Thanksgiving Fruit

Thanksgiving Fruit

By Pastor Gary Wayne

Text: Hebrews 13:15, Psalms 116:17

What is a sacrifice? Something that costs you something.
God values a sacrifice of thanksgiving.

When in the middle of conflict, in a wilderness experience, when I bow my heart / my will to Him in worship, something comes from that, that God values.
Your worship is never more precious to God than in the middle of a wilderness.
It is only in those places and time that I can offer this kind of sacrifice.
When nothing makes sense, and I turn my focus to God’s goodness.
Once I get to Haven, there will be no opportunity to give this as a sacrifice.

“Fruit of our lips…”
Often the praise that comes from my mouth can be just words – I don’t mean to, but when this becomes routine, those words can be just words.
But when I offer a sacrifice of praise, it goes way past words.
That fruit comes from my soul. Mt 12:33 “… a tree is known by its fruit.”

When Eve was explaining to God why she ate the forbidden fruit, she said,
"The serpent deceived me, and I ate." Gen.3:13
One of the meanings for the word “deceived” is “caused me to forget.”

One of the enemy’s tactics to get me to slip into an unbelieving, complaining heart is cause me to forget the goodness of God.

What does complaining empower? What does thanksgiving empower?

Let’s take a moment and talk about what we are thankful for.
1. Let’s give thanks to God for our nation.
2. Let’s give thanks to God for our city, our area.
3. Let’s give thanks for those who have blessed our lives.
4. Let’s give thanks for ourGod.

Ps 69:30 “I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.”
Ps 107:22 “Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing.”
Php 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…”
Re 7:11 “All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen."