Thanksgiving At The Cross

PASTORAL PRAYER

Heavenly Father, You are the Almighty God, Our Creator and Redeemer. We come before You this morning with hearts that are sometimes broken and spirits that are sometimes in despair. We thank You that You are a God who knows, Who is intimately aware of our circumstances, And who does not cast us aside. Lord, You know the struggles that we endure, The opposition that we face, The uncertainty that is ever before us. Father, help our confidence not be in the world or in ourselves, But in Your sovereign power. We live in a world where cruelty and indifference are common, And we confess that we at times have given ourselves to them. Forgive us, Lord, for our lack of compassion, and for the times when we add to the pain of others instead of offering comfort. We mourn over the injustice in our world, The darkness of sin, And the depravity of man. We desire to love like Jesus, Live like Jesus, And call people to repentance like Jesus. We pray for those in our congregation and community who are facing overwhelming floods of sorrow, injustice, and isolation. We pray for those who feel like they are sinking in the mire with no foothold. May the weak be strengthened, the afflicted find support, and the brokenhearted receive Your comfort and joy. Ultimately, we thank You for Jesus Christ, Who has victory over suffering and death, And to whom we can cling to for hope, restoration, and peace. We are grateful for the peace that passes all understanding, And the victory we have in His name. I pray that You will be glorified this day and in each of our lives. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

INTRODUCTION

As we enter the month of November, and Thanksgiving is just around the corner, it is good to take time to remember the things we are truly thankful for.

Family & Friends

Life long comrades

New acquaintances

Children, Grandchildren, Great-Grandchildren

Finances & Career (or Retirement)

God’s provision for you to provide for yourself and your family

Life & Health

Not always good health, but we can be thankful for the life and breath we have each moment

When we are, that’s good spiritual health

2 Corinthians 4:16 ESV

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

Faith

This is the focus of our time together this morning

It’s the reason why we gather together as frequently as we do: a common faith

2 Peter 1:1 ESV

[we] have obtained a faith of equal standing with [one another] by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ

Today is Communion Sunday

We gather around the Lord’s Table, in remembrance of what He has done for our sake

We reflect on the tremendous cost of our salvation

We recognize our own daily moral failings, and confess them to the only Savior of our souls

It’s the month of Thanksgiving

There are many, many things of which we are to be thankful for.

But there is none more important and more deserving than the sacrificial atonement through Jesus Christ on the cross

Today, I want us to express our Thanksgiving At The Cross, before we partake of the communion table and embark on a wild and busy holiday schedule.

THE EVENTS

After a final meal with His disciples, Jesus would lead them to the Garden of Gethsemane for a time of prayer and submission to the will of the Father. 

GETHSEMANE - Matthew 26:36-46

Luke 22:44 indicates that Jesus was in such agony, He sweat drops of blood. 

This is a rare medical condition called hematidrosis, brought on by intense stress. 

His body began to feel the intensity of what was to come.

THE BETRAYAL - Matthew 26:47-56

Having spent 3 years in the presence of Jesus and under His teaching, Judas betrayed Him with a friendly greeting. 

The irony of this action is that what took place next was anything but friendly. 

In fact, it would be a complete injustice. 

THE TRIAL - Matthew 26:57-68; 27:11-26

A trial bent on one purpose: to eliminate Jesus, ended with a known murderer being set free.

Starting with Barabbas, Jesus would begin the process of taking the place of sinful man in enduring the wrath of God.

THE CRUCIFIXION - Matthew 27:27-56

REASONS TO BE THANKFUL

JESUS TOOK OUR PLACE TO RECONCILE US WITH GOD

Romans 3:23 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Romans 6:23 ESV

For the wages of sin is death

Read Romans 5:6-11

1 John 2:2 ESV

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 4:10 ESV

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Propitiation means “appeasement” or “satisfaction.”

Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross satisfied the demands of God’s justice, thus appeasing His holy wrath against believers’ sins.

WE ARE NO LONGER CHILDREN OF WRATH

Read Ephesians 2:1-9

WE ARE NO LONGER IN DARKNESS

1 Peter 2:9 ESV

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

WE KNOW THE WAY OF SALVATION

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

WE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE

John 17:3 ESV

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

WE ARE CALLED TO SHARE THE GOSPEL

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

CONCLUSION

What a great reminder for us, all that God has done on our behalf.

We ought to truly have Thanksgiving At The Cross

CHALLENGE:

In the light of Thanksgiving, and in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, I want to encourage you to do something radical this month.

Make it a point to express thankfulness to another individual on as close to a daily basis as you can.

It can be through a note, an email, a text message, or even snail mail or a face-to-face conversation

A Prayer of Thanksgiving for the Power of the Cross (Anne Graham Lotz)

Beloved Son of the Father, Thank You for the Cross. Thank You that Your blood is just as powerful today as it was two thousand years ago when the first drop was shed on Calvary. Thank You that through Your blood we have redemption and the forgiveness of our sins. Thank You that You cleanse us of all unrighteousness when we use the same labels for sin that You do, as we humbly and honestly confess our sins to You. We fall at the foot of the cross and repent of every sin that made Your death necessary. Every sin that even now is provoking Your displeasure. Thank You that our every sin is nailed to the cross and we no longer bear its penalty or guilt. Thank You that You invite forgiven sinners to draw near to You with sincere hearts in full assurance of faith. Thank You that we can ask according to Your will, knowing that You hear us. Take us back to Your Word. Give us ears to hear Your voice. Drive us to our knees in prayer. Confront us with the seriousness of the times in which we are living. Wake us up! Don’t let us be caught by surprise at the end. Compel us to go back to the cross and lead others there by our own example, before it’s too late. With thankfulness for the salvation and forgiveness that are ours through the Cross, we pray in the name of Your Son and our Savior—Jesus. Amen.