The Voice of Thanksgiving - Part 2 of 2

The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder Lacerre Bradley, Jr. O for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise! The worries of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace!

This is Lacerre Bradley, Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace. We are blessed in the law of the Lord, undefiled in our walk on his way. We are blessed to keep the Testament's Lord, with our whole heart we seek him each day. We are blessed in the law of the Lord, free from sin as we walk in his ways. Teach us how to give thy judgments, O Lord.

Teach the righteous to walk, Lord, we pray. I will never of thee be ashamed, when I have that respect of thy word. I will praise thee with the brightness of heart, O forsake not thy children, my Lord. Well, Thanksgiving Day is over, and I hope it was a good day for you, but Thanksgiving goes on forever. It's good to be reminded of the importance of Thanksgiving by a special day. Now let us remember to give thanks every day. When upon life's riddles you are terrified and it's tossed, when you are discouraged and he's gone and it's lost, count to many blessings made in one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. Count to many blessings made in one by one. Count to many blessings, see what God hath done. Count to many blessings made in one by one. Count to many blessings, see what God hath done. Are you ever burdened with the thought of care?

Does the cross seem heavy? You are called to bear. Count to many blessings that be died so far, and you will be shaking as the days go by. Count to many blessings made in one by one. Count to many blessings, see what God hath done. Count to many blessings made in one by one. Count to many blessings, see what God hath done. When you look at others with their hands and gold, think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold. Count to many blessings money cannot buy.

You're rewarded heaven or your home on high. Count to many blessings made in one by one. Count to many blessings, see what God hath done. Count to many blessings made in one by one. Count to many blessings, see what God hath done. So amid the conflict, whether great or small, do not be discouraged, God is all for all. Count to many blessings angels will attend.

Help and comfort give you to your journeys then. Count to many blessings made in one by one. Count to many blessings, see what God hath done. Count to many blessings made in one by one.

Count to many blessings, see what God hath done. We'll be continuing the message today entitled, The Voice of Thanksgiving. The text is Psalm 26 verse 7, that I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all thy wondrous works. So first we have considered the fact that we are to be thankful, and then we will consider the fact that we are to pray thankfully, and finally to speak with the voice of thanksgiving.

Thankful for the work of redemption. We were under curse, under the curse and condemnation of the law because we were violators of it. Born with a sinful nature. Just moving according to what we were inclined to do, we did our own thing. We wanted our own way.

Hopefully we had parents that corrected us and restrained us, but that old rebel nature was still inside. Still violating the law of God. Still yielding to the desires of the flesh. Dishonoring him. Great debt was incurred.

We couldn't pay it. Jesus Christ came in the fullness of time to redeem us. First Peter 1 19 says, Redeemed with the precious blood of Christ.

You're not redeemed with silver and gold and that which perishes, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We think about his suffering at the cross. We think about the physical pain with the nails in his hands and in his feet and the crown of thorns down upon his head. That was excruciating pain, but the pain that was far beyond that was that the sins of all of his people were put upon him. And the wrath of God was poured out in an excruciating manner that we could not even imagine. To know that this one who was without sin, this one who was the only perfect man that ever lived had all the sins of all of his people put upon him. And he suffered in those hours to put them away. Before he went to the cross, the prophet had said years before he shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. He saw the suffering. He knew the anguish. Yes, as a man, he dreaded it when the time was near. He said, Father, if it be thy will, let this cup pass from me.

Nevertheless, not my will. Thine be done. And he went on to the cross and he suffered all of that. Paid the price, but he got what he paid for. He secured a people, all that were given to him by the Father. Oh, how we should be thankful for that. We sing hymns about his redemptive work, but let us never forget to continually give thanks. Lord, thank you for your redeeming grace, for the great price that was paid to save my soul, to secure me and bring me into your family and fellowship. Thankful for the message of the gospel. I'm thankful every time I have the opportunity to preach, to know that I can come before people with a message of hope. I can tell fallen, ruined sinners that there is hope. The word gospel means good news. We have good news.

Oh, there's some bad news that precedes it. The bad news is that you by nature are a sinner. You are guilty before God.

You deserve nothing but his wrath. But the good news is there is hope for sinners. Paul said, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all the acceptation that Christ Jesus came to the world to save sinners of whom I am chief.

