The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

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Short Summary

The discourse emphasizes that thanksgiving is a sacred act of worship that involves offering our whole lives as a living sacrifice to God, reflecting gratitude, faith, and obedience. Drawing from Old and New Testament teachings, it highlights how thanksgiving transforms believers by fostering humility, sustaining faith through trials, and deepening their relationship with God through prayer, service, and continual praise. Ultimately, thanksgiving honors God, nurtures spiritual growth, and prepares believers for eternal communion with Him.

Long Summary

Detailed Summary of the Discourse: “The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving”

Title and Theme: The discourse focuses on “The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving,” emphasizing thanksgiving as a sacred form of worship and a deliberate acknowledgment that everything comes from God. Thanksgiving is portrayed not just as a momentary expression but as a continual heart attitude that glorifies God and transforms believers.

Biblical Foundation: 
Psalm 50:23: “Whoever offers the sacrifice of Thanksgiving honors me, and to the one who orders his way aright, I will show the salvation of God.” Thanksgiving here is described as a deliberate, sacrificial offering, not a casual act.
Psalm 55: Highlights covenant made by sacrifice, indicating thanksgiving is a serious, covenantal act.
Leviticus 7:12-13: Describes offerings of cakes mixed with oil and leavened bread as part of thanksgiving peace offerings in ancient Israel.
Romans 12 & Hebrews 13:15: Paul calls Christians to offer themselves as living sacrifices and continually offer a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips openly confessing God’s name.
Genesis 8:20; Genesis 12: Early patriarchs like Noah and Abraham built altars and offered thanks to God, showing thanksgiving predates Israel’s laws and is a universal worship language.
Leviticus 23:10-11: The firstfruits offering as a sign of faith and acknowledgment that all blessings come from God.
Matthew 26:26: Jesus’ Last Supper illustrates the bread symbolizing His broken body and the union believers share with Him.
Exodus 12:15-20; Leviticus 7:3: Contrasts the removal of leaven during Passover with its inclusion in thanksgiving offerings, symbolizing complex spiritual meanings.
Galatians 3:24: The law as a schoolmaster leading to Christ.
1 Peter 2:9: Believers as a royal priesthood, offering themselves as holy sacrifices.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: Encouragement to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in all circumstances as God’s will.
Psalm 103:2-3: Calls to remember God’s benefits, especially forgiveness, as the basis for thanksgiving.
Hebrews 5:14: Spiritual nourishment reveals Christ’s mysteries.
Psalm 119:105: God’s word is a lamp and light to guide believers.
Zechariah 4:6; John 4:24: God’s Spirit empowers worship, and worship must be in spirit and truth.
Revelation 8:3-4; Philippians 4:6: Prayer and thanksgiving are intimately connected.
1 Corinthians 3:15; Galatians 6:7, 9: Trials refine believers; sowing kindness and perseverance in well-doing leads to spiritual harvest.
Colossians 3:15: Peace of God rules in hearts through thanksgiving.
Psalm 100: A joyful call to worship with thanksgiving, recognizing God as Creator, Shepherd, and Redeemer.
Hebrews 10:10; James 1:17-18: Christ’s sacrifice fulfills all Old Testament offerings; believers become living firstfruits offered in gratitude.
Ephesians 2:10: Believers are God’s workmanship.
Psalm 50:23 (reiterated): Offering thanksgiving honors God and reveals His salvation.

Thanksgiving as Sacrifice and Worship:
– Thanksgiving is a “sacrifice,” requiring humility, faith, and obedience, sometimes given amid hardship.
– In ancient Israel, thanksgiving offerings included firstfruits and specific grain and animal sacrifices.
– Though physical sacrifices ceased with Christ, the principle continues spiritually: believers present themselves as living sacrifices.
– Thanksgiving is expressed through worship (praise), prayer, and practical service to others.
– True thanksgiving transforms the believer’s perspective, fostering grace, humility, and dependence on God.

