Count Your Blessings and Give Thanks

As an introduction to the sermon, I've asked Ellen to just play a little stanza and just see if you know the words behind it.

Thank you. Does that ring a bell? It's not a quiz. That's about the answer. But count your blessings one by one. And it used to be in our hymnal. It used to be in our hymnal many years ago. I asked Mr. Steve Myers. It's actually in a public domain. I asked Mr. Steve Myers if we could sing it. He said, and asked him, well, you were coordinating putting together the hymnal. How come it's not there? He said, well, because we had a committee and people voted for different songs. And the ones that had the most votes were the ones that were there. And he said, there was not any reason why it should be there. But it just didn't have, you know, they wanted a certain number of songs in the book and that's the way it worked out. So there's nothing wrong with that song. I've asked him if we could sing it. And so today, at the end of services, we'll sing it just to complement the service. But the awards are, when upon life's bellows, and I'm not going to sing it to you because you'll probably walk away. But when, my fellows, your tempers stop, and when you're discouraged, thinking all is lost, count your many blessings, name them one by one. And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. Brethren, today I want to talk to you about the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Because indeed, it is an offering to God, giving thanks. And it is well pleasing to God, as we'll see, because it's a sweet aroma to God when we do give thanks. And so, brethren, are we grateful to God for our many blessings? You know, in this country, brethren, we have been very, very blessed. There's the blessings that we've had in this country. We can see them, for instance, in Deuteronomy 28. And I'm going to ask you to turn there very briefly, Deuteronomy 28. But we owe these blessings, obviously, to God's loving kindness and mercy, but also because they were part of the promise giving to Abraham. Deuteronomy 28. And yeah, we see in Deuteronomy 28, it says, And so it goes on. God has promised blessings to us. And blessings, brethren, in some of us, sometimes, might not just be physical. It can be in many other areas, in many other areas, particularly because we live in this society, in this world. Blessings can be in many other areas. But to the society, for instance, you and I look at this country, and if you go to other countries, or when you do go to other countries, and I don't mean just going to Europe, because Europe is, in a sense, a first-world society. But if you go to other countries, you then realize how blessed we are. How blessed we are. Brethren, at this, we are very, very blessed, physically speaking. But God does promise. In the same chapter, starting in verse 15, He said, But, it's one of the small words in English, but has a very powerful meaning. But it shall come to pass, if there's another small word in English, which has a powerful meaning, but an if, if you do not obey the voice of the Eternal, your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes, which are command you today, that all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. And then He says, Curses shall be in the city, and curses shall be in the country, curses shall be your basket and your kneading bowl, curses shall be the fruit of your body, and so He goes on. Once again, why these curses? Well, it says, then, verse 15. But look also at verse 45, because after enumerating all these curses, in verse 45 says, Moreover, all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you until you are destroyed. Now, brethren, we have been blessed, but we have not obeyed God as a nation.

So, even though this is in the law, you could deem it as a prophecy. And it says, they will overtake you and pursue you until you are destroyed. Powerful words. Why? Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes, which He commanded you. And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder, and on your descendants forever. Verse 47, again, it says, Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart. Because you did not serve the Lord your God of joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything we have received. And a way of saying joy and gladness of heart, you could actually say, because you are not grateful. Because when you are joyful and glad in your heart, you are ever so grateful. So, we need to obey and serve God and do it with joy and gladness for the abundance of everything we have received. But the problem with the human proclivity is that we, you and I, we forget how we have been blessed. We take it for granted. We take it for granted. You can get in a car, you can put on the heater, and it's nice and warm in a cold weather, and other things. You got your, your, your, your eater at home, and you can organize your temperature at home to be right. You know, other people, they live in situations where, where it gets very hot or very cold. In some third world, in many third world countries, they don't have air conditioning, and they don't have heat in their houses. I remember when we lived in South Africa, there was no central eating. South Africa is a mixture of first and third world, and in the first world houses, there was no central eating. And in winter, it does get below freezing point. It does get very cold, as I was mentioning to somebody earlier on today, very cold in the, in the early mornings, and very dry. It does warm up during the day. Oh, it's beautiful towards mid-afternoon. It warms up to maybe as much as like 50s, 60s. But then, in the evening, it goes to 30s, or below 30. And you don't have central eating. So it's cold. And yeah, so you've got these little space heaters, you know, little one here, another one there. And then what do you do? You get out of bed, and you're freezing, because you can't keep those space heaters going all night, because you know, it, you know, one is dangerous, and the other one is, and if you do, you make sure you put some water in front of it, and once it dries your air and things like that, you've got to be very careful. And then, you've got to take it to where you're going to have a shower and things like that. Yes, at least there's hot water, but it still feels cold when it comes out of the shower, and the environment is not warmed up. So, you know, we have many blessings, simple things that we take for granted, but we need to count them one by one. We need to count them one by one. And therefore, if we don't count them one by one, and don't have that joy and gladness, it actually is a sin, because that is one of the reasons why they're being cursed. So, let's look at some Psalms, a few of the Psalms with some principles about Thanksgiving. Yeah, in Psalm 139, Psalm 139, Psalm 139, verse 13 through 17. Psalm 139, verse 13 through 17.