Jesus, in talking to Nicodemus in the third chapter of the gospel of John, set forth the truth of the gospel. And as Moses was lifted up, John chapter 3 and verse 14, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life. No doubt when that serpent was lifted up because the people had been bitten by serpents and many were dying, what message of hope it was, look and live. There might have been some at a great distance wondered if they were able to see it clearly. Some might have wondered if they had enough faith, but that wasn't the issue.

Look and live. He says Jesus was lifted up just like that serpent was lifted up in the wilderness and now whosoever believeth. A person might say, I feel my faith if I have any is weak and trembling, but it's not the strength of your faith which saves you, it's Jesus. He that believeth on him should not perish but have eternal life. And then chapter 6 and verse 37, The soul that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. So if there's a trembling soul who says, I fear to come, I wonder if my faith is enough, I don't know that I am understanding it clearly as I would like, he says, him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. What is it to come to Jesus? It's to repent of your sin and to believe on him.

I'm the one that comes, I'll not cast him out. Couldn't bring a message of greater hope than that. What good news for the worst of sinners, the most despicable fallen creatures that have ever lived, the message, you come to me, says Jesus, and I will not cast you out. Are you thankful for the gospel? You've heard it over and over again throughout your life.

I hope you never get tired of hearing it. You want to hear it again and again, for it's the greatest message ever told. And then certainly in conjunction with that, we should be thankful that salvation is by grace. Timothy chapter 1 verse 9, God who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. He saved us. How did he save us? He called us. How did he call us? Called us not according to our works. Nothing that you've ever done would merit the favor of God. It's not your effort. He called you not according to your works but according to his own purpose, his purpose which was given us in Christ Jesus. God determined it before the foundation of the world, sent his Son in the fullness of time, purchased those who were given to him in the covenant, calls us now by the effectual drawing of the Holy Spirit so that we have to say, if indeed I'm saved, the Lord saved me. I didn't save myself. I didn't help to save myself.

He did it. So I rejoice in the good news that salvation is by grace. Be thankful for it every day that you live and thankful that he will complete the work.

Philippians chapter 1 verse 6 says, he that hath begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ. We may sometimes get disgusted with ourselves. We at times may be frustrated with others. But the Lord never gives up on us.

We may say, here's a wandering soul. What's the use? Why not give up? Why try to help them?

They're not responding. Are we not thankful that our Savior doesn't give up on us? How many times have you wandered? How many times have you failed? How many times have you asked God to forgive you and you still stumbled again?

But he didn't give up on you. He that started the work will finish it. And one day, Jesus will stand in the presence of the Father and say, behold, I am the children that thou has given me. They'll all be there. Not one missing. Not one soul lost along the way. All of them there because salvation is by his sovereign grace. And thankful that one day you're going to be with Jesus. The more I think about that, the more I marvel at it. To think someday you're going to be in the presence of Jesus Christ.

See him face to face. You couldn't even endure it today because in these natural bodies, by the brilliance of his glory, we would be consumed. But there you'll have a glorified body conformed to his image so that you can see him and enjoy his presence and be a part of that triumphant chorus that's saying, thou art worthy for thou is slain and has redeemed us to God by thy own precious blood.

Jesus said in John 14, let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I'd go to prepare a place for you. Think about that. If you are a child of God, he's gone to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, there ye may be also. Where Jesus is, there you will be.

What a wonderful truth. Are you thankful for that today? When the way gets rough here to know this is temporary, we certainly have to be concerned each day that we live that we honor the Lord in our attitude and in our conduct. But how wonderful to know that though the valleys here may be deep this coming today, you will be at home with Jesus. Be thankful.

And then pray thankfully. What's it mean? It means before the requests are made that we are giving thanks to God. Often our hearts are heavy.

Our burdens are numerous. We have a tendency to rush right to the throne of grace in the name of Jesus and begin to pour out the burdens of our heart. But we need to follow the teaching that Paul gave us in Philippians chapter 4 when it tells us to rejoice always in the Lord. And then verse 6, be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.

When you get ready to make those requests, just stop. Say, Lord, I want to give you thanks. I want to thank you. And you can enumerate some of the things we just talked about. And then you can talk about the special things that have been going on in your life. And how he has blessed you. I want to give you thanks.

