by Romans of The 4 Gospels Christian Network
Next Thursday Americans will be celebrating Thanksgiving. It will be a day of food and parades and family and more food and football games... and more food. Has the original intent and purpose of the Day been lost to many Americans? Are they thanking God for the abundance, or just indulging because they can, without regard to the Source of the Feast set before them?
Among the early settlers of this Continent, as people seeking religious freedom, facing hardships on many levels, giving thanks to God was a spontaneous celebration that took place when God's Mercy and Providence was evident.
But what are the origins of this fixed date of Thanksgiving Day as we celebrate it today?
On the 3rd of October, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln made an official proclamation declaring that from hence forth, the last Thursday in November would be a National Day of Thanksgiving. The Civil War was still raging when he made his Declaration, which reads in part:
“Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”
Tonight, I'd like us to begin thinking, a week in advance of the Day, of why God is so deserving of our Praises and Thanksgiving. The Word of God is full of thanks to God. Let's look into it and see what we can learn from it on this subject. Before I begin, I would like to give full credit to Torrey's Topical Textbook (article: “Thanksgiving.”) for the outline that I used for this Discussion.
Christ Set an Example of Thanksgiving on Many Occasions:
Matthew 11:25: “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”
Matthew 26:26: “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it.”
John 6:10: “And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.”
John 11:41: “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always:”
The Heavenly Host Engaged in Thanksgiving:
Revelation 7:11: “And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.”
Philippians 4:6: “Be careful,” or, anxious “for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Thanksgiving is a Good Thing:
Psalms 92:1: “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered To God:
Psalms 50:14: “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered To Christ:
1 Timothy 1:12: “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered Through Christ:
Romans 1:7: “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.”
I can wholeheartedly join with Paul, and tell you that I also thank God for you all. Your faith is also spoken of throughout the whole world, as this is a daily world-spanning Fellowship of like minded Christians who pray with and for each other. No one expected that technology would grant us the ability to do what we now take for granted: We gather in Jesus' Name, separated by oceans and continents and thousands of miles. And as He promised He would be, He is in our midst when we do, and I thank God for His being with us, and for each of you being with us!
Colossians 3:17: “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
Hebrews 13:13: “Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Given In the Name of Christ:
Ephesians 5:19: “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Thanksgiving In Behalf of Ministers:
2 Corinthians 1:8: “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us. Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered In Private Worship:
Misled by those jealous of Daniel, King Darius signed a new decree that anyone who prayed to anyone but him for the next thirty days would be thrown to the lions. We read in Daniel 6:9: “Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered In Public Worship:
Psalms 35:18: “I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people.
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered In Everything:
1 Thessalonians 5:15: “See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered Before Taking Food:
Even while on board a ship, barely surviving a violent storm, we read of Paul in Acts 27:33: “And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you. And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered Always:
Ephesians 1:15: “Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:”
1 Thessalonians 1:2:”We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;
Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.”
Thanksgiving At the Remembrance of God's Holiness:
Psalms 30:4: “Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.”
Psalms 97:12: “Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For the Reception and Effectual Working of the Word of God in Others:
1 Thessalonians 2:11: “As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For Deliverance Through Christ From In-dwelling Sin:
Romans 7:22: “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
Paul asked, “... who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” And then he answered his own question: “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For Victory Over Death and the Grave:
1 Corinthians 15:54: “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For Wisdom and Might:
Daniel 2:23: “I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For the Triumph of the Gospel:
2 Corinthians 2:14: “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For the Conversion of Others:
Romans 6:17: “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For Faith Exhibited by Others:
Romans 1:8: “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.”
2 Thessalonians 1:3: “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;
So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For the Grace Bestowed on Others:
1 Corinthians 1:4: “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:”
Philippians 1:3: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”
Colossians 1:3: “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For the Zeal Exhibited by Others:
2 Corinthians 8:16: “But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For the Nearness of God's Presence:
Psalms 75:1: “Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For Appointment to the Ministry:
1 Timothy 1:12: “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For All Things:
Ephesians 5:20: “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Thanksgiving Should be Accompanied by Intercession for Others:
1 Timothy 2:1: “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men, For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”
2 Timothy 1:3: “I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day.”
Philemon 1:4: “I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints.”
Thanksgiving Should Always Accompany Prayer:
Colossians 4:2: “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.”
Christians Should Be Resolved to Offer Thanksgiving:
Psalms 18:49: “Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.”
