can bring Him the pleasure He deserves is through our praise and worship.
God Has A Plan For Us
I am sure you might be wondering how God having a plan for us makes it important for us to be thankful to Him.
This is why it is important to note this: the Bible tells us in Jeremiah chapter 29, verse 11, that God has good thoughts for us—thoughts to bring us to a good end and a perfect future.
During your birthday, the chances that you are not where you hope to be, or in the house you want to be, or with the money you want to have, can arise and try to steal your joy.
When these things happen, it is often the Devil’s ploy for us to become ungrateful and take actions that might not be pleasing to God.
But by being thankful to God, we acknowledge that we understand He has plans for us, and even though our present circumstances may not reflect that, we are confident that with each passing moment and each passing year, God is bringing us closer to that good future He has for us.
How Can We Show Gratitude To God During Our Birthdays
There are two ways we can show gratitude to God and give thanks for seeing another birthday. Let’s not forget that earlier I mentioned how saying “Thank you, Jesus” at every opportunity is important for expressing our gratitude.
Aside from that, these two ways are also very important for us to demonstrate our thankfulness to God.
Set Out Time To Praise God
In Psalms 59:16:
The Psalmist specified a particular time for singing of God’s mercies. This does not mean he should only give thanks in the morning; we know that our thanksgiving should occur at every opportunity.
However, it is important to set aside time to praise God, as the psalmist suggested. Just as you have a prayer time dedicated to prayer, it is essential to have a Thanksgiving time— a time dedicated to thanking, praising, and worshiping God.
Decide To Leave For Him And His Will
This is a very important step in showing God your gratitude for keeping you alive to see another birthday.
Remember that we are not alive because we are wise enough to stay alive; we are alive because God has preserved us and deemed us worthy of life. He has a purpose for us to fulfill and achievements to accomplish, which can only come when we choose to live for Him and His will.
If we understand that we are not alive for ourselves but for God, as Revelations 4:11 reminds us, we were created to give Him pleasure. We ought to make that decision as a way of showing gratitude.
This is also reflected in Romans 12:1, where the Apostle Paul encourages believers to present themselves as a living sacrifice. The idea of a sacrifice typically involves something dead, but as a living sacrifice, you are alive yet dead to yourself.
You are alive but dead to your own purposes, desires, and affections; the only thing that should drive you is submission to Jesus as Lord.
Counsel
- Decide to maintain a posture of gratitude always
- Find and dedicate time to thank God for all He has done
Conclusion
That does it on this short sermon about birthday and thanks. I hope you found value in reading through it. Also, understand that this should be worked on, and if you need a sermon that is tailored to fit your audience, contact me today.