If you would, turn with me to
2 Corinthians 2. I want to look at one verse of
Scripture this morning, verse 14. 2 Corinthians 2, verse 14. This coming week is when our
nation celebrates the day we call Thanksgiving. This will
be my fourth year here with you during this time of year and
I've never brought a message that had anything to do with
Thanksgiving because the child of God doesn't need a holiday
to be thankful. And I understand and I'm thankful
for the holiday, for families able to get together, spend time
together, people get time off work. I'm grateful for that.
But redeemed sinners, I'm talking about sinners, are thankful or
should be every day. Every day that God gives them
breath, they ought to be thankful. And though we're thankful for
many things, we must always remember that it is God who gives us all
the comforts of life. The child of God has even learned
to be thankful in trials and tribulations because it is God
that sends them our way for our good and for His glory. We've learned that. God's taught
us that. So with the topic of Thanksgiving
in mind, I want to have you consider what we as the redeemed of the
Lord should truly be thankful for. And I don't suppose there's
any better place than right here in chapter 2 of 2 Corinthians,
verse 14. Let's read it together. Now thanks
be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and
maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every
place. Now first I'd have you consider
whose lips these words fell from, which will even make it more
precious to you. Paul says, now thanks be unto
God. Paul. Now, from what I have studied
and read, 2 Corinthians is one of the last epistles that the
Apostle Paul wrote. So I want you to picture Paul
now who has aged. He's not the young, zealous Saul
of Tarsus that he once was, older, wiser. And this man had been
beaten five times with 40 stripes, save one. And he says, thanks
be to God. This man had suffered beyond
human comprehension. He'd been stoned, dragged out
of the city as dead. He'd been persecuted on every
side. And at the end of his long and
profitable ministry, he says, now thanks be unto God, which
always causes us to triumph in Christ. Oh, to triumph when shipwrecked,
to triumph when scourged, to triumph while being stoned, to
triumph amidst all the hardships of the world, to triumph when
he was driven from the city, to triumph when he was thrown
in the prison. He thanked God Almighty in all
these things, claiming to have triumphed. He says, He always
causes me to triumph. By today's standards, and let's
just be honest with ourselves, we preach and minister with very
little opposition, to say the least. We have freedom to meet
together, worship as we desire. Nobody's coming in the back door
and dragging us out and throwing us in jail. To say, now thanks
be unto God, which always causes us to triumph, is a very little
thing in comparison to what it was in Paul's day. But for one
like Paul, so trampled on, so tried, so distressed, to say
it, we must say here in considering him and his life, here is a man
that had true faith in God. He truly believed God, had faith
in God. And he had faith in God's mission
for him. He was never the same, Tyler,
after that day that God knocked him off his high horse on the
wrote to Damascus. It was the same. And beloved,
oh what consolation Paul had in the midst of all his difficulties
when he acknowledged God makes known the savor of his knowledge
by us in every place. Now just for a few minutes, let's
consider and see by the grace of God the glorious gospel in
these few words. Every now and then you run across
a verse of scripture that makes its own outline. We're talking
about being thankful. Thankful. I would have you notice first
who we are or should be thankful to. Now, thanks be unto God. That's who we ought to be thankful
to. This is where all things should
rightly go, and it should go there now. Right now. If you find yourself not thankful,
may you be right now. Paul said, now thanks be unto
God. All men and women. Now listen.
Every man and woman, even those that are lost in their sin, should
thank God. He gives us every provision.
Every provision of our natural and physical lives are given
by Him. Well, how so, Brother David?
Well, we dwell on His earth. This celestial ball belongs to
Him. This is the earth He made. And
it's conducive or beneficial to every physical life. Tell you something, we don't
think about much our atmosphere. We walk outside and We breathe
so easily? You can't do that on other planets.
We should thank God now because He alone gives us our first breath,
our last breath, and every breath in between. Every man ought to
thank God that he breathes, for it truly is God that gives breath. And the Lord formed man out of
the dust of the ground, and he breathed in his nostrils, the
breath of life, and man became a living soul." God breathed
in him the breath of life. Job said, "...and whose hand
is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind."
