Turn over with me to Psalm 105
again. I want to use verse 1 as a platform,
as a starting point tonight. Psalm 105, verse 1 says, Oh,
give thanks unto the Lord. Call upon his name. Make known
his deeds among the people. This coming Thursday is a national
holiday. Thanksgiving. And I love Thanksgiving. I love
it. And I was thinking about the
fact that we were not going to have a Wednesday night service.
And so I thought, well, Sunday night we're going to talk about
thanks. I don't believe that on Thanksgiving
Day I feel any more thankful than I do any other day. Really. I love the day. I love being together. I love
family time. But for a believer, every day
is Thanksgiving Day. Every single day. And in light of this coming Thursday,
I started thinking about things that I am thankful for. And wrote
a few of them down. I thought of seven of them. And
really, there's so many, but I thought of seven things in
particular. Seven things that I am thankful
for. And all I want to do tonight
is show you those seven things. All right? Seven things that
I personally am thankful for. Go with me over to John chapter
3. In John chapter 3, look at verse
16. It says, for God so loved. Do you know where this whole
thing started? We stand up here and we preach the gospel and
we know what the gospel is. And do you know where this whole
gospel started? Started with love. The whole
thing started with love. Verse 16 right there says for
God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son for
God so loved. Christ did not redeem us and
he did not cleanse us and he did not make us holy and make
us righteous so that God would love us. That's what's amazing about it.
He didn't do all that for us, so God would love us. This verse of scripture right
here says, because God so loved, that's why Christ redeemed us
and cleansed us and made us holy and made us righteous. It's because
God loved us. Go over to Romans 5 with me. Romans 5 verse 8 says, but God
commendeth his love toward us. In that while we were yet sinners,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Oh, the love that
drew salvation's plan of purpose. Love, love. Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Love. Why did he die? Why did he die? It's because he loved us. That's
why. I am so thankful that our God
is love. Our God is holy. Our God is just. Our God is right. He will punish sin. He's angry
with the wicked, but our God is love. He is love. And I'm so thankful for that.
That's the first thing I'm thankful for. Love, the love of God to
sinners like me and you. Here's the second. All right,
go with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 11. First Corinthians 11, look at
verse 24. And when he had given thanks,
he break it and said, take, eat, this is my body, which is broken
for you. I am so thankful for the body
of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for the love
of God towards sinners. And I'm so thankful for the body
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sinners have no idea what is
waiting for them on the other side. There's going to come a
final day for each one of us. And sinners have no idea what
is waiting on the other side. A woman recently decided to take
her own life and she called it dying with dignity. Dying with
dignity. If she left this earth without
Christ, I promise you she is right now wishing she was back
on this earth suffering from whatever it is she was suffering
from. It's infinite mercy compared to what a soul endures on the
other side without Jesus Christ. We could never enter in to what
mercy has been given to us through the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. Never. Isaiah, don't turn there, Isaiah
53 says this. It says that our Lord's body
was despised. It was rejected. It was full
of sorrows and it was full of grief. It says his body was stricken. It was smitten of God. It was
afflicted. We could never enter into what
that means, smitten of God and afflicted, never. It says his
body was wounded. bruised, chastised, and full
of stripes. It says his body went through
the same thing that a lamb goes through at the slaughter. Isaiah 52 says his body was more
marred than any man has ever been. As sinners against God, that's
what's waiting for you and me on the other side. That's what's
waiting for you and me on the other side. But in this verse
of scripture right here, he says, here, here is my body, which
was broken for you. I endured everything that was
waiting for you. Thank God for the body of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God God became a man. God loved. Christ came. Thank God for the body of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Go with me over to Ephesians
5. Ephesians 5 verse 30 says, For we are members of his body,
of his flesh, and of his bones. Everything he suffered and everything
that he accomplished has been applied to us. Every single thing. For we are members of his body. All that punishment was given
to us in his body, every single bit of it. All of the glory that
he received because of that redemption has been given to us in his body. We are members of his body, of
his bone, of his flesh. Thank God for the body of the
Lord Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for the love
of God. And I'm so thankful for the body
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now here's the third thing. Go
to 1 Peter 1. 1 Peter 1, look at verse 18. For as much as you know that
you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot, who verily was foreordained before the foundation
of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. I thank God for the precious
blood of the Lamb. Everything that I have ever done
has been washed away in a flood of precious blood. Everything
I've ever done. Every person in this room has
got something that will not be erased from their memory. Something they've done. Some
transgression against this law, God's law, and it will not go away and it
eats at you and it gnaws at you. But everything I have ever done
has been washed away in a flood of precious blood. They're gone
because of the blood of Christ. His body paid my debt. His blood gave me a brand new
record, an absolute clean slate. Why? Because God loved me. That's
why. Thank God for his precious blood
unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. We sing that song down at the
cross where my savior died down where for cleansing from sin,
I cried there to my heart was the blood applied glory to his
name. I am so thankful for that blood
because he said when he sees that blood, he will pass over
me. He's going to pass over me. I'm
so grateful for his love. I'm so grateful for his body.
