-Transcript-
00:36 Thanks for joining me today. It’s great to be in the cafe. Today, we are talking about something very timely, it’s the season of thanksgiving, of thankfulness of looking at brothers and sisters and seeing how we can help them. I mean, that is what the holiday, season symbolizes to many in the church here today.
00:58 I just want to talk about Thanksgiving and 1 Thessalonians 5:18. There’s a great scripture here, 1 Thessalonians 5:18“in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
01:23 I love how specific this verse is. It’s not in some things give thanks. In good times. Give thanks. Uh in very holy moments give thanks in everything give thanks in all circumstances. In all situations.
01:39 In times of trial, and in times of victory, give thanks and that’s not always easy to do. In fact, as you face a trial, The last thing on your mind, may be Thanksgiving. But God, here is showing us through his word that it should be the first thing on your mind.
01:57 In fact, I believe that brings God, the ultimate glory. When we’re able to give Him, thanks, even in our moments of suffering. And so, what we need to do, whether we are suffering celebrating, we’re like some doing a little bit of both. We need to give. Thanks, what does the Bible say about it? Oh, there’s so much. I’ve got two categories here. 02:17 Firstly, we need to give thanks for what He has done for what the Lord Jesus Christ has done. For us we need to give thanks and what has Jesus done for us first and foremost,
02:28 The cross salvation so many scriptures on this John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 15 1-4, Romans 5-8, I could go on and on the whole Bible. Frankly is about the Lord Jesus Christ in the cross and the Lord gave His life for us.
02:46 And Romans 5:8 there, says that, while we were yet, sinners God commendeth, His love toward us, Amen! That Jesus Christ, died for us, on the cross, gave His life willingly, totally obedient understand that Jesus Christ did not have to die for us. He was not forced to die for us. He was in a captivity, only in name, because
03:11 certainly He could have called Legions of angels down to rescue Him. I was thinking of the scripture when they went to, go get him in the garden and he uh, they asked to what his name was. He spoke His name, and they all fell down and that’s God’s little way of reminding everybody that this man is not just a man, but He is God on the flesh.
03:28He’s all-powerful so knowing that and then knowing that, He bore that cross. And then knowing that, He walked down that path and that Viadello Rosa and He bore that heavy cross knowing that it was a weight of the entire world sin on His shoulders and that he was scorched by Roman soldiers. And then He went through an awful painful, gruesome death as no one has ever gone through before.
03:48 Who did He do it for? He did it for you. He did it for me, He died. He suffered, He drank that bitter cup of sin so that you may have life.
04:01 Oh what a great thought that is. Oh, what? Glory do we get out of that? The Bible says it, please the Father, uh, that He had to suffer. Why? Because he saved humanity with it and you’re saying, well, how’s that possible? Well, let me introduce the situation. Adam and Eve, they came into the Garden of even Eden. It was perfect. It was wonderful and sin entered the picture that slippery slimy devil, beguiled them.
04:25 He tricked Eve to eat the fruit. Adam also. What happens, they eat that forbidden fruit sin, enters the world, they realize their form, uh, her good preaching on this recently. They realized they’re nakedness before. They didn’t realize they were naked because They didn’t they didn’t need to know anything. Everything was perfect and now shame and entered the picture and they exited the Garden of Eden.
04:45 And from that time on from generation to generation, sin has been passed down. Amen. Some people may have alcoholism in their family. I’ve got it in my family. Amen. And I’ve been told from a long time ago, that that alcoholism will go from generation to generation.
04:59 And, uh, that’s just one of the many reasons to be of a sober mind. Amen. Especially if you have it in your family and just as we have something like that, uh, maybe the word would be hereditary or passed on another one to be allergies. Amen. My dad has allergies, I have allergies, the doctor asked me today. Well, my kids have allergies, I think, well, probably listen, sin is passed on from generation to generation.
05:19 You didn’t decide to be a sinner. You didn’t just mess up and start sending. No, you were born into sin. Amen. And you say, well, how’s that possible, man? Look at kids today, look at little babies. They’re gonna fight over a toy. My little babies now, they’re four and five. They’re fighting over the Ring Pop. Okay, one wants it one doesn’t want it. They start fight Rit. That’s sin. Amen. They’re not naturally giving they’re not loving their neighbor as they should no they’re kids. Amen.
05:46 And God allows that little picture as playful as it may seem. He allows that as an illustration of what sin is in the Bible and what sin is in our life and that sin had to be resolved and that debt could not be paid by anything that we do with Bible says that our works are like filthy rags.
06:03 Like a dirty gauze pad are good works. So our good works won’t do it. Our church membership won’t do it. Uh, our, our personality won’t do it, our pedigree won’t do it. I go on and on, what does it the only thing that can forgive are send debt in front of a Holy God. Uh, the only thing that can do it is Jesus Christ Precious blood, the sinless spotless Lamb. Amen.
06:24 He had to die on the cross for our sins and when we accept that free gift of Salvation and understand that it’s already done that gift. Is there present to you? If you haven’t been saved here today? And if you have rejoice, because when we accept that free gift to Salvation, all sins, passed, present and future are then. No longer on our charge, we inherit his righteousness and what did he do? He had to inherit our sin and that’s why that was the most brutal death ever to happen.
06:53 But the Lord Jesus Christ was in that ground, only three days. Amen. To signify His full death on the cross. And then He was raised again miraculously and He walked the Earth, 40 days and 40 nights, and he was seen by over 500. And then he has sent it up to the father. And he said the right hand of the father and he is really there at the right hand of the father, Amen.
07:12 Jesus Christ is Alive and well and He’s coming back soon. And so number one, what are we thankful for and everything? Give thanks. Number one, we’re thankful for the cross here today. I hope you are. I’m thankful for the cross. I’m thank you, thankful for my salvation. I’m thankful for that 100% guaranteed truth that I will spend eternity in heaven with my savior because of the Cross.
07:33 Secondly, I’m thankful for His word. Amen. I am thankful for the word and you should be too. I love this scripture, I could preach on the scripture, probably every sermon for the rest of my life, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, that Psalm 119 :105, you know, it’s a big Psalm when you’re in first 105. Psalm 119:105.
07:55 Thy word is a lamp into my feet and a light unto my path. Well, what is David writing about here, the idea that His word, Jesus Christ. Uh, the one that the Bible is written about fully and holy, Is a light it illuminates, the Lord in His word, it illuminates, our life, it lights things up. You know, if you’re like me, you might forget something in the car, you got to go back outside at night. We live out on an old Dairy farm. It’s pitch black at night. What do we have to do? Turn on that flashlight or if you got the phone, you flip on the light on your phone so you can see my kids. Love flashlights too. They’ll just use them just for fun but you need a light to see see where you’re going.
08:37 And in this dark world, Oh how we need a light? Oh, how we need guidance? I had a wise person, a wise in the world’s eyes, I guess, tell me one time, the older they got, and they had a PhD, they told me the older, they got the less that they knew. Well, that’s pretty true. The older, you get real, you realize the less that, you know, you realize that there are secrets that you can’t unlock.
08:58 But then, when you get into God’s word, you realize, there’s great truth in there. There’s great wealth in His word. There’s great wonder in his word. It is so wonderful, and I’m thankful that at any time day or night, I can go to the word. I can go to the book. I thank God almost every day. That in the morning time, I got my little devotional time, whether it’s six in the morning or seven in the morning, I got a little devotional time that I can carve out, and I can sit there and spend time in His word
09:26 and it just opens up it illuminates. It directs our paths and literally it’s not complicated. The word says, love your neighbor. What do you do you go out and try to love your neighbor? You know, the word says repent. You sinners you say okay. I got sent in my life. I’m going to repent. It’s not complicated but it is so amazingly revealing and 09:47 what happens is as we get into His word our lives are changed and they’re changed dramatically. A lot of preachers,me included, will start a message or end a message with. This will transform your life. This will transform your life. This is transformational. This is incredible. You’ll never be the same that’s literally in almost every message. Uh, that’s preached by the working of the Holy Spirit. And Heartland Community, Baptist Church in Lincolnton, almost every message is like that and has nothing to do with anything.
