Thanksgiving
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This has been an eventful year, hasn’t it?
It’s hard to believe that it is almost over… Christmas will be here before we know it!
It is the perfect time for us to pause… To just stop for a moment… And consider our lives…
This year has held a lot of craziness… We have seen our world seem to turn upside down, with riots… Covid… political corruption and scandal… its a lot to deal with, amen?
We have seen people… business… struggle financially, and some fail…
Many of us have watched loved ones suffer… We’ve seen friends lose jobs, homes, and family members…
It is easy in all of the craziness to get — sort of — lost… to find ourselves in a place of turmoil, wondering where to turn, or when it will end…
(let me give you a little preview of our advent series here)
10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.”
6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Sometimes, we just need to slow down… to stop… to push pause on our lives and take a moment to consider… to consider our lives… to consider where God is… and to consider the blessings He has given us…
Throughout this Christmas season, that is what we are going to do — slow down, and discover Christ again in our lives…
And that starts right here… with Thanksgiving!
Our Thanksgiving tradition began on Plymouth Rock… As 400 years ago those Pilgrims uprooted their lives… their families… and sailed for America… Seeking a new start, filled with religious freedom, prosperity, and hope…
But… that first year, that’s not what they found… It is truly amazing that we even have this holiday at all!
You see, they had those Pilgrims had every reason NOT to celebrate!
First, they got blown off course, and instead of landing in Virginia, they landed in Plymouth, Mass. And to make things worse, Winter was setting in!
Have you paid attention to what winter is like in the NorthEast?!
It ain’t pretty, and they didn’t have modern conveniences like — insulated homes, central heat, grocery stores for food, etc....
No! The conditions that met them were enough to break even the strongest of men! Terrible storms and illness ravaged those settlers…
Gov. William Bradford described it this way — “That which was most sad and lamentable, was that in two or three months time, half of the company had died.”
He went on to describe how sometimes two or three people died each day!
Shelter was difficult for them to find, as they spent 7 times as much time digging graves for the dead as they did building homes...
When the supply ship arrived, instead of bringing much needed supplies, it brought 35 more mouths to feed!
And we think a virus with a 99.9% survival rate is bad today!!!!
Or, that the world is ending because our candidate didn’t get elected!!!!
It is amazing that we even have Thanksgiving, knowing that it came from this beaten and broken group of people!
Yet, in 1621, Edward Winslow — one of the fifty or so survivors — wrote this about that first thanksgiving:
“Our harvest of corn came in well, and God be praised, we had a good increase of Indian corn and our barley crop was good also… And although our harvests are not always plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish that you could be partakers of our plenty.”
As a reminder of what God had delivered them through, the Pilgrims began a tradition — whenever they gathered for Thanksgiving, they would place an empty plate at the table, and on that plate (put a plate on a stool of table), they would place 5 kernels of corn on the plate (place the kernels from one of the pouches), as a reminder of the little they had, and what God has seen them through.
It is easy for us to get caught up in the little that we have, and forget to be thankful for what God has done…
It is easy for us to get caught up in the “noise” of the world around us… and, like Peter, to sink into the sea of chaos…
It’s easy to let the storms of life steal our thankfulness and joy… But God says:
10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.”
The Apostle Paul understood this… That’s why he tells us to:
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.
Today, I want to give you 5 kernels of thankfulness in our lives.
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
14 For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for mortals, their days are like grass; they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children,
18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.
19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, obedient to his spoken word.
21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will.
22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Look at verse 2 — “do not forget his benefits” that word “benefits” should read “the things He has done.” Amen?
We need to remember what God has done for us… We have a lot to be thankful for.
I. The Kernel of Forgiveness.
Let me tell you — God’s forgiveness is not something we can earn. It is not something we deserve. We cannot be good enough…
9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast.
God laid the plan for our salvation before creation began.
3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
I don’t know about you, but I know what my sin deserved… I don’t deserve to be standing here before you today! I don’t deserve to be a Pastor… I don’t deserve to even be a Christian… What I DESERVE is death!