I'm so grateful for his blood. Here's the fourth thing. Look
right here in first Peter one verse 21 who by him. to believe in God that raised
him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and
hope might be in God. I am so thankful for his calling. I am so thankful that he opened
my eyes to the truth, opened my eyes that I may see. I am
so grateful that he put faith in this heart to believe God. He put it there. It did not exist
before. And he put it there, and now
I get to believe the gospel. I get to believe the gospel. While so many people are saying,
I don't believe that, uh-uh, I don't believe that, I don't
care what it says, I don't believe that, I get to believe the gospel. Do I get the glory for it? No
way. I get to believe the gospel. I have been chosen, hand selected,
to believe the gospel. Do you realize what grace that
is? What mercy that is? What a high
honor of God that is? I get to believe the gospel. Why won't people believe? Why
won't people just believe? They can't. They can't. They can't. It's got to be bestowed
in love and in mercy and in grace and in favor. They've got to
be chosen from the heart of God to be a recipient of love and
faith. We were chosen to be allowed
to believe the gospel. It's a high heavenly honor. God
has allowed us to see his holiness. He has allowed us to see his
sovereignty. He has allowed us to see his
glory and to see his mercy. And the calling that he gives
is what brings us rest and comfort and peace when the whole world
is just torn all to pieces over every nuclear missile and every... We get to rest. Do we have troubles? Yes, we do. But ultimately, we
get to rest. We get to trust Christ. When
nobody else is trusting Christ, I've been allowed the calling
of trusting Christ and I thank God for that. This I recall to
my mind and therefore have I hope it's of the Lord's mercies we're
not consumed. His word is now a lamp unto my feet and a light
unto my path. The word that no one outside
of his calling understands nobody. Well, you can't understand that.
That's why we got to have a new translation and a new translation
and a new translation, because this one doesn't make sense.
Oh, but it does. Go over to Ephesians one with
me. Ephesians 1 verse 9 says, having made known unto us the
mystery of his will. We are not in darkness over what
is awaiting us. Could you imagine what it would
be like if you really had no idea what came after what the
earth calls death? What's waiting out there? having made known unto us the
mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he
hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness
of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him."
