- [00:00:00] This is the last Sunday of the year, right? 2025. How many of you feel this year just has gone by very fast? Okay. By the way, you feel the same way every year, right? Every year at the end of the year, we say that year was so fast and then next year rolls around and you feel the same thing. \"Oh, this year was so fast as well,\" right? Have you ever noticed that? Another question: how many of you have this habit of coming to the end of the year, like 2025, and looking back to see what transpired during the year? - [00:00:37] Okay, I see a few hands here and there. I don\'t know if you remember, but some of us come from India, and back in India at the end of the year, in the newspaper, you\'d have this section called \"Year in Review,\" where they published all the major events that took place during the year. Do you remember reading that? It was fascinating for me to read that, given my memory and how quickly I forget things. I would read that section and go, \"That happened this year? No way. That didn’t happen this year. They got it wrong.\" Right? So it\'s always fascinating to look back over the year and see the events that took place. - [00:01:08] And I mean, in this country, hardly anybody reads newspapers anymore. So, YouTube has stepped in and has this tool, a YouTube recap, where you can go back and see what were the videos that you watched in 2025 if you\'re interested. LinkedIn does the same thing. Evidently, you can go back and see what connections you made at what point of the year, what skills you grew in, and so on. - [00:01:40] But what is so fascinating about reviewing what happened during this year? To bring back some events to your memory, let me walk through 2025. Trump became president. Whether you like him or not, unfortunately, he’s the president of this country. Elon Musk tried to help Trump cut federal employees like he did at Twitter or X, successfully or unsuccessfully, depending on who you ask. AI is everywhere. - [00:02:19] More locally this year, if you remember, the Pacific Palisades fire, one of the most expensive disasters that the US has ever faced, took place this year. Do you know it happened in January? To me, it felt like it just happened the other day, but evidently, it was in January. - [00:03:02] Pop culture: what\'s the most popular or memorable event in pop culture this year? Taylor Swift got engaged to Trevor Kelsece. I was searching for different events and landed on a comedy satire site, and according to this guy Dave Barry, the most viral story of the year is a raccoon that broke through the roof of a liquor store, broke multiple bottles, got drunk, and was found resting in the restroom. - [00:03:46] What’s the most viral toy of the year? Kids, you got to know this: Labou. I don’t know what this toy is, but evidently, it’s famous. Lastly, do you know what the word of the year for 2025 is? According to dictionary.com, the word is \"flop.\" Actually, it\'s \"67.\" What does it mean? I have no clue, but evidently, some of you know what it means or does not mean. I cannot figure out what floats people\'s boats these days, or maybe I am just out of touch. - [00:04:34] But why is it important for us to remember what happened in 2025 or any year? Why is it important to review and look back and see what transpired? If you talk to historians, they will say, or George Santayana said, \"Those who cannot remember the past will repeat it.\" Sociologists say history is a record of trends. We know where society is going; we understand how people\'s views on morality are changing. They study history to understand where society is headed. - [00:05:08] But for us as believers, why is it important to look back on what happened in the last year? It is important because history is a record of God\'s dealings with His creation—both the tragedies He allowed and the triumphs He made possible. Looking back allows us to give thanks to God for what He has done around us and in our lives. That is what this sermon is about, titled \"Glory of God in the Gratitude of His People.\" - [00:05:42] Since the sermon is about gratitude, I thought, let\'s figure out what gratitude actually means. There’s a website called grateful.org, and they define gratitude as \"the feeling of thankfulness and appreciation for the good things in life; recognizing benefits received from others or fortunate circumstances; and acknowledging that goodness exists outside oneself.\" - [00:06:19] Let me break it down. According to grateful.org, gratitude includes three things: first, certain positive feelings of appreciation and thankfulness; second, these feelings come from good things in life; third, these good things come from fortunate circumstances external to oneself. In summary, gratitude is a positive feeling of appreciation for good things in life received from external circumstances. - [00:06:59] Now, as soon as I laid out this definition, if you are listening closely, you might think, \"That’s not good enough.\" Life is not just filled with good things. There are many difficult and challenging things we go through. Human reality and biblical expectations are much broader than this definition. For example, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, \"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.\" It does not say, \"Give thanks when you get good things,\" but \"in all circumstances.\" It is the will of God that we give thanks in all circumstances. - [00:08:12] St. Paul writes in Ephesians 5:20, \"Give thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.