Old Testament Symbolism and the Tabernacle:
– The tabernacle’s three parts (outer court, holy place, most holy place) symbolize stages in the Christian walk: faith and repentance, consecration, and full communion with God.
– Outer court: Altar and laver symbolize sacrifice, cleansing, and beginning of gratitude rooted in forgiveness.
– Holy place: Contains the table of showbread (God’s word/spiritual nourishment), golden lampstand (Holy Spirit’s illumination), and altar of incense (prayer and worship).
– Showbread represented Christ (pierced cakes) and spiritual nourishment.
– Lampstand’s light symbolizes the Holy Spirit guiding believers.
– Altar of incense symbolizes prayers of thanksgiving rising to God; ingredients represent faith, love, obedience, and thankfulness amid trials.
– Most holy place: Ark of the Covenant representing God’s presence, containing law, manna, and Aaron’s rod—symbols of authority, provision, and power.
– The tabernacle’s design shows the journey from outer acts to inner worship, with thanksgiving as the key at every stage.

New Testament Fulfillment and Living Sacrifices:
– Christ’s sacrifice fulfills all Old Testament offerings (Hebrews 10:10).
– Believers, as a royal priesthood, offer themselves daily in thanksgiving and service.
– Thanksgiving is both verbal praise and practical acts of kindness.
– Gratitude is an expression of faith and trust in God’s unseen work.
– Thanksgiving cultivates holiness by removing pride and fostering humility.
– Complaining quenches the Spirit; thanksgiving invites peace and power.
– Thanksgiving sustains believers during dry seasons of apparent fruitlessness.
– Faithfulness in thanksgiving leads to eventual spiritual harvest and joy.

Practical Application and Encouragement:
– Thanksgiving is a reasonable service (Romans 12) because it naturally flows from love and recognition of God’s grace.
– Thanksgiving should characterize believers’ lives, not just their words.
– The Christian life is likened to a farmer sowing seed in faith, trusting God for the harvest.
– Thanksgiving leads to peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:6; Colossians 3:15).
– Believers are encouraged to live with contentment, peace, and service rather than complaints or anxiety.
– Thanksgiving prepares believers for eternity and the eternal song of praise in God’s kingdom.
– Gratitude is inseparable from holiness and sanctification, helping believers walk in power and witness.

Closing Exhortation:
– Psalm 50:23 is emphasized as a summary: offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors God and reveals His salvation.
– Believers are called to a life of thanksgiving in worship, service, prayer, and love.
– Thanksgiving is the first and last act of the Christian walk—from salvation to glory.
– The discourse encourages cultivating and modeling gratitude daily within families and communities.
– Thanksgiving is both a personal and communal act that glorifies God and prepares believers for eternal fellowship.

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Key Bible Verses Mentioned:

– Psalm 50:23 
– Psalm 55 (context) 
– Leviticus 7:12-13 
– Romans 12 
– Hebrews 13:15 
– Genesis 8:20 
– Genesis 12 
– Leviticus 23:10-11 
– Matthew 26:26 
– Exodus 12:15-20 
– Galatians 3:24 
– 1 Peter 2:9 
– 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 
– Psalm 103:2-3 
– Hebrews 5:14 
– Psalm 119:105 
– Zechariah 4:6 
– John 4:24 
– Revelation 8:3-4 
– Philippians 4:6 
– 1 Corinthians 3:15 
– Galatians 6:7, 9 
– Colossians 3:15 
– Psalm 100 
– Hebrews 10:10 
– James 1:17-18 
– Ephesians 2:10 
– Psalm 50:23 (reiterated)

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This discourse presents thanksgiving as a transformational, sacrificial act that honors God, sustains believers through trials, and prepares them for eternal communion with Him. It integrates Old Testament symbols with New Testament fulfillment, urging a life of continual praise, service, and faith rooted in gratitude.

Transcript

So the title of the talk today will be the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving, and you know, throughout Scripture, thanksgiving is a holy act of worship, and it’s a deliberate acknowledgment that everything that we have comes from our Heavenly Father. Thanksgiving is one of the most beautiful and powerful expressions of worship in our Christian lives. It’s not only a moment of gratitude, but a continual attitude of our hearts that glorifies God and transforms us.

When we give thanks, we recognize not only who God is, but what he has done and what he promises he will still do, and in doing so, we draw closer to him.

