The Breath of Thanksgiving

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DECLARATION:

Ephesians 2:20–22 (ESV)

20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

SVCC is built by God, upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone.

We are joined together by union with Christ, we are growing, and we are a dwelling place of God by his Spirit.

Prayer for...

INTRODUCTION:

Review:

WHY?…

TODAY: A Breath of thanksgiving, which is the spirit of praise

Opening Scripture:

Revelation 4:8–11 ESV

8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” 9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Background

The “breath of thanksgiving” has to do with the spirit of praise being sustained. People cannot go very long without taking a breath, and the breath of the believer is the spirit of praise.

Continuous praise is important in our lives, not as a legal duty, but because it enhances, enriches and protects our lives.

We tend to see praise as an activity we do, and then it’s over.

However, there is a something about praise that endures before the Lord’s throne.

There is also something about praise that establishes a canopy to insulate us against the works of darkness.

The Bible says that in the last days of our world, Satan will come down with a great fury because he knows he has but a short time (Revelation 12:12), and that the adversary is ceaselessly making war on the saints (Daniel 7).

We are to be vigilant because the enemy is on the prowl (1 Peter 5:8).

It’s not as if you’ve done anything wrong, or that the Lord is giving up on the covenant/commitments/promises.

If we’re to live in the fullest benefits of all that is available to us, the spirit of praise and thanksgiving needs to dominate our lives.

What is sustained/ceaseless praise...

Ceaseless Praise Is the Expanding Recognition of God’s Glory

-Optional: God’s glory is His majesty or the manifestation of the perfection of all of his attributes. God’s glory emphasizes his splendor, holiness and greatness, which is often seen through Creation as well as His mercy and grace (i.e. deliverance from Egypt).

–Revelation 4 says that the creatures around the throne of God do not cease day and night to praise Him.

The 4 “cherubim” are highly intelligent creatures (1 Kings 8:6; Is. 6:3; Ez. 1:5-14) . Their worship is not mindless or automatic. They are not religious robots.

They are not worshipping because they have no alternative or would not be able to do something else. On the contrary, one anointed cherubim, (their leader according to some traditions–”Lucifer”) turned against the Most High God and was cast down and became Satan.

Consider then the possibility that these creatures are praising continuously because something phenomenal must be taking place. Perhaps each time they come up from having bowed and praised Him, a new facet of the marvel of God’s Person flashes upon their understanding.

They are awestruck to praising and bowing before Him again.

Their ongoing praise is not merely repetition, but issues out of a constantly expanding recognition of the greatness of the God that they serve; of His goodness, benevolence and kindness.

How May We Sustain the “Breath of Thanksgiving”?

– There are three things in the Bible that speak of the constancy of praise:

1) The flame of praise

(Old Testament tabernacle worship)

– The Bible says that the only remaining sacrifice for the New Testament believer is the sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15; Romans 12:1).

But in Leviticus 6:8-13 instructions are given in the sacrificial system of the Old Testament economy of things.

Leviticus 6:8–13 “8 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 9 “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering. The burnt offering shall be on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it. 10 And the priest shall put on his linen garment and put his linen undergarment on his body, and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and put them beside the altar. 11 Then he shall take off his garments and put on other garments and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. 12 The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. 13 Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out.”

This worship picture of the ceaseless flame is an expression of praise to the Lord. It speaks to us by way of Old Testament “type,” as a “shadow of things to come, but the substance is in Christ" (Colossians 2:17). Living in Christ, those things foreshadowed earlier find their fulfillment in us.

In Lev. 6 passage, along with saying that the flame of praise is to burn continually, there are a lot of other instructions. What that is saying to us is that you will be doing your job day in and day out; doing things as mundane as changing clothes, but in the midst of it all, keep the flame burning.

In the comings and goings of our life, the Lord is not saying we have to become monastic recluses or hermits in order to praise Him continually. Whatever you’re doing–your job, changing your clothes–keep the flame going, all the time. Watch for opportunities to praise the Lord; let praise be a flame on the altar of your heart morning and night.

How can our sleeping hours be a praise to the Lord? In Holy Living, Holy Dying Jeremy Taylor writes that inasmuch as God has created us to require sleep, and He promises sleep to us (Ps. 127:2), then it follows that if we offer that sleep to Him as a praise, He will receive it as such. In this way, every breath while sleeping can be offered as a worship to the Lord.

– There are three things in the Bible that speak of the constancy of praise:

The flame of praise (Old Testament tabernacle worship)

2) The song of praise

(Spoken of by David)

– Psalm 113:1-3, and Psalm 42:8 are only a few of the Psalms that illustrate the ceaselessness of praise. They speak of the day–from the rising of the sun to its going down; and of the night–the saints singing aloud on their beds, and His song in the night.

Psalm 104:33 “33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.”

– There are three things in the Bible that speak of the constancy of praise:

The flame of praise (Old Testament tabernacle worship)

The song of praise (Spoken of by David)

3) The spirit of praise

(Exercised in the life of the New Testament Church)

– In Ephesians 1 it says that God has given us a list of blessings that we should be to the praise of His glory. What if we could see what actually goes on in the spiritual realm when we praise the Lord?

Consider that the Lord sees our praises as precious treasures, and coming from your lips are jewels of praise unto Him (Prov. 20:15). When you praise, it’s as though rubies, diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires are tumbling out of your lips. They don’t fall to the earth, but He gathers those praises and takes delight in their beauty.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 it says “pray without ceasing,” which is often a confusing command. How can we do that? That phrase is bracketed by two other simple and pointed statements: 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 “16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Conclusion/Reflection:

Ask the Lord to teach you the “breath of thanksgiving," the ongoing spirit of praise. Not just for the sake of establishing a mantle of protection through the insulating power of praise but because the Lord is worthy, and because the ongoing spirit of praise will be transforming and enlarging to us.

Becoming a person who tirelessly praises, who “breathes thanksgiving” will:

Change your character,

Change your circumstances,

Change your countenance.

As we move in that spirit of praise, there’s no better time than our national day of gratitude, Thanksgiving Day, to say, Lord, from this time forth, forevermore, I want to see a new development of the spirit of praise in my own life.