RCCG Sunday School Teacher’s Manual 1st January 2023 – Lesson 18
TOPIC: THANKSGIVING
OPENING PRAYER: Father, thank You for Your loving kindness towards me and my family.
PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE:
Teacher should allow students to review the previous week’s lesson.
MEMORY VERSE: Psalm 95:2 (KJV)
“Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.”
BIBLE PASSAGE: Psalm 100:1-5 (KJV)
1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
LESSON INTRODUCTION: To be thankful literarily means to be full of thanks or appreciation. It is an expression of gratitude to someone. Thankfulness in this context is an act of thanksgiving or a show of gratitude to God. Though some people are ungrateful for various reasons, we must not be ingrates because of its attendant dangers.
TEXT REVIEW: PSALM 100:1-5
A. The Psalmist states that all land (nation, tribes) should make a joyful noise to the Lord V1
B. The people should:
i. …….. V2a
ii. ……. V2b
C. He states the reason as follows:
i. The Lord is God….. V3a
ii. …. V3b
iii. We are …… V3c
D. Therefore,
i …….. 4a
ii. Be thankful…….. V4b
E. Other reasons to be thankful to God are:
i. …… V5a
ii. ……. V5b
iii. …….. V5c
LESSON OUTLINES
- REASONS AND BENEFITS OF THANKSGIVING
- DANGERS OF INGRATITUDE
1. REASONS AND BENEFITS OF THANKSGIVING
Question 1:
What are the reasons for thanksgiving?
Answer:
The reasons for thanksgiving are inexhaustible: some of them are:
i. Thanksgiving is a command (1Chronicles 16:8).
ii. Believer’s request should start and end with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6).
iii. We thank God for victories over battles of life (Jonah 2:9).
iv. It is important to thank God for His mercies and divine provisions (Psalm 68:19; Micah 7:18-20).
v. Thanksgiving is offered to God for His miracles and restoration of hope (1Samuel 2:1-5; Psalm 126:1-2).
vi. The primary reason God created us in His image is for fellowship, thanksgiving, praise and joyful heart (Isaiah 43:21)
Question 2:
What are the benefits of thanksgiving?
Answer:
If you will cultivate the habit of showing gratitude to God, you will compel overflowing blessing from Him. Here are some of them:
Thankful people receive answer prayers (John 11:41-44);
Thankful people enjoy abundant provision (Mark 8:6-8);
Thankful people enjoy deliverance from bondage (Acts 16:25-26).
Thankful people are peaceful and joyful (Philippians 4:6-7).
Thankful people enjoy divine presence (Psalm 22:3; 95:2),
Thankful people also experience completed restoration and wholeness (Luke 17:16-19)
Thankful people enjoy victory without a fight (2Chronicles 20:21-23).
CLASS ACTIVITY 1
The class should mention other benefits of giving thanks to God
2. DANGERS OF INGRATITUDE
Question 1:
Why do some people find it difficult to show gratitude to God?
Answer:
A Ingratitude is the result of vain imagination and darkened heart. Sometimes your thanksgiving is senseless to the ordinary person but it is more profitable to be thankful than to complain (Romans 1:12; Proverbs 15:8).
B. There are several reasons people are ungrateful to God: some of which include:
i. Sin or Spiritual blindness (Ephesians 4:17-18).
ii. Refusal to take account of what God has done (Romans 1:12).
iii. Pride (Acts 12:21-23).
Question 2:
What are the dangers of ingratitude?
Answer:
Every act of ingratitude comes with it’s attendant danger.
i. Risk of losing the existing blessing, salvation and Heaven (Matthew 25:24-25, 30).
ii. Limiting one’s blessing or answered prayers (Luke 27:12-16,19).
iii. It could result in emptiness and sorrow (Proverbs 15:13; 17:22) thereby, making restoration practically difficult.
CLASS ACTIVITY 2
Students should share their experiences of when they found it difficult to thank God and how they were able to pull through.
SUMMARY
Every child of God should learn to be thankful so as not to be caught in the web of ungratefulness and it’s dangers.
CONCLUSION
Showing gratitude to God ensures continuous divine presence and fellowship.
CLOSING PRAYER
Father, forgive me for every act of ingratitude; give me the grace to always be thankful from today in Jesus name
ASSIGNMENT
Mention five (5) things God did for you last year, for which you need to show gratitude (2×5=10 Marks).
RCCG Sunday School manual is used in Sunday School Classes in the RCCG.
The RCCG Sunday school manual is written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye and is available online for easy access. See the previous RCCG Sunday school Manual for 2023 here
