THANKSGIVING

II CORINTHIANS

9:10-15

THANKSGIVING

II CORINTHIANS

9:10-15

In the autumn of 1621 Governor William Bradford of Plymouth Colony, issued a

thanksgiving proclamation.

This was to celebrate and give thanks to God for their survival through the bitter cold winter

and the gathering of the harvest.

On November 26, 1789, George Washington issued a proclamation of a nation-wide day of

thanksgiving.

In 1863 Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation designating the last Thursday in November as

a national holiday, Thanksgiving Day.

In 1939 Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Thanksgiving Day a week earlier, to promote

holiday shopping.

In 1941, Congress adopted a joint resolution setting Thanksgiving Day on the fourth

Thursday in November.

This coming Thursday will be Thanksgiving.

This is my most favorite holiday of all.

Today and tonight we are going to talk about giving thanks and things to be thankful for.

Our thanksgiving should not be limited to the fourth Thursday in November.

The Christian has a lot to be thankful for.

Our thanksgiving should be sincere.

Joshua 24:14

Now therefore, fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and truth, and put away the gods your

fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord.

John 4:24

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

We should express our thankfulness to those who are near to us.

Husbands to wives and wives to husbands.

Parents to their children and children to their parents.

Other family members and friends.

Our thanksgiving should be felt by the world.

Matthew 5:13-16

You are the salt of the world; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a

lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your

light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

We should express our thanksgiving to God.

Philippians 4:6

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let

your request be made known to God.

Ephesians 5:20

Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke 17:12-18

Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten lepers, who stood afar off.

And they lifted up theirs voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

So when he saw them, He said to them, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was

that as they went, they were cleansed.

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with aloud voice glorified

God.

And fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?

Were there not any who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?

I Thessalonians 5:18

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Things To Be Thankful For

God has blessed us in so many ways.

James 1:17

Every good gift and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with

whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

We need to learn to count our blessings.

We should be thankful for the material blessings God has blessed us with.

Matthew 5:45

That you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and

on the unjust.

We should be thankful for the spiritual blessings.

Ephesians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in

Christ.

We should be thankful for the life God has given us.

Genesis 1:26-27

Then God said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let him have dominion over the fish of the sea, over

the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that

creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He

created him; male and female He created them.

God has not only given us our life but He also sustains our life.

Acts 17:28

For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your poets have said,

“For we are indeed His offspring.”

We should be thankful for the Bible.

It was given by God the Holy Spirit

II Peter 1:20-21

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,

For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were

moved by the Holy Spirit.

II Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteous,

That the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

We should thankful because God’s Word is profitable for:

Doctrine

Our church doctrine is the Bible and only the Bible.

It teaches people how to be saved and how to be kept saved.

I Timothy 4:16

Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save

both yourself and those who hear you.

Reproof

Rebuking error and false teaching.

Jude 3

Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found

it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once

for all delivered to the saints.

It was delivered once for all to the saints, so we know what to do and how to do it.

Correction

It not only rebukes the error but it tells us how to make it correct.

It also tells God’s people how to live correct lives.

Instruction in righteousness.

Telling us how to live righteous lives.

Titus 2:12

Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,

righteously, and godly in the present age.

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Righteousness comes by living right in the sight of God.

The word of God makes us complete, lacking in nothing.

For this we should be truly thankful.

We should be thankful for and to Jesus Christ.

I John 4:9-10

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only begotten

Son into the world.

In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be an

expiation for our sins.

Jesus freely gave up His life.

John 10:17-18

Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.

No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I

have power to take it again. This command I have received from my Father.

Romans 5:6

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

Christ died for us, and in so doing He promised us to the hope of eternal life to all that are

obedient to Him.

Hebrews 5:8-9

Though He were a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.

Romans 2:6-8

Who “will render to each one according to his deeds:”

Eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and

immortality;

But to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,

indignation and wrath.

Romans 5:23

So that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal

life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I John 2:25

And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life

I John 5:11-12

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

The hope eternal life; this is something to be truly thankful for.

But this hope is only for those who are obedient to Jesus Christ.

ARE YOU BEING

OBEDIENT

TO JESUS

TODAY?

ARE YOU BEING

OBEDIENT

TO JESUS

TODAY?

• Given by David Hamlin on November 19, 2006 am Hollister, Missouri church of Christ www.hollisterchurchofchrist.org