Pastor Olusola Kolawole
2nd August 2026
Bible Text: 1 Kings 3:3–15
Supporting Texts: Matthew 6:33, Haggai 2:8, Psalm 24:1, 1 Kings 4:24–25, Hebrews 10:25
Focus: Understanding gratitude as a spiritual posture that honours God, changes perspective and sustains a believer to finish well
This sermon teaches that gratitude is not just good manners or polite words. For the believer, gratitude is a spiritual posture and a condition of the heart.
Using Solomon’s encounter with God in 1 Kings 3:3–15, the message shows how a grateful heart can provoke divine visitation, open the door to wisdom, attract blessings beyond what was requested and keep a person humble before God.
The sermon also warns that blessings must never replace the God who gave them. A believer may start well, but only the mercy and grace of God can help them finish well.
Prayer of thanksgiving for God’s mercy from January to August — 01:13
Prayer for acceptable thanksgiving and readiness for Christ’s return — 01:53
Bible reading: Solomon’s sacrifice and divine encounter — 03:33
Solomon remembered God’s mercy despite his background — 11:33
Thank God for the gift of life and daily preservation — 13:00
The sermon opens with worship and thanksgiving to God, declaring that Jesus is worthy to be glorified. The preacher thanks God for His presence in the gathering and for keeping His people from January into August.
The opening prayer asks God to give His people the heart to offer acceptable thanksgiving. It also asks the Lord to save souls, deliver captives, heal the sick and empower His people through His Word so that they will be ready for the return of Christ.
The main Bible text is 1 Kings 3:3–15. In this passage, Solomon loved the Lord and went to Gibeon to sacrifice. There, he offered 1,000 burnt offerings, and the Lord appeared to him in a dream by night.
God gave Solomon an unusual invitation: “Ask! What shall I give you?”
The sermon identifies the central spiritual weapon as gratitude. Believers often know how to ask God for blessings, but God is also looking for people who will continually return to thank Him—not only when everything is perfect, but in every situation.
The preacher explains that gratitude is more than good manners. In everyday life, it is polite to say thank you when someone helps us. But for Christians, gratitude is deeper than politeness. It is a spiritual posture and a condition of the heart.
A truly grateful heart does not focus only on what is missing or difficult. It remembers what God has already done and trusts Him for what He has not yet completed.
The sermon gives practical examples. A person may pray for a job and later complain about workload, pressure or a difficult supervisor. Instead of allowing the pressure to erase gratitude, the believer should remember that God provided the job and can also give grace to handle the work.
The same applies in marriage. A person may pray for a husband or wife and later focus only on the spouse’s imperfections. The preacher reminds believers not to forget that God answered the prayer for marriage. Gratitude helps a person return to God and ask for grace to handle the imperfections wisely.
The message then returns to Solomon. Solomon looked at his life, his family background and the mercy of God that had placed him on the throne. Human reasoning might have disqualified him, but God’s sovereign mercy made him king.
This reflection produced gratitude. Solomon knew he could not fully explain why God loved him and lifted him, but he knew enough to say thank You.
The preacher encourages the congregation to look at their own lives in the same way. Many have travelled safely, slept and woken up, opened their eyes, spoken with their mouths, lifted their hands and remained alive from January to August. These are reasons to thank God.
Solomon’s gratitude was not small. In 1 Kings 3:4, he offered 1,000 burnt offerings. The preacher explains that people around him may not have understood why he was giving so much, but only the person who knows how much God has loved them can fully understand the depth of their gratitude.
Gratitude brought Solomon into divine visitation. That same night, God visited him and gave him an open invitation to ask for anything.
The God who gave Solomon this invitation is the owner of all resources. Haggai 2:8 declares that the silver and gold belong to the Lord, and Psalm 24:1 declares that the earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness.
Yet Solomon did not ask for wealth, power, long life or the death of his enemies. He asked for wisdom and understanding so that he could serve God and lead God’s people well.
