Would you turn with me to the
third chapter of the Book of Colossians? Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.
Always has been. And every day, I don't want to
be trite, but you know, I'm telling the truth. Every day is to be
a day of Thanksgiving to the believer, isn't it? Attempt to preach upon this subject,
the doctrine of Thanksgiving. That's kind of an unusual title
for a sermon about Thanksgiving, the doctrine of Thanksgiving,
but yes, the Bible has a lot to say about this so very important
subject. Let's begin reading in verse
12 of Colossians chapter three. Put on, therefore, as the elect
of God, holy and beloved, vows of mercies, kindness, humbleness
of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another and forgiving
one another. If any man have a quarrel against
any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do you. And above all
these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness,
and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also
you are called in one body. And be ye thankful. Now, this is a command. Be ye
thankful. One would think that this command
should be utterly unnecessary. Does a believer need to be commanded
or even to be reminded to be thankful? Evidently we do. Or he wouldn't
have given this command. I repeat, this is a command to
every believer, thee, ye, Thankful. Now, everybody ought to be thankful. I don't care what their state
is. Health or sickness. Whatever state any human being
is in. Everybody ought to be thankful. Everybody has a reason to be
thankful. You know, the very fact that
you're alive means God's giving you space for repentance. Isn't
that a blessing? That's true regarding everybody
in every circumstance. Everybody has reason to be thankful.
Listen to this scripture. He maketh his Son to rise on
the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. Psalm 145 line says the Lord
is good to all. I believe that. What about nothing? I believe
it. The Lord is good to all. Every human being has reason
to be thankful, and the fact that some would question this
is once again a testimony to the wickedness of man. The very
fact that we might even have trouble being thankful is a testimony
to the depravity of our hearts, isn't it? Be ye thankful. Unthankfulness is a sign of being
reprobate. Listen to this scripture from
Romans chapter 1, verse 21. 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. But
the psalmist said in Psalm 92, verse 1, it is a good thing. to give thanks to the Lord. Now, why is it a good thing?
Let me give you two reasons. First of all, it's a good thing
because it glorifies God. Do you know when you have a thankful
attitude and a thankful spirit, you glorify God? Listen to this
scripture from 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 15. He speaks
that the thanksgiving of many may redound to the glory of God. When I'm truly thankful, When
that's what God sees in my heart, I'm actually bringing glory to
God. And here's another reason why
it's good to be thankful. You think about how much more
happy you are when you're thankful. You think about how miserable
you are when you're thinking nothing's going right. You don't
like the way things are going and you're wondering why this
has happened and that has happened and why all the different problems
coming on. And you think about how miserable
you are when you have an unthankful attitude. You're the one who
hurts from it, aren't you? You're the one who gets depressed
from it. But how happy you are personally when you're thankful,
when you're grateful, when not only things could not be or it's
one thing to think, well, I ought to be thankful because things
could be worse. That's a rotten attitude. It really is. I'm not thankful.
If I'm truly thankful, I'm not thankful because things could
be worse, but I'm thankful because things couldn't be better. And if you really believe God
sends everything, you really believe that, don't you? It's
a thankful attitude and how blessed we are in being thankful. Be thankful. Now, what you give
thanks for is what is given to you. If you earned it or if you
merited it, you're not so much thankful. But you're thankful
for that which is given to you. Now, when we take our paychecks,
we don't come groveling up and say, oh, thank you, I don't deserve
this. No, we work for it. We earned it. I mean, we're thankful
that the Lord gave us the grace to work for it. We're thankful
that he gave us the strength to work for it and the ability
to work for it. We say all that comes from him, but when we take
a paycheck, when we take that which we work for, we don't come
groveling and say, oh, thank you, I didn't deserve this. No,
we take it because we earned it. But if something's given
to us, freely, that we didn't merit. Oh, how thankful and grateful
we are. It was given to us freely. Now, when I think of the free
gift of God, I think of this passage of Scripture that Paul
used regarding our Lord Jesus Christ in 2 Corinthians chapter
9. He said, thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift. Now, Christ Jesus is the gift,
the free gift of God. And when God the Holy Spirit
Himself inspires Paul to write, do you know a word could not
be used that was appropriate to describe the Lord Jesus Christ?
God the Holy Spirit, who is not at a loss for words, He's God.
