The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving
Sunday, November 22, 2009 – AM
By Pastor James May
Thanksgiving is just a few days away. Already, turkeys by the thousands have given their lives so that we may celebrate a day of rest, although I don’t how much rest will be involved when there is so much cooking to do. It is one of those days when it takes a lot of time, effort and expense to make sure that everything is cooked just right and all of our favorite foods are on the table.
We all know that in America is based upon that first day Thanksgiving that was observed by the Pilgrims back in 1621. After a long, hard winter when many of them had not survived, they were so thankful to God for the coming of spring and a chance to build a new life in their very own “Promised Land”. The New World offered them an opportunity, but made no promises of success. Many days of hard work and great struggles lay ahead, but those who were strong, and those who would not lose faith, would make it through. Their faith in God was a major factor during those times, and faith in God has brought us to where we are today. Where we go from here will also be determined by our faith in God, or our lack thereof. The observance of Thanksgiving Day as a national day of prayer and thanksgiving to God was established officially by President George Washington during his first term.
Many in our land today have be come unthankful, but this is to be expected when man looks to himself for answers and not to the Lord. Why should men be thankful to a God that they refuse to serve, refuse to worship, or even refuse to acknowledge His very existence? Every man’s focus is upon himself, not upon a supreme Creator God.
None of this comes as a surprise to the Child of God who is rooted and grounded in the Word of God. We were warned that these days would come, and we were told exactly how the heart of man would turn away from all that is holy.
2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 Timothy 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2 Timothy 3:3,4 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2 Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
In those verse that Paul wrote to Timothy is a nutshell description of the society in which we live. I believe that we are raising the most unthankful generation that has ever been born. The courts of our land have taken away our right to tell them about Jesus, and has given the youth, not a freedom to choose whom they will worship, but a freedom from religion of any kind. We have created a whole generation of self-indulgent; self-worshipping people who are thankful for nothing and believe that they have the right to have everything right now that it took their parents 30, 40 or 50 years to obtain.
As I was studying for this message the very first passage of scripture that I found that spoke specifically about thanksgiving was found in the Old Testament Book of Leviticus. This is the book where God was dictating the Law of Moses which was to be the guiding instructions for God’s chosen nation until the coming of Christ, when it would all be fulfilled in Him.
Leviticus 7:11, 12 And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD. If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.
The first thing we need to recognize is that the sacrifice of Thanksgiving has to do with maintaining peace with God. A thankful heart is a heart that recognizes the greatness, mercy and provision of Almighty God, and that nothing is given to me by accident, or without His permission. When we offer up our prayer of thanksgiving unto the Lord, we are recognizing His power and control over us. We are also acknowledging His great love for us. We know that because God loves us, He provides all good things for us.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Why is thanksgiving a part of a peace offering? We recognize that without Jesus’ sacrifice for us, there could be no peace with God for man. We can have peace with God, a peace that passes all understanding, all because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Therefore we come to God with thanksgiving in our hearts because Jesus has made a way for us to know God and be a part of His family. Thanksgiving can only be truly a day of thanks if we believe that Jesus made a way of peace for us.
God says that we should offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving in the form of unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flower, and fry them. No part of this was to be left out. Every part of this offering must be included or God would not accept it as a peace offering. What does God mean by all of this?
First of all, our sacrifices of Thanksgiving must be offered only through Christ who is represented in that unleavened bread. All of the offerings must be either mingled with oil or anointed with oil. The oil, of course, represents the anointing of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. I do not believe that a man can be truly thankful without the oil of gladness, that is given to us by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we truly know the Lord and we have that abiding presence of the Holy Spirit on the inside, we can begin to truly understand what God has done for us and who God is. That’s when we can truly be thankful.
God says that the offerings of cakes and unleavened bread should be fried. In other words, we can’t be completely thankful until we’ve been through the fire; through the heat of trials and tests; sometimes getting out of the frying pan into the fire, so to speak. That’s when we can know the wonderful grace and mercy of God, and that’s when we become the most thankful to Him.
We learn to be thankful for the good times as well as the bad times. In everything we learn to give God thanks, for we come to realize that its all about God, not about us. It’s God in us, working in us, and through us to bring about His perfect will for us; so that we may live eternally with Him in a place that He has prepared only for us.
Leviticus 7:13 Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings.
Until now, the sacrifice of thanksgiving, as a part of the peace offering unto God has only included unleavened bread, acknowledging the perfect sacrifice of Christ and its effect upon our lives. Now God says that we are to offer leavened bread as well.
