Sermon #98 Hebrews
Notes
Title: Thanksgiving
Text: Hebrews 13:15-16
Subject: Sacrifices of Faith
Date: Tuesday Evening—
Tape # X-34a
Introduction:
(Hebrews 13:15-16) "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. (16) But to do good
and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well
pleased."
Thursday our nation will celebrate a national day of
thanksgiving to our God for his great, wise, good and bountiful providence. I
realize that for most it will be no more than a day off from work, a day of
revelry, or a day of family gatherings. Those things are fine. But I hope you
and I will, particularly, during this season, turn our hearts to our great God
and Savior in thanks giving and praise.
To that end, I want us to look at Hebrews 13:15-16
for a few minutes. May God the Holy Spirit cause us to hear and heed the
admonition here given and give us grace to “offer the sacrifice of praise to
God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
We will look at these two verses word by word and line by line. So keep you
Bible open before you and follow me through the text.
“By him”—Everything begins with Christ. We
cannot worship God without Christ. We cannot come to God without Christ. We
cannot be saved without Christ. In all our approaches to God, we must have
Christ. When Paul says, “by him,” he means…
·
By faith in him.
·
Through his mediation.
·
By the merit of his blood.
·
On the ground of his righteousness.
A. So my first word is to you
who have not yet come to God “by him.” I bid you now, right where
you are to come to God by him.
(Hebrews 7:25) "Wherefore
he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing
he ever liveth to make intercession for them."
1. The Lord Jesus himself calls
you to come to him.
(Matthew 11:28-30) "Come
unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke
is easy, and my burden is light."
2. This is the day for you to
come to Christ.
(1 Corinthians 6:1-2) "Dare
any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and
not before the saints? (2) Do ye not know that the saints shall judge
the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge
the smallest matters?"
3. The Lord God, in his Word,
promises salvation, eternal life to all who come to him by faith in Christ.
(John 3:16-18) "For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent
not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him
might be saved. (18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he
that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the
name of the only begotten Son of God."
(John 3:36) "He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son
shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
(1 John 1:9) "If we confess
our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness."
(1 John 5:10-14) "He that
believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not
God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of
his Son. (11) And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal
life, and this life is in his Son. (12) He that hath the Son hath life; and
he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. (13) These things
have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may
know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son
of God. (14) And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we
ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:"
B. Children of God, let us
always and ever have our hearts and minds fixed upon Christ, consciously coming
to God by him.
At the very
threshold of all worship and of all sacrifice to God, we begin with Christ. We
cannot go a step without Christ. Without a Mediator we can make no approach to
God. Apart from Christ there is no acceptable prayer, no pleasing sacrifice of
any kind. “By him therefore”—we cannot move our lips acceptably without
him who suffered without the gate. The great High Priest of our profession
meets us at the temple door, and we place all our sacrifices into his hands,
that he may present them for us. That is just the way we want it. If we could
do anything without him, we would be afraid to do it. We are safe only when
Christ is with us. We are “accepted in the beloved,” only “in the
beloved.” And our sacrifices are acceptable to God only because of his
great sacrifice. Yet, because of his great sacrifice, our sacrifices are
acceptable to God by him!
(1 Peter 2:5) "Ye also, as
lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."
Behold our
great Melchizedek meets us! Let us give all to him and receive his blessing,
which will repay us a thousand-fold. Let us never venture upon a sacrifice
apart from him, lest it be the sacrifice of Cain, or the sacrifice of fools.
Christ is that altar which sanctifies both gift and giver. “By him”
therefore let us offer our sacrifices unto God.
Illustration: Officer
Peter O'Hanlon was patrolling on night duty in northern
II. “Therefore”
“By him therefore”— The word “therefore,” as
you know, points us back to the context.
A. First, "We have an Altar"
(
B. Second, Christ has
sanctified us "with his own blood" (
C. Third, we must go forth
unto Christ "without the camp." We must go forth unto him,
bearing his reproach, serving the interests of his kingdom, his glory, and his
people.
III. “The Sacrifice of praise to God”
"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice
of praise to God”—We have no carnal, material altar; and we offer no
carnal, material sacrifices. The sacrifices God requires are sacrifices of the
heart.
(Psalms 51:15-17) "O Lord,
open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. (16) For
thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not
in burnt offering. (17) The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."
(Psalms 51:19) "Then shalt
thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and
whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar."
A. The first
sacrifice we present to God is Christ, our sin-atoning Substitute.
·
Abraham and Isaac on Mt. Moriah
B. The second
sacrifice is ourselves.
(2 Corinthians 8:5) "And this
they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and
unto us by the will of God."
(Romans 12:1-2) "I beseech
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
“As Christ gave Himself for us, we now give
ourselves back again to Him. Hereby alone can we know that we are saved: not
only by believing in Christ for the forgiveness of sins, but by yielding
ourselves up to His government, as living sacrifices for His use.”
(A. W. Pink)
C. Here, we are called
to offer the sacrifice of praise to God.
·
Our Creator
·
Our Providential Benefactor
·
Our Preserver
·
Our Covenant God
·
Our Heavenly Father
·
Our God, the God of All Grace
(Psalms 100) "A Psalm of
praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. (2) Serve the
LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. (3) Know ye
that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and
not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
(4) Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with
praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. (5) For the
LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth
to all generations."
What is involved in this
matter of praise to God?
1. The sacrifice of praise
involves the adoration of his person, ascribing to him all the
honor, and glory, and majesty that belongs to him as God alone.
2. Adoration, praise, implies a
delight in him.