He's omniscient. He knows all things. And yet
when He speaks of the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ, He calls
Him that unspeakable. indescribable gift. Now, you know what I want this
evening? I want to be so much truly thankful. Thankful for
the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ. I like what Charles Spurgeon
said. Somebody said, Spurgeon once said, believers ought to
be thankful. He said, yes, they should. And believers are thankful. That's
the crowd I want to be in. Believers are thankful. Christ Jesus, what a gift. I'm
going to give you a true story. This happened back old in the
1950s, there was a very wealthy art collector, and he had some
very incredible art that everybody would have wanted. I mean, he
was a multimillionaire, and the man died. And it was said in
his will that he's going to auction off all his art. And that was
that was causing a big stir at the time because it was a rare
opportunity for somebody to have the opportunity to get art like
this. I mean, it was expensive art
by famous artists and so on. And here this time is and everybody's
excited about it. So the time of the auction comes.
This is a true story. The time of the auction comes
and everybody's excited. There's a buzz in the air. There's
all kinds of people there from all over the world. to have the
opportunity to get some of these paintings that were up for auction.
Now the auction began with a pretty plain painting. It wasn't by
anybody that was famous. It was relatively worthless.
It was just a portrait of a young man. And this young man happened
to be the son of the man who had died. And this young man
was killed in World War II. And so the first painting that
came out was just this painting of this wealthy man's boy. And
nobody really wanted it. I mean, it really wasn't worth
anything. Whoever painted it, it was a nobody. It just didn't
have any appeal. But there happened to be in the
audience a man who used to work for that wealthy art owner. He was a servant in his home.
And he knew this man's boy. And he always liked him. And
he remembered him. He thought, well, he said, I'd like to have
that painting of that boy. I'll go ahead and make a bid
for it. And he made a very small bid, and he was the only one
to bid. So he got the painting. And he walks up and gets it.
It's his. He sits back down. They wait
for the auction to continue. And the auctioneer gets up and
says, the auction is over. It was stipulated in the man's
will. Whoever gets the painting of
his son gets it all. If I have Christ, I have it all. Blessed be God, the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with... Anybody know
the next words? All spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus. If I have Christ, I have all
that God has. I'm a joiner with the Lord Jesus
Christ. All that God has, I possess. Isn't that wonderful? Aren't
you thankful? You don't have anything to covet. You have all
things in Christ Jesus. You don't have anything that
you have to desire. You already have all things in
Christ Jesus. What a blessing. Thanks be unto
God for His unspeakable gift. Is it any wonder Paul says in
Ephesians 5, 20, giving thanks always. For all things unto God
and the Father. When do we give thanks? Always. For what do we give thanks? All things. You know, even our
thanksgiving is by Him. Listen to this scripture. Hebrews
chapter 13 verse 15. You know, when I think of my
Thanksgiving, I never feel good about it. I feel like I'm not
thankful enough. Don't you feel that way about yourself? You ought to
be more thankful, should you? We don't even bring our Thanksgiving
to the Father apart from Christ. Listen to this scripture. Hebrews
chapter 13 verse 15 says, By Him, Let us offer the sacrifice
of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips
giving thanks to His name. I don't even bring my thanksgiving
to Him. I expect Him to accept my thanksgiving only for Christ's
sake. But for Christ's sake, I can come boldly and bring my
thanksgiving and know He accepts it for Christ's sake. Aren't
you thankful for His name? That name that makes everything
that I bring into the Father's presence smell good to Him. and
accepted him. Oh, he had made us accepted in
the Beloved. I've got plenty of reason to
be thankful. I am accepted in the Beloved. I'm not talking
about being thankful for food and clothing and material things,
although I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful for whatever the
Lord gives me, but this is what I'm talking about being thankful
for. I'm perfect in Christ. I have all things in Him. Now, this Attitude of thankfulness
ought to describe our walk. You're there in Colossians 3.
Turn to Colossians 2. Verse 6. As you, therefore, have received
Christ Jesus, the Lord. Now, let's hold on for just a
minute. I have some memory of this. I don't know when it was
that I first received him. I can't tell you the date when
I was saved. As a matter of fact, I can't
even come close. I don't know. I've heard preachers say, you ought
to know that. You know, if you break your leg,
you know when you break your leg, you ought to know exactly
when you were saved. Well, I was born, but I don't
remember when I was born. That doesn't mean I wasn't born,
does it? I was born. I was given life.
