A Heartfelt Thanksgiving
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Learning the dangers of formalized religion and the importance of worshiping God with our whole heart.
Text: Psa. 50:14-15
Date: 11/28/2024, the Thanksgiving service.
Series: "Special Days"
Occasion: Thanksgiving
Description:
When Asaph under the influence of the Holy Spirit, wrote Psalm 50, the people were honoring God with their sacrifices, but not with their hearts. Their religion, although following the dictates of the Torah was lifeless and heartless. They were going through the motions and not truly worshiping nor thanking God for His blessings. And so, earlier in the Psalm, God exclaims that the sacrifice of bulls and goats alone do not impress Him because He owns all of Creation and therefore all sacrificial animals are already His. Rather, what God wants is a heart of true worship, typified by a "sacrifice of thanksgiving". On this Thanksgiving day, we will first look at the kind of worship God has called us to, a worship of true thanksgiving; and then we will prepare our hearts for the taking of Communion by considering what kind of psalm might be written of the condition of our own hearts as we take the sacrament.
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I. Introduction
II. Exposition of the text, Psa. 50:14-15.
A. Context, Psa. 50:7-13; Mark 7:6-8.
B. The worship God desires.
1. The right kind of sacrifice.
a. The sacrifice of thanksgiving.
i. The meaning of "sacrifice".
ii. The object of the sacrifice.
iii. The nature of the sacrifice.
b. The votive gifts.
i. Paying what we vow.
ii. Another name for God.
c. Putting the words together, Heb. 13:15-16.
2. The need for humble prayer.
III. Application
IV. Conclusion
