Thanksgiving—Be Thankful
I had this ready for Wednesday night and forgot to post it. I’m going to take the rest of the week off. Hopefully, I will begin posting again on Monday the 30th. Thank you!
“Be Thankful
Colossians 3: 12-17
Welcome, friend, to our Bible study program, ‘In Search of the Lord’s Way.’ I’m Mack Lyon. Phil Sanders will be bringing us the message today. He has titled it, ‘Be Thankful.’ I think you’ll enjoy it, so don’t go away.
Warmest greetings to you, friend! Oh say! This is ‘Thanksgiving’ week, isn’t it? Oh I know, every day is thanksgiving for Christians. But Thursday of this week is America’s annual day of public thanksgiving to God for His providential care and preservation of our Nation.
‘The First Thanksgiving Proclamation of the United States’ was issued by George Washington, the first President of our country. It said in part: ‘Whereas, both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me ‘to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their own safety and happiness.’ Oh, say! That was the president of the United States, the first president, and both houses of our national congress! And that was the first public thanksgiving 220 years ago this Thursday, November 26, 2009. Let’s do it friend, before somebody gets the idea it’s unconstitutional.
If you would like a free printed copy, a CD or an audio cassette tape of brother Phil’s message today about being thankful, simply mail your request for it to In Search of the Lord’s Way; P.O. Box 371; Edmond, OK 73083 or to searchtv@searchtv.org. Or if you prefer, you may use our toll-free telephone number and that is 1 (800) 321-8633. It’s on our website, too, at http://www.searchtv.org/ along with a lot more. Visit us there; will you? Ken Helterbrand’s going to lead us now as we sing, then brother Phil Sanders will be here to read Colossians 3, verses 12 through 17 with you.
Our reading today comes from the Word of God, of course, from the book of Colossians chapter 3, verses 12 through 17. ‘Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.’ This is from the New King James Version. Let’s pray together. O Lord, we are thankful that the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts; and Father, we are thankful for the love of Jesus each day, for the forgiveness of our sins. Father, help us to live as thankful people, to be holy, and to love You always. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Each year America sets aside a day to thank God for our blessings. God has truly given us so much for which to be thankful. Let’s never let it be said that we were ungrateful or forgetful for what God has done. William Law in his book ‘A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life’ said, ‘Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world? It’s not he who prays most or fasts most; it is not he who gives most alms, or is the most eminent or temperate or chaste, or the most just; but it is he who is always thankful to God, and who wills everything that God wills, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness, and has a heart always ready to praise God for it.’ In the old Anglo-Saxon, thankfulness means ‘thinkfulness.’ Thinking of all God’s goodness draws forth gratitude from our hearts.
David said in Psalm 100, verse 4, ‘Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name.’ A thankful heart is a cheerful heart and one ready to give praise to God. It counts its blessings and knows how good that God has been to every one of us. In Psalm 103, verses 1 to 5, David further urges us, ‘Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit; Who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.’
Ah, the Bible says in the book of Hebrews 13, verse 15, ‘Through Him [that is through Jesus] then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.’ My friends, Thanksgiving is not just a holiday for once a year; it should be a way of life. The Bible says in James 1, verse 17 that, ‘Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.’ Your food, your water, your clothing, and your house—all of them come from God’s loving hand. He does indeed crown us with loving kindness and compassion. Some people grumble and complain about every little thing, not realizing that God has done so much for us every day.
God gives us so many spiritual blessings in addition to the physical ones. He gives us peace; He gives us His Word, the Bible, to teach us and admonish us; He gives us a song to build us up; and He gives us a purpose in life. The goodness of God makes us better people. His love makes us want to love all the more. It’s not always easy to be thankful; I know that. Life’s not always fair; and things don’t always go smoothly. But God said in 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 16 to 18, ‘Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.’ You see, the test of a Christian is not will he give thanks when things are easy, but will he give thanks and praise God when life is harsh? Christians rejoice always for Christ and His cross, even when the world hates them. They don’t quit praying, because life is rough. They pray even more. They give thanks ‘in’ everything and every circumstance. They know everything is not good or pleasant; but they also know Romans 8 and verse 28. You see, the Bible says in that verse: ‘And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.’ Now not everything is good, but God can cause it to work for good. So we give thanks in everything.