I don't remember it, but that's what you and I live when I live
when I was born. So, I don't know when I was saved,
but I know this much about when I was saved. When I was saved
was when I received the Lord Jesus Christ. Whenever that was. Now, how did you receive Christ?
Well, first of all, I received him empty handed. I didn't have anything to recommend
me. I didn't have any experience to trust. I didn't have any good
works to trust. I was a bankrupt sinner and I
received him empty handed with nothing to recommend me except
God said come to me. That's it. That's how I received
him. The next thing I know about how I received him, I received
him thankfully. Gratefully. I was glad that salvation
was in Christ. I was glad that salvation was
utterly by Him. Thankfully, that's how I received
Him. Now, as you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord,
so walk ye in Him. You never graduate past that,
do you? You never get past that, the way you first received Him,
as you received Him. So walk ye in Him, rooted and
built up in Him, and established in the faith, as you've been
taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." True thankfulness. You know, we even have reason
to thank Him for what He's not given us. I love what the psalmist
said in Psalm 103 when he said, He if not dealt with us after
our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. Aren't you
thankful for what he hadn't given you? How he's not dealt with
you after your sins? And he hadn't rewarded you according
to your iniquities? You know, we could spend the
rest of our lives thanking and praising him. Bless the Lord,
O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless his holy name. Bless
the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all of his benefits. And
it's my prayer that after this message, We'll leave this place
truly thankful. And like I said, not simply thankful
because things could always be worse, but thankful because things
could not possibly be any better. Now, first, we give thanks to
Him because of who He is. All of his glorious attributes
were thankful for. Let me show you this from the
scripture. In Psalm 30, verse 4, David said, O ye saints of
his, give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. As a matter
of fact, that's found several times in the Psalms. Give thanks
at the remembrance of his holiness. Aren't you thankful he's a holy
God and he's not a sinful God and he's not a God that can change? He's a holy God. I'm thankful. I'm thankful for all of His most
excellent and glorious attributes. Everything that God is, I'm thankful
for. I'm thankful for His justice.
Aren't you thankful that He's a just God and that no sin is
going to be unpunished and nobody's going to get by with a thing?
I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful that He's a wise and all-wise
God. He's found a way to be just and
yet justify the ungodly. Aren't you thankful for that?
I'm thankful that He's a gracious God, that He's a merciful God.
I'm thankful that He's an all-powerful God. I thank Him for who He is.
Listen to this, the words of our Lord Jesus. He said, I thank
thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hid
these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto
me. Even so, Father, for so it seemed
good in thy sight." And if it seems good in his sight, it is
good. Whatever he does is good. And we give thanks. I'm thankful he's on the throne,
aren't you? I'm thankful he controls everything. Let me read you another
scripture. Revelation 11, verse 17. This is the song of the four
and twenty elders. They say, We give thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
which art and was and art to come, because thou hast taken
to thee great power and reigned." Do you give thanks for the reign
of God? the sovereignty of God. Are you thankful that he's absolutely
sovereign? There's no such thing as chance.
There's no such thing as happenstance. There's no such thing as bad
luck or good luck. He's in control of everything. There's nothing
that falls outside of the umbrella of his divine sovereignty. He
controls everything. He controls me. He controls you.
He controls everybody outside of this room, and he controls
everything else. He's absolutely sovereign. He doeth according
to his will. in the armies of heaven and among
the inhabitants of the earth. And none can say his hand or
say unto him what doest thou. I'm thankful. I love that. I'm
so happy. I could flip for joy over that.
I'm thankful that the Lord reigns. I love the sovereignty of God
because I love the God of sovereignty. It's a whole lot more just a
doctor to argue over and stuff my delight in. My God is absolutely
sovereign and I give thanks. We give thanks for all of His
wonderful attributes. We're thankful for who He is.
And I mean this from the very depths of my heart. If it were in my power to change
anything about God, I wouldn't do it. Would you? Not if you
loved Him, you wouldn't. You love Him just as He is, as
He is revealed in His Word. And truly, we give thanks. We're
thankful for who He is. We really are. We're thankful
for who He is. I love Him. You know, I love the Lord God. I love Him as He's revealed in
His Word. And I'm thankful. And not only do we give thanks
for who He is, we give thanks for what He's done for us. We're
so thankful for what he has done for us. Let me show you some
scriptures regarding what he's done for us. Would you turn with me
to 2 Thessalonians 2. This is the doctrine of thanksgiving.