And we fall right from the beginning, how God made you and I so wonderfully made, and how everything, if we look after it, and under all other situations that we don't temper and damage it, how wonderfully made we are. And how things work. You know, we look at some of the young people, like we have this young lady that is having problems with this disease and continuous pain. But, are we grateful when we look at that, for little things like that, that we are so wonderfully made, and we create with such great care, that it just works. You know, it's so nice when you see the little child, and they just start crawling, and they look at their hands, and then they look at the little things up there, and they start focusing. They see mommy and daddy's face, and then a little smile. It's so wonderfully made. Count your blessings, one by one. Look at verse 14. I'll praise you. Here was, I'll give you thanks, I'll thank you, praise, giving God thanks. For I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are your words, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret. Yeah, we made in secret our mother's womb, but God knew what He was doing right there. When I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, and in your book, they all were written. God planned for it all. God planned for it all. The days fashioned for me, as yet, they were none of them. How precious also are your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! So, we can count blessings from the smallest little things that affect us, from where it's health, where it is things that have been blessed. Could be our jobs, could be our families, could be our children. But what is the biggest blessing? Being called into God's Church, and understanding that we have been predestined. As we heard in the sermon, we've been predestined to be from the foundation of the world, to be sons and daughters of God. That's what we've been predestined for. That is what God's got in mind for us, to be His own children. So, that is a lot to be thankful for. Look at Psalm 42, verse 11. Psalm 42, verse 11. Psalm 42, verse 11.

He says, Why are you cost down, O my soul? Why are you discouraged? Why do we have anxiety? Sure, there are a lot of things ahead in the world that can give us anxiety. And why are you disquieted within me? But you know we're not. We need to put the hope in the right place. You know, our hope is not to immigrate to XYZ country, when we're going to find a place of safety. Our hope is God. He's our rock. He says, Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God. Our encouragement, our help comes from God. Look at Psalm 107, Psalm 107, verse 1.

O, give thanks to the Lord for His good.

You know, brethren, I admit, I need to think more of this, because when I give a sermon, it's not just for you, it's for me too. And that's why it's good to review these on a regular basis. We need to give thanks to God more frequently and more often. Maybe we do it every day in our praise. But we need to be thinking about those details, one by one. For His mercy endures forever. God's mercy endures forever. He forgives you and I forever. He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, and His blood to forgive us forever. That's a great blessing for us to be grateful. Look a little bit further down in verse 10 of the same chapter. Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, bound in affliction and irons, because they rebelled against the words of God, and despised the counsel of the Messiah, therefore He brought them down their heart with labor. They fell down, and there was none to help. In other words, as the situation of people, they had sinned, and they were in trouble. They were in the ditch, which one of us hasn't been in the ditch. We all have been in the ditch. Maybe some of our deeches, ones, are bigger than others, but we all have been in the ditch. And we cannot judge and criticize somebody else for everything in the ditch. Then, when we're in the ditch, verse 13, and when we cry out to the Lord in our trouble, He saves us out of our trouble. Yes, it might not be immediate. It might not be like a magic wand, but over time, He opens a little door, and as you walk the correct way, and you keep doing it, He opens another door, and then He opens another door, and then He helps you out of that distress. He helps you and He helps me, helps us out of that ditch. That is something to be grateful and to count the blessings one by one. He forgives us. Look at verse 15. Oh, that man would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness. Oh, that man would thank God for all the goodness that God does to us, and for His wonderful works to the children of men. Oh, that we just give thanks with joy and gladness from our heart, for the abundance of everything is given to us. Look at verse 17.