The Pilgrims who came to America thought it good to thank God for their food and their lives. The Congress in the earliest days of the United States also thought it good to thank God for all His provisions of freedom and prosperity. On November 1, 1777 the United States Congress issued this proclamation to the whole nation: It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive powers of these United States, to set apart Thursday, the 18th day of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise; that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts, and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor; and that together with their sincere acknowledgments and offerings, they may join the penitent confession of their manifold sins, whereby they had forfeited every favor, and their humble and earnest supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and to blot them out of remembrance; that it may please him [that is God] graciously to afford his blessings on the governments of these states respectively, and prosper the public council of the whole; to inspire our commanders both by land and sea, and all under them, with that wisdom and fortitude which may render them fit instruments, under the providence of Almighty God, to secure for these United States the greatest of all blessings, independence and peace.
Now this early Congressional proclamation asked America to confess their manifold sins and ask God to forgive them so that the government and the military may be fit instruments under the providence of Almighty God. You see, the early Americans knew God was the source of their liberties. They also knew that if they abandoned the will of God found in the Bible, they would lose the favor of God and their liberties. They knew what God said in Jeremiah 18, verses 7 to 10. God said, ‘If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break it down and destroy it, and then if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of that disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.’
Listen to me now! America does not stand or fall on the basis of its wealth or its might. No! Other nations have been very wealthy and very powerful, yet they fell. We must understand. America stands or falls on the basis of its willingness to live by the principles found in God’s Holy Word. God is the true King of our country or of any country. He is a greater power than all our weapons. The people who began this country understood God’s role in its establishment. Did you know that the very first act on the very first day of the very first Continental Congress, and that took place on September 7, 1774; that first act was to read Psalm 35 and to pray? Did you know when they prayed they were kneeling, bowed with reverence, and praying in the name of Jesus Christ? Well who was kneeling? Patriots like George Washington, Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay. Did you know that they began every day of that Continental Congress and the next ones with prayer at 9 o’clock?
The Continental Congress that took place on May 16, 1776, before the Declaration of Independence; did you know that they appointed a day of fasting and prayer for the colonies. They said, ‘The Congress.... Desirous... to have people of all ranks and degrees duly impressed with a solemn sense of God's superintending providence, and of their duty, devoutly to rely... upon his aid and direction... Do earnestly recommend Friday, the 17th day of May be observed by the colonies as a day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer; that we may, with united hearts, confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions, and, by sincere repentance and amendment of life, appease God’s righteous displeasure, and, through the merits and the mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain this pardon and forgiveness.’ That’s what the Congress said.
Benjamin Franklin said in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that, ‘God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured [Franklin said] in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it [this is a quotation of Psalm 127, verse 1]. [And he says) I firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building [that is making this nation America] we are going to do it no better than the builders of Babel [of course, which came to ruin].’ Without God’s help we can’t do anything! After the first battle of Bull Run, Abraham Lincoln declared on September 26, 1861 that it would be a National Day of Prayer and Fasting. He said, ‘It is fit and becoming in all people, at all times, to acknowledge and revere the Supreme Government of God; to bow in humble submission to His chastisement; to confess and deplore their sins and transgressions in the full conviction that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and to pray, with all fervency and contrition, for the pardon of their past offenses, and for a blessing upon their present and prospective action.’
When Solomon became king over Israel he prayed for God’s blessing on the nation. And God answered Solomon’s prayer with these words found in 2 Chronicles 7, verses 13 and 14. God said, ‘When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and heal their land.’ Solomon knew that being right with God makes a difference. And by inspiration he wrote in Proverbs 14:34, ‘Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.’ One must wonder how long God will tolerate the sins of America. When we allow the taking of the lives of the unborn (MURDER—my addition), nearly 50 million of them; when two of every five children are born out of wedlock; when one out of every two children grows up in a broken home. Oh, my friend, how can God be pleased?
On this week let us say ‘thank you’ to God for His mercy and blessing for this great country. Let’s never become like the nine lepers that Jesus healed. You’ll remember in Luke 17, ‘they raised their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ And when He saw them, He said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. And then Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?’’ My friend, merely saying thank You to God is a good beginning, but God wants more than mere appreciation. He wants our hearts, our souls, and our lives. The people of Haggai’s day had grown so busy with their lives they forgot the task that God had given them to do to rebuild the temple. God said in Haggai 1, verses 5 and 6, ‘Consider your ways! You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied…you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.’ Could it be that we today are facing so many struggles, because we too have forgotten our God? Could it be that we need to consider our ways?