2 Thessalonians 2. Verse 13. But we are bound. We're under solemn obligation
We are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you
to salvation. I thank God for election. I thank
God for the glorious fact that he chose who would be saved before
the foundation of the world. Let me tell you why I'm so thankful
for election. Let me give you two reasons. One, because it
says God is God. God has such control, such absolute
supreme control that He controls who will be saved. And I'm thankful. I like it that way. But let me
tell you another reason why I'm thankful for election. If it
weren't for election, I wouldn't be saved. Thank God for election. He chose me. If He didn't choose
me, I would have never chosen Him. If He didn't choose me,
I'd go to hell. So thank God for election. I
tell you who loves election, the elect. That's who loves election. Everyone of God's elect loves
election. If somebody doesn't love election,
it's because they don't love the God of election. They don't love
God, but I'm thankful for election if it wasn't for God's free choice
of His people. I love that scripture for the
children. Being not yet born, neither having done any good
or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might
stand. God of works. I love that. But of him that calleth, it was
said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger, as it is written,
Jacob ever loved, but he saw him, and hated. Thank God for
election. Can you thank God for election?
I'm not asking if you can argue over it or prove it to be true. I'm saying, can you from the
very depths of your hearts say, thank you, Lord, for your electing
grace? There wouldn't be any hope for
me if it wasn't for that. Thank God for election. Turn to Colossians
chapter one. I love this passage scripture. Verse 12. Giving thanks unto the Father,
which hath made us meet. Not he will make us meet. He
already has made us meet, made us fit to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light. Now, who are the saints
in light? Now, I trust we have a worship
service going on right now. I trust that there are people
who are worshipping the Lord, worshipping his word, worshipping
the Lord Jesus Christ, thankful for his gospel. I trust we've
got a worship service going on right now. But there's a better
worship service going on. It's the saints in light. It's
the saints in heaven, in glory. in the very presence of the Lord
Jesus Christ. We buried our sister Donna very
recently. You know, she's one of these
saints in life right now. She's in the very presence of Christ
rejoicing before Him. No pain, no tears, no sorrow. She is in... That's where every
believer's going to be. Now, this passage of Scripture
says, He hath made us meet. Not, He's going to make us meet
and then we're going to get there. No, right now. All that I need
to be a saint in light, all I need to actually be in heaven, I possess
right now. I can't get any more holy than
I am. That's hard to believe, isn't it? The only way you believe
that's by faith. You can't believe it by sight.
You can't see it. But you believe it. I can't get any more holy
than I am right now. I'm going to drop this flesh one of these
days. It's sinful nature. We don't have any idea how much
this sinful nature keeps us down. We'll understand it when we put
it away. But I can't get any more holy than I am right now.
I can't get any more accepted than I am right now. I can't
get any more loved than I am right now. I can't get any more
justified. I can't get any more sanctified. I can't get any more
glorified than I am right now in the Lord Jesus Christ. He
hath made us make It's done. It's accomplished. He hath made
us meet to be partakers of the very inheritance of the sanctified. 1 Corinthians 1.30 says, Of Him
are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us. Wisdom. I'm the very wisdom of
God. Righteousness. I'm the very righteousness
of God. Sanctification. I'm the holiness
of God. Redemption. Complete deliverance. We have all that. Right now,
in Christ Jesus, aren't you thankful? I mean, all the pressure's off.
All you need, you possess. He hath made us meet to be partakers
of the inheritance of the saints and light. Turn over to Romans
7. Romans 7. You know, I'm talking
about this glorious stuff being meat. To be a partaker of the
inheritance of the Saints in light right now, it can't get
any better, but this is true at the same time. Look in verse
19 or verse 18. For I know. Even though I am
right now me to be a partaker of the inheritance of the Saints
in light, for I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth
no good thing. I know that. The will is present
with me. I would be without sin. But how
to perform that which is good, I mess up sometimes. No, I don't
find it. Not in my experience, I find
not. For the good that I would, I
do not. But the evil which I would not,
that I do. Now, if I do that which I would
not, it's no more. I either do it, but the sin that
dwells within me, I find it a law that when I would do good, evil
is present with me. For I delight in the law of God
after the inward man, and I do. I love God's holding law. I love
the Ten Commandments. I love everything God says. 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 here's
my experience, bringing me into captivity to the law of sin. which is in my members. Oh, wretched
man that I am. This is the same fellow who said
we're meek to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints
in light. Oh, wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver me from
this body of death? I know I can't. And this is an
allusion to a Roman soldier. Or somebody in a Roman prison,
and they'd have a dead body chained to them. That was their punishment.