Psalm chapter 50, verse 23 says, Whoever offers the sacrifice of Thanksgiving honors me, and to the one who orders his way aright, I will show the salvation of God. That word sacrifice in this verse is very deliberate. It’s not a throwaway word, it’s not a casual word. This sacrifice of thanksgiving is an offering.

It’s something we present before God even when it’s out of our comfort zone. For those of us who gave our lives to the Lord in consecration to be set apart from the world, we know this very well.

But earlier in the context, it is this. In Psalm 55, it says, Gather my holy ones to me, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. The psalmist reminds us that thanksgiving is not a mere suggestion, it is a sacrifice.

In other words, God.

But when we offer it intentionally, sometimes, when our hearts are heavy through difficult spirits, true thinks something, it requires humility, faith and obedience. In ancient Israel, sacrifices were central. Some were for sin. Offerings still are. Thanksgiving overflowed with ground for God’s goodness.

He was in it.

Leviticus 7, 12, 13.

Along with Christ of thanksgiving, he shall offer cakes and cakes of well stirred fine flour mixed with oil with the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall present his offering with caves of with cakes of leavened bread. When the Israelites brought offerings to God, they presented the firstfruits of their harvest. The first and best of what was ripened was offered as a thanksgiving to God. It was their way of saying, everything we have comes from you, and everything we need will come from you again, and everything we have is yours. While today we no longer bring animals or grain to an altar, we still have this sacrifice, this principle of sacrifice that remains.

And in the same way we are called to present ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service. As Paul said In Romans, chapter 12, Hebrews chapter 13, verse 15 says, Through Jesus, therefore let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of Praise the fruit of our lips that openly profess his name.

Now, in the same way the Israelites laid their offerings upon the altar, we now allay our gratitude, our thankfulness upon the altar of our hearts. This means that our whole life, our words, our actions, our obedience, is to become an offering of thanksgiving. Even our worship, when it’s sincere, becomes a living sacrifices that rise to God as a pleasing aroma. True, thanksgiving honors God, but it also should transform us. Gratitude reorders our perspective.

It reminds us that we are creatures and not creators, servants, not sovereigns. When a person learns to live in that continual thanksgiving, they learn to live a life of grace.

This morning, we will explore what it means to offer that sacrifice, that life of gratitude rooted in obedience, peace and faith. We will go through both the Old and the New Testament symbols showing how thanksgiving is woven into that entire story of redemption, that redemption that Brother David spoke about this morning, that future kingdom coming on earth.

Thanksgiving is one of the oldest acts of worship recorded in the Bible. Long before Israel’s laws were written, the true followers of God offered their firstfruits, and patriarchs built altars to give thanks to the Lord. When Noah and his family left the ark, they built an altar and offered burnt offerings to the Lord. That’s Genesis, chapter 8, verse 20. Abraham built altars and gave thanks to God when God gave him promises and for as rewards for his faithfulness.

Genesis 12. These early acts show that thanksgiving was not a cultural custom. It was a universal language of worship. Now, in Israel’s law, the first fruits embody this principle. When the first grain ripened, it was immediately brought to the Lord as a sign of faith.

Leviticus 23:1011 says, when you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, then you will bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. God commanded this as a reminder that all things ultimately come from him, and that we should give thanks for the blessings he has provided.

But thanksgiving is not always easy. In Scripture, God commanded the people of Israel to eat unleavened bread for seven days during the Passover, and Jesus used this same symbol during the Last supper with his disciples. In Matthew 26:26, it says that Jesus took bread and after blessing, it broke and gave it to the disciples and said, take, eat. This is my body.

Jesus words to his disciple that evening of the memorial foretold that not only would his body be broken, but that we too would share in that brokenness as well. We receive life not only through his broken body and shed blood, but also through our common union with him, with each other. But after those seven days of the feast of Unleavened Bread, God commanded that leaven be used as an offering of thanksgiving. Why? Why leaven?

During the feast of Unleavened Bread, remember that Israel was commanded to remove all the leaven from their homes, and this is in Exodus 12, verses 15 to 20. This was a reminder of the haste in which they left their bondage in Egypt. There was no time to let the dough rise. For seven days they ate unleavened bread as a reminder of deliverance under pressure and dependence on God’s timing, not their own. However, our Heavenly Father later commanded that leavened bread be used and included in the sacrifice of Thanksgiving.

