Thanksgiving in Three Tenses
Several Scriptures
Introduction
Instead of a day of fasting and prayer reflecting on the bad times the pilgrims had a man proposed that in place of the day of prayer, they put in its place a day of Thanksgiving. As a result, in 1621, the Pilgrims observed the first Thanksgiving day. Lincoln acknowledged it nationally in 1863; and, in 1941, Congress passed into law that the 4th Thursday of each November be officially recognized as Thanksgiving Day.
This coming Thursday we will enjoy a time of food, family and fellowship; however, we should never forget the faithfulness of a God who has “blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Eph. 1: 3
1. Thanks For The . . Past. Several Scriptures
A. Thanks For The Past and . . Parents. 1 Tim 5:4
4 But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God. TLB
Illustration Boy In a Plastic Bubble Source unknown
A boy named boy named David (12 years old) was born without an immune system. He underwent a bone marrow transplant in order to correct the deficiency. Up to that point he had spent his entire life in a plastic bubble in order to prevent exposure to common germs, bacteria, and viruses that could kill him. He lived without ever knowing human contact. When asked what he’d like to do if and when released from his protective bubble, he replied, “I want to walk barefoot on grass, and touch my mother’s hand.”
B. Thanks For The Past and . . Church. Eph 5:25-26
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, NKJV
C. Thanks For The Past and . . Wife. 1 Peter 3:7
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with
understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. NKJV
Illustration
Leslie B. Flynn tells of a farmer sitting on the porch with his wife overlooking their beautiful Vermont farm. He was beginning to realize how much she meant to him. It was about time--for they had lived together forty-two years, and she had been such a help, a very willing worker. One day as they sat together, he said, "Wife, you've been such a wonderful woman that there are times I can hardly keep from telling you."
D. Thanks For The Past and . . Children. Eph 6:4
4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. NKJV
Illustration Relaxed Parenting
Edgar, father of nine, reflected on how he had mellowed over the years: “When the firstborn coughed or sneezed, I called the ambulance. When the last one swallowed a dime, I just told him it was coming out of his allowance.” Contributed by Jean Short, Reader’s Digest, January, 1996, p. 81.
Illustration Twice as Many! Bill Cosby, Fatherhood, Doubleday
My father would not have been particularly interested in a book about fathering, although he did like to read. One day when he was reading in the living room, my brother and I decided that we could play basketball without breaking anything. When I took a shot that redesigned the glass table, my mother came in with a stick and said, “So help me, I’ll bust you in half.” Without lifting his head from his book, my father said, “Why would you want twice as many?”
Application
Thanks For The . . Past Blessings
2. Thanks For The . . Present Blessings.
A. Give Thanks for The Present Abundant . . Life. John 10:10-11
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life , and that they may have it more abundantly. 11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. NKJV
B. Give Thanks for The Present and The . . Church. 1 Cor. 1:9, Eph. 3:21, 1 John 1:3
1 Cor 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. NKJV
Eph 3:21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. NKJV
1 John 1:3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. NKJV
C. Give Thanks for The Present and The . . Family. Ps 127:4-5, Prov 17:6
Prov 17:6 Children's children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father. NKJV
Ps 127:4-5 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. 5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate. NKJV
Illustration
I recently read of a man in Phoenix who called his Son in New York the day before Thanksgiving and said, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough."
The Son screamed, "Pop, what are you talking about?” His dad continued, "We can't stand the sight of each other any longer. We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her." Frantic, the Son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. "No way they're getting divorced!" she shouts, "I'll take care of this." She calls Phoenix immediately and screams at her father, "You are not getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?" And, she hangs up.
The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Okay," he says, "they're coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own way."
Application
Thanks For The . . Present Blessings
3. Thanks For The . . Future Blessings.
A. Give Thanks for The Future Of The . . Church. Titus 2:13-14, Rev 5:9-12
Titus 2:13-14 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
Rev 5:9-12 9 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth." 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!" NKJV
Illustration
Today we sang “A new Name Written Down In Glory. What language was the name written in? English, German, Spanish? The Bible says, “. . . Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, . . .”
B. Give Thanks for The Future . . Salvation of Many. John 17:20, Matt 16:18, Rev 7:9-11
John 17:20 Jesus Prays for All Believers "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; NKJV
Matt 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. NKJV
Rev 7:9-11 9 A Multitude from the Great
Tribulation After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying,"Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, NKJV
Illustration
One of my New Testament professors served at a captain of a small ship in the Pacific during WW II. One day the sailors were diving off the deck, and sort of playing around with some Philipno Boys and asked to bring one boy on board to show him around the ship. Dr. Drumwright wanted to witness to the boy so he got a picture of Jesus to serve as an aid to help the boy understand. When he displayed the picture the boy pointed to his heart and said “Jesus.” He related that he knew Jesus and that Jesus was in his heart.
Conclusion
The story is told of a man who found the barn where Satan stores the seeds he sows in the human heart: envy, greed, anger, hatred, lust, and so on. The man soon noticed that Satan had more seeds of discouragement than of any other kind. He learned that those seeds could be made to grow almost anywhere.
When Satan was questioned, he reluctantly admitted that there was one place in which he could not get them to grow. "And where is that?" asked the man. Satan replied sadly, "In the heart of a thankful man."