This reflects the principle of Matthew 6:33: seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all other things will be added.
Because Solomon put God’s kingdom first, God gave him not only wisdom but also what he did not ask for. He received riches, honour and peace.
The sermon teaches that gratitude can also lead to multiplication. Solomon’s thanksgiving began with 1,000 burnt offerings, but later, at the dedication of the temple, he offered 22,000 bulls and 120,000 sheep, as recorded in 1 Kings 8:63. This shows the power of multiplication that can follow a life of thanksgiving.
God also gave Solomon peace on every side. 1 Kings 4:24–25 shows that Solomon had peace throughout his reign. The preacher prays that the Prince of Peace will visit every storm in the lives of God’s people.
The sermon then explains what sustained Solomon’s gratitude at the beginning of his journey.
First, Solomon loved God. 1 Kings 3:3 says Solomon loved the Lord. Jesus teaches that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all the heart, soul and mind in Matthew 22:37. He also says in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
A heart that loves God can still give thanks even when life is difficult.
Second, a grateful heart is a humble heart. Solomon was already king, yet before God he said, “I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.” He set aside his royalty and admitted his dependence on God.
This humility matters because Scripture teaches that God gives grace to the humble but resists the proud. See James 4:6.
Third, gratitude must become a lifestyle. Thanksgiving should not be restricted to the first Sunday of the month. A believer should wake up with thanksgiving, go through the day with thanksgiving and return home with thanksgiving.
Fourth, gratitude must be expressed. It is good for gratitude to be in the heart, but God also wants His people to express it through words, songs, praise, worship, prayer, service and testimony.
Solomon expressed his gratitude through sacrifice and service. He asked for wisdom because he wanted to serve God and God’s people well.
The sermon then gives a serious warning from Solomon’s later life. Solomon started well. He loved God, offered generously, asked for wisdom and received God’s blessing. But later, his heart turned away from the Lord, as recorded in 1 Kings 11:1–11.
The preacher warns that it is possible to start with gratitude but later allow God’s blessings to replace God. What God gives must never become the reason a person becomes distant from Him.
The message recalls a warning from the church’s anniversary season: it is one thing to start a journey, but it takes the mercy of God to finish well.
The preacher shares a cautionary story of someone who served God faithfully during a difficult season, but after receiving career success and material blessing, gradually withdrew from church, fellowship and spiritual commitment. The testimony is presented as a warning that isolation, ingratitude and neglect of God can expose a person to spiritual danger.
This connects with Hebrews 10:25, which warns believers not to forsake assembling together.
The sermon ends with a call to surrender and rededication. The greatest gratitude a person can give to God is to surrender fully to Him. Those who have not yet given their lives to Christ are invited to call upon Him for mercy. Those who have become ungrateful or distant from God are invited to return and ask for a new beginning.
The sermon describes gratitude as a spiritual weapon that many believers underestimate.
Prayer is important, asking God is important, but returning to God with thanksgiving is also powerful.
In daily life, saying thank you is good manners.
But for believers, gratitude is deeper. It is a spiritual posture that reveals the condition of the heart before God.
The sermon warns against focusing so much on present pressure that we forget previous answers to prayer.
The God who provided the job can give grace for the workload. The God who answered the prayer can also help with the responsibility attached to the answer.
In marriage, work and life generally, people can become focused on imperfections and forget the mercy that brought the blessing.
Gratitude helps believers bring challenges back to God rather than turning blessings into complaints.
Solomon understood that human reasoning could have disqualified him, but God’s mercy lifted him.
A grateful person does not boast in personal qualification but recognises the mercy of God.
People may not always understand the depth of your praise, giving or thanksgiving.
But when you know what God has done for you, your gratitude may go beyond what others can explain.
After Solomon offered his sacrifice, God visited him in the night.
The sermon teaches that gratitude can open the door to divine visitation and fresh encounters with God.
God gave Solomon an open invitation to ask.