We can’t expect to live in sin and apathy and God be pleased. The Bible teaches, ‘Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life’ (Galatians 6, verses 7 and 8). My friend, what’s true personally is also true of our nation.
How often people want and want and want from God, but they never think to give their praise, and their thanks, or their hearts to Him. My friend, have you? Have you decided to follow Jesus and serve the One who loves you? God’s goodness ought to lead us to change our lives and be obedient to His will. If we love God and are thankful to Him for His grace, we’ll gladly do whatever He asks us to do. Oh, the grace and the love of God makes us want to believe and trust in Him, to repent of all our sins, and to confess His name, and to be baptized into Christ. And in baptism we die with Him; we are buried with Him; we are raised with Him to walk in newness of life. My friend, nothing could be more meaningful. God wants you, your heart, your life, and your soul. Won’t you serve Him and follow Him always. Thankfulness begins when people keep the Lord Jesus in their hearts everyday and serve Him. Let’s pray. O Lord, help us to love You with all our hearts and souls and minds. And, Father, help us to turn from our sins that we may please You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Thank you Phil Sanders for an excellent reminder that we have so much for which to be thankful, and we should thank the Almighty God for our blessed country, too; just as President George Washington said do.
I remind you: we are here every week at this time free of any appeals for money, because of some of your neighbors and friends who are members of some churches of Christ right here in your area. Oh, how they would love to have you attend their Bible study classes and worship assemblies. Tell them that we invited you. Will you do that for us?
If you would like to have a free printed copy, or a CD, or an audio cassette tape of Phil’s message today, simply mail your request to In Search of the Lord’s Way; P.O. Box 371; Edmond, OK 73083. Our e-mail address is searchtv@searchtv.org. You might access our website, too, at http://www.searchtv.org/. Our telephone number is 1 (800) 321-8633. Say, friend, we plan to be back next week at this time. We hope you can, too. And perhaps in the meantime you will have occasion and an opportunity for inviting one of your friends to view the program by next week. God bless you now. We love you.”
I had this ready for Wednesday night and forgot to post it. I’m going to take the rest of the week off. Hopefully, I will begin posting again on Monday the 30th. Thank you!
“Be Thankful
Colossians 3: 12-17
Welcome, friend, to our Bible study program, ‘In Search of the Lord’s Way.’ I’m Mack Lyon. Phil Sanders will be bringing us the message today. He has titled it, ‘Be Thankful.’ I think you’ll enjoy it, so don’t go away.
Warmest greetings to you, friend! Oh say! This is ‘Thanksgiving’ week, isn’t it? Oh I know, every day is thanksgiving for Christians. But Thursday of this week is America’s annual day of public thanksgiving to God for His providential care and preservation of our Nation.
‘The First Thanksgiving Proclamation of the United States’ was issued by George Washington, the first President of our country. It said in part: ‘Whereas, both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me ‘to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their own safety and happiness.’ Oh, say! That was the president of the United States, the first president, and both houses of our national congress! And that was the first public thanksgiving 220 years ago this Thursday, November 26, 2009. Let’s do it friend, before somebody gets the idea it’s unconstitutional.
If you would like a free printed copy, a CD or an audio cassette tape of brother Phil’s message today about being thankful, simply mail your request for it to In Search of the Lord’s Way; P.O. Box 371; Edmond, OK 73083 or to searchtv@searchtv.org. Or if you prefer, you may use our toll-free telephone number and that is 1 (800) 321-8633. It’s on our website, too, at http://www.searchtv.org/ along with a lot more. Visit us there; will you? Ken Helterbrand’s going to lead us now as we sing, then brother Phil Sanders will be here to read Colossians 3, verses 12 through 17 with you.
Our reading today comes from the Word of God, of course, from the book of Colossians chapter 3, verses 12 through 17. ‘Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.’ This is from the New King James Version. Let’s pray together. O Lord, we are thankful that the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts; and Father, we are thankful for the love of Jesus each day, for the forgiveness of our sins. Father, help us to live as thankful people, to be holy, and to love You always. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Each year America sets aside a day to thank God for our blessings. God has truly given us so much for which to be thankful. Let’s never let it be said that we were ungrateful or forgetful for what God has done. William Law in his book ‘A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life’ said, ‘Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world? It’s not he who prays most or fasts most; it is not he who gives most alms, or is the most eminent or temperate or chaste, or the most just; but it is he who is always thankful to God, and who wills everything that God wills, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness, and has a heart always ready to praise God for it.’ In the old Anglo-Saxon, thankfulness means ‘thinkfulness.’ Thinking of all God’s goodness draws forth gratitude from our hearts.
