Great Thanksgiving Services in the Bible

Great Thanksgiving Services in the Bible

Text: Luke 17:11–17 (KJV 1900)

11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

Introduction: * This morning Jesus wants to know “where are all those who claim to be saved?”

* In our text we see Jesus changed the lives of 10 men who had the awful disease of leprosy forever. Jesus gave them their lives back! They no longer had to live as outcast separated from their families! What great things Jesus had done for them!

* If you only knew the awful state of your unsaved soul before the Lord redeemed you! You, like those 10 lepers had an awful disease of sin that was eating away at your soul!

* Look this morning how many profess to be saved! Everyone you talk to claims they are a Christian!

* If this be true then why are the Churches not full of thankful people who can’t wait to thank God saving their souls! Where were the other 9 lepers?

* Where are all the saved people this morning? They are like the 9 who were healed but didn’t follow Christ! * They have no idea how sick their soul had been! They don’t even realize how close they were to an eternal hell!

* My friend it’s only the followers of Christ that go to Heaven! The rest are deceived! The rest are imposters that come up some other way!

John 10:26–27 (AV)

26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

* In our text we read this morning we saw 10 people healed by Jesus. You would think that these men would be filled with thanksgiving for what Jesus had done for them!

* Only one out of 9 lepers was thankful, and the Bible says that after Jesus healed him, he followed Jesus.

* Just about everybody in have ever met claims to be a Christian.

*Where are all those people who claim to be Christians? I don’t see to be able to find them when it comes time to go church!

* True Christians will be like the one leper who was thankful and returned to follow Jesus.

* Can anybody tell you are following Jesus this morning? According to Jesus; only those who take up their cross, and follow Jesus are going to be saved!

*Jesus said:

Matthew 7:19–24 (AV)

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

* We live in a day of un-thankfulness and in-gratitude.

* One of the most obvious places we can see this is in our children.

* We live in a nation of unthankful children.

* In my opinion, there is nothing more revolting than an ungrateful child.

William Shakespeare in King Lear wrote:

How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.—

* I remember a conversation I had once with an old man. This man’s heart was hurting. His children had forsaken him and forgot him. I listened to his pitiful story as he told me that there is no greater pain, than the pain brought upon us by of very own children when they are unthankful.

* Our children are unthankful because we have not been thankful in front of them. We have not instilled in them the attitude of being thankful.

* We are so blessed in our society today; we no longer have any idea of why we need to be thankful.

* For most of us, we have suffered so little in our lifetime.

* There was a time in the not so far away past that people knew what it meant to suffer. * Because those who came before us knew what suffering was, our parents and grandparents were a generation of thankful people. * This nation used to be a thankful nation, but I am afraid we have been so far removed from the suffering our grandparents endured we have forgotten how to be a thankful people.

* Young people no longer see any reason to be thankful for good lives they have, but now are taking to the streets to protest, complain and whine! * This new generation in which we live is now so spoiled that they lust and long for a new form of socialist government to give them the things their parents had by hard labor and suffering.

Forgive Me When I Whine

Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely maid with golden hair; I envied her -- she seemed so gay, and how, I wished I were so fair; When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle; she had one foot and wore a crutch, but as she passed, a smile. Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two feet -- the world is mine.

And when I stopped to buy some sweets, the lad who served me had such charm; he seemed to radiate good cheer, his manner was so kind and warm; I said, "It's nice to deal with you, such courtesy I seldom find"; he turned and said, "Oh, thank you sir." And then I saw that he was blind. Oh, God, forgive me when I whine, I have two eyes, the world is mine.

Then, when walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue; he stood and watched the others play, it seemed he knew not what to do; I stopped a moment, then I said, "Why don't you join the others, dear?" He looked ahead without a word, and then I knew he could not hear. Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two ears, the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I'd go; with eyes to see the sunsets glow, with ears to hear what I would know. I am blessed indeed. The world is mine; oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

Source Unknown.

Thanksgiving is related to suffering

* One of the many paradoxes of the Christian life is that the grace of God is most keenly experienced, not in the best, but in what seem to be the worst of times.

* The Apostle Paul was constantly thanking God! Most of the time, the apostle Paul was thanking God from a cold damp cell, in chains, and in the worst of circumstances.

* When you are in a dark, dark valley, between the mountain top experiences, it is only then that you can look up and see the heaves in all their glory.

* There were 40 believers who survived terrible journey across the Atlantic ocean that were present on what we remember as the first thanksgiving in America. * They had endured a miserable journey across the ocean, then after that the cold winter. These poor people had watched their friends and children die of disease and from the cold harsh first winter in the new world. * Even after all this, they were able to see the grace that God had poured out upon them!

* Out of a heart of suffering comes a thankful attitude!

* If it were not for the great trials of your life, you and I would not turn back and thank God.

* Let me diverge just a minute and paint you a picture of why we should be thankful for our trials this morning.

* We all love to go somewhere in the Smokey mountains, somewhere like Cades Cove, and walk by one of the beautiful rivers or mountain streams.

* Our senses become filled with the joyous beauty of the stream, with is crystal clear water and the soothing sounds of the water as it rushed over the rocks in the stream. There seems to be no greater joy of the babbling brook in nature.

*I want you to observe with me for a minute. You see, if there were no rocks in the stream the water would be muddy and still and lose it’s beauty. If there were no rocks to oppose the water, the brook would lose its beautiful sound!