In Leviticus 7:3, the same ingredient that was forbidden in the Passover was now required. Again, the question why? Brother Fry’s notes on the tabernacle suggest that where the offering was to be consumed by the priests and not on the altar, leaven might be used.

Now remember that many of the brethren believe that that yeast in Scripture always represents sin or corruption. If so, then why was God commanding that yeast be used for these peace offerings or leaven?

Perhaps leaven was required for these because the offering of leavened cakes to the priesthood might have indicated that those who offered their sacrifices, they acknowledged their own sinful condition in thankfulness to the priests for their service.

The May 1941 Herald of Christ’s Kingdom has a paragraph that discusses this. It says, the day of Pentecost was properly the celebration of the close of the harvest of wheat and barley, as a sheaf of the ripening harvest had been presented at the sanctuary on the second day of the Passover as an acknowledgment that it was God’s gift and as such belonged to Him, and so now two wavelaves of fine flour made from the gathered harvest and baked with leaven were presented before Jehovah. This was the distinguishing rite of the feast.

The loaves were made with leaven because they were not intended for the altar, but were a thanksgiving offering for God’s bounty in furnishing food for his people.

So, just as they supplied food for the priesthood and the sacrifice. You know, these old law, covenants, ceremonies, sacrifices and symbols, they were lessons pointing forward to Christ. But now we are growing into spiritual maturity under Christ.

Our Christianity is not a religion of rituals like the Old Testament, but a relationship of love and grace. Our sacrifices today are no longer bulls or goads, but the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of our lips that confess his name. Those rituals were symbols. As Paul explained in Galatians 3:24, the law was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.

But after Christ’s ransom sacrifice, those shadows of things to come had given way to substance. As 1st Peter 2. 9 says, Every believer is a part of a royal priesthood, and the only sacrifice required of us is ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. As Paul said in Romans 12.

In 1st Thessalonians 5, 16, 18, it says, Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. When thanksgiving is our way of life, our consecration becomes more personal, daily and joyful. We build a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Now, the Old Testament tabernacle also helps us to understand this transformation. Remember, I had three main areas, the outer court, the holy place, and the most holy place, and each of these represents a stage in our walk. The typical approach of the Christian in God’s tabernacle arrangement is illustrative of our approach to God through Christ and what he has done. So after we enter the court in a condition of faith and recognize the sacrifice of Jesus and put our sacrifice on the altar and cleanse at the laver in an act of spiritually washing ourselves with the blood of Christ and the word of God, only then do we enter that holy place in consecration to God’s will.

And this represents the dwelling place where the new creatures dwell, those who have made a covenant with him by sacrifice while still in the flesh. These heavenly minded new creatures enter into the holy place through that first veil of consecration, and they enjoy light from the candlestick and spiritual bread provided for them on the table of the Lord and offering prayers to God as sweet incense.

But there’s something interesting to note here. When God when we think of the tabernacle, we think of starting from the court and going into the tent and into the most holy later on. But when God told Israel how to build the tabernacle at the end of Exodus, God started where his presence was, from the Ark of the Covenant, and he worked his way out, and so I think that’s an illustration of how we need to think of things not from our own perspective, but from God’s perspective.

Now, the outer court was the place of the altar and the laver where the sacrifice was made and the cleansing took place, and this represents the beginning of our Christian life, repentance, faith, and eventually consecration. This is where we come to Christ, where we begin to lay down our lives and are made clean. Gratitude begins here at the foot of that altar. It’s impossible to offer true thanksgiving without first knowing the forgiveness that is offered.

The first and greatest cause for praise is the mercy of God and salvation. The psalmist writes in Psalm 103:2 3, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquities. Thanksgiving is the natural response of a broken heart. Before we can teach gratitude, we must experience grace. Only those of us who have been cleansed can say, I once was lost now and found, like the Amazing Grace hymn says now.