Psalms 30:12: “To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.”
Magnify God by Thanksgiving:
Psalms 69:30: “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.”
Come Before God with Thanksgiving:
Psalms 95:2: “Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.”
Believers Should Enter God's Gate with Thanksgiving:
Psalms 100:4: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
The Wicked are Averse to Thanksgiving:
Romans 1:21: “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Continual:
Hebrews 13:15: “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
2 Thessalonians 2:13: “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:”
2 Thessalonians 1:3: “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth.”
Thanksgiving is Personally Exemplified by:
David in 1 Chronicles 29:12: “Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.”
Daniel in Daniel 2:23: “I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.”
Jonah from inside the specially prepared great fish in Jonah 2:9: “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.”
The Prophetess Anna in Luke 2:38: “And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”
The Apostle Paul in Acts 28:15: “And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For the Goodness and Mercy of God:
Psalms 106:1: “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
Notice the flow of this Psalm carefully:
Psalms 107:1: “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.”
I want to read these Verses, again. Do you know who I see when I read these Verses? The Israelites. Yes, I see the children of Israel. But I also see us, the Members of the 4Gospels Chat Room. I see everyone logged in here, tonight. And I see those who usually log in, but perhaps did not, tonight.
Let's take this a Verse or two at a time to see why I see us:
Psalms 107:1: “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;”
Is that not us? The redeemed of the Lord, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy?
Verse 3: “And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.”
This Website is a gathering place for us. Look at the list of names at the right. Would everyone type in the name of the states or countries where you are living, so we can all see the points on the compass from which we have gathered here, tonight, east, west, north, and south?
Member resident areas include: Georgia, Virginia, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Oregon, Michigan, Vermont, Texas, Canada, Afghanistan, New Zealand, Austria, Great Britain and the Netherlands.
Look at that list and consider the distances that separate us who gather here, daily.
Verse 4: “They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
We don't live close to each other. Geographically, we are many, many hours apart, even by jet. There is no one city in which we all dwell. And in that, even though we gather daily, we wander in a solitary way.
Verse 5 “Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.”
Does this apply to us, also?
Do we hunger and thirst only on a physical level?
Did Jesus not tell us in Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” This Verse, then, also is about us.
Verse 6: “Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.”
Is that not also us? Have we not all cried in our trouble? And has He not delivered us all out of our distresses?
Matthew Henry has this to say about these Verses: “The words describe their case whom the Lord has redeemed from the bondage of Satan; who pass through the world as a dangerous and dreary wilderness, often ready to faint through troubles, fears, and temptations. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, after God, and communion with him, shall be filled with the goodness of his house, both in grace and glory.”
So, you see... these Verses are about us.
Are there any questions or comments before we close, this Evening?
We have been talking about Thanksgiving, this Evening. And we all have many things to be thankful for. Things given us by God directly, on a spiritual and physical level, and things which He gave us through fellow humans, both believers and non-believers whom God set on our paths to intercept us.
2 Corinthians 9:11: “Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God.” (14): “And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”
Matthew Henry: “Blessed be God for the unspeakable gift of his grace, whereby he enables and inclines some of his people to bestow upon others, and others to be grateful for it; and blessed be his glorious name to all eternity, for Jesus Christ, that inestimable gift of his love, through whom this and every other good thing, pertaining to life and godliness, are freely given unto us, beyond all expression, measure, or bounds.”
Come next Thursday, when you sit down to Thanksgiving Dinner, at whatever table you will be sitting, wherever on this planet that table might be, Thank God for all that He is, for all that He has given you, and for the Eternity that He wanted you to share with Him intensely enough, that He sent His Son to pay for our sins, to die an inglorious and ignominious death in our place, so that each of us might have victory over the grave, and be able to enter into His joy for ever.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving Day, as President Lincoln originally designated it, I want to publicly thank God for all He has done in my life. I also want to thank Eye for his having established this Chat Room and Website. Allow me, also, to thank all of you for being here tonight, and for all the work that you who are Moderators, Accountability Partners, Prayer Warriors, Bible Study Leaders, and CR Coaches do to make this the kind of WebSite and Chat Room that it is! May God continue to Bless it, that it may be a light in the new electronic age of the Internet.