You see… WE… at least I… do not deserve to be a part of God’s Kingdom… I do not deserve the Grace He has poured out on me… BUT....
Look at Eph 2:4-10.
“But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He loved us, even though we were dead in our Sin,” and that is exactly what we were!
“made us alive together WITH Christ — by Grace you have been saved —”
What is Grace? (Unmerited favor)
Let me tell you — You didn’t receive salvation… you don’t receive forgiveness… because you deserve it!
You receive forgiveness by Grace!
(6) “and raised us up WITH Him and seated us WITH Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
God has raised us up and seated us with HIMSELF in Heaven! We didn’t deserve this, God did this So That...
(7) “In the ages to come He might show the immeasurable riches of His Grace in kindness toward Us in Christ Jesus.”
God reveals Himself though us, through Grace!
God saved you so that He can reveal His Love and Grace THROUGH you to the world around you!
(8-10) “For by Grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the Gift of God — not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus…”
Now listen to this...
“… for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”
God created us, God forgave us, and God saved us for a purpose....
And Let me tell you, God’s forgiveness is complete forgiveness.
It’s not like the forgiveness of the world.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.
We should be shouting: “Thank you God! Praise Your name! I am forgiven!”
I want you to see something:
23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;
We deserve death! Our Sin — our sins — deserve death… We don’t deserve life! Think about it.... Who can say that they have ALWAYS treated ALL other people with the same love and honor that God treats us? Who can say that they’ve never stolen — even a pencil from work, school, or someone else? Who can say that they have never gossiped… lied… cheated…?
11 Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them.
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books.
Many people think that on that day… on the day of judgment… we are going to be taken before the Throne of God, and He is going to open a book and read back ALL the sins we have ever committed…
I heard on pastor say it this way — “It’s going to be like a big movie screen, and all of our deeds, good and bad, are going to be played for all to see....”
And we are going to have to give an account — an explanation — of why we committed those sins....
BUT.... NOW HEAR THIS!
THAT IS NOT TRUE!!!!
God has forgiven, and He remembers it no more...
19 Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out,
All we have to do is turn to God… to repent… to place our faith COMPLETELY in Him… and He erases our sin!
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.
II. The Kernal of Healing.
3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
Notice that last part — God heals ALL your diseases!
It doesn’t say “God heals SOME diseases...” or “God MIGHT heal your diseases...” It says ALL… God heals ALL diseases.
Over and over in scripture, it says and we see — God heals our diseases.
Lk 7:11-19 — Tells us about ten lepers whom Jesus healed! Yet, only one was thankful and praised him.
Mk 5:25 — tells us about a woman who had a bleeding issue that made her unclean for twelve years… No one could help her, but Jesus did!
God can heal our diseases! From the common cold to cancer to depression to Covid!
God can heal our diseases, and He does!
I know, I know… but Pastor....
“What about those He doesn’t? What about those who die even though we pray for them? What about those who continue to suffer even though we are praying for them?”
This is a tough issue for many… It is a touchy subject… it has caused many to turn away from God… to take offense… which is why some pastors explain it like this:
“All healing is divine healing and the direct result of God’s work.”
Not a bad word, right?
After all, God built healing properties into our bodies! He designed us to heal.
Several weeks ago I had a wreck on my bike… I banged my head up a bit, had stitches… still have a bit of a scar on my cheek… But I healed, because that is what God designed my body to do.
“Medicines, the knowledge of doctors are extensions of God’s healing.”
Again True!
God gives us the ability to learn… to gain knowledge… and He will use those whom He gives knowledge to heal, but He is not bound to only using them!
Some pastors… and Christians.. go one to say, “Yes, God can heal, but He does not promise to heal everyone’s diseases.”
I call B.S. on that one! It is false!
Now hear this — God heals ALL diseases.
14 Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.
God does heal… We just don’t always like the way He does it.
You see… sometimes God tells us what He told Paul:
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
And sometimes, God heals by receiving His children to Himself.