Wherever they went, a dead body was chained to them. Can you
imagine how hideous and horrible that must have been? And that's
what Paul, that's how he considered his old nature. He said, who
shall deliver me from this body of death? I know I can't deliver
myself. I'm sure of that. I know that in me, that is in
my flesh dwells no good thing. I'm convinced of that. You don't
have to convince me of that. Look what it says in verse 25.
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. Turn over to Second Timothy,
chapter one. First Timothy, chapter one, I'm
sorry. Verse 12. Here's something I'm thankful
for. And I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord. Who has enabled. Me. For he cannot be faithful,
putting me into the ministry, I'll tell you who's thankful
for this. I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who had enabled me.
Folks who have no ability are mighty thankful for this. If
you have no ability, no spiritual ability, you're thankful for
the enabling grace of God. You see, there was a time. I
know I've said this a lot. I'm going to say it again. There
was a time when I couldn't believe. I didn't even know what it meant to believe.
I couldn't figure it out. I believe now. I've been enabled
by divine grace. There was a time when I could
not repent. Didn't even know what it meant. I could not figure
out what it meant to repent. Does it mean being sorry? Does
it mean stopping sinning? How sorry? What sin have I ever
stopped in my heart? If that's the case, what's it
mean to repent? I couldn't get it. I hear the preacher talk
about it, but I couldn't get it. I'm repenting now, though
I've been unable to repent. I'm in a continual state of repentance,
a change of mind. I'm always in a state of, I don't
believe in salvation by words anymore. I believe in grace,
and that's more sweet to me than it ever has been. I'm in a continual
state of repentance. He enables me to be poor in spirit. I am poor in spirit. Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. I'm
a bankrupt sinner before God. I know I don't have anything
to recommend me. I really believe that. He's enabled me. I really
am meek. I'm a meek person. Every believer
is a meek person. You know what a meek person is?
It's somebody who believes anything God sends their way is right
because he's seen it and they bow. Whatever he does is right.
I'm a meek person, and that's because he's enabled me to be
meek. I hunger and thirst after righteousness. That's because
he put it there in me. I mourn over my sin. That's because
he put it in me. I'm a peacemaker. That's because
he made me that way. I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord,
who hath enabled He enabled me to see I'm a sinner. There was
a time when I didn't see it. I do now. It's because He enabled
me. Aren't you thankful for enabling
grace? I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord,
who has enabled me, counting me faithful, putting me into
the ministry. I'm so grateful for that. I persevere
because He enables me. Turn back to 2 Thessalonians
chapter 2. Or 1 Thessalonians, I'm sorry,
chapter 2. Verse 13. For this cause also,
thank we God without ceasing. That's a pretty intense Thanksgiving,
isn't it? For this cause also, thank we God without ceasing,
because when you receive 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'm thankful for hearing. He says, we thank God that you
receive the Word of God. That's what hearing is, receiving
the Word of God, not as the Word of men, but as it is in truth,
the Word of God. Aren't you thankful when the
Lord gives you the grace to hear the gospel and the power of the
Holy Spirit? When it's gospel to you and it really is good
news to you and you rejoice in it? And there's nothing more
miserable, I don't think, than hearing the gospel when it's
not ringing your bell and you don't feel like you're getting
anything out of it. Oh, that's miserable. And you know if you
hear, It's the gift of God's grace. Him that hath ears to
hear, our Lord said. Not everybody does. Him that
hath ears to hear, let him hear. I know that hearing is the gift
of God's grace, and I love to hear. And I'm not talking about
just hearing audibly. I'm talking about when God speaks
to my heart, when I know it's the word of God and not the word
of the preacher. I know it's God's word. That's
the gift of God. Thanks be to God for hearing. We thank God for obedience. Turn
to Romans chapter six. Verse 17. But God be thanked. Verse 17. You know, Paul thanks God for
everything, doesn't he? But God be thanked that you were the
servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart. That form
of doctrine which was delivered you. We thank God for obedience,
don't we? You obeyed from the heart that
form of doctrine that was delivered you. Now, there's no salvation
without obedience. I'm not saved by my obedience.
I'm saved by Christ's obedience. But I'm not saved without obedience.
