A Sermon For You
A Ministry of Huckaby’s Evangelism
Today’s Sermon Title
Thanksgiving
By-Evangelist Gary Huckaby D.D. L.L.D
Four days away is the day that has been set aside in the USA which we celebrate our national thanksgiving day. This day was observed many years before this years thanksgiving day. The Pilgrims observed this day over 200 years ago and as far as we know it has yearly been observed since that first thanksgiving day. Thanksgiving day was set aside as a day when the God of heaven was praised, and given thanks for His mercies, His grace, His protection for His dear children. It was also a day when the early settlers thanked their neighbors for their help throughout the past year. A day of sweet fellowship together in celebration of the good that had come their way. But Thanksgiving has and is changing each year. It is not the same today as it was even when I was a child. I have seen many events that have turned us from the original meaning of Thanksgiving, and yet we still have so much in which to be thankful for today.
My memories of past thanksgivings are good memories. I do not remember a year that I have not been with my family on Thanksgiving day, I have always tried to make sure that I was at home during certain days of the year, and Thanksgiving is one of those days. Our families and loved ones are very important in our lives, as well as are our neighbors. We should be Thankful for them. On Thanksgiving day our family gets together for dinner, and some catch up conversation among family members. Since all four of us boys have grown up we seldom get together as we did when we were young. So there is much talking that we do on Thanksgiving day at my Mom’s home.
This Thanksgiving day should be an important day for everyone in this great country, for we all; even the worst off of us, have much to be thankful for. The Bible make it clear that God has and will bless us if we remember to return thanks to Him, and to give Him our all. Remember the very first of the ten commandments is, Exodus 20:2-6; "I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."
Now let us look at some of the mercies of God that we often forget to thank God for on this coming thanksgiving day 2003.
The Mercies of God
"I beseech thee, therefore, brethren by the mercies of God; that ye present your bodies, a living sacrifice; wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Romans 12:1
We have before us today a call for volunteers, this is not an order for a draft. God’s army is not made up of drafted men and women that are ordered into service whether willing or not. This is not a call to hard duty, but it is an invitation to the enjoyment of a privilege.
An Offering of Gratitude
The motive of our text verse is of gratitude, not fear. The invitation looks to Calvary not at Sinai, at grace not law. Here we are entreated not threatened. Here the opportunity for us to show our love for Him by reason of choice. If you are not ready to offer it in gratitude, God doesn’t want your service.
Thank God For Your Reason
Once there was a man walking by an asylum for the insane. From one of the windows and through the bars a stranger called out to the passer by,- "Did you thank God for your reason?" What a blessing is the family, the children, wife, Mom, Dad, brothers and sisters. There is a reason you are here today. Have you thanked God for your reason? Do you know the reason you were created?
Once a little girl and her father were looking at the stars in the night sky. The little girl begins to count. One, two, three up until she reaches 126, and then she became tired of counting. Astronomers have counted well over 500,000,000. They have a reason for existing, just as you and I have a reason for living. When was the last time you thanked God for reason?
Thankful For Our Family And Friends
How often have we been helped by our love ones and friends, without even giving them our thanks. We should show our appreciation to those who have been a blessing to us. At lest open your mouth and tell them thank you.
Thankful For Our Food
How shameful it is to see so few Christians give thanks before they begin eating a meal. It should be an automatic habit for us to bow our heads, or even look up and thank God for providing our food. If you are wondering why I said, "Look Up," this is how our Lord blessed the food on several occasions. The posture of our thanksgiving is not as important as the fact that we do.
Thanking God For Sight, Hearing, Tasting, Touching, and Smelling
Sight
When was the last time you thanked God for sight? What a blessing to view the sun rise or sunset. The beauty of the flowers, trees yes even storms that pass over us.
Hearing
Think of the blessings of hearing. The beautiful music, voices of friends and love ones
When was the last time that you thanked God for your ability to taste?
Taste
Some can’t taste. Imagine, being unable to taste a strawberry, or an apple; ice cream, or cheese. What if everything we ate tasted like garbage? Thank God for the mercy of giving us taste.
Touch
Thank God for Touch. What if we were unable to touch our wife, or husband? What about the softness of a baby? What if you could not tell when you touched another? Thank God for the mercy of having a sense of touch.
Smell
How awful it would be to be unable to smell a flower, or a fresh pie cooking in the oven. What about that turkey or ham that you have been cooking, what would it be like not smell that delicious food.
Thank God for smell.
Thank God For The Ability To Breathe And Sleep.
Some live a life of pain, because of their trouble breathing. Many spend endless hours each day or night being unable to sleep and rest. Thank God for rest and sleep. Thank God for being able to breathe.
Thank God For Every Blessing
All good comes from God. James 1:17;"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." All bad comes from the devil, so why choose the devils side? Nothing has ever been given or provided for man that is good that did not come from God.
The Appeal To The Brethren
"I beseech thee, therefore, Brethren." Paul is calling for brothers in Christ.
Present Your Bodies
Not that of your wife, or children, but your body. Present it to God, for this is reasonable for His service.
D.L.Moody, often hearing a man preach on this text was challenged by the statement; "It has yet to be seen what God can do with a fully surrendered person, to God." Mr. Moody proclaimed that night, "By God’s grace, I will be that man."
Surrender:
When thinking of giving our bodies a living sacrifice unto God, we must surrender our bodies. All parts of it too! Not just our hearts, or minds, or hands, or feet, but every bit of it. If God knows the number of hairs on each body, then they also must be surrendered.
Surrender Your Feet:
If God were in full control of your feet, your feet would often go a different way. You wouldn’t follow the devil, your feet would go where the Lord wants you to go, maybe to visit a lost loved one,to Church, or to visit at a nursing home. What a difference it will make if the Lord is in full control of our feet.
Surrender Your Hands:
If God had your hands they would let go of some things that they have been holding. He would use them to wipe away tears from the eyes of those about us. Those hands would reach out to others in need. It would be quite different what our hands would handle if God had full control of them.
Gratitude Measured By Sacrifice
God is never pleased with our seconds, Hod wants the best.
James 2:14-18; "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works."
Our text is also an invitation to show our gratitude now. Why wait to thank God for his mercies? Praise and thank Him now.
Something Hard But Always Reasonable:
Sacrifice is always difficult. That is why it is called sacrifice. It wasn’t easy for Abraham to be willing to sacrifice Isaac, but He was willing, believing that God would raise him again from the dead. Job’s plight was not an easy one. The loss of children, wealth, health, but Job was willing to give all to please God.Jesus told his disciples; "In this world ye shall have tribulation,but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."Sacrifice is never easy, but that is what God is asking us to do with our living bodies in the text verse.This is our reasonable service. That means we should do it now.
Are you a Christian? Have you been Born Again? If not, please receive Christ as your Lord and Saviour now. Pray a prayer something like this one. Dear God in heaven. I am a sinner and I want to be saved from my sins. I believe that Jesus Christ died for me, and that He rose from the dead to save me. I repent of my sins, and receive your gift of eternal life. Save me for Christ sake. In Jesus Christ Name I ask this. Amen!
If you have received Christ as your Saviour, please write and let us rejoice with you in this your greatest decision in life. We have some literature that will help you get started in you new life in Christ.
Huckaby’s Evangelism
P.O.Box 1011
Pine Mountain, Ga.31822
glhuck@earthlink.net
glhuckaby@excite.com