With the above in mind, I offer this one last Scripture of Thanksgiving from 1 Corinthians 15:57-58: “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
Romans, November 19th, 2011
Next Thursday Americans will be celebrating Thanksgiving. It will be a day of food and parades and family and more food and football games... and more food. Has the original intent and purpose of the Day been lost to many Americans? Are they thanking God for the abundance, or just indulging because they can, without regard to the Source of the Feast set before them?
Among the early settlers of this Continent, as people seeking religious freedom, facing hardships on many levels, giving thanks to God was a spontaneous celebration that took place when God's Mercy and Providence was evident.
But what are the origins of this fixed date of Thanksgiving Day as we celebrate it today?
On the 3rd of October, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln made an official proclamation declaring that from hence forth, the last Thursday in November would be a National Day of Thanksgiving. The Civil War was still raging when he made his Declaration, which reads in part:
“Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”
Tonight, I'd like us to begin thinking, a week in advance of the Day, of why God is so deserving of our Praises and Thanksgiving. The Word of God is full of thanks to God. Let's look into it and see what we can learn from it on this subject. Before I begin, I would like to give full credit to Torrey's Topical Textbook (article: “Thanksgiving.”) for the outline that I used for this Discussion.
Christ Set an Example of Thanksgiving on Many Occasions:
Matthew 11:25: “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”
Matthew 26:26: “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it.”
John 6:10: “And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.”
John 11:41: “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always:”
The Heavenly Host Engaged in Thanksgiving:
Revelation 7:11: “And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.”
Philippians 4:6: “Be careful,” or, anxious “for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Thanksgiving is a Good Thing:
Psalms 92:1: “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered To God:
Psalms 50:14: “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered To Christ:
1 Timothy 1:12: “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered Through Christ:
Romans 1:7: “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.”
I can wholeheartedly join with Paul, and tell you that I also thank God for you all. Your faith is also spoken of throughout the whole world, as this is a daily world-spanning Fellowship of like minded Christians who pray with and for each other. No one expected that technology would grant us the ability to do what we now take for granted: We gather in Jesus' Name, separated by oceans and continents and thousands of miles. And as He promised He would be, He is in our midst when we do, and I thank God for His being with us, and for each of you being with us!
Colossians 3:17: “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
Hebrews 13:13: “Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Given In the Name of Christ:
Ephesians 5:19: “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Thanksgiving In Behalf of Ministers:
2 Corinthians 1:8: “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us. Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered In Private Worship:
Misled by those jealous of Daniel, King Darius signed a new decree that anyone who prayed to anyone but him for the next thirty days would be thrown to the lions. We read in Daniel 6:9: “Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered In Public Worship:
Psalms 35:18: “I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people.
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered In Everything:
1 Thessalonians 5:15: “See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered Before Taking Food:
Even while on board a ship, barely surviving a violent storm, we read of Paul in Acts 27:33: “And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you. And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered Always:
Ephesians 1:15: “Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:”
1 Thessalonians 1:2:”We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;
Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.”
Thanksgiving At the Remembrance of God's Holiness:
Psalms 30:4: “Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.”
Psalms 97:12: “Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For the Reception and Effectual Working of the Word of God in Others:
1 Thessalonians 2:11: “As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For Deliverance Through Christ From In-dwelling Sin:
Romans 7:22: “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
Paul asked, “... who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” And then he answered his own question: “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For Victory Over Death and the Grave:
1 Corinthians 15:54: “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For Wisdom and Might:
Daniel 2:23: “I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For the Triumph of the Gospel:
2 Corinthians 2:14: “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For the Conversion of Others:
Romans 6:17: “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For Faith Exhibited by Others:
Romans 1:8: “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.”
2 Thessalonians 1:3: “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;
So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For the Grace Bestowed on Others:
1 Corinthians 1:4: “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:”
Philippians 1:3: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”
Colossians 1:3: “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For the Zeal Exhibited by Others:
2 Corinthians 8:16: “But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For the Nearness of God's Presence:
Psalms 75:1: “Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For Appointment to the Ministry:
1 Timothy 1:12: “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For All Things:
Ephesians 5:20: “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Thanksgiving Should be Accompanied by Intercession for Others:
1 Timothy 2:1: “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men, For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”
2 Timothy 1:3: “I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day.”
Philemon 1:4: “I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints.”
Thanksgiving Should Always Accompany Prayer:
Colossians 4:2: “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.”
Christians Should Be Resolved to Offer Thanksgiving:
Psalms 18:49: “Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.”