Passing through that first veil, the priests entered the holy place where three pieces of furniture were the table of showbread, the golden lampstand, and the altar of incense, and these three pieces of furniture point to three vital aspects of the Christian’s life. The table represents the word of God, our spiritual nourishment. The lampstand represents the light of the Holy Spirit, which guides us and helps us, and the golden altar represents our worship and prayers, the sweet aroma of thanksgiving that rises before God.

This is where our walk becomes more intimate, where faith deepens and gratitude becomes a constant. Now, the table of showbread had two loaves, or two piles of six loaves of bread, each with frankincense on top. The word showbread itself means bread of presence, and only the priests were allowed to eat it. No one else could, and the bread itself was renewed each Sabbath.

It was unleavened, illustrating that sin is to have no part in the worship of God. It was called the bread of presence because the tabernacle is where God’s presence dwelt and how Israel approached the Lord. The ingredients of the bread was similar to the meat offering, which was a type of Jesus life and sacrifice for us. The bread represents our own lives presented in the heavenly places because of what Jesus did.

The word cakes that’s used here for showbread literally means pierced cakes and the usual word because they were pierced or perforated to allow perhaps a quick and thorough baking, and all of these cakes speak of Christ. The piercing is especially appropriate because we remember Isaiah 53 says that Jesus was pierced through for our transgressions through this. It reminds us that we too bear in our bodies the mark, the marks of the Lord Jesus in Galatians 6:17, and as the lampstand sheds light on the the bread and table, we can see how this beautifully illustrates that this bread represented spiritual food on the table of the Lord which was provided for the priestly class.

Hebrews 5:14 these deep spiritual truths reveal to each consecrated member the mysteries of Christ that have been hidden in the previous ages.

The priests are both the giver and receiver as they both provide and partake of the bread. Every Sabbath they supplied new bread, and every Sabbath partook of the bread that was provided previously, as if it were forgotten from God himself. This illustrates how we are to feed as we draw near to him in worship and thankfulness. The loaves never lost their freshness. The bread was always there, and I think this is illustrative of how God will never leave us and he’s fresh to us each and every day.

The bread eaten in the holy place was never taken outside, illustrating how we should never leave the presence of the lord.

In Ecclesiastes 5:5 it says, Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

The table of shewbread again reminds us that thanksgiving is nourished by the word of God. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. As Jesus said in Matthew 4. Four Scripture feeds our gratitude. It teaches us who God is and what he has done through Christ our Lord.

Another idea for the symbol of this bread comes from the fact that the bread was stacked in two stacks of six, perhaps illustrating the idea of 66 books of the Bible.

This is the Old and the New Testament combined, and this is illustrative of where we need to get our nourishment. Our spiritual nourishment is from the word of God, and the fact that the table of showbread was illuminated by the golden candlestick illustrates the idea that the golden lampstand represents illumination by the Holy Spirit. The oil that fuels the lamp symbolizes the Spirit’s presence, and as we grow in gratitude, our understanding is enlightened.

Thanksgiving and revelation and thankful hearts should see God’s hand more clearly in their lives every day.

The only light that illuminated that holy place was the same light that they worshiped in. Although the priests trimmed the lamp and supplied it with unbeaten oil as needed, the candlestick was always lit, and the priests were the only ones who were able to benefit from that light. The diligence of the priests to keep the lamps trimmed and burning every morning and evening illustrates how our own high priest Jesus constantly and daily fills us with more and more of his own mind to help us trim off the dross of the old human nature.

The church came into existence through the candlestick, through the burning, fiery means of purifying and forging the gold and the beating process, the molding and shaping as desired by the holy architect.

The candlestick illuminates the entire holy compartment as well as the holy furniture, showing that the light and spirit comes from our Divine Father in heaven, and this also beautifully illustrates the privileged Christians benefit as a symbol of the enlightenment we get from the Scriptures. Psalm 119, verse 105 says, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

As the candlestick has just one main stem or vine, our potential eternal lives are a result of the living vine, and if we remain in that vine abiding in him, we can produce fruitage accordingly. We are the workmanship of God, and just as the candlestick was built by a skilled workman who was taught how to build it from the Holy Spirit, this brings to our remembrance the Scripture which states, we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus, as it says in Ephesians, chapter 2, verse 10.