Well, he's a disobedient child of God. No, he's not. God's children
are obedient. They obey the gospel. They obey. He that loveth me,
he it is that keepeth my commandments, the Lord says. God's children
will obey God. And I know this. The only way
I'll obey and the only way I do obey is because he caused me
to do it. I just know that totally. Thanks be unto God for obedience. And I know that if he doesn't
enable me to be Obedient, I will be disobedient. I just know that
about myself. So I truly thank God for the
obedience I have. And every believer is an obedient
child. They obey the gospel. They obey
the Lord Jesus Christ. And the reason they do so is
because God caused them to. We're thankful for that, aren't
we? I'm thankful for the obedience He's given me. We give thanks
for growth. Look there in II Thessalonians
chapter 1. II Thessalonians chapter 1. Verse 3, we're bound to thank
God always for you, brethren, as it's meat, because your faith
groweth exceedingly in the charity of every one of you all toward
each other aboundeth. Now, their faith was growing
and their love to each other was growing. There was a true
growth, not a false growth, but a true growth. Who does Paul
thank for? Does he say, I thank you that you're growing? No.
I thank God for your growth. And I know this. If God doesn't
cause me to grow, I won't grow. I'm just sure of that. So I sure
am thankful that He causes His people to grow in grace and in
the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We give
thanks that we always have a reason to give thanks. Turn with me
to 2 Corinthians, Chapter 1. Or Chapter 2, I'm sorry. 2 Corinthians,
Chapter 2. Verse 14, now. Thanks be unto
God. Which always. Always. Always. Causes us. To try. In Christ. You ever heard people talk about
defeated Christians and leaving the defeated Christian life?
There's no such thing. Now, thanks be unto God, I don't
know how many times this is all I've had, but it was enough.
Thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ. At all times, the believer triumphs
in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are more than conquerors through
him that loved us. And you may not feel like much
of a conqueror or a triumpher, but does the Word of God say
you always triumph in Christ? It surely does. Therefore, we
believe that we always triumph in the Lord Jesus Christ. And
we not only give thanks for the fact that we always triumph in
Christ, we also give thanks for the victory awaiting us. Look
in 1 Corinthians 15, verse 51. Behold, I show you a mystery.
We shall not all sleep. He's talking about death, but
we shall all be changed in a moment. In the twinkling of an eye at
the last trumpet, the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall
be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. For this glory,
or this corruptible, must put on incorruption, and this mortal
must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall
put on incorruption, and this mortal shall 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. We're always triumphing, and
we haven't really realized our full triumph yet, have we? Oh,
the victory we have waiting for us. And between now and then,
We can thank Him for everything. Everything. Let me show you this.
This is the last scripture we're going to look at. 1 Thessalonians,
Chapter 5. Verse 16. Rejoice evermore. Pray without
ceasing. In everything, give thanks. For this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you. Now, is it God's will for you
to give thanks for everything? Yes, it is. It says that. But
that's really not what that verse is talking about. That thing
that you're having a hard time rejoicing in, That thing that
you're having a hard time giving thanks for, that which troubles
you, it's God's will in Christ Jesus concerning you. Therefore,
give thanks. Whatever. If it's God's will,
and I can say this to a believer, an unbeliever can't understand
this, they can't identify with it, they can't relate, but a
believer can. If it's God's will for you, No
matter what it is, you can give thanks, can't you? You really
can, if you're a believer. Now, I know an unbeliever can't
enter into that, but a believer can. In everything, give thanks,
for this is God's will and Christ Jesus concerning you. Now, Romans
8, 28 is true, and we know that all things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are called according
to His purpose. If that's true, and it is, We can give thanks
for all things. Now, you know what, Paul? Thank
God in the New Testament for more than anything else. You
might be surprised. It was the people he was writing
to. I thank God for you. I thank
God for you. Aren't you thankful to be a member
of the family of God? To have God as your Father. You have Christ Jesus the Lord
as your Redeemer. You have God the Holy Spirit
as your Comforter and your Guide. You have the Word of God as your
Rule. And what brothers and sisters
we have in Christ Jesus. Isn't it a blessing to be a member
of the family of God? It's a big family. And every
single one of them are perfect in Christ Jesus. And what a blessing
it is to be a part of that family, the family of God. What a big happy family. Now
take this This is a commandment. Be ye thankful. By the grace of God, I realize
that by the grace of God, it's easy to be thankful. Happy Thanksgiving. Let's pray
together.