* Let me make an comparison here of the Christian life and the beautiful mountain stream and the life of the Christian.

* Lust like the rocks that oppose flow of the babbling brook create it’s beauty, so the trials and suffering in the life of the Christian create in us beauty in the eyes of God. God looks upon the suffering of our lives and the prayer that it produces and it becomes a sweet smelling incense that brings glory to God.

* If the brook had no rocks, it would lose its soothing, beautiful song. Even so, if we had no trials or no suffering in the Christian life, our lives would lose their songs of thanksgiving and praise to God!

* You see then that there is a direct connection between our suffering and an attitude of thanksgiving. Giving thanks to God leads to contentment

* For the Christian, giving thanks leads to contentment, and contentment is the secret of happiness.

Philippians 4:10–13 (AV)

10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

* ‎Paul rejoiced and offered thanksgiving for the Philippians’ generous care for him.

* He had learned to be satisfied in whatever situation he found himself in the Lord’s service.

* This word of contentment and thanksgiving came from a man in prison facing death, a man who had been beaten, stoned, and hounded by his enemies.

* The basis for such contentment was found in his confidence that he could do everything through Christ who gave him strength. * This morning churches are holding what we would call our annual “Thanksgiving Service.”

* I would like to take the Bible and show you a picture of what a true thanksgiving service should look like. I. The great Thanksgiving Service of Nehemiah.

* In the Old Testament God’s people, the Nation of Israel had turned their back on God. * God had told Moses and Joshua to warn the people not to go into the neighboring nations and marry wives of the heathen nations.

* The Lord knew that when the people began to mix with the unbelieving nations, their hearts would be turned away from following God.

* Just as God had warned the people, this is exactly what had happened. The men of Israel taken to themselves wives from the surrounding nations and as a result had begun to worship the false gods of the other nations. * Because the people of Israel had turned their back on God, God sent a terrible judgment upon the nation of Israel. * The wicked and violent king of Babylon had besieged the people of Jerusalem until they were crushed. The king of Babylon had carried away the youth and the most educated of Israel and took them captives to Babylon.

* The city of Jerusalem lay burned, and her once great walls and gates lay in broken heaps of rubble. Because of the people of God had turned their back on God, judgment had left the people in a dark and hopeless state.

* After the predicted years of Israel’s’ punishment had passed, God in mercy, and as He had promised them by His prophets, brought his people back to their land.

* When they were allowed to return to their land, they found the city destroyed and laying in waste. The people began the slow and backbreaking task of rebuilding their lives and their nation.

* God sent a man by the name of Nehemiah to go back and re-build the broken down walls of the city. * Under Nehemiah’s leadership the people worked with a trowel in one hand, and with a sword in the other, to protect their families from their enemies. * Every family re-build the section of the wall nearest their house and the day came when all the walls were repaired and all the gates to the city were hung. * On this day, there was a great ceremony of thanks giving to God, who had enabled them to restore the walls of the city.

* When Nehemiah dedicated the walls, he set two thanksgiving choirs on the walls to sing songs of thanks for the completions of the walls.

Nehemiah 7:1 (KJV 1900)

Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed,

Nehemiah 8:1–3 (KJV 1900)

And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. 2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.

Nehemiah 8:4 (KJV 1900)

4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose;

Nehemiah 8:5–6 (KJV 1900)

5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: 6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

Nehemiah 8:7–12 (KJV 1900)

7 and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. 8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. 11 So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. 12 And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. Nehemiah 9:1–3 (KJV 1900)

Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them. 2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the Lord their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the Lord their God.

II. The Great Thanksgiving service by the Red Sea

* There is another great and notable thanksgiving service recorded in the Old Testament.

* We find this great thanksgiving service immediately after God delivered the nation of Israel from the armies of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

* The children of Israel were in a great predicament. Behind them Pharaoh and his armies were gaining on them to destroy them, and before them was a great body of water. It seemed as if there was no way out of their trouble.

* God commanded Moses to stretch out his rod over that great sea; and when he did God sent a great wind and parted the water to the left and to the right, leaving a dry path between the two walls of water. God’s people passed between those walls of water on dry ground and crossed the great see before them. * God also used this same miracle to once and for all deliver his people from their slavery to Pharaoh, king of Egypt. When pharaoh and all his armies attempted to chase the Nation of Israel through the sea God released those great walls of water on Pharaoh and his armies, delivering his people from slavery to Egypt once and for all.

* When the people of God were safe on the other side of the sea, looking out upon the bodies of their enemies scattered across the red sea, they broke out into a song of thanksgiving for God’s deliverance.

III. Those who came through the great tribulation had a thanksgiving service

* We also read of a similar thanksgiving service in the New Testament as well.

* In this particular scene in the book of the Revelations we see all those before the throne of God in heaven, who had gone through the great tribulation, and had refused the mark of the beast, singing a song of thanksgiving to Jesus the Lamb of God.

* We read, in this great thanks giving service, that they sing the same song that Moses and the people sang when God delivered them by parting the Red Sea.

Revelation 15:1–4 (KJV 1900)

And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. 2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. 4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

* In addition to the song of Moses they also sing the song of the Lamb found in Revelation chapter 5:

Revelation 5:1–14 (KJV 1900)

And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. 8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

* Lets sing this same song of thanksgiving together this morning as we prepare our hearts to give God a feast of thanks giving this coming Thursday just like these saints who will one day stand before the throne of God.

Conclusion:

Give the people opportunity to offer thanks to God.