And they drew near to the gates of death. Then, verse 19, they cried to the Lord in their trouble. When we in the ditch, and we look at it, we've got an opportunity to come to God and repent and ask for help, and He will help you and me. And He saved them out of their distress. He sent His word and healed them. He delivered them from their destructions. Oh, that man would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men. Let them sacrifice. What? The sacrifices of thanksgiving. Giving thanks is a sacrifice.

And they cleared His works with rejoicing. It was joy and gladness. We need to give sacrifices of thanksgiving. Do we give thanks? Do we thank God? Look at Psalm 136. Psalm 136, it's an amazing psalm. Well, it is a psalm. And it's like it says one thing and then it's got a chorus. And it says another thing and then it's got a chorus. Maybe it does not rhyme so well in our language, but it says, Oh, give thanks to the Lord for His good, for His mercy and joys forever.

Oh, give thanks to the God of gods for His mercy and joys forever. That's like the chorus, for His mercy and joys forever. Think about a psalm and there's this chorus. You know, maybe you're singing, somebody says, like a one person singing, and then there's a chorus on the background, For His mercy and joys forever. Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords for His mercy and joys forever. To Him who alone does great works for His mercy and joys forever. You can imagine just how beautiful song that would make. You can kind of make it rhyme and, this is some work for somebody of that talent to actually get a song out of verse.

It would be beautiful. It says, To Him who by wisdom made heavens, for His mercy and joys forever. Can you see the psalmist here is actually counting things one by one and giving God thanks for His mercy and joys forever. To Him who laid out the earth above the waters, for His mercy and joys forever.

To Him who made great lives, for His mercy and joys forever. To the sams rule the day, for His mercy and joys forever. To the moon and stars to rule the night, for His mercy and joys forever. And so it goes on. Can you and I, can we enumerate our blessings and offer God the sacrifice of thanksgiving? God remembered us when we are nothing, when we are in the ditch.

And He pulled us out of the ditch. Brethren, we are all in the ditch, in the past or whatever. But God wants you out of the ditch. His mercy and joys forever. Don't allow your mind to run you down. You know, with God's help, do what you can. Even if it's not perfect, God sees the heart. Next time you'll do a little bit better, God sees the heart. But keep doing! Don't give up! Persevere till the end. For His mercy and joys forever. It really is a beautiful, beautiful psalm here.

God forgave us while we are sinners. He called us while we are sinners. He led us to repentance while we are sinners. For His mercy and joys forever. He gave us His truth, His precious truth, for His mercy and joys forever. He gave us His understanding of the days ahead of prophecy, what's going to happen, because He cares for us. That's a blessing, that we need to count His blessings one by one, because His mercy and joys forever. He's cleansing us daily in our lives as we strive through our difficulties. And then, you say, I've missed the gate.

I've missed the gate. I've slipped up again. And then you and I get on our knees at home, in a private area, and then say, Father, please forgive me. Yes, I admit, you confess to God.

Don't confess to man. Confess to God. And God who hears His secret and sees your repentant attitude will forgive you, because He's merciful. And then you give God thanks for forgiving you, because you have to walk in faith. You know the weightier matters of the Lord? Justice, mercy, and faith. You realize, I've got to do correct. I've got to repent. I've got to come to the merciful seat of God.

In a new and living way, as you read in Hebrew, stand round about 20 or so, right? Or 21. In a new and living way, through Jesus Christ, our High Priest, and mercy is extended. Then, we have to walk in faith, believing that God has forgiven us, and walk straight.

Yes, in justice, mercy, and faith. The weightier matters of the Lord. And regrettably, many people get caught up in picky points. Picky points. Oh, well, this, nah, nah, nah, nah, whatever it is. Picky points. Self-righteous. Well, look at them, it's self-righteous. No wonder Christ said to them, you bunch of hypocrites! We've got to be careful, brethren, when we start picking up little things, and we start criticizing little things, be careful that we're not becoming self-righteous. The other day I heard a situation, I don't want to discuss the detail, but it was something that somebody didn't want to do something, whatever. And it basically, my wife was talking to that person, and I said, but come on!

