03/12/2023
A sermon notes for Sunday service in Zion Baptist Church dated 4th December, 2023 by Pastor V. O. Ehisienmen.
Topic: After thanksgiving, What?
Text: Psalm 100: 1 – 4.
How was your thanksgiving last week?
Every year we have a cycle of thanksgiving, I mean the church annual thanksgiving, the question is, after thanksgiving, what? Yes, another thanksgiving of the year 2023 thanksgiving season has come and gone here in Zion Baptist church. So, what comes after? it all depends on how much of God is in you. A vital relationship with God revolves around our thankfulness. Apostle Paul asked the Christians in the church in Ephesus (Eph 5: 18 – 20) to be filled with the spirit, speaking to one another in psalm, hymns and spiritual songs singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord. Giving thanks always for all things to God the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the passage we read (Psalm 100:1 – 4) the Lord asked us make a joyful noise and serve him with gladness, come before his presence with singing and n verse 4, we should enter into his gate with thanksgiving and into his court with praise; be thankful unto him and bless his name. last week we entered into the gate and this morn we shall enter into his court with praise. However, we shall quickly look at the scripture for events f thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is not something relatively new. God's believers have been giving thanks to him from the beginning of time and throughout history. I think of the first recorded thanksgiving having taken place in the beginning of history when Cain and Abel each brought a sacrifice for the Lord, probably like they had seen their father Adam do before them. Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord, and Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock as a sacrificial offering for the Lord. God did not command these sacrifices. Such sacrifices originated on man's part as an expression of a devout spirit and of gratitude, or thanksgiving, toward the almighty Giver of all good things. But Cain was only going through the formal motions of bringing a sacrificial offering of thanks to the Lord. His offering was not given from his heart as a true act of faith. Abel, on the other hand, was a humble believer in the Lord, who by faith was giving proof of his sincere gratitude and thanks to the Lord for all the mercy and goodness the Lord had previously shown to him. Cain's offering was not acceptable to the Lord; Abel's offering of heartfelt gratitude and thanks was acceptable to the Lord.
Another early sacrificial offering of thanksgiving in the history of mankind took place after the universal flood was over. The Lord had saved Noah and his family members from the catastrophic flood that covered the whole earth and destroyed the entire human race except for Noah and his family. The Lord had kept those eight souls safe on the ark throughout the entire time of the flood, which lasted three hundred and seventy-five days. So, filled with gratitude and thanks for all the mercy and goodness and grace the Lord had shown them, we are told in Genesis 8:20, "Then Noah built an altar to the Lord; and he took from every clean animal and from every clean bird, and he offered burnt offerings on the altar." Verse 21 states that the Lord was pleased with Noah's thanksgiving offering.
In Luke 17:11-19 is the account of Jesus' healing the ten lepers. Jesus healed all ten men of their leprosy. Only one, however, came back to Jesus to give thanks to God for Jesus' having healed him. Jesus asked, “Were not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” Jesus' questions make it very clear that as the Lord our God he does indeed look for us to come to him to give our thanks to him. Therefore, our coming to our Lord in worship to give thanks to him for his many blessings on a special day of Thanksgiving is most fitting and proper. But let us not forget to also give thanks to the Lord everyday of the year for his salvation and blessings. Remain blessed