In the offering of the unleavened bread we are recognizing the fact that we must ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. We are made holy through the Blood of Jesus, but we are still bound in earthly tabernacles of flesh that are subject to sin. Therefore the giving of our own bodies, in living service, as a part of the sacrifice of thanksgiving is required. It’s not enough just to thank God for the sacrifice of Jesus to save our souls. We are also required to offer ourselves as sacrifices in service if we are to have peace with God. That means living a life of holiness and sanctification, being faithful and fully sold out to God. Anything less is not a true “sacrifice of thanksgiving”.
Leviticus 7:14 And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the LORD, and it shall be the priest’s that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings.
In a heave offering, the sacrifice was lifted up toward Heaven with extended arms as though it was being placed directly into the hands of God. Thus must our sacrifice of thanksgiving be also. We must lift up holy hands unto the Lord, placing our hearts into the hands of God as a sacrifice unto Him. We must learn to place our trust in Jesus, to hold back nothing. We are to heave ourselves toward Heaven, fully and completely, giving our all as a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the Lord.
When we give ourselves wholly unto God is when we are finally in the place where God can commune with us and He desires to. This is for our sake, as well as for the honor of God. Lift up your hearts in thanksgiving. Lift up your hands in praise. Lift up your life in surrender. Lift up your body in obedience. Lift up all that you are as a heave offering unto the Lord. Then can we say that we have truly given a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
Leviticus 7:15 And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning.
This sacrifice of flesh was the only sacrifice that was offered in the temple where everyone was to eat a part of the sacrifice. This is a symbol of the fact that when we have offered a true sacrifice of thanksgiving, then everyone is blessed by it at the same time. God is glorified and praised, men are blessed and sanctified, and the priests are become one with them in thanksgiving as well. God brings us all together in a wonderful fashion when we all give the sacrifice of thanksgiving together. What a wonderful picture of the unity of the church with God and with one another.
Our fellowship with God and man in peace and unity is all wrapped up in the sacrifice of thanksgiving.
The sacrifice of thanksgiving was to be totally consumed on the same day that it was offered. Nothing was to be left over until the next morning.
This is a reminder to us that every day is a new day, and that every new day brings with it a fresh requirement for us to have a heart of thanksgiving unto the Lord. Though we were thankful yesterday, we must continue to be thankful afresh with every new day. What we did for the Lord yesterday was great, but what are we going to do for God today, and tomorrow?
Your walk with the Lord is a daily walk. Every day brings a new commitment, a fresh anointing must be upon you, and with every day there comes a new opportunity to praise Him.
Thanksgiving may be a once a year holiday for our nation, but for the Christian, every day is Thanksgiving Day. With the rising of each new sun we are to offer up the sacrifice of thanksgiving. With the going down of the sun, we are to reflect upon God’s blessings and then look forward to the coming of the new day.
There is a little chorus that says, “Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before. Every day with Jesus, I love Him more and more.” It should be more than a cute little song, it should be a way of life.
Leviticus 22:29 And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will.
It’s a personal thing to be thankful unto the Lord. Our nation will become thankful one person at a time. We must each give our own sacrifice of thanksgiving. I can’t give yours and you can’t do it for me. It’s a sacrifice between one person and God alone. You can offer up thanksgiving to God at any time – at your own will. If that sacrifice of thanksgiving is offered up to God according the conditions that we have talked about in this message, then that sacrifice is always accepted as praise and honor unto the Lord and the God of Peace will give you perfect peace.
We no longer observe the letter of the Law that was found in the Book of Leviticus, but we do find the Spirit of the Law being taught in the New Testament. We don’t offer up literal sacrifices of animals to be cooked and burned, but we do offer up the spiritually equivalences. We ourselves are the sacrifice that offered.
Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Here is the peace offering at work in the New Testament as well. When we truly have a thankful heart that obeys the Lord and praises Him with a sacrifice of thanksgiving by the surrendering of our lives to Him, then the peace of God will keep us close to God.
There is a great scene in Heaven that John saw and recorded in the Book of Revelation that I want you to see this morning. There will come a day when all of God’s people, along with the angels will stand around God’s throne and, in one voice, we will all offer up a wonderful sacrifice of thanksgiving together.
Revelation 7:11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Revelation 7:12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
The next few verses tell us that there stood with them a multitude, a number that no man could count, dressed in robes of white and standing on a sea of glass. These had come out of great tribulation and stood victorious over sin and death to sing the sacrifice of thanksgiving one more time to God.
Don’t you want to be in that number? I want to be there to be a part of that great Thanksgiving Day!
Today, as you are here in the service; this afternoon as you go about your business; on Thanksgiving Day, when you sit down for your celebration dinner; and every other day of the year, don’t forget to offer up your sacrifice of thanksgiving. Give yourself wholly unto the Lord and allow the peace of God to reign in your life. Let us all thank God today for all that He has done for us. AMEN