Zechariah 4, 6 says, not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord and John Jesus in John 4:24 says, God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

The golden altar of incense stands for prayer and worship. Revelation 8, 3 and 4 describes the prayers of the saints rising before God like incense. True prayer is never devoid of thanksgiving. It is its fragrance. Philippians 4, 6 urges, in everything by prayer with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

The incense altar was before the veil of the Most Holy, and it was made of shittim wood and plated with gold. It stood higher than all of the other furniture there. No other offering was to be made upon it, burnt meat or drink. The altar was also the smallest piece of furniture in the entire tabernacle, yet it was taller than the table of showbread and the ark of the covenant. This shows us that it’s not the length or size of our prayers, but that the fervent prayer of a godly man that is effectual.

And although called an incense altar, this altar had no fire on it. The priest would bring in censers that were set on top of the altar, and then incense was to be sprinkled upon it, and this would cause both the holy compartment and the most holy to be filled with a beautiful fragrance, and the incense was to be made exactly as God detailed to moses in Exodus 30, verse 9, with sweet spices state onyeka, galbanum, and pure frankincense. These ingredients did not become known until they were submitted to the fire.

How illustrative this is of the sweet perfume that is made once we make it through our own fiery trials and praise and thanks to our Heavenly Father for helping us through them.

Now, the ingredients, one of them is myrrh, and this is the Greek word given in the Septuagint, and it means to drop or to distill, and it’s so called from these drops of gamma in the Gilead Mountains, which is exuded from a tree, producing it through great force, and so the meaning of this ingredient might be or have something to do with the distilling of our thoughts or refreshing speech. But more likely it might be faith under trial due to the difficult means by which the ingredient had to be gathered from nature.

The second ingredient was possibly the operculum or the covering of a shellfish, and the fragrance from burning flesh ties this thought together of also of burning trials. In First Corinthians 3:15 it says, if any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire. So the symbolism for this might be love under trial. Galbanum was another one, and it’s only found once in Scripture.

And it means fat or fertile, and the word also has reference possibly to the word lamentation, and so the symbolism might be obedience under trial or obedience to the will of God, and the last one was frankincense, and this comes from a root word which means to be white.

And the word Lebanon comes from the same root word because of the snow capped mountains, and so the plant can grow on rocks and draw its sustenance from it, and it’s very resilient, and I think this helps us remember that Christ is also our rock and we draw our life from him. It’s useful as a medicine and as an antidote to poison as well.

So since praise is an antidote to trial, or thankfulness is an antidote to trial, it might symbolize thankfulness under trial.

In Psalm 84,4 it says, Blessed are they that dwell in thy house. They will still be praising thee. This holy place then represents the ongoing practice of of gratitude, of feeding on truth, walking in light and communion in prayer. This is the daily rhythm of our spiritual life.

Now beyond the second veil was the most holy place, where the Ark of the Covenant rested beneath the wings of the cherubim. Inside the ark were the law, the manna and Aaron’s rod that budded, symbols of God’s authority, provision and power. The inner sanctuary represents our lives if we make our calling and election sure, and it’s a place of full communion, where the believer’s heart can be wholly surrendered and filled with peace.

Each part of the tabernacle teaches us that our journey of faith moves from the outside, from outer acts of obedience, to an inner life of worship and thankfulness, and it continues until we make our calling and election sure, and at every stage, thanksgiving is the key that opens the way.

Now, all the Old Testament sacrifices point you to one final offering, the Cross of Christ. Hebrews 10:10 says, we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The sacrifice of thanksgiving finds its ultimate meaning here. Every grain offering, every burnt offering, every peace offering was a shadow of this supreme act of obedience and love.

When Jesus came, He he fulfilled every shadow of the law. He was the true sacrifice, the true high priest and true temple. Through his death and resurrection, he entered the heavenly sanctuary to appear in the presence of God for us, and now he calls us to follow him on that same path to surrender and the same path of Thanksgiving. As Hebrew 13:15 16 says, through Jesus let us continually offer to God the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Notice Both worship and service are mentioned here. The first offering is verbal praise and thanksgiving from our lips. The second is practical service to others. Thanksgiving that stops at words is incomplete.