\" Always and in all circumstances for everything. This is what the Bible expects from us. It does not depend on whether circumstances are favorable or unfavorable. In all circumstances, we are called to give thanks. - [00:08:48] Then immediately the question arises: how are we to have positive feelings of appreciation and thankfulness when faced not with good things but with tragedy, suffering, pain, and death? This is a common human experience and none of us escapes it. Our life may not be characterized only by unfortunate moments, but Paul says we must give thanks always, in all circumstances, and for everything. This is the will of God. - [00:09:29] Biblical gratitude operates even in the face of unfortunate circumstances and is much bigger than mere positive feelings or appreciation. Many in our church have lost loved ones, some prematurely. So we must ask: how do we give thanks during terrible, sad, personal tragedy? Even if we have not experienced personal tragedy, when we look back at 2025, there is much tragedy around us. - [00:10:07] Consider the Pacific Palisades fire I mentioned earlier—30 people died, entire generations of memories wiped out, many facing financial ruin. This is just one local tragedy. Multiply that with everything going on worldwide. Wars continue raging: the Russia-Ukraine war, Israel-Palestine conflict, Syrian civil war. Just in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, over 4 million people have been displaced, with 1 million casualties, deaths, and wounded. - [00:10:46] COVID-19 is not that far back. It has impacted almost every family in this church one way or another. Many of us have been terribly sick; many have lost loved ones. Tragedy is all around us—personal, national, and global. - [00:11:25] So in the face of such tragedies, how do we give thanks? How do we remain grateful in the face of premature death of a loved one, strange family situations, job loss, uncertain futures? As Paul writes, it is God’s will that we give thanks in all circumstances. How do we develop that kind of attitude, that kind of heart that allows us to give thanks no matter what we face? - [00:11:35] I have three points for my sermon: 1. Gratitude recalls God\'s mighty works. 2. Gratitude reveres God in word and deed. 3. Gratitude relies on God\'s faithful promises. - [00:12:00] Gratitude recalls God\'s mighty works. To quote David Paul, \"To give thanks to God is to remember what God has done for us.\" He goes on to say, \"The call to thanksgiving is therefore a call to transcend the present moment as one searches for an anchor in which reality can be comprehended.\" Let me break it down: the call to thanksgiving is a call to transcend the present circumstance, no matter how hard it is. As we search for an anchor—something to hold on to or look back on—we realize our reality is far bigger than we comprehend. - [00:12:39] Thanksgiving in all circumstances requires us to find that anchor where present challenges can be understood. That anchor lies in remembering the mighty works of God in human history and in our personal lives. Both biblical and personal history remind us of God’s grace and mercy. - [00:13:17] Thanksgiving points to the faithfulness of God. Remembering these acts forms the basis of thanksgiving. Who is this God, how does He relate to His people, and what mighty works did He do in our lives? As we answer these questions, we remember who God is, recollect what He has done, and out of that memory flows thanksgiving and gratitude. - [00:13:50] Exodus 3:15: God said to Moses, \"Say this to the people of Israel: The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.\" Who is this God? He is Yahweh, the \"I am.\" He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because He made a covenant with them. - [00:14:24] God called Abraham out of the land of Ur and promised him a son, land, people, protection, and provision in a foreign land against stronger opponents. God revealed His plans before they came to be. He calls, covenants, provides, protects, includes, and remains their God despite their failures and unfaithfulness. This is how He wants to be remembered: as a God who makes and keeps covenant. - [00:14:59] After this initial engagement, the Israelites suffer in Egypt under persecution. It looks like God has forgotten them, but Exodus 2:24 says, \"God heard their groaning and remembered His covenant.\" God remembers His covenant and deals with His people accordingly, not as they deserve but with love and mercy. - [00:15:32] When God\'s anger rises against the Israelites, Moses reminds God of the covenant. Psalm 106:45 says, \"For their sake, He remembered His covenant and relented according to the abundance of His steadfast love.\" God never forgets His covenant and acts according to it. - [00:16:43] Deuteronomy 7:9 says, \"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him to a thousand generations.\" This covenant-making God is faithful with an unchanging, steadfast love. - [00:17:21] Our responsibility as covenant participants is not to forget the covenant (Deuteronomy 4:23-24). Psalm 77:1 says, \"I will remember the deeds of the Lord, yes, I will remember your words of old.\" This remembrance culminates in the greatest deed God did for us: the death of Jesus Christ. - [00:18:00] Jesus said at the Last Supper, \"Do this in remembrance of me.