Thanksgiving Time!
David Wilkerson teaches that we should make an offering of thanksgiving to God by speaking and singing out our praises to Him, using our lips to express gratitude and thanks.
David Wilkerson shares a powerful message on the importance of thanksgiving, especially during times of personal trials and burdens. He recounts a moment of despair when the Holy Spirit prompted him to offer a 'sacrifice of thanksgiving' to God, shifting his perspective from complaint to gratitude. Wilkerson emphasizes that, unlike the Old Testament sacrifices, we are now called to bring our praises and thanks to God through our words and worship. He highlights various scriptures that encourage believers to express gratitude, reminding us that our high priest, Jesus, has already made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Ultimately, the sermon calls for a continual offering of thanks from our lips as a response to God's goodness.
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The subject of thanksgiving came to me recently during a time of great personal heaviness. At the time, our church building needed major work. Parishioners' problems were piling up. Everyone I knew seemed to be going through some kind of trial. And I was feeling the burden of it all.
I went into my office and sat down, feeling sorry for myself. I began to complain to God: "Lord, how long will you keep me in this fire? How long do I have to pray about all these things before you'll do something? When are you going to answer me, God?"
Suddenly, the Holy Spirit fell upon me--and I felt ashamed. The Spirit whispered to my heart, "Just begin to thank me right now, David. Bring to me a sacrifice of thanksgiving--for all the past things I've done for you, and for what I'm going to do in the future. Give me an offering of thanksgiving--and suddenly everything will look different!"
Those words settled in my spirit. But I wondered: "What does the Lord mean, 'a sacrifice of thanksgiving'?" I looked up the phrase in Scripture and was amazed at all the references I found:
"Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing" (Psalm 107:22).
"I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord" (Psalm 116:17).
"Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms" (Psalm 95:2).
"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name" (Psalm 100:4).
We live in a day when our high priest, Jesus, has already presented the sacrifice of his own blood to the Father to make atonement for our sins. Christ has wiped out all our transgressions, never to be remembered against us. So, for us, the work of atonement is finished.
Yet, like the Israelites, we also are to come into the Lord's courts as Psalm 100 says--with thanksgiving and praise. And we are to bring with us two "goats." "Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips" (Hosea 14:2). The word "calves" here represents our lips, or words. The full meaning of this phrase in Hebrew is, "We will offer young bullocks, even our lips."
Our offering of thanksgiving is to be made with the two goats we bring--an offering of our lips, or voices. God is saying, "Bring into my presence your words of thanksgiving. Speak, sing out your praises to me!"
We are no longer to bring to God sacrifices of blood or offerings of silver and gold for atonement. Instead, we are to bring him a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving from our lips: "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name" (Hebrews 13:15). The "fruit of our lips" is gratitude and thanks!
Sermon Outline
- The Burden of Trials
- David Wilkerson's personal experience with trials
- The weight of responsibilities and problems of others
Key Quotes
“Just begin to thank me right now, David. Bring to me a sacrifice of thanksgiving--for all the past things I've done for you, and for what I'm going to do in the future.” — David Wilkerson
“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” — David Wilkerson
“We will offer young bullocks, even our lips.” — David Wilkerson
Application Points
- We should make an offering of thanksgiving to God by speaking and singing out our praises to Him, using our lips to express gratitude and thanks.
- We should bring our words of thanksgiving into God's presence, using our voices to express praise and gratitude.
- We should offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, making an offering of thanksgiving from our lips.