God desires the fruit of our gratitude and service to nourish others.

So as Christ obeyed unto death, we obey unto service. He gave himself for the world. We give ourselves in love for others, and this is what it means to offer a living sacrifice, and Jesus picks up this image in the New Testament.

He said, or James does sorry. In James 1:17 18 he says, Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures, just as Israel’s first fruits were at thanksgiving to God, believers themselves become living first fruits offered to him in gratitude and service. In this way, thanksgiving is both symbolic and practical as well. It acknowledges divine ownership and it expresses human devotion. The principle is simple.

What we offer first, we trust the most. When we thank God first, even before we see the harvest, we express faith.

Thanksgiving is not stale, but a real and dynamic way of living. Grateful believers become servants. True gratitude always expresses itself in action.

Paul uses an agricultural symbol to describe this principle. In Galatians 6:7 he says, Whatever you sow, you will also reap. Gratitude sows kindness. It motivates generosity. It fuels endurance.

The Christian who lives thankfully becomes a channel of blessing in service to others.

There are times, however, when we labor in faith and we feel like we’re not getting anywhere. We might wonder if our labors are in vain. But Scripture promises that if we are steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain, and that’s 1 Corinthians 15:58.

Psalm 126:6 reminds us, he that goes forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Gratitude can sustain us through these dry seasons. It teaches us to trust in the unseen harvest we sow because God is faithful, not because the field looks promising. Faithful service, especially service to others, is the highest expression of thanksgiving. When we keep giving, loving, teaching and praying, even with something just as simple as listening to others, we are saying, lord, you are worthy of my effort.

Regardless of the outcome. Thanksgiving is not separate from trust. It is the visible form of faith in the unseen hand of God in our lives and in the lives of our brethren.

So thanksgiving is not only what we say, it’s what we live. It’s expressed through worship, through service, through through acts of kindness and obedience when we help each other, when we encourage the weary, forgive an enemy or simply thank God. In the middle of our pain and sorrow, we are offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and this leads us to peace. It is the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. Jesus said, peace, I leave with you.

My peace I give to you. This peace is not always the absence of trouble, but the presence of God’s favor. It guards our hearts and minds even when times feel uncertain. It helps us be steady when the storms rage around us, and it rules our hearts when we let gratitude take over instead of fear.

Colossians 3:15 says, Let the peace of God rule in your hearts. This word rule means to act as an umpire, to make the call, and when anxiety tries to rise, let peace make the call. When anger tries to take over, let peace make the call, and when peace comes through thanksgiving, as Paul said in Philippians 4, 6, in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.

A thankful heart cannot be ruled by turmoil. Peace and praise go hand in hand. But sometimes, even when we’re thankful, we grow weary. We labor for the Lord. So seeds of kindness pray for others, share the gospel, and we see little fruit.

We wonder if our work makes a difference. But in Galatians 6:9 it reminds us that we should not grow weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we do not faint I’m going to share some words from an old song which I think really illustrates this point. It’s not a Bible student song, but I think it I like the words it says There is no way to begin to tell you how I feel there’s nothing more I can say and no way to repay your warming touch had melt my heart of stone it is if that is love I’ll never feel alone I have a thankful heart that you have given me and it can only come from you I have a thankful heart which had come so easily But I’m sure that you can see my thankful heart Help me be a man of God, a man who’s after your own heart. Help me show my gratitude and keep in me a thankful heart Sometimes we feel like we’re at a standstill. Sometimes we don’t see the fruit that we’re looking for.

But like the farmer who plants a seed and he waits through long days of drought or rain, he can’t see what’s happening underneath the soil, but he trusts in the process. Then in due time the harvest will come. So it is with every act of faith, every prayer, every seed of truth. We may not see the results now, but the Lord of the harvest does not forget our labor of love. One day we will see the harvest and rejoice with singing.

In First Thessalonians 5, 16, 18, Paul said, Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. I’m okay. I get up when I have to get up, and in everything give thanks. Thanksgiving is not something we do waiting for God. It’s something we do because we trust in his will and we trust that he will.

It’s what keeps faith alive during the waiting. In Romans 12, Paul calls this life of gratitude and obedience our reasonable service.

