Who Do You Thank?
Many people will thank God for His provisions on Thanksgiving Day. But what about those who don’t believe in God? Who do atheists and agnostics thank? Who do skeptics thank? Yes, who do unbelievers thank? What are you thankful for? More importantly, who do you thank?
Many young people have taken God out of their vows (and that’s of the ones that are even getting married. Many do not even bother with marriage). But of those who do, many change the traditional vows of before God and until death do us part. They make up other vows. Some thank nature or some nebulous spirit or just life in general.
So I’m really curious here, do atheists celebrate Thanksgiving? If so, who do you thank and what are you thankful for? There are many cults and false religions in the world today and I’m sure followers of false religions are thankful to their false gods.
Some People Thank God But Not The God Of The Bible
Sadly, there are some people who thank God, yet they don’t know the God of the Bible. They thank God at special occasions (like Thanksgiving), but they don’t really have a relationship with God. They cry out to God when they are in trouble. I’ve heard on the news recently several people pleading with God to help them out of the fires in California. These are horrible fires and really fast moving. So fast, that cars are catching on fire before everyone can get out.
Again, I’ve heard people pleading for God to help them, but I wonder do they really know God? Do they have a relationship with Him when they aren’t in trouble? Have they truly repented and surrendered their lives to Jesus? Are they really saved?
Another example is an actor who says f-the president, yet when he had a recent scare, he thanked God that no one was hurt. It’s true that I don’t know this man’s heart, but the Bible does say that we aren’t supposed to have blessings and cursing come out of our mouth (James 3:10).
Filthy Communication
In fact the Bible says that we are to let no filthy communication come out our mouth (Ephesians 4:29). So how do you curse the president and thank God at the same time? This isn’t a sign of a true, born-again believer. A follower of Christ shouldn’t say these things.
Some people will thank nature, trees and any slew of created beings or created things. Others may not be thankful at all. Yet, others of us will be thankful and we know who we are thanking and that’s Almighty God. We thank God for His mercy and grace. Yes, we are thankful that God saved wretched sinners like us. We are grateful that God in His great mercy and His mercy alone, opened our blind eyes, opened our deaf ears, broke our hard-hearts and shed His grace upon us.
Yes, I’m thankful that God revealed my sinfulness to me and showed me His Holiness. I’m thankful that God convicted me over my sins, that He reached me through the power of the Holy Spirit to show me what a rotten sinner I was and what a great Savior Jesus is. That He granted me repentance and faith in Jesus Christ my Lord. I’m thankful that I now have peace with God, the peace that surpasses all understanding and is found in Christ alone – the Prince of Peace.
I Am Thankful
I am thankful that God loved me, that He revealed my sins to me and showed me His Holiness. Yes, I am very thankful that God save me. I was lost and headed for Hell, even though I was a professing Christian. I’m not joking; for years after I walked a church aisle on a Sunday night, I thought that I had my fire proof insurance. That I was going to avoid Hell, because I asked Jesus into my heart.
Never mind that I had lived like the devil for 33 years after professing to be a Christian. I cried real tears, walked an aisle, said a prayer, asked Jesus into my heart, was baptized and pronounced saved. Yes, I was welcomed into the kingdom as a brother.
Nobody explained repentance and faith in Jesus. I wasn’t told about my sinfulness and God’s righteousness. No one explained to me that the angels in Heaven cry, Holy, Holy, Holy in the presence of God Almighty. I was declared saved and that was good enough for me. But you see there was no change in my life. I was still the same old dirty rotten sinner after saying a prayer as I was before I uttered the sinner’s prayer. There was absolutely no change.
Love God Or Love Sin?
I didn’t love God more than I loved my sins. No, in fact I really thought I had a license TO sin. Since Jesus died for my sins, I just had to make sure I asked God to forgive me before I went to sleep. I sinned at will, asked for God’s forgiveness and thought all was ok. I foolishly thought I had “the best of both worlds.” That I could live like the devil, fulfilling the lusts of the flesh in this life, yet at the same time secure in my little prayer I foolishly thought I had eternal life waiting in the next life.
Oh, but when God saved me 11 years ago while reading the Bible, He showed me how sinful I was and that I deserved to go to Hell. Not only did I deserve it, that’s exactly where I was headed. I was reading Matthew 7:21-23 when God convicted me over my sins.
Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out demons? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Worker Of Iniquity
God convicted me that I had been a worker of iniquity, a worker of lawlessness. Our righteous God pressed upon me that I had not lived for Him, that I had not done the will of God the Father. I had lived selfishly for myself. Not for God’s honor and glory. Worst of all, Jesus was going to look at me on Judgment Day and say depart from Me, I never knew you!
Folks, I think those are some of the scariest verses in the whole Bible. For Jesus to tell you that He never knew you. Doesn’t matter how much you think you know Him if He doesn’t know you. I’m thankful and grateful beyond words that God convicted me by the truth in these verses. Thank You Heavenly Father for your mercy and grace.
Then as I continued reading the Bible, I read Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Not only did God convict me over my sins, but He also showed me that I had walked after the flesh for 33 years after professing Jesus as my Savior. I had not walked after the Spirit. I really was a dirty rotten sinner and I was lost and headed for Hell.
Praise And Thank God!
Oh, but praise God and thank God that He shined a light on my dark heart. Thank God that He made me realize that I was a sinner, an unrepentant sinner who foolishly asked for forgiveness day after day with no brokenness over sin. With no desire to be holy because God is Holy. I had no desire to repent or turn from my sins.
That is, not until God saved me. When I recognized that I was lost, an unrepentant sinner and headed for Hell, I cried out for God to save me. God graciously heard my petition. Out of His mercy, love, kindness, goodness and grace, God granted me repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
I am very thankful that God saved me through salvation found in Christ alone. Not only did God save me, but He also changed me. He took away my selfish desires and ways and gave me His desires and ways. It now grieves me sorely when I sin against God. I pray that God will give me clean hands and a clean heart. It is my desire to live a godly life that is pleasing and acceptable to Him.
Thankful For Jesus Christ My Lord
Yes, I am thankful and grateful for Jesus Christ my Lord. I’m thankful that He was obedient to God the Father, perfectly obedient, even obedient unto death on the cross. Jesus did what I could not do; He perfectly obeyed God the Father in His thoughts, words and actions. Jesus willingly went to the cross after He was severely beaten with 39 lashes across His back. The Lord was nailed to the cross where endured God’s righteous anger over sinful men and women for six, long grueling hours.
Jesus died on the cross, but not before saying “It is finished.” The Lord Jesus finished what He set out to do. To take the punishment that sinners deserve, to make a way for us to get back in a right relationship with God. Jesus paid the sin debt that He did not owe. He made a way of escape for guilty sinners like us. That is, for guilty sinners who repent and trust Him. After Jesus died on the cross, He rose from the grave three days later.
Salvation is found in Christ alone. He defeated sin, death, Hell and Satan. That’s why you must come to Him through repentance and faith. We are to have repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). Oh, if God is convicting you over your sins and revealing His Holiness to you, come to Jesus tonight.
Repent And Surrender Your Life To Jesus
Repent from your sins and surrender your life to Jesus. When you are truly saved, you are set free from your sins. Jesus came to set the captives free. When you are made alive in Christ, you will be thankful like you’ve never been thankful before.
I can’t praise Jesus enough for saving me. No, I can’t thank Jesus enough for saving a wretch like me. I will never get over being thankful to the Lord. Not in this life nor in the next one. I will praise and thank Jesus for all eternity. I can’t wait and I’m not waiting. Oh, I thank the Lord for His salvation, for His mercy and grace. Thank You Jesus for saving me. Here I am Lord, use me. My hope and prayer is that God will allow me to share the glorious Gospel until the day I die.
I know what I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving. Yes, I’ thankful for my wife, my family, my home and job as well as my friends. I’m thankful that we have food and shelter. But most of all I’m thankful that I have eternal life. I thank God that He saved me. Oh friend, can you say the same? If you died tonight do you know for sure that you’d go to Heaven? Are you counting on a one-time prayer or one-time religious experience? If so, I plead with you tonight to examine yourself to see if you are in the faith.
Faith And Works
Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). Works do not save you, but you will have works after you are saved, after you have faith in Jesus. Are you truly saved? Again, if God is convicting you over your sins, do not reject such a great of salvation. Recognize that you are a sinner. Confess your sins to God, Cry out for God to have mercy upon you. Repent from your sins and put your trust in Jesus. Surrender your life fully and completely to Him.
Then you will know who to thank. You will be thankful to God, the one true God of the Bible. If you truly repent and believe the Gospel, you will know who to thank and you will be thankful today, tomorrow and forevermore. A saved life is a changed life and a very grateful and thankful life. Come to Jesus tonight through repentance and faith in Christ alone.
(This message was proclaimed in downtown Springfield, MO on November 16, 2018)