And this was a picky little point of self-righteousness. I don't want to get into details, because then people start questioning, well, let's go so back to that, it doesn't matter. The point is, it's for us to analyze ourselves, is, are we becoming self-righteous in certain things, and not looking at the weightier matters of the law? By no means am I justifying us to disobey God's laws. Please. That's not what I'm saying. Please don't put that into my mouth. I'm not saying that, but I'm saying God is merciful. God is very kind. God is very gracious. He wants to forgive us. He says, God's patience is that we all may come to repentance. Now, many of us have seen our children, maybe leaving the church, and after many years, they start coming back to the church. And like the prodigal son, you're only too happy to see them coming back. How much more God is happy to see his or her son come back to the church, come back to the way, because they're repentance. That's what God wants. His patience is so that we all may come to repentance. And God is so much more patient than you and I. Thank God. Thank God. Thank God. Then, look, continue reading in Psalm 136. Look at the last few verses here. Verse 23. In the Psalm 26 times, that phrase is used. I know it's 26 because it's the number of verses, so that was easy for me to work that one out. But anyway, there it is. It's just so beautiful. Brethren, I don't have to repeat to you, we all have plenty of reasons to be grateful, to be thankful. We just have to enumerate them one by one, and you'll be surprised. Start kind of thinking about it and say, wow, here's another one. Wow, here's another one. So think about that. Look at Amos chapter 4. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Amos chapter 4.

Look at verse 5. Amos chapter 4 verse 5. Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, proclaim and announce the free all offerings, for this you love, you children of Israel, says the Lord. And because of that, I'll give you cleanliness of teeth. In other words, you won't have food. You know, if you don't have food, your teeth will be clean. You really don't have to brush them that much. You know, and lack of bread. And yet you have not returned to me. But look at that. Offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven. Do you get it? In other words, God does not want you to give thanks with sin. Continue living in sin. You've got to repent. You've got to change. Yes, you've got to offer the offer of sacrifice of thanksgiving, but any humble, serving, repentant attitude, then be grateful. The offer of thanksgiving with an arrogant, sinful attitude is not pleasing to God. So maybe we need to look at some of the sacrifices. Look at Leviticus 2, verse 11, where in the first five chapters of Leviticus describes the five major sacrifices, or five major groups of sacrifices, let's put it that way. In Leviticus 2, verse 11, Leviticus chapter 2, verse 11, it says, No grain which you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in your offering to the Lord made by fire. It was when you take a lamb or take a piece of meat and you give it as a sacrifice, like a cult or a bull or whatever it is, when they were to offer sacrifice, you were not to offer with leaven. You were not to burn it with leaven.

In other words, symbolically meaning in this instance, with sin. Because what's the good of your offering a sacrifice to God, but you continue sinning. God doesn't want that. We must repent of sin. We must be repented. Now, there is an offering, which is in chapter 3, which is the peace offering. The peace offering has got three kinds. It's like broken down into three groups, as we'll see in a moment. One of them of a peace offering is a thanksgiving. That's the peace offering. Another one is when you make a promise, a vow. And another one is as a special gift.

Now, this was a peace offering, which was something that was pleasing to God. It was a sweet aroma. So, in a sense, means God would, quote-unquote, between inverted commas, not obviously that he would eat it, but he was enjoying that offering. It was pleasing to God, a sweet aroma. The first three offerings, by the way, in Leviticus 1, 2 and 3, are all sweet aromas to God.

They're pleasing to God. But this third one is a peace offering, which is a sweet aroma to God. We're going to read some of those points there, but I'm just giving you an overall picture so that when you read it, it makes sense. And basically, it was pleasing to God, and it was also offering that the high priest could eat, and it was also offering that the brethren could eat. So, it was like, think of it like a big barbecue, where everybody would benefit from it, except the parts that you could not eat, like the fat that had to be burnt and things like that.

But the priest had certain sections of it to eat, the breast, and the brethren had other, the people that are giving the offering had other sections of it to eat. So, everybody enjoyed it. So, in a sense, it showed a reconciliation between God and man that all we're benefiting from this offering, we're having fellowship together as far as this offering. And so, it was a unity and a fellowship-type offering, and that's why it is an offering of thanksgiving. Because, like for years, we're going to have a little pot of luck here, our thanksgiving, and we're going to give thanks for the meal, and we'll have fellowship with it.

And God will be present, enjoying it, fellowshiping in Christ, obviously, enjoy, seize the brethren, and we all eat together, and that, eating, fellowshiping together, is an offering, a pleasing offering to God. So, we wrote Riddia in verse 1, Leviticus 3. Where this offering is, his offering is a sacrifice of a peace offering.

