HOW TO TURN THANKSGIVING INTO THANKS LIVING

TEXT: Psalm 107:21-22

INTRODUCTION: Rudyard Kipling was a British poet whose writings have blessed many people. Rudyard Kipling was a very famous writer even before he died, and made a great deal of money at his trade.  A newspaper reporter came up to him once and said, "Mr. Kipling, I just read that somebody calculated that the money you make from your writings amounts to over $100 a word." Mr. Kipling raised his eyebrows and said, "Really, I certainly wasn't aware of that." The reporter cynically reached into his pocket and pulled out a $100 bill and gave it to Kipling and said, "Here's a $100 bill Mr. Kipling. Now you give me one of your $100 words."  Rudyard Kipling looked at that $100 bill for a moment, took it and folded it up and put it in his pocket and said, "Thanks."

    If any nation ought to be thankful to God and grateful for His goodness, it ought to be America. If any people in America ought to be thankful to God and grateful for His goodness, it ought to be Christians. If any group of Christians ought to be thankful to God and grateful for His goodness, it ought to be the Christians in this fellowship. We need to turn our thanksgiving into thanks living.

    It has been said that talk is cheap, we thank the Lord and we say Lord, we're so thankful, we're so grateful for all that you've done for us. Well, do you know what we need to do? We need to turn thanksgiving into thanks living. We should offer to God the sacrifices of thanksgiving. If we're thankful it really should show in our lives by the way that we live.

1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

    I want to point out that these scriptures say that those of us that are saved are Priest. Not just any priesthood, but a holy and royal priest hood. We have been sanctified and crowned with royalty. As priest we are to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God. We all have a sacrifice of some kind to offer up to God.

    Looking through the scriptures, I have found five Spiritual Sacrifices, that we can all offer to God to TURN THANKSGIVING INTO THANKS LIVING.

    I'm going to call them the sacrifices of thanksgiving and I want you to make a checklist and ask yourself, "Am I continually offering to the Lord these five spiritual sacrifices".

I.          The Sacrifice Of Your Person (yourself)

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

A.        This is to be done Voluntarily (You can not be forced to do this.)

1.      The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul is saying I am pleading with you, begging you that you will give, offer, present yourself to God as a Living sacrifice.

2.      Here's the reason for it, by the mercies of God, on the basis of what God has done for you.

3.      Why should I give my body to him?

a)      Because he gave his body for me.

b)      He suffered, bled and died upon that cross and when those nails were driven into his hands his quivering heart was saying I love you.

c)      Those nails were our sins and our hard hearts were the hammers that drove those nails into the hands and feet of Jesus and yet he suffered and bled and died for our sins.

B.        It must also be done Completely (We must give all wholly and completely)

1.      A sacrifice doesn't have any more plans of its own.

2.      We're to die to the old way.

3.      My wife, my children, my home, my car, my future, my bank account, my ambitions, they all belong to the Lord Jesus.

a)      Have you done that?

b)      Have you just said here Lord, I give myself to you voluntarily and completely.

II.       The Sacrifice Of Your Praise

Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

A.        Have you ever thought of your praise as being a sacrifice?

1.      The sacrifice of praise to God continually.

2.      That is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks unto his name.

B.        A sacrifice requires effort and energy.

1.      There are times when we may not feel like giving God praise or a word of thanks.

2.      But it is our duty and responsibility and may take some effort and energy on our part.

Psalm 69:30-33 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs. The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God. For the Lord heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.

C.        This tells us that praise is just as important as the giving of your material possessions.

1.      There are some people who can not give as much as others.

2.      But we can all praise and thank God equally.

3.      This we are to do continually.

a)      Our praise to God does not start when we get to church; we bring our praise to church with us.

b)      You don't commence your praise here; you continue your praise here.

c)      We are to praise the Lord continually.

d)      The reason that some of us do such a poor job of praising God when we come to church to praise him corporately is because we haven't been praising him privately.

Psalm 34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

4.      Nobody should have to beg us to Praise and thank the Lord.

Psalm 119:108 Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me thy judgments.

5.      Listen to the way the NIV puts it. Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws.

III.    The Sacrifice Of Our Prayer

Psalm 141:2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

A.        Incense is perfume

Rev. 5:8 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.

1.      In the tabernacle there was a room called the Holy Place in this room there were three pieces of furniture.

a)      The table of show bread, the Lamp Stand and the Alter of incense.

b)      The alter of incense is where the priest made intercession for the saints of God.

c)      He would take a bowl of incense and sprinkle the incense on the fire of the alter and as the incense burned it would give off a sweet smelling aroma.

2.      Sometimes it is a sacrifice to pray.

a)      When things are going wrong and it seems that your prayers are unanswered, it is a sacrifice to pray.

B.        Lifting up your hands.

1.      There are times when we don't feel like lifting our hands in praise to God.

2.      We do it because we love God and we want to honor Him in our lives and in our services.

3.      The Psalmist is saying I want my prayers to be like the sweet smelling aroma of the incense that is offered to you and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. God I want to bless you and honor you with my prayers.

IV.    The Sacrifice of Our Possessions

Hebrews 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

A.        Let me share some other translations of this verse:   

1.      NIV. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

2.      New Revised Standard Version 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

B.        He is saying that we are to share what we have with those that have nothing.

1.      Those who are in need.

2.      Thanksgiving is an opportunity to do some thanks living.

3.      An opportunity to make a difference in the life of some one in need.

C.        If you want to show your thankfulness show it in the way you give.

1.      Does your giving reflect your thankfulness to God?

2.      It really does whether you think it does or not.

V.       The Sacrifice Of Purity.

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

A.        Why do I call it the sacrifice of purity?

1.      Because David had sinned and what was it that broke David's heart?

2.      His sin against God.

3.      You see, God was so good, notice in

Psalm 51:1 A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

4.      David was heart broken because he knew that he had sinned against God who had been so good to him.

B.        The Bible tells us over in the book of Romans that it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance.

1.      David loved God In such a way that it broke his heart to think about how he had sinned against God.

C.        If we love him, then let us get rid of the sin that breaks his heart, get rid of it, a broken and a contrite spirit.

1.      Let us tell God I want to be pure before you.

2.      I want my heart to be clean from all sin. I want to love you Lord with a Pure Heart.

3.      If we really want to Turn Our Thanksgiving into Thanks Living, Let's do it by living lives that are pure and holy that will honor God.

Conclusion: We can turn our Thanksgiving into Thanks Living if we will offer to God these five spiritual sacrifices. The sacrifice of our person, our praise, our prayer, our possession, and our purity.