Because Solomon asked for what would help him serve God, God added riches, honour and blessings he did not request.
Solomon did not put personal gain first. He asked for wisdom to serve.
This reflects Matthew 6:33, which teaches believers to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Solomon’s thanksgiving grew from 1,000 offerings to a much greater sacrifice later in his reign.
The sermon presents this as a picture of multiplication: when gratitude is sincere, God can enlarge what He has placed in a person’s life.
God gave Solomon peace throughout his reign.
The sermon prays that God will bring peace into homes, workplaces, minds and every stormy situation.
1 Kings 3:3 says Solomon loved the Lord.
A heart that truly loves God can continue to give thanks even when life is difficult.
Solomon was king, yet he saw himself as a little child before God.
Gratitude requires humility because it recognises dependence on God rather than self-sufficiency.
Thanksgiving should not only happen during monthly Thanksgiving Sunday.
Believers should live with daily gratitude—in the morning, at work, at home, on the road and in every season.
Gratitude should not remain hidden in the heart.
It should be expressed through praise, worship, prayer, service, testimony and thanksgiving unto God.
Solomon started well, but later his heart turned away from God.
The sermon warns believers not to allow success, money, work, marriage or comfort to take the place of God.
Starting well is important, but finishing well requires mercy, discipline and continual dependence on God.
Believers must keep returning to God for grace.
The sermon warns against isolation from the gathering of believers.
Hebrews 10:25 reminds Christians not to forsake assembling together, because fellowship strengthens, corrects and encourages.
The final call of the sermon is surrender.
If a person has not given their life to Christ, the greatest act of gratitude is to surrender fully to Him. If a believer has become distant or ungrateful, the right response is to return to God for mercy and a new beginning.
Father, thank You because You are worthy to be glorified.
Lord, thank You for keeping me from January until now by Your mercy.
Father, give me a heart that can offer acceptable thanksgiving.
Lord, save souls, deliver captives, heal the sick and empower us through Your Word.
Father, make me ready for the second coming of Christ.
Lord, give me a grateful heart in every situation.
Father, help me not to forget past answers because of present pressure.
Lord, give me grace to thank You for my job, my family, my home and every blessing You have given me.
Father, help me not to focus on imperfection until I lose gratitude.
Lord, remind me daily that I am standing by Your mercy.
Father, visit me divinely as You visited Solomon.
1 Kings 3:5
Lord, give me wisdom and understanding to serve You well.
Father, help me to seek first Your kingdom and righteousness.
Matthew 6:33
Lord, add to me what I need according to Your will and purpose.
Father, multiply every good thing You have placed in my hands.
Lord, give me peace in my home, workplace, mind and every area of life.
1 Kings 4:24–25
Father, give me a heart that loves You with everything I have.
Matthew 22:37
Lord, remove pride from my heart and give me true humility.
Father, make thanksgiving my daily lifestyle.
Lord, help me to express gratitude through praise, worship, service, giving and testimony.
Father, do not let Your blessings turn my heart away from You.
Lord, give me grace to start well and finish well.
Father, keep me planted in fellowship and protect me from spiritual isolation.
Hebrews 10:25
Lord, be merciful unto me wherever I have been ungrateful.
Father, give me a new beginning and restore my heart of gratitude.
May the Lord give you a heart of gratitude.
You will not forget the mercy that has kept you. Present pressure will not erase past testimonies. The God who answered your prayers before will give you grace for the responsibilities attached to the answers.
May gratitude open the door of divine visitation over your life. May the Lord give you wisdom, understanding, peace and blessings beyond what you have asked.
Your heart will not be turned away by the blessings of God. Pride will not replace humility. Complaining will not replace thanksgiving. Isolation will not replace fellowship.
The grace to start well and finish well is released upon you. The Lord will sustain you by His mercy, keep you in His presence and restore every area where gratitude has been lost.
You will live a life of thanksgiving, and your testimony will multiply.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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