David said in Psalm 100, verse 4, ‘Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name.’ A thankful heart is a cheerful heart and one ready to give praise to God. It counts its blessings and knows how good that God has been to every one of us. In Psalm 103, verses 1 to 5, David further urges us, ‘Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit; Who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.’
Ah, the Bible says in the book of Hebrews 13, verse 15, ‘Through Him [that is through Jesus] then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.’ My friends, Thanksgiving is not just a holiday for once a year; it should be a way of life. The Bible says in James 1, verse 17 that, ‘Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.’ Your food, your water, your clothing, and your house—all of them come from God’s loving hand. He does indeed crown us with loving kindness and compassion. Some people grumble and complain about every little thing, not realizing that God has done so much for us every day.
God gives us so many spiritual blessings in addition to the physical ones. He gives us peace; He gives us His Word, the Bible, to teach us and admonish us; He gives us a song to build us up; and He gives us a purpose in life. The goodness of God makes us better people. His love makes us want to love all the more. It’s not always easy to be thankful; I know that. Life’s not always fair; and things don’t always go smoothly. But God said in 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 16 to 18, ‘Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.’ You see, the test of a Christian is not will he give thanks when things are easy, but will he give thanks and praise God when life is harsh? Christians rejoice always for Christ and His cross, even when the world hates them. They don’t quit praying, because life is rough. They pray even more. They give thanks ‘in’ everything and every circumstance. They know everything is not good or pleasant; but they also know Romans 8 and verse 28. You see, the Bible says in that verse: ‘And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.’ Now not everything is good, but God can cause it to work for good. So we give thanks in everything.
The Pilgrims who came to America thought it good to thank God for their food and their lives. The Congress in the earliest days of the United States also thought it good to thank God for all His provisions of freedom and prosperity. On November 1, 1777 the United States Congress issued this proclamation to the whole nation: It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive powers of these United States, to set apart Thursday, the 18th day of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise; that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts, and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor; and that together with their sincere acknowledgments and offerings, they may join the penitent confession of their manifold sins, whereby they had forfeited every favor, and their humble and earnest supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and to blot them out of remembrance; that it may please him [that is God] graciously to afford his blessings on the governments of these states respectively, and prosper the public council of the whole; to inspire our commanders both by land and sea, and all under them, with that wisdom and fortitude which may render them fit instruments, under the providence of Almighty God, to secure for these United States the greatest of all blessings, independence and peace.
Now this early Congressional proclamation asked America to confess their manifold sins and ask God to forgive them so that the government and the military may be fit instruments under the providence of Almighty God. You see, the early Americans knew God was the source of their liberties. They also knew that if they abandoned the will of God found in the Bible, they would lose the favor of God and their liberties. They knew what God said in Jeremiah 18, verses 7 to 10. God said, ‘If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break it down and destroy it, and then if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of that disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.’
Listen to me now! America does not stand or fall on the basis of its wealth or its might. No! Other nations have been very wealthy and very powerful, yet they fell. We must understand. America stands or falls on the basis of its willingness to live by the principles found in God’s Holy Word. God is the true King of our country or of any country. He is a greater power than all our weapons. The people who began this country understood God’s role in its establishment. Did you know that the very first act on the very first day of the very first Continental Congress, and that took place on September 7, 1774; that first act was to read Psalm 35 and to pray? Did you know when they prayed they were kneeling, bowed with reverence, and praying in the name of Jesus Christ? Well who was kneeling? Patriots like George Washington, Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay. Did you know that they began every day of that Continental Congress and the next ones with prayer at 9 o’clock?
The Continental Congress that took place on May 16, 1776, before the Declaration of Independence; did you know that they appointed a day of fasting and prayer for the colonies. They said, ‘The Congress.... Desirous... to have people of all ranks and degrees duly impressed with a solemn sense of God's superintending providence, and of their duty, devoutly to rely... upon his aid and direction... Do earnestly recommend Friday, the 17th day of May be observed by the colonies as a day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer; that we may, with united hearts, confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions, and, by sincere repentance and amendment of life, appease God’s righteous displeasure, and, through the merits and the mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain this pardon and forgiveness.’ That’s what the Congress said.