3. This praise, adoration, and
delight in God implies a confident trust of him as God our
Father.—We not only believe that he is—We believe that he is the Rewarder of
them that diligently seek him.—We trust him, delight in him, and find
satisfaction with him.
When we understand who God is and delight in him, we
understand that he always does right and always does us good. As we trust him,
and delight in him, giving praise to him, we praise him for all his works, both
in providence and in grace.
(Psalms 92:1-5) "It is a
good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises
unto thy name, O most High: (2) To show forth thy lovingkindness
in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, (3) Upon
an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a
solemn sound. (4) For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy
work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. (5) O
LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts
are very deep."
(Psalms 92:6-9) "A brutish
man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. (7) When the
wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it
is that they shall be destroyed for ever: (8) But thou, LORD, art
most high for evermore. (9) For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD,
for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be
scattered."
(Psalms 92:10-11) "But my
horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed
with fresh oil. (11) Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine
enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that
rise up against me."
(Psalms 92:12-15) "The
righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar
in Lebanon. (13) Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall
flourish in the courts of our God. (14) They shall still bring
forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; (15) To
show that the LORD is upright: he is my rock,
and there is no unrighteousness in him."
4. This praise, adoration, and
delight and confident trust of God our Father arises from a heart of
true, intense love for him as God.
(1 John 4:19) "We love him,
because he first loved us."
(Psalms 116:1-2) "I love
the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. (2) Because
he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long
as I live."
(Psalms 116:5) "Gracious is
the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful."
(Psalms 116:8) "For thou
hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet
from falling."
(Psalms 116:12-13) "What
shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? (13) I
will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD."
(Psalms 116:16-18) "O LORD,
truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of
thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds. (17) I will offer to thee the
sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. (18) I
will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people,"
IV. “Continually”
"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice
of praise to God continually.”—O for grace to do so! Worship is not
something we are to do at specific, appoint times only. It ought to be the
habit, the dress, the adornment of our lives.
·
In Prosperity and in Adversity
·
In Wealth and in Poverty
·
In Sickness and in Health
·
In Good Times and in Bad Times
Our circumstances do not reflect any change in our
God. He is good, always good, only good, and righteous altogether.
Illustration:
Allen Gardiner experienced many physical
difficulties and hardships throughout his service to the Savior. Despite his
troubles, he said, "While God gives me strength, failure will not daunt
me." In 1851, at the age of 57, he died of disease and starvation while
serving on Picton Island at the southern tip of South America. When his body
was found, his diary lay nearby. It bore the record of hunger, thirst, wounds,
and loneliness. The last entry in his little book showed the struggle of his
shaking hand as he tried to write legibly. It read, "I am overwhelmed with
a sense of the goodness of God."
Imagine that!
Not a word of complaint, no childish whining, no grumbling at the
circumstances—just praise God for his goodness. His words and his life too were
a sacrifice of praise because of Christ's sacrifice for sin.
V. “The Fruit of Our Lips”
"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice
of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips.”—There is a
reference here to Hosea 14:2.
(Hosea 14:2) "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."
·
Confessing Faith
·
Songs of Praise
·
Let our conversations be flavored with the praise of our God.
(1 Chronicles 16:9) "Sing unto
him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works."
(Psalms 105:2) "Sing unto
him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works."
(Romans 11:33-36) "O the
depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are
his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (34) For who hath
known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? (35) Or who
hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? (36) For
of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory
for ever. Amen."
(Ephesians 1:3) "Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:"
VI. “Giving thanks to his name”
"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.”—Thanksgiving is the essence of worship and praise. Let us engage
in it continually—Privately!—Publicly!—Continually! Give thanks to God for…
·
His Name.
·
His Son.
·
His Purpose.
·
His Grace.
·
His Providence.
VII. “Do Good”
(Hebrews 13:16) "But to do
good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well
pleased."
Here Paul puts his admonition into shoe leather. He
is telling us that gratitude and thanks giving, praise and worship make people
gracious, kind, and generous. When he speaks of us doing good, notice that he
is not talking about what men look at, approve of, and applaud as good, but
doing good to one another. That is exactly how our Lord describes good works in
Matthew 25:31-46. To do good is to…
·
Love one another.
·
Help one another.
·
Communicate with (provide for) one another.
VII. “For with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”
(Hebrews 13:15-16) "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. (16) But to do good
and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well
pleased."
Our sacrifices of praise, thanks giving, and love
are not meritorious before God. What we give is but what God has given us, and
cannot be profitable to him. Yet doing good in this way, when it is done in
faith, springs from love, and is directed to the glory of God, is well pleasing
to him. These sacrifices are preferred by God to those legal sacrifices and
sacrifices of works by which men strive to gain his favor.
(Hosea 6:6) "For I desired
mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt
offerings."
Illustration: A
crippled boy was once hurrying to catch a train. Carrying gifts under his arm,
he was struggling with his crutches. Suddenly, a man bumped into him, knocking
his parcels in all directions. The man then paused and scolded the boy for
getting in his way. Another gentleman, seeing the youngster's distress, quickly
picked up the scattered gifts and slipped a dollar bill into his pocket,
saying, "I'm sorry! I hope this makes up for your trouble." The child
who couldn't remember being shown such kindness, called after him,
"Mister, thank you! And sir, are you Jesus?" "No," replied
the man, "but I am one of His followers."
God is pleased when, as our
sacrifice of praise, we do good. Christ is our sacrifice for sin. In response
we are to bring our sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, and to do so
particularly in doing good and communicating to others.
·
Hospitality
·
Generosity
·
Care
What is your response to your Savior? What is mine?
[1] I have no use for crosses or any other religious symbols. They are nothing but idolatry. I use this story simply to illustrate my point.