Even those that don't know Him, trust Him, or love Him. Your
breath comes from Him. You ought to be thankful. Job
said in chapter 33, the Spirit of God hath made me, and the
breath of the Almighty hath given me life. Psalm 104, listen to
this, from a different perspective. Thou hidest thy face, they are
troubled. Thou takest away their breath,
they die. and return to the dust. It's
God that gives the breath. It's God that takes away the
breath. And when God gives you your last breath, you're going
to die physically and return to dust. In the book of Acts,
we're told neither is God worshipped with men's hands as though He
needed anything. Has God shown you that He doesn't
need anything? He doesn't need anything from
anybody, especially you and I. Seeing He give it to all life
and breath, and all things. We don't think much about breathing.
You know when we think the most about breathing? When we have
difficulty breathing. Something we take for granted
otherwise. But it's God that gives every
breath. So again I tell you that all our natural provisions in
this life are given by Him unto whom we should be thankful. He provides the sun, which sustains
our lives and provides our food. He sends the rain, which gives
us water to drink and causes the growing of our food. Wouldn't
you agree that thanks ought to be unto God? Acts 14, 17 says,
"...nevertheless He left not Himself without witness, and
that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven and fruitful
seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." That's not
just to God's people. That's to every man and woman.
You know how I know? Because in Matthew chapter 5
it says, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven,
for he maketh his Son to rise on the evil and on the good,
and he sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. The sun and rain
are all at His disposal. And I know that doesn't surprise
you, but you'd be amazed at how many people it surprises, because
men have proclaimed God to be a weak, helpless, wanting-to-do-something
type God. Oh, He can only do this if we
allow Him, let Him. He's weak and helpless and wants
to, but can't. Don't listen to that, friends.
That's not God. And you know it bears witness
in your own heart that that's not God. The Son and the rain
are at His disposal and He makes, did you hear that? He maketh
His Son. He makes the Son to rise on the
evil and the good and He sends it. Did you hear that? He sends. Rain on the just and the unjust.
All men and women ought to be thankful to God Almighty. But
let me add, especially those of the household of faith. For
He breathed into us spiritual life. He provides us with manna
from heaven. and water which causes us to
never thirst again. He clothes us with His perfect
righteousness. He is our shelter. He is our
refuge. And He is the sure foundation
of both. He is our substitute who paid our sin debt for us,
which was death, dying in our place. And you know, you think
about that. Scripture says the wages of sin
is death. And Christ paid sin's debt for
us. then He must die in our place
in order for us to have eternal life. That's called substitution. Are you thankful for that? Are
you thankful that God Himself became a man, lived. Scripture says he knew no sin,
yet he was made to be sin for us that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him. He is the one and only mediator
between God and man. Brother David, you say that all
the time. Do you believe it? I never grow tired of hearing
it. He is the one mediator, the only mediator between God and
man. Do you know what a mediator is? He's one who stands between
two parties to reconcile the two together. In this case, Christ
as our mediator stands between the sinner who's condemned already,
born condemned. He stands between the sinner
and a thrice holy God and He reconciles, brings the two together. There's only one mediator now.
We're told He's made unto us wisdom and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption. Who's made? He is the Lord Jesus
Christ. So, let me sum up what Christ
is to the believer. He's all. He's all. He's all
and in all. And that doesn't mean in everyone.
That means He's all and He's all again and He's all again.
He's all. He's all we need. He's all God
requires. And Him plus anything won't get
it done. Christ alone. Christ alone. John
Gill said it this way, and it really reiterates what I've been
trying to say. He's the first cause of all things.
