Sermon || Pastor Sifiso Twala || Come and See what the Lord has done

“The God of Jacob is our refuge.” I called us to come and see what the Lord has done, to really see. Scripture keeps pressing that word on us: see. And as we see, we learn that thanksgiving is not conditional and not optional. It is commanded: “Give thanks to the Lord.” It is also protocol: “Enter His gates.” The Message puts it this way, “Enter with the password: Thank you.” And Paul takes it further—this is the will of God for us in Christ Jesus: give thanks in all circumstances. Not for every circumstance, but in every circumstance, because God’s worthiness is never on trial.

Thanksgiving is not a moment; it is a posture. It flows from settled conclusions about who God is. The sons of Korah start with their conclusion: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Because of that, “we will not fear,” even if the earth shakes, mountains fall, seas roar, and hills tremble. Sometimes God stops the quake; sometimes He stabilizes us in it. Either way, He is working. That is why a thankful heart survives what a murmuring spirit cannot.

A murmuring spirit amplifies the now; it gets loud about what is missing and blind to what God has done. A thankful heart turns and looks back—January through December—and sees the quiet faithfulness that carried us here. We thought we were finished more than once, and yet we are still standing. So I say, come and see: after the shaking, after the nights of fear, look around—He kept you.

Gratitude also makes room for God’s presence and power. Jesus took bread and fish, gave thanks, and it multiplied. Complaint locks doors; thanksgiving opens them. Some salaries, some opportunities, can’t stretch because the heart that holds them is clenched with grumbling. But when we give thanks, we move into the space where God works with what we have.

So today I choose a posture: no complaining, even when the earth shakes. I will match my thanksgiving with my offering, my worship with my remembering. Thank You for stabilizing me. Thank You for life, for homes, for healing, for open doors, for every person who has walked with us. Come and see what the Lord has done. And let us give thanks.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Thanksgiving is commanded, not optional God does not suggest gratitude; He requires it because it aligns our hearts with His truth. Commands train desire—our obedience leads our affections, not the other way around. When we practice commanded thanks, we discover it is not forced; it is freeing. The will bows, and the heart follows into joy. [04:29]
• 2. Gratitude is the password to presence Thanksgiving is not a warm feeling; it is how we enter God’s space. “Enter with the password: Thank you” names gratitude as access, not accessory. Grumbling keeps us outside, narrating our lack; gratitude ushers us into the room where God’s sufficiency reframes our lack. Presence changes proportions. [06:44]
• 3. Give thanks in all circumstances We don’t thank the pain; we thank God within the pain, because no season is God-empty. Gratitude in all things protests the lie that God is absent when life is hard. It keeps the soul from shrinking around the problem and opens it to the God who is at work within it. [07:47]
• 4. Settle your conclusions about God Thankfulness begins where conclusions settle: God is refuge, strength, and present help. When identity is clear, volatility loses power—earth may shake, but the heart holds. Decide first who God is; then your gratitude won’t be rented to circumstances. Conviction steadies praise. [15:37]
• 5. Complaining magnifies now; gratitude remembers Murmuring makes the present moment ultimate and forgets the miles of mercy behind us. Gratitude turns around, counts the months, and names deliverance by name. Remembering is spiritual warfare; it breaks the spell of the immediate and restores proportion to the soul. [20:03]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:00] - Come and See: The Emphasis
• [02:53] - Thanksgiving Not Conditional or Optional
• [04:29] - Commands to Give Thanks
• [06:44] - Password to Presence: “Thank You”
• [07:47] - God’s Will: Thanks in All Circumstances
• [10:52] - Thankfulness as Settled Conclusions
• [15:37] - God Our Refuge and Strength
• [16:07] - Unafraid Though the Earth Shakes
• [18:23] - Murmuring vs Remembering
• [21:31] - Stabilized in the Shaking
• [24:41] - Still Standing: Come and See
• [29:04] - Gratitude Multiplies; Complaint Locks Out
• [35:55] - Corporate Thanksgiving and Closing

Bible reading (ESV)
- Psalm 46:1–3, 7–8
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth.

Observation questions

1. What images of danger and chaos appear in Psalm 46:1–3, and how does the psalmist respond to those images? (Focus on the concrete details the psalmist names.)
2. What is the invitation in Psalm 46:8 (“Come, behold the works of the LORD”)? How does that invitation shape the movement from seeing to responding?
3. The sermon said that thanksgiving is commanded—“give thanks” is a command in Scripture. Which specific commands or texts were mentioned as examples of that claim? [04:29]
4. The sermon contrasted a “murmuring spirit” with a “thankful heart” and said murmuring amplifies the present moment while gratitude remembers past faithfulness. What examples from the sermon illustrate that contrast? [20:03]

Interpretation questions (third person)

1. How does the claim that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” change the meaning of the earthquake, mountain-falling, and raging-sea images in the psalm? In other words, does the presence of God cancel the danger or reframe it—and how?
2. If thanksgiving is presented not only as a command but also as access to God (a “password to presence”), what does that suggest about the relationship between gratitude and corporate worship or prayer? [06:44]
3. The text and sermon refer to giving thanks “in all circumstances.” How should “in all circumstances” be understood: is the obligation to thank the painful circumstances themselves, or to thank God while in the pain? What difference does that make for faithful response? [07:47]
4. Remembering past faithfulness was described as a discipline that resists murmuring. How does recounting specific past mercies function as a means of spiritual steadiness when present troubles feel overwhelming? [18:23]

Application questions (personal, practical)

1. Identify one recent “earthquake” in your life (an obvious crisis, loss, or worry). How would declaring “God is my refuge and strength” change the immediate way you speak, pray, or act in that situation?
2. Thanksgiving is a command. Choose one concrete practice this week to obey that command (for example: start one morning with three spoken thank-yous to God, keep a daily “thankful list,” or thank God before each meal). Which practice will you try? [04:29]
3. Gratitude is called the “password to presence.” What is one habit of complaint you will intentionally stop this week so you can “enter with the password: thank you”? How will you remind yourself when the complaint rises? [06:44]
4. Take two minutes to list aloud, with the group or a partner, three specific ways God has been faithful to you in the last 12 months (name months or events). How does naming those moments affect your posture toward today’s problems? [18:23]
5. Where is something you hold tightly with a murmuring heart—money, a job, an opportunity, a relationship? Name one concrete step you will take this month to offer that thing to God with thanksgiving (for example: a sacrificial gift, a thank-you prayer each morning, or a conversation of surrender). [29:04]
6. This week, when the next small fear or annoyance comes, practice saying one sentence: “Thank You, Lord, for stabilizing me.” When and where will you practice this sentence so it becomes a habit rather than a one-time effort? [32:26]

Use this guide to help the group read, remember, and practice thanksgiving as a posture—seeing what the Lord has done and responding with thankful hearts that open the door to his presence.