Let's all thank God for His love for us and the love we share with each other.
Let's praise God for His holiness.
His goodness, and His compassion and His forgiveness.
Finally, let us all ask God to give each of us the love, compassion, and wisdom to forgive each other.
It is that time of year when past, hurtful things, need to be set aside and for us all to put our focus back on the God of all creation, for the Savior who gave himself willingly and freely as our Passover Lamb and the Lamb of our salvation.
Young King David had just brought the Ark of the Covenant to Israel and placed it in a tent or tabernacle for the people to see and to celebrate and for them all to pray before and offer sacrifices.
Reading in First Chronicles, Chapter 16, the scriptures read as follows: 1 Ch 16:1 "So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God.
16:2 And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD.
16:3 And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine.
16:4 And he appointed a certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, and to record, and to thank and praise the LORD God of Israel.
16:5 Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obededom: and Jehiel with psalteries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound with cymbals;
16:6 Benaiah also and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.
16:7 Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the LORD into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.
16:8 Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.
What we see here, are a people who are committed to serving the God of their salvation and joyous in praising God and thanking Him for delivering them from their enemies, restoring His covenant Ark into their hands, and bringing a period of peace into their lives.
Has God not delivered us from our enemies?
Has God failed to save us from the penalty of sin through the shed blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?
Has God not given each of us a peace that passes all understanding?
During the storms and conflicts that we have encountered, God has walked with us every step of the way.
In those times where we have suffered hurt inflicted on us, knowingly and unknowingly, by people around us, God has given us the ability to forgive and forget.
This is much like the way God has forgiven and forgotten our sins against Him.
As we gather together, during the season of holidays that we are now entering, let us do as David did.
Let us get excited about all that God has done in our lives.
Let us celebrate with joyful noise and loud voices, our deliverence from sin, the blessings God has poured out on each of us, and the love and fellowship we have with our God and each other.
Let us agree to come together and sing a new song about new beginnings and about new peace, joy, and assurance in our lives.
If we don't have cymbals, harps, trumpets, or flutes, let us clap our hands, stomp our feet, and sing and shout at the top of our lungs,
"Thank you God! Thank you Jesus! Thank you Holy Spirit!
Let the whole world sing your praise O Lord and let every knee bend and every head bow in your presence! You have redeemed us and restored us into a holy relationship with you, God. Let us always be thankful and ready to present sacrifices of praise to your Holy Name!"
Turkey, dressing, yams and green bean casserole?
Those all sound wonderful, but nothing can be as wonderful or as marvelous as the loving relationship we can experience with Jesus!
Remember that and remind others about it, as we gather together this day we celebrate thanksgiving.
May God truly bless and keep each and every one in our family of the Lord and may we always seek to give him honor, praise and glory!
Your brother in Christ,
The Scottish Knight.
*A friend of mine was the inspiration for this little sermon, and I thank God for keeping His loving arms around her and her son through all that they have endured over the past year and a half, and for guiding her to a church home where she is now feeling complete and is sincerly happy now in her life, and serving our God, and His son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
I shall always keep her and her son and all of my friends and their familys in my prayers.
(source is from the K.J.V. of The Holy Bible.)
Let's praise God for His holiness.
His goodness, and His compassion and His forgiveness.
Finally, let us all ask God to give each of us the love, compassion, and wisdom to forgive each other.
It is that time of year when past, hurtful things, need to be set aside and for us all to put our focus back on the God of all creation, for the Savior who gave himself willingly and freely as our Passover Lamb and the Lamb of our salvation.
Young King David had just brought the Ark of the Covenant to Israel and placed it in a tent or tabernacle for the people to see and to celebrate and for them all to pray before and offer sacrifices.
Reading in First Chronicles, Chapter 16, the scriptures read as follows: 1 Ch 16:1 "So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God.
16:2 And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD.
16:3 And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine.
16:4 And he appointed a certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, and to record, and to thank and praise the LORD God of Israel.
16:5 Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obededom: and Jehiel with psalteries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound with cymbals;
16:6 Benaiah also and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.
16:7 Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the LORD into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.
16:8 Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.
What we see here, are a people who are committed to serving the God of their salvation and joyous in praising God and thanking Him for delivering them from their enemies, restoring His covenant Ark into their hands, and bringing a period of peace into their lives.
Has God not delivered us from our enemies?
Has God failed to save us from the penalty of sin through the shed blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?
Has God not given each of us a peace that passes all understanding?
During the storms and conflicts that we have encountered, God has walked with us every step of the way.
In those times where we have suffered hurt inflicted on us, knowingly and unknowingly, by people around us, God has given us the ability to forgive and forget.
This is much like the way God has forgiven and forgotten our sins against Him.
As we gather together, during the season of holidays that we are now entering, let us do as David did.
Let us get excited about all that God has done in our lives.
Let us celebrate with joyful noise and loud voices, our deliverence from sin, the blessings God has poured out on each of us, and the love and fellowship we have with our God and each other.
Let us agree to come together and sing a new song about new beginnings and about new peace, joy, and assurance in our lives.
If we don't have cymbals, harps, trumpets, or flutes, let us clap our hands, stomp our feet, and sing and shout at the top of our lungs,
"Thank you God! Thank you Jesus! Thank you Holy Spirit!
Let the whole world sing your praise O Lord and let every knee bend and every head bow in your presence! You have redeemed us and restored us into a holy relationship with you, God. Let us always be thankful and ready to present sacrifices of praise to your Holy Name!"
Turkey, dressing, yams and green bean casserole?
Those all sound wonderful, but nothing can be as wonderful or as marvelous as the loving relationship we can experience with Jesus!
Remember that and remind others about it, as we gather together this day we celebrate thanksgiving.
May God truly bless and keep each and every one in our family of the Lord and may we always seek to give him honor, praise and glory!
Your brother in Christ,
The Scottish Knight.
*A friend of mine was the inspiration for this little sermon, and I thank God for keeping His loving arms around her and her son through all that they have endured over the past year and a half, and for guiding her to a church home where she is now feeling complete and is sincerly happy now in her life, and serving our God, and His son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
I shall always keep her and her son and all of my friends and their familys in my prayers.
(source is from the K.J.V. of The Holy Bible.)