He's the author of the old and of the new creation. He is salvation. He has all the fullness of the
Godhead and all the perfections of deity in Him. He possesses
all spiritual blessings for His people and has all the promises
of the covenant of grace in His hands for them. All the fullness
of grace dwells in Him. He is our light and life, our
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption, our food and clothing,
our strength and our riches, our joy, our peace, our comfort,
who gives us grace here and glory after. He's all. Thanks should
be, number one, unto God. Number two, thanks be unto God,
which always causes us to triumph. What a promise that is. Believer,
regardless of your situation, now listen, and matter. Thank
God for He always, always, is that what your Bible says? Always? causes you to triumph. No wonder the Apostle Paul said
in Romans 8, when read it in the men's meeting, he didn't
know this was one of my texts, but it says in verse 33, who
shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that
justifies. Who is going to overrule the
hand of God Almighty to charge His elect with anything? Who? There is no one. It's God
that justifies. Who is He that condemneth? It's
Christ that died. Who can condemn one for whom
Christ laid down His life for? Who? There's none. It's Christ
that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who's even at
the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Now,
do you know what that means? I know you do. He now sits at
the right hand of God Himself in all power. The right hand
signifies power. And He makes intercession. Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Who? Who is going
to separate us from the love of Christ? Well, Paul goes on
to ask. He says it's tribulation, it's
distress, it's peril, sword. He said, it's written. It's written
in the scriptures. For thy sake we're killed all
the day long. We're accounted as sheep for
the slaughter. No, nay, nay, nay, nay. In all these things, we are more
than conquerors through Him that loved us. He always causes us
to triumph. Thanks be unto God. He always
causes us triumph because He works everything together for
our good. There's no way that we cannot triumph because regardless
of the situation, how bad it may seem to be, friends, God
works it together for good to them that love Him, to them that
are called according to His purpose. And it's good. Every time. It's good. Why, even death. There is triumph over death's
sting and the grave in Christ. Oh, death, where is thy sting,
Gary? Oh, grave, where is thy victory?
He always causes us to triumph. Third thing. Luke 5. Thanks be to God who always causes
us to triumph. Where? In Christ. Is that what
your Bible says? Now thanks be unto God which
always causes us to triumph in Christ. We triumph in one place. We just read it. Who is He that
condemned it? It's Christ that died, Shirley.
Who's going to condemn us? It's in Christ. Only one place. One place only. There's no victory,
no faith, no salvation, no peace, no comfort, joy, love found anywhere
else except in Him. Now I'm going to quickly read
you some scriptures. matter of fact go ahead and turn
with me to Ephesians 1 and just give me a second I'm going to
read two verses in Romans to you and then we're just going
to kind of quickly flip through the first three chapters of Ephesians
so Ephesians 1 while you're turning Romans 3 24 says being justified
freely let's get a hold of that right off the bat if you're justified
friends it's freely it's not by works of righteousness that
you've done because you can't do any works of righteousness
you're justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus. Our justification is in Him.
No other way to be saved. Father, no other way. Romans
8.31, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which
are where? In the church? No. The kiss the
Pope's ring? No. There's no condemnation to
them that straighten up and fly right? No. There is now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit." And friends, you can't even do that unless
it's in Christ. You just can't. Now, look at
Ephesians 1 with me. Your turn there. Look at verse
3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
blessed us with all, all spiritual blessings. Every single spiritual
blessing there is, all of them, in heavenly places. Where? In Christ. In Christ. Look down
at verse 18. The eyes of your understanding
being enlightened. You see, we were blind, but now
we see. Like old blind Bartimaeus. We
sat by the wayside begging, didn't we? And Jesus one day heard our
cry and He stood still. And He caused us to see our need.
And like Bartimaeus, He called him forth. He said, what can
I do for you, Bartimaeus? He said, that I might see. The
one thing that I want more than anything in this world, Lord,
is that I might see. That was me. I couldn't see. My eyes and my understanding
had to be enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of
His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance
in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power
to us who believe according to the working of His mighty power."
Look at verse 20, "...which He wrought in Christ." Everything
above that, your eyes being enlightened, that you may know the hope of
your calling, that you may know what is the riches of the glory
of His inheritance in the saints, that you may know the exceeding
greatness of His power. It's all wrought in Christ when
He raised Him from the dead and set Him in His own right hand
in heavenly places. Look at chapter 2 real quick,
verse 6. Chapter 2, verse 6, "...and hath raised us up together,
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Look
at verse 10, "...for we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus." unto good works which God hath before ordained that
we should walk in them." Look at verse 13 of chapter 2. But
now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by
the blood of Christ. There I was, once far away from
the Savior, and in Christ Jesus I'm made nigh by His precious
blood. Look over at chapter 3. Verse
10, to the intent that now and to the principalities and powers
and heavenly places might be known by the church, the manifold
wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose, which he purposed
in Christ Jesus, our Lord, in whom still speaking of the same
one in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by
the faith of what of him. Why do you preach Christ week
after week? That's all there is to preach.