If he offers it of the herd, or where the male or female shall offer it without blemish before the Lord, then look at verse 5. And Aaron's sons shall burn it, and it was the priest that shall burn it on the altar, and it shall barbecue this on the altar, upon the burnt sacrifice, which is on the wood, and on the fire, as offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the eternal.

Now, Yah is the thing, it's a sweet aroma to God. And look in verse 11, like I mentioned, and the priest shall burn those parts on the altar as food, and offering made by fire to the Lord. So, the priest shall eat it as well. And look at verse 15.

It says, in Leviticus 7, which describes a little bit more in detail this offering, Leviticus 7, verse 11 and verse 15, it says, Leviticus 7, verse 11, verse 15 says, this is the law of the sacrifice of these offerings, and then on verse 15, the flesh of the sacrifice of these these offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day it is offered.

He shall not leave it, any of it, until the morning. In other words, he's talking about the brethren to eat it, and they will eat it together. And so, the priestly family will eat it, and look at verse 31, in the same chapter, chapter 7, verse 31, and the priest shall burn fat on the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron's and his son's for the priestly family.

So, the breast will be for the priestly family, and they all ought to eat it. But now, let's look a little bit more in detail about this offering. It's still in chapter 7, Leviticus 7, verse 12. Look at it. If the opposite for a thanksgiving... Now, let me show you the three types. Verse 12 is talking about if the opposite for thanksgiving. The other two types I mentioned in verse 16. If the sacrifice of these offerings is a vow or a voluntary offering.

So, there's three types. It could be thanksgiving, or for a vow, or for a voluntary offering. There's three types that you could give this type of offering. Three occasions. But for thanksgiving, it says, if the opposite for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and leavened wafers anointed with oil, or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil. In all cases, he's unleavened and mixed with oil.

In other words, without sin and oil, which represents symbolically God's Holy Spirit. So, it's offering that you're doing without sin in a repentant, sinless attitude, and that God's Holy Spirit is present in this giving of the offering. So, when I counsel people for baptism, and I've mentioned this before, I always highlight an important point about repentance. Because I always highlight that you repent from two things, two basic things. One is repent from dead works, or in other words, from what you have done. And then, second one is repent from what you are. We are carnal human nature, that we can't change.

And that is sin. And there we are repent and change. So, our deeds, when we offer it, we've got to be in a repentant attitude without those deeds. But the human nature is there, and the human nature is covered by Christ's blood and forgiveness, and it's part of the process that we've got to change. That over time, because it's the sanctification of the Spirit over time, that we are changed from human nature to divine nature. I'm not covering that subject at this moment, but just bringing that into the context, you need to explain the point. Because that explains verse 13. You see, verse 12 is talking about what you're going to repent from what you've done without sin. But verse 13.

And then, it says, in the catch of his offering, he shall offer leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offering. So, verse 12 is what you've done, and verse 13 is what you are. And that means you are not burning. These are separate cakes that you offer that represent what you are. And that is offered, and we can see this offering is done with the Sprinkle of the Blood of Christ, and therefore is covered by that.

So that's just a little point there to mention. The important point is in verse 20 as well. It says, but the person who heats the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offering that belongs to the Eternal, while he is unclean. That means while he is unrepentant. That person shall be cut off from his people. So when we offer this, we must come with a repentant attitude without sin. A repentant attitude without sin. So we've got to be reconciled and reconciliation through forgiveness of sins.

And in other words, they would obviously do, for instance, a sin offering first to take the sin away, and then we'll do the thanks offering afterwards, after the sin is removed symbolically. But from an attitude, we have that left away. God puts it there. So we have an offering here, which is an offering of thanksgiving. An offering of us giving thanks to God and to Jesus Christ for what they've done for us. And the other important point here is on verse 16.

He says, And if the sacrifice of his offering, now verse 15, I beg your pardon, He said, The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day it is offered. He shall not leave it till the next morning. If our efforts were avowed, he can leave it for the next morning. Why? Because when you give thanks, you don't wait till tomorrow.

You think thanks immediately. So when you have a situation where somebody does something for you, as soon as you remember, as soon as you know, as soon as you can, thank the person. Thank God. Don't wait till another time and postpone it. You've got to do it straight away. So there's a lot of things you and I can give thanks for. For instance, we can give thanks for the calling we have and for what Christ has done for us. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter 10. I made reference to it a little earlier, but let's just look at that. Hebrews chapter 10.