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
The word “dwelling places” is closer in meaning to “resting places.” So, the better translation is:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled… In my Father’s house there are many “resting places” ...”
Sometimes, God gives healing by giving rest from the disease.
But we don’t have to mourn… we don’t have to get angry and blame God, as if He wronged us in some way.... Because we… believers… will see them again!
We need to understand, unlike what some choose to believe — Man does not have the power, knowledge, and ability to cure ALL diseases!
Think about it! The common cold, the Flu, depression, are proof … But God Can!
God is the only one who can cure ALL diseases, including Spiritual diseases.
What are spiritual diseases?
(at the risk of causing offense)
— possession (easy), oppression, addiction, depression (which is a form of oppression), anxiety,....
God can heal those things, man cannot!
All man can do is attempt to help you cope with them.... But, God can heal them.
Consider Mary Magdelene....
Scripture tells us that Jesus cured her from 7 demons.... (tell “The Chosen” story)
The priests, the Pharisees, the Rabbis, could not help her, But Jesus did!
III. The Kernel of Redemption.
The Governor of Texas once spoke to groups of convicts in the state penitentiaries. He finished by saying that he would remain and listen if any man wanted to speak with him. As might be expected, when the meeting was over, a large group of men remained.
One by one, they each told the governor that he was framed… that he was wrongly prosecuted… that he was innocent. Each man asked to be freed.
Finally, one man came up and said, “Governor, I just want to say that I am guilty. I did what they sent me here for, but I believe I’ve paid for it. If I were freed, I would do everything I could to be a good citizen and prove myself worthy of your mercy.”
Do you know which one was pardoned?
Why?
Because he admitted his guilt.
We cannot pay the price for our sin. We cannot explain our guilt away. We are ALL sinners.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Just like this man, we can only receive redemption through Grace.
There are three things that we MUST do in order to receive redemption.
Recognize. We must recognize who we are… we must recognize our sin.
Repent. We must turn from it… to repent means not just to turn away, but to run from it! We must get away from it, stop doing it, eradicate it from our lives, by running straight to God and giving it to Him!
Receive. We must receive forgiveness. We cannot be redeemed of our sin, if we will not let it go..
Redemption is a free gift of God’s grace, because He loves us. He loves you… and He loves me… DEEPLY! Which is the fourth kernel.
IV. The Kernel of Love and Compassion.
4 who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
God’s compassion for us is like that of a parent to their child.
13 As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
God’s love and compassion for us is greater then anything you can imagine!
That is what caught John so strongly that He referred to himself as “The One Whom Jesus Loved”.... Listen to his words in 1 John.
1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
2 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.
We need to hear this! (repeat)
You are a Child of God!
Say that with me: I am a Child of God!
Do you realize what that means?
You are loved by the creator of the universe, and nothing can change that, or come in between you and Him!!!!!
God’s love for you is unmatched in heaven or on earth!
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die.
8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.
While you were still His enemy… While you still hated Him with your actions… While you still did not know Him… God loved YOU… and died for YOU!!!
And NOTHING — NO THING!!! — can separate you from that Love!
38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
V. The Kernel of Blessing.
5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
God’s blessings are greater then anything we can receive in this world!
I am so thankful to God for the blessings in my life....
He has blessed me with an amazing, beautiful, loving, supportive wife, who doesn’t even realize how special she is! God is using her, and wants to use her in powerful ways in my life, and in this church, that she doesn’t even know!
He has blessed me with two children, whom I love with all my heart, even though they get on my very last nerve at times....
He has blessed me with comfort and peace, even in the most troublesome days....
He has blessed me with the privilege of meeting and working with some of the most amazing, faithful, and loving people I have ever met from all over the world!
He has blessed me with this church family, which I would not trade for the world!
God is faithful to pour out blessings beyond our imagining when we are faithful to Him...
17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children,
18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.
God knows how to bless His children, amen?
7 “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.
8 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone?
10 Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake?
11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
We have so much to be thankful for in our lives.
God has blessed us in mighty ways.
Communion
The communion table is the place where we express our thankfulness for all God has given us....
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.