11/22/17 - Eph 6:203, Thanksgiving Special ~ Giving Thanks to the Lord.  Psa 92, Lesson # 17-126

http://gracedoctrine.org/Audio%20Tapes/17-126.mp3

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard
www.GraceDoctrine.org

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Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, (If You have - Trusted in Him for Eternal Life), it is important to prepare yourself to: Take-in God’s Word and/or Participate in a Communion Service, so take a moment to name, cite, or acknowledge your sins privately, directly to God the Father. This will assure that you are in fellowship with God the Father & the Holy Spirit’s convicting ministry will then be able to teach you as the Holy Spirit is the real teacher.

1 John 1:9 says— “If we confess [simply name, cite, or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all unknown & forgotten sins].”

For those of you who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord & Savior, please see: The Salvation Message @ the end of this document.

2 Pet 3:9, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

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Thanksgiving Special

In Lev 7:12-15, we see the first usage of the word “Thanksgiving” in the Bible. In fact, the word “thank” is not seen until 1 Chron 16:4, where the Levite priests were to celebrate, thank, and praise the Lord God of Israel.

1 Chron 16:4, “He appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD, even to celebrate and to thank (YADAH) and praise the LORD God of Israel.”

In addition, the word “thanks” is first used in 2 Sam 22:50, in David’s Psalm of Deliverance that is also recorded in Psa 18. In vs. 50, he states:

2 Sam 22:50, “Therefore I will give thanks (YADAH) to You, O LORD, among the nations (Gentiles), and I will sing praises to Your name.” Paul reiterated this Psalm to the Church in thanking God that the Gentiles too receive salvation through Christ, Rom 15:9.

In the Hebrew and Greek, the words for “thank(s),” YADAH and EXOMOLOGEO mean, “the giving of praise,” where they are directed to God in the form of thanksgiving.

But in Lev 7:12-15, we have the first usage of “Thanksgiving,” were it is related to the Peace Offering the Israelites would offer up to God. In fact, the phrase “thanksgiving offering” is only used in Lev 7, and “Thank Offering” is only used in Jer 33:11; Amos 4:5, where the same Hebrew Noun TODAH is used.

Lev 7:12-15, “If he offers it by way of thanksgiving, then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of well stirred fine flour mixed with oil. ¹³With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving, he shall present his offering with cakes of leavened bread. ¹⁴And of this he shall present one of every offering as a contribution to the LORD; it shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings. ¹⁵Now as for the flesh of the sacrifice of his thanksgiving peace offerings, it shall be eaten on the day of his offering; he shall not leave any of it over until morning.”

Jer 33:11, “The voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, "Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, For the LORD is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting"; and of those who bring a thank offering into the house of the LORD. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first,' says the LORD.”

As we have noted above, there are two Hebrew terms translated for the English word “thanks” in the OT, TODAH and YADAH. TODAH is most often connected with sacrificial thanksgiving offerings, Lev 22:29, 2 Chron 29:31. YADAH is used more frequently and is most often translated “praise,” Psa 18:49, Isa 25:1.

Isa 25:1, “O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness”

Interestingly, both of these terms are built around the idea of “confession,” as in listing or acknowledging sins committed and forgiveness granted. Both terms are used of private, as well as formal occasions, and they consistently imply vocal expression, (speaking out loud), repeated communal expression, (as in corporate worship), and often formal celebration, as demonstrated in the following passages:

Psa 26:6-7, “I shall wash my hands in innocence, and I will go about Your altar, O LORD, ⁷That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving (TODAH), and declare all Your wonders.” Cf. Joshua 7:19; Neh 12:27.

In addition, the major Hebrew word for “praise” (HALAL) is not the same as the companion word coupled with the idea of “thanksgiving.” As noted, the connection between TODAH and YADAH is confession, indicating that understanding why we are grateful is inseparable from the act of expressing and acknowledging that appreciation. For example:

• Confession involves recognition of our failure to meet God’s holy standards.
• Thanks is the means whereby we acknowledge the receipt of God’s forgiveness.
• Praise is the overt vocal and often public expression of that acknowledgment.