This is something that you and I can be so grateful for. Because the eye in Hebrews shows that these sacrifices were purely like a parable, like an analogy, like an example of the spiritual. And Hebrews chapter 10, it shows here that we now have access to the holiest of alliest. The true holiest of alliest in heaven, where the Father is, through Christ, at any time.

You see, in the Old Testament, they could only go to the holiest of alliest, would only be the high priest, and will only be on the Day of Atonement. Now, you and I can do it any time, and it's not to a physical holiest of alliest, but it's to the spiritual holiest in heaven. Which yet is where only, let's call it an analogy or a reminder.

Therefore, in verse 19 of Hebrews 10 reads, Therefore brethren, have in boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus. That is such a strong statement. That means you and I can enter into the holy of alliest by the blood of Jesus in boldness. How? By a new and living way. It's not the way of the Old Testament with sacrifices and going through to the physical high priest, and then he could only go there on the Day of Atonement. No, we have a new and living way, which is through Christ, which he consecrated for us through the veil, that veil that was torn when he died.

And there is his flesh. And having I, priest, over the house of God, verse 22, Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. We talked about being in the depths, in the deep, in the lurch, in trouble, in the ditch, whatever it is, we can come to God in a repentant attitude, ask that's justice, ask for his mercy, and then we need to walk in faith. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.

Walking in faith, having our heart sprinkled from an evil conscience. That means whatever it's there can be washed out, cleansed, cleansed. And our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without a wavering, for he who promised is faithful. In other words, God is promising us this, and he does not lie. Therefore, you and I better believe it and walk in faith. It's our only hope. Now, this is something to be thankful. This is something to be really thankful.

Let us draw fast the confession of our hope without wavering, verse 23, for he who was promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up the love and good works. How do we consider one another to stir up love and good works? When we have fellowship and we talk to one another, we know about each other's difficulties and trials, we can pray for one another and we can stir up one another with good works and love.

We can't do that by staying at home and have a armchair, whatever. We need fellowship. We need to help one another. And that's why we're young. Therefore, verse 25, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some, but exhorting, encouraging one another, and so much the more, as you see the day approach, you see the day of Christ coming. Fall! Because if you don't do this, what are you doing? Fall! If you don't come to Christ and God's throne through Christ's blood and in faith, and counting you must fight for, if we don't do, and we're not showing therefore repentance, and we are not coming in faith, we are sinning.

And if we know about it, we're sinning willfully. That's why it puts that in the same context, after we receive the knowledge of the truth. So, brethren, there's a lot for us to be grateful.

We know God's plan. Plan of salvation, for us to be his sons and daughters in his royal family. The kingdom of God, as we know, is all we will talk about, is there's four components. There's a king, there's a territory, there's laws, and there's people, subjects. But when you talk about the king, a kingdom is not just a king.

The kingdom is a royal family. And you and I are called to be part of that royal family, that ruling family. What a blessing! What a blessing! As it says, it is the Father's good pleasure to give you his kingdom. Thank you, Father. It is your good pleasure to give us the kingdom. You read that in Luke 12, 32, if you want to make a note of that. It is the Father's good pleasure that he's predestinized to be his children. You read that in Ephesians 1 verse 5. Thank you, God, for that blessing.

Philippians 2 verse 13, whatever you do, all the things you do, we give thanks for everything that we have. And now look at Philippians chapter 4 verse 6 through 7. Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4.

Philippians chapter 4.

Reverend, don't forget, it's God that makes us wanting to repent. It's God's will for us to change. It's God's will for us to obey. Thank God that he's got that will for us. But look now in Philippians chapter 4 verse 6 and 7. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. With thanksgiving. So you and I have to mingle thanksgiving with our requests. According to God's will and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding. Now, when people are anxious, if you and I go to God with thanksgiving, when we are stressed and we have all these anxiety thoughts, if we go to God with thanksgiving and we start thinking about the things that we receive and count our blessings one by one, and then we make our prayers with that thanksgiving, then the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds and our thoughts through Christ Jesus. And you know what? No wonder some people in the world sometimes ask to some people in the church, how can you still smile going through all these difficulties and stresses and trials? Because it's the peace of God that's in us.

Brethren, in everything that we do, let us give thanks. It is a sweet aroma to God. It's a sacrifice of peace. It's a peace offering, a sacrifice of harmony. Do we count our blessings? Do we offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving with joy and gladness straight away? For God's mercy endures forever.