\" Every time we participate in the Lord\'s Supper, we remember His sacrifice on the cross, where a holy God died for sinful man, fulfilling His covenant promise. - [00:19:07] Jeremiah 31:3 says, \"I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you.\" Lamentations 3:22-23: \"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.\" Isaiah 54:10: \"My steadfast love shall never depart from you.\" - [00:19:44] Psalm 136:1 declares, \"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.\" God’s love and faithfulness to His children never end. Remembering this fills our hearts with gratitude regardless of our circumstances. - [00:20:21] Gratitude is to be our constant disposition, not something we only muster during difficulties. Every moment of our lives is an opportunity to have hearts overflowing with gratitude because of God’s love, grace, and mercy. - [00:21:35] We all have moments—stakes in the ground—where we can point to God’s faithfulness in our lives. For me, one such moment is September 26, 1992, when I was baptized in a river outside Phoenix, Arizona. That moment reminds me of God’s goodness when I doubt, feel sad, or question my salvation. - [00:23:24] Remembering God’s goodness and works fills our hearts with gratitude independent of life’s challenges. When Paul says to give thanks in all circumstances, it is through remembering God’s mighty works in history and our lives. - [00:24:06] Point two: Gratitude reveres God in word and deed. Gratitude is not merely recalling the past but living out that memory in the present. According to Peter O\'Brien, thanksgiving is the outward expression in word and deed of the interior sentiment of gratitude for a favor received. - [00:24:43] Every covenant with God comes with stipulations—not to earn favor, which is freely given, but as a response of gratitude. We obey because what God has done compels us to obey. How can we remain silent about Jesus’ sacrifice? How can we not love God and others after experiencing His love? - [00:26:40] Revelation 4:9-11 shows heavenly worshipers giving glory, honor, and thanks to God, falling down and casting crowns before Him. God is worthy because He created all things by His will. Giving thanks is tied to glorifying God. - [00:27:47] According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. One practical way to glorify God is through a life of gratitude. True gratitude causes us to do what God wants. - [00:28:28] Colossians 3:15-17 commands us to be thankful in everything, letting the word of Christ dwell richly in us, teaching and admonishing with thankfulness, singing spiritual songs with thankfulness in our hearts, and doing everything in Jesus\' name, giving thanks to God. - [00:29:06] 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, \"Whether you eat or drink, do all for the glory of God.\" Paul’s message is both: give thanks, and glorify God, because giving thanks brings glory to God. - [00:30:56] Ephesians 5:19 calls us to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in our hearts to God. Worship is an expression of gratitude. - [00:31:35] Point three: Gratitude relies on God’s faithful promises. 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 speaks of the future promise when death is swallowed up in victory through Jesus Christ. This promise gives us hope and grounds for gratitude. - [00:32:44] One of the greatest personal tragedies is the premature death of loved ones. We miss them, but we have the assurance of eternity if they knew God. Eternity is long, and God promises we will be with our loved ones forever. - [00:34:00] The life we live now is a vapor compared to the promise of eternity. We can choose to fight God over loss or seize the promise of eternal life. - [00:34:35] John 14:23 says, \"In my Father’s house are many rooms... I go to prepare a place for you... I will come again and take you to myself.\" Jesus is preparing a place for us — the universe will be our home one day. - [00:35:58] Given these three grounds of gratitude—remembering God\'s mighty works, revering God in word and deed, and relying on God\'s promises—why do we struggle with gratitude? - [00:36:36] I want to end by addressing gratitude killers: First, jealousy and comparison. When we focus on what others have, we are never satisfied. Second, pride. Pride thrives on having more than others and leaves no room for gratitude. Third, entitlement. The belief that we deserve better kills thankfulness. Fourth, self-pity. Asking \"Why me?\" traps us in negativity and prevents gratitude. - [00:38:39] Additionally, a materialistic mindset kills gratitude. When our hearts are set on physical things rather than the unseen promises of God, we lose gratitude when those earthly things fail. - [00:39:56] As we conclude 2025, what are you grateful for? What acts of God cause you to remember His goodness and faithfulness? How are you being called to worship God in word and deed? What promises of God have been dear to you and sustained you? - [00:40:35] Finally, some practical advice: my wife and I have struggled to discover all the ways God has been faithful this year because we forget so quickly. As you start 2026, I recommend keeping a journal to track what God has done in your life. Remember the good things so that when life gets difficult, you can look back and see God’s faithfulness. - [00:41:11] Writing these things down is a wonderful spiritual discipline. May our hearts overflow with gratitude as we remember God\'s faithfulness.