It is reasonable because it’s what love naturally does. When we remember what God has done for us, redeeming us through the blood of His Son, forgiving our sins, filling us with His Holy Spirit, promising us eternal life, how could we not live with thanksgiving?

To live without gratitude is to forget who we are and whose we are. To live with thanksgiving is to walk in freedom. Jesus said, my sheep, hear my voice and follow me. His path is not always easy, but his burden is light, and when we follow him with thankful hearts, he leads us beside the still waters and restores our souls.

Psalm 100 gives us a beautiful picture of what this Looks like. Make a joyful noise to the Lord. All the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before his presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, he is God. It is he who made us, and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and to his holy name.

For the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations. This song calls all the earth to join in worship and reminds us why we give thanks. It’s because the Lord is the Creator, the Shepherd and the Redeemer, and through the ransom will give an opportunity to every man and woman and child who has ever lived on the earth, as Brother David spoke about earlier, and that final restitution of all things.

Every phrase in the psalm points beyond Israel’s temple to that greater fulfillment in what Christ has done. We enter his gates not through ritual, but through faith. We stand in his courts not with animal offerings, but with spiritual praise, as Hebrews 10 says, and we offer, and our thanksgiving offering anticipates the coming kingdom, when every nation, tribe and tongue will join in the same chorus of praise.

This is not just a song for Israel, it’s a song for all of the redeemed, and one day it will be the song of this heavenly kingdom. Until then we live thanksgiving here on earth, in worship, in peace and faith, and in service. This is the life that glorifies God. This is the sacrifice that pleases Him.

The thanksgiving we offer now is practice for eternity. Like children, we should play Kingdom now. Let us try to live such a life of thankfulness and in service to others so that we can learn the skills needed in the kingdom. I also think about a discourse by Brother Benjamin Barton that talks about playing Kingdom, and yesterday Brother George and I were talking about the old Toronto class and some of the history here, and we were looking up Toronto and we found that this discourse by brother Benjamin Barton on playing Kingdom was given here in Toronto a century ago.

So that was very interesting. Revelation 5:13 has an unending anthem. Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him who sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever. So when we learn to give thanks in all things now, we are training our hearts for that eternal song. Gratitude becomes the melody of the Kingdom played.

Now gratitude is inseparable from holiness. A thankful person is sanctified because thanksgiving removes pride and it cultivates humility. Sin feeds in our self centeredness, but gratitude redirects attention to God. This is why Scripture links thanksgiving to sanctification. In First Thessalonians 5:18, Paul writes, For this is the will of God in Christ concerning you.

And in Philippians 2 he talks about working out our own salvation with fear and trembling. But the very next phrase in the very next verse says, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do his good pleasure. So this is a two way street. We do our part, God does His part, and if we do our part, God will do his part. A thankful heart is the soil in which that work thrives.

Complaining quenches the spirit. Thanksgiving welcomes it, and the believer who walks in gratitude walks in peace. The believer who lives in peace lives in power, and the believer who serves in power becomes a witness of God’s glory.

In conclusion, Psalm 50, verse 23 declares, that whoever offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me. To honor God is the highest call of human life, our consecrated lives, and thanksgiving is the simplest yet deepest way to do it. To thank God is to acknowledge his worthiness, his kingdom, and his work in our lives. It is to confess that he is good even when life might not be.

It is to see his hand guiding us even in the smallest parts of our lives. Thanksgiving is both the first step and the final goal of the Christian walk, when we begin our consecration with gratitude for salvation and we end with gratitude for glory. Between these two moments lies a lifetime of learning to trust and praise. So let us cultivate this grace daily. Let us teach it to each other and model it in our homes and our lives.

Let us not be known by our complaints, but by contentment, not by our anxiety, but by our peace, not by our demands, but by our thanksgiving. For whoever offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving truly honors God, and to those who walk in that spirit he reveals his salvation. So let us be a people of gratitude. Let us offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving not only with our lips, but with our lives. Let every act of love, every prayer of faith, every moment of praise rise as incense before his throne.

For whoever offer offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors him, and to the one who follows this path of thankfulness until the end, he can make his calling and election sure. May the Lord add His blessing.

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