Psalms 30:12: “To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.”
Magnify God by Thanksgiving:
Psalms 69:30: “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.”
Come Before God with Thanksgiving:
Psalms 95:2: “Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.”
Believers Should Enter God's Gate with Thanksgiving:
Psalms 100:4: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
The Wicked are Averse to Thanksgiving:
Romans 1:21: “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Continual:
Hebrews 13:15: “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
2 Thessalonians 2:13: “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:”
2 Thessalonians 1:3: “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth.”
Thanksgiving is Personally Exemplified by:
David in 1 Chronicles 29:12: “Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.”
Daniel in Daniel 2:23: “I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.”
Jonah from inside the specially prepared great fish in Jonah 2:9: “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.”
The Prophetess Anna in Luke 2:38: “And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”
The Apostle Paul in Acts 28:15: “And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.”
Thanksgiving Should Be Offered For the Goodness and Mercy of God:
Psalms 106:1: “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
Notice the flow of this Psalm carefully:
Psalms 107:1: “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.”
I want to read these Verses, again. Do you know who I see when I read these Verses? The Israelites. Yes, I see the children of Israel. But I also see us, the Members of the 4Gospels Chat Room. I see everyone logged in here, tonight. And I see those who usually log in, but perhaps did not, tonight.
Let's take this a Verse or two at a time to see why I see us:
Psalms 107:1: “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;”
Is that not us? The redeemed of the Lord, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy?
Verse 3: “And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.”
This Website is a gathering place for us. Look at the list of names at the right. Would everyone type in the name of the states or countries where you are living, so we can all see the points on the compass from which we have gathered here, tonight, east, west, north, and south?
Member resident areas include: Georgia, Virginia, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Oregon, Michigan, Vermont, Texas, Canada, Afghanistan, New Zealand, Austria, Great Britain and the Netherlands.
Look at that list and consider the distances that separate us who gather here, daily.
Verse 4: “They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
We don't live close to each other. Geographically, we are many, many hours apart, even by jet. There is no one city in which we all dwell. And in that, even though we gather daily, we wander in a solitary way.
Verse 5 “Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.”
Does this apply to us, also?
Do we hunger and thirst only on a physical level?
Did Jesus not tell us in Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” This Verse, then, also is about us.
Verse 6: “Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.”
Is that not also us? Have we not all cried in our trouble? And has He not delivered us all out of our distresses?
Matthew Henry has this to say about these Verses: “The words describe their case whom the Lord has redeemed from the bondage of Satan; who pass through the world as a dangerous and dreary wilderness, often ready to faint through troubles, fears, and temptations. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, after God, and communion with him, shall be filled with the goodness of his house, both in grace and glory.”
So, you see... these Verses are about us.
Are there any questions or comments before we close, this Evening?
We have been talking about Thanksgiving, this Evening. And we all have many things to be thankful for. Things given us by God directly, on a spiritual and physical level, and things which He gave us through fellow humans, both believers and non-believers whom God set on our paths to intercept us.
2 Corinthians 9:11: “Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God.” (14): “And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”
Matthew Henry: “Blessed be God for the unspeakable gift of his grace, whereby he enables and inclines some of his people to bestow upon others, and others to be grateful for it; and blessed be his glorious name to all eternity, for Jesus Christ, that inestimable gift of his love, through whom this and every other good thing, pertaining to life and godliness, are freely given unto us, beyond all expression, measure, or bounds.”
Come next Thursday, when you sit down to Thanksgiving Dinner, at whatever table you will be sitting, wherever on this planet that table might be, Thank God for all that He is, for all that He has given you, and for the Eternity that He wanted you to share with Him intensely enough, that He sent His Son to pay for our sins, to die an inglorious and ignominious death in our place, so that each of us might have victory over the grave, and be able to enter into His joy for ever.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving Day, as President Lincoln originally designated it, I want to publicly thank God for all He has done in my life. I also want to thank Eye for his having established this Chat Room and Website. Allow me, also, to thank all of you for being here tonight, and for all the work that you who are Moderators, Accountability Partners, Prayer Warriors, Bible Study Leaders, and CR Coaches do to make this the kind of WebSite and Chat Room that it is! May God continue to Bless it, that it may be a light in the new electronic age of the Internet.
With the above in mind, I offer this one last Scripture of Thanksgiving from 1 Corinthians 15:57-58: “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
Romans, November 19th, 2011
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