There's no other subject. There are different texts that
we see Him in, but there's no other subject. There's no other
message. As a matter of fact, that's what
Paul said in Colossians 1, whom we preach. Warning every man
and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may be present,
every man... Listen, get this word. We'll
grab hold of this and hang on to it. Perfect! Every man perfect
in Christ Jesus. That's the only place you can
be perfect. That's the only place God will
accept you in perfection and perfect righteousness and holiness.
And it only can be in Christ. Paul wrote to Timothy and he
said, And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, exceeding
abundant with faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus. who
has saved us and called us with the holy calling, not according
to our works, not according to our works, but according to His
own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus, when? Before the world began. People
somehow think they made a decision and then the purpose of grace
came. God purposed His grace before
the world began. So surely you and I had nothing
to do with it. And Paul said, I endure all things
for the elect's sake that they may also obtain the salvation
which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. That's the only
place. A man can be redeemed and saved and reconciled to God. And Paul says in 1 Thessalonians
5, 18, In everything give thanks. In everything. But my wife has
cancer. In everything give thanks. I lost my job. In everything
give thanks. Are we truly thankful for all
that Christ has done for us? Not like ought to be. And if
not, may we be so now. Now, thanks be to God. Now, if
you look back at 2 Corinthians 2.14, I'll give you my last two
things quickly. Fourth thing, now thanks be unto
God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ. And notice
this next phrase, and maketh manifest. the savor of his knowledge. Now a lot of people read right
past that and never get a blessing from it. But see friends, it
is God who makes evident that elect sinners have been taught
by Him that great mystery which was once hid and is now made
manifest that I read to you a few moments ago in Ephesians 3. Oh,
to now see the Christ, who is the lily of the valley, and to
smell that sweet-smelling savor of the rose of Sharon in Song
of Solomon 2.1, and to be able to say with the writer Solomon,
his mouth is most sweet. You know why? He speaks words
of life to my soul. Yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this
is my friend. God calls you His friend. And
now you can call Him yours. God was angry with the wicked
every day. Our hearts were continually only
evil. Deceitful above all things. Desperately
wicked. And now God says, Friend. And we say you all together, The One whom we once despised,
we now know personally is our Redeemer. For our great God has
manifested Him to us. Isn't that a beautiful word?
Manifested. He who was once nothing to us,
but Jesus of Nazareth. And with Nathanael, we all were
guilty and we said, what good thing can come out of Nazareth?
But now God has manifested to us that He is Jesus Christ, the
Anointed One. The one anointed of God to save
His people from their sin. Christ is not a name, it's a
title. He's the Anointed One. He's no
longer just Jesus of Nazareth to me. He's the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me ask you, aren't you thankful?
Lord, help us to be more so. Now, I give you my fifth and
last point. Now, thanks be unto God. Are you back in 2 Corinthians
still? Because I want you to see this. Verse 14. Now, thanks be unto
God which always causeth us to triumph in Christ and maketh
manifest the Savior of His knowledge. Here's the last thing. by us
in every place. Now I got through the first four
points of this and almost passed over this one. I almost didn't
see it. If God, now listen, if God is
ever to manifest the knowledge of His Son to those we know and
love, it will be by us in every place. And he said unto them,
speaking of the Lord Jesus in Mark chapter 16, Go ye into all
the world and preach the gospel to every creature. And oh, what
a privilege God has given us in sharing the glorious gospel
of Christ. It pleased God, as we've read
several times already this morning, by the foolishness of preaching
to save them that believe. Now I may be wrong. It won't
be the first time, that's for sure, if I am. But I'm pretty
well convinced that you don't have to stand in the pulpit of
a church to preach Christ. The word preaching in the original
language means to proclaim. You can proclaim something almost
anywhere and in every place. Now you may get thrown out. You
may get thrown in jail. But you can proclaim something
almost anywhere and in every place. And friends, I am so thankful
that God uses the means and privilege of proclaiming Christ to others
by us. There will be some in your life
that will never hear of this glorious Savior if it's not by
you. 1 Peter 3.15, But sanctify the
Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer
to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope. that is
in you with meekness and fear. Some of you have had that happen
recently, always ready to give an answer, to proclaim the unsearchable
riches of He who loved you and gave Himself for you.