Therefore, combining confession, thanks, and praise, all result in our true thanksgiving to God.

The Thanksgiving Offering was an additional voluntary offering to the Peace Offering made by the Israelite who was extremely grateful to God for His Word, His provision, and His blessings. It also often accompanied other sacrifices in celebration of events such as the dedication of the Temple, 1 Kings 8:63, or spiritual renewal, 2 Chron 29:31-36.

Thankfulness is an important subject to the apostle Paul and in the Word of God as a whole. Some combination of the word is found 169 times in 162 verses in the NASB. Paul uses the concept over 40 times in his epistles and seven times in Colossians alone, Col 1:2, 3, 12; 2:7; 3:15, 17; 4:2.

The concept of thankfulness in the NT comes from the use of two Greek words. The first is CHARIZOMAI, which comes from CHARIS, “grace.” The second is HOMOLOGEO, “to confess, acknowledge,” Heb 13:15, cf. also EXOMOLOGEO, Mat 11:25.

Heb 13:15, “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.”

Eph 2:14, “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall.”

Phil 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Thankfulness is a mental and/or verbal expression of one’s acknowledgement and appreciation of God’s person, His grace, blessings, and sovereign work in your life and the world. The sources that promote thankfulness in the believer’s heart included:

1. Since spiritual understanding is so vital to a thankful heart, a Word-filled life is a necessity, cf. Col 1:9; 12; 2:7; 3:16. Living in the Word keeps your focus where it belongs.

2. God has designed the Christian life to be lived under the control and influence of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the Spirit-filled life is a vital source of thankfulness, cf. Eph 5:18, 20.

3. Remembering who we are as God’s children, cf. Eph 5:1, 4b, and remembering to what we have been called, to one body in which there should be peace, cf. Col 3:15; cf. Heb 12:15b.

Col 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

Therefore, Biblical understanding, trust, humility, grace, the right focus and values, and joy are all means of thanksgiving to the Lord. It is through the possession and function of these qualities that we become thankful.

1 Thes 5:16-18, “Rejoice always; ¹⁷pray without ceasing; ¹⁸in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” Cf. Col 3:15, 17.

Therefore, we are to be thankful to God each and every day for all things, good and bad, because it honors Him and glorifies Him. With a heart of appreciation for all that God has done, is doing, and will do for us, it is easy to praise Him and give thanks to Him, 2 Cor 9:15, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

Communion:

All of this directly correlates to the Communion Supper and the “love feasts” the early church would eat together, cf. 1 Cor 11; Jude 1:12, along with the communion to give thanks to God while fellowshipping with each other, Jew and Gentile together, and with the Father, signifying Peace!

Col 1:12-14, “Joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Psa 100:4, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”

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A PERSONAL NOTE FOR YOU

John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.”

Notice again what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have;” it says, “has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of everlasting life, you have it, and it can never be lost or taken away from you [John 10:28-29]. Furthermore, the gift of everlasting life [also called eternal life in Scripture] is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Eph 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I am here to tell you that Jesus loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His life for you. God the Father also loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His only Son for you by sending Him to the Cross. At the Cross Jesus died in your place. Taking upon Himself all of your sins and all of my sins. He was judged for our sins and paid the price for our sins. Therefore, our sins will never be held against us.

Right where you are, you now have the opportunity to make the greatest decision in your life. To accept the free gift of salvation and eternal life by truly believing that Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised on the third day as the proof of the promise of eternal life. So right now, you can pause and reflect on what Christ has done for you and say to the Father:

"Yes Father, I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ,
died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins."

If you have done that, I Welcome You to the Eternal Family of God !!!

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Grace Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher: James H. Rickard
23 Messenger Street, Unit 3
Plainville, MA 02762

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