10:13 I thought of it’s what the Lord is revealed in His word or through his word to our congregation. So be thankful for His word today. Never take for granted His word you know some countries that words illegal, some countries, it’s legal but they just don’t have access to it.
10:29 They don’t have money to buy it, they don’t have it. Um, I’ve been read about a Bible drives and Bible book bags and so forth where people will fight over a Bible. They’re cherish a Bible.
10:41 Hey, if you’re in prison, some places, they won’t give you one Amen. Now, we’ve got them everywhere. We have them everywhere. Here we have Bibles, Galore sad, but the Christian bookstore, they put the Bibles on sale, the books, the Bible stays on the bookshelf. The Bible gets dusty here and there.
10:56 Uh, the Bible is passed over for what, for some junk, tabloid or for something online, or for some app or for some social media, it’s that sad. You know, if you are on social media and we everybody is, I’ve deactivated my personal accounts long ago but we have our church page and so forth. I work stuff. But if you’re on social media and you never have time for the Bible, I need you to ask this question, which is more important, which would God have me to do,
11:22 which will yield more fruit, spiritually, be thankful today that you have the opportunity to get into God’s word and stay in His word and as you seek Him. As you search for Him you’ll be incredibly blessed.
11:35 I’ve told His story many times, there’s a little yard sign stuck in a fork in the road out kind of halfway between our house here in Kings Mountain, and the church in Lincolnton that I preach at and we can see this little sign. It says, do you?
11:49 Do you know Jesus has got clouds in the background that says, if not pray that he reveals Himself to you something like that? Well, that’s a very big spiritual truth, on that little sign. And what it is saying is, if you pray to God, say God, please reveal yourself to me and you go into his word, you open up his word. What’s he going to do? What’s God going to do? I believe He’ll answer that prayer,
12:10 I believe the Lord desires all to be saved and all to have a knowledge for Him and all to come to repentance. I believe there’s no sinner out there, that’s too bad for God and nobody, that’s acting too good that need that doesn’t need to be saved.
12:23 And so when we pray to God and we get into His word, oh, how He opens it up and oh, how He reveals things to us, and I hope and pray that you’re thankful for your Bible today. Oh, that good old King James Bible is so strong. So powerful. So mighty, and it’s not the, the text or, or the cover, or the printer, or the publisher, or the editor, or the commentator, you know what it is.
12:44 It’s the Holy Spirit of God. Amen. It’s the Holy Spirit of God. I’m so thankful for the Holy Spirit. That’s our third Point here today. The Holy Spirit, the comforter John 14:26,
12:56 but the comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the father will send in my name. He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever. I have said unto you in Ephesians, 4:30, and grieve, not the Holy Spirit, whereby your sealed unto the day of redemption.
13:10 You know, the whole Holy Spirit, reseals us. It Comforts us. He I should say, isn’t it? It’s a He amen, He Comforts us. He Seals us into the day of redemption. This is how we know that we’re saved. So we’re sealing today Redemption, we know that we’re saved by the working of the Holy Spirit, if you get all crying at church and stuff, that’s the Holy Spirit.
13:31 If you’re convicted you sin, you have to repent. That’s always spirit. Uh, The Holy Spirit. If you, if you just have this wisdom, if you get into the book and it start, you get wisdom from it. That’s the Holy Spirit.
13:41 Let me tell you that. Holy Spirit is not just therapeutic to you. But that Holy Spirit prays in your behalf words that you cannot utter, the Bible tells us that and then Holy Spirit, is proof that you are saved and that you will be with Jesus for an eternity in heaven. 13:55 So thank God for the Holy Spirit today to recap. Thank God for salvation, thank God for doing what he did on the cross through. Jesus Christ. Our Lord and Savior. Thank God for His word. His holy word that is given to us and thank God for the Holy Spirit, the great Comforter. Thank you so much. I hope you’re thankful today in Jesus name, Amen.