Benjamin Franklin said in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that, ‘God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured [Franklin said] in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it [this is a quotation of Psalm 127, verse 1]. [And he says) I firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building [that is making this nation America] we are going to do it no better than the builders of Babel [of course, which came to ruin].’ Without God’s help we can’t do anything! After the first battle of Bull Run, Abraham Lincoln declared on September 26, 1861 that it would be a National Day of Prayer and Fasting. He said, ‘It is fit and becoming in all people, at all times, to acknowledge and revere the Supreme Government of God; to bow in humble submission to His chastisement; to confess and deplore their sins and transgressions in the full conviction that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and to pray, with all fervency and contrition, for the pardon of their past offenses, and for a blessing upon their present and prospective action.’
When Solomon became king over Israel he prayed for God’s blessing on the nation. And God answered Solomon’s prayer with these words found in 2 Chronicles 7, verses 13 and 14. God said, ‘When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and heal their land.’ Solomon knew that being right with God makes a difference. And by inspiration he wrote in Proverbs 14:34, ‘Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.’ One must wonder how long God will tolerate the sins of America. When we allow the taking of the lives of the unborn (MURDER—my addition), nearly 50 million of them; when two of every five children are born out of wedlock; when one out of every two children grows up in a broken home. Oh, my friend, how can God be pleased?
On this week let us say ‘thank you’ to God for His mercy and blessing for this great country. Let’s never become like the nine lepers that Jesus healed. You’ll remember in Luke 17, ‘they raised their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ And when He saw them, He said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. And then Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?’’ My friend, merely saying thank You to God is a good beginning, but God wants more than mere appreciation. He wants our hearts, our souls, and our lives. The people of Haggai’s day had grown so busy with their lives they forgot the task that God had given them to do to rebuild the temple. God said in Haggai 1, verses 5 and 6, ‘Consider your ways! You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied…you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.’ Could it be that we today are facing so many struggles, because we too have forgotten our God? Could it be that we need to consider our ways?
We can’t expect to live in sin and apathy and God be pleased. The Bible teaches, ‘Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life’ (Galatians 6, verses 7 and 8). My friend, what’s true personally is also true of our nation.
How often people want and want and want from God, but they never think to give their praise, and their thanks, or their hearts to Him. My friend, have you? Have you decided to follow Jesus and serve the One who loves you? God’s goodness ought to lead us to change our lives and be obedient to His will. If we love God and are thankful to Him for His grace, we’ll gladly do whatever He asks us to do. Oh, the grace and the love of God makes us want to believe and trust in Him, to repent of all our sins, and to confess His name, and to be baptized into Christ. And in baptism we die with Him; we are buried with Him; we are raised with Him to walk in newness of life. My friend, nothing could be more meaningful. God wants you, your heart, your life, and your soul. Won’t you serve Him and follow Him always. Thankfulness begins when people keep the Lord Jesus in their hearts everyday and serve Him. Let’s pray. O Lord, help us to love You with all our hearts and souls and minds. And, Father, help us to turn from our sins that we may please You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Thank you Phil Sanders for an excellent reminder that we have so much for which to be thankful, and we should thank the Almighty God for our blessed country, too; just as President George Washington said do.
I remind you: we are here every week at this time free of any appeals for money, because of some of your neighbors and friends who are members of some churches of Christ right here in your area. Oh, how they would love to have you attend their Bible study classes and worship assemblies. Tell them that we invited you. Will you do that for us?
If you would like to have a free printed copy, or a CD, or an audio cassette tape of Phil’s message today, simply mail your request to In Search of the Lord’s Way; P.O. Box 371; Edmond, OK 73083. Our e-mail address is searchtv@searchtv.org. You might access our website, too, at http://www.searchtv.org/. Our telephone number is 1 (800) 321-8633. Say, friend, we plan to be back next week at this time. We hope you can, too. And perhaps in the meantime you will have occasion and an opportunity for inviting one of your friends to view the program by next week. God bless you now. We love you.”
posted by Christian Gunslinger at 4:24 AM
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