We are not scared of the unknown. We know who God is. We know who
God is. I told you before about that
man. I heard him perform a wedding and at the end of it, he was
thanking God. And then he said, whomever he
or she may be, we know who God is. We know who the God is that
we're going to have to go stand before. We know who the Christ
is who stood for us. who gave his body and his blood. I'm so thankful for that. He
called us out of darkness into light. I'm grateful for his love. I'm grateful for his body, his
blood, and his calling, his calling. Here's number five. This one
is especially, especially personal to me. Look at Ephesians 3. Ephesians 3 verse 7 says, Whereof
I was made a minister according to the gift of the grace of God
given unto me by the effectual working of his power unto me
who am less than the least of all saints is this grace given. that I should preach among the
Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. I am so thankful for
his ministry. I'm so grateful to be a part
of it. I really am. I am so, so grateful. I get to preach the gospel. I
get to preach the gospel. I'm grateful for that. I did
not put myself in this position. I know for a fact I didn't. I also know for a fact that no
man put me in this position. I was called into this ministry. And you know what? So were you. So were you. You were called
into his ministry. We have this ministry. You've been called to do everything
that it is that you do for his honor and for his glory. Every
bit of it. I am so grateful for everything
that he's laid on the hearts of each one of his believers
for the declaration of the riches of Christ. I'm grateful for that. His love, his body, his blood,
his calling, his ministry. And I'm grateful for that. Here's
number six. Go with me to Philippians 1. Philippians 1 verse 3 says, I thank my God upon every remembrance
of you. I thank God for you. I really
do. I really do. What would this life be without
you? What would this life be without
you? Could you imagine if you really believed I stand alone. Here I stand, I can do no other. Elijah thought he stood alone.
What would this life be without you? And when I say you, I mean
all of the you that are in Christ. That's who I'm talking to. Scattered
all over the world. What would life be like without
you? I am so thankful for each one
of you. I am grateful for Hannah. I'm
grateful that the Lord gave us children. I am grateful for your
children. It is such a blessing for this
ministry that God has given us children. It is such a blessing. It makes me have hope that there's
longevity here. Maybe the gospel will have a
free course here and maybe the Lord will be merciful to souls
here. And I'm just thankful, very thankful.
Go over to 1 Thessalonians 2. 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 13 says,
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because
when ye received the word of God which you heard of us, you
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." I thank God for calling out sheep who
believe this truth and have like precious faith with me in Christ. David said, behold how good and
how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. This
is the best thing I have on this earth is right here. And I love
you and I thank God for you. I thank God for his love, his
body, his blood, his calling, his ministry, and I thank God
for you. Number seven. And we're never
gonna run out of things to be thankful for, ever. This is not
the last thing to be thankful for, it's just the last thing
I'm gonna mention tonight. Go over to John 14. I told you the other day, and
I mean it, whenever I see what's going on in this world, I become
troubled. I just become troubled. My lack
of faith, I just get scared. I can't help
it, I just get scared. And I pray that the Lord would
increase my faith and cause me to rest in Christ and not be
so worried. I want that, I really do. But
this world is so violent. I worry for our children. This
world is so violent and it's just so wicked. And I know that
there is no good end for this world. It's going to keep going
down and it's going to keep going down and it's going to keep going
down. Look right here at John 14 verse 1. It says, Let not
your heart be troubled. You believe in God? believe also
in me. In my father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that
where I am, There ye may be also. Thank God He is coming back. He will not leave us here in
this cesspool of sin. He said there is a place of safety. There is a place of refuge. There is a world of love and
peace. and security, and I am going
to prepare a place for you. I will come back and receive
you to myself, that where I am, you may be also. I thank God
so much for the promise of his return. Go over to 1 Thessalonians 4. Don't turn there. Let me just
tell you what it says. It says he's going to descend from heaven
with a shout. That's what it says. He's going
to descend from heaven with a shout. 1 Thessalonians 3 says that he's
going to bring all of our brothers and sisters with him. They're
all going to come with him. And then he's going to take us
to a place that he calls paradise. And he's going to dwell there
with us forever, and he's going to be our God, and he is going
to dry our tears. David said this, he said, I would
have fainted going through this life, going through the troubles
of this life, going through all the worries. I would have fainted
unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the
land of the living. I cannot wait to see the land
of the living. All these eyes can see is the
land of death. There's some eyes of faith right
here that is seeing them through a glass darkly, but I can't wait
to see the land of the living. Thank God he is coming back for
us. Thank God. We have so much to
be thankful for, don't we? And I pray that he'll cause me
to think on him Thursday. While everybody's gathering together
and our families are gathering together, we can gather together
in spirit no matter where we are and collectively thank our
God for everything he's done. Make his works known among the
people. All right, let's stand together.