Make your request known with thanksgiving. What does it mean? It means to acknowledge that every good thing you have comes from God. James chapter 1 verse 17 tells us that every good and perfect gift cometh down from the Father of lights in whom there is no variable turning. God is faithful. He doesn't change.

He's the same yesterday, today and forever. And every good gift, everything that you have, every material thing that you have, every spiritual thing that you have, every good and perfect gift cometh down from the Father above. So if you're going to pray, thankfully, you're going to start there. You're going to thank him for his abundant mercies. Thank him for the gift of his son. Thank him for the redemptive work at the cross. Thank him for the hope that he's given you that you anticipate the day of some time being with him.

And then go down the list as best you can. Thank you, Lord. May not be in perfect health, but I thank you for what measure of health I have. Thank you, Lord, for family and friends and a job. Thank you for my church.

On and on the list can go. It means to praise God for what he has given you and what he has done for you. It means to remember his faithfulness. Jeremiah the prophet was in a low state. He said, My hope is perished from the Lord.

But then he said, This I recall to mine. Therefore have I hope. We need to recall the mercies of God.

Don't forget about that. Sometimes it's a special blessing just to go back over years past and recall how God has blessed. I was talking to some of the folks at Pontiac, Michigan the other night. Some of them could recall that I had been up there to preach in the Detroit area many years ago. I think about 1955 was my first trip up there. The next day I was scheduled to speak at one of the elementary schools.

This was before the days of the Princeton system. It was an elementary school in Sharonville. One of our members was the principal there. And I was looking forward to speaking to that school.

They don't do that these days, but back then they invited preachers in to speak. So on the way to the airport that morning, the man driving me got lost. By the time I walked up to the ticket counter, the man said, I'm sorry, your plane just took off. I said, well, Lord, here I am. I'm available.

If you'll get me to Cincinnati, I'd sure like to speak at that school. So I just stood there. A little bit, the man came back and said, I told you, your plane is gone. I said, I know, but if you don't mind, I'd just like to stand here and wait and see what God does. So a little bit, he came back and says, I don't believe this, but your plane is on the way back. He said, it's got just a little problem.

It won't take them 10 or 15 minutes to fix it. So if you'll follow me, I'll put you on that plane while it's on the ground. And I got on that plane and got back to Cincinnati and preached at that school that morning. I think back on some of those events and, Lord, I don't want to forget about those things.

They were good things, special things. And I'm sure that every one of you can think about some unique things that have happened to you where God has blessed and intervened. How does praying thankfully influence our prayer? He approached God with thanksgiving, even in the deepest trials. Job, in response to his great trouble, said in Job chapter 1, the 21st verse, naked came out of my mother's womb and naked shall I return thither.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Now obviously he had some difficult times following this, but here his initial reaction to his trouble was exactly what it should have been.

In all this, Job did not charge God. He came with a thankful heart. He was praying thankfully to his God. He was giving God praise for his sovereign majesty, even in the darkest of times. If you don't come, if you're praying thankfully, you don't come protesting that your path has been too difficult. Lord, I don't understand why all this has happened to me.

I'm terribly upset. You don't begin to complain against God. Job further said in the 23rd chapter of the book of Job verse 10, but he knoweth the way that I take when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. I don't understand what all is going on now, but I know he does. He knows the path. He knows the way I take. And he's going to bring me through it in a positive manner. You give thanks even in the midst of your trials to know that God is at work. Romans 8 28, and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them that are called according to his purpose. Knowing that, you can pray thankfully. Doesn't mean that you never pray that God will help you to get well when you're sick.

Or if you have the thorn in the flesh that God will remove it. Paul prayed that, but God's answer was after three prayers, my grace is sufficient for thee. But if you're praying thankfully, you're thanking God that even in those dark times that you may be experiencing, God is leading you.

God is at work. Now, the third thing, we are to speak with the voice of thanksgiving. We are to express to others how we thank God for his rich blessings. While Jonah is a classic example of one that was a complainer, there was a moment that he said what he should have said in Jonah chapter 2 and verse 9. He said, but I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving.

I will pay that which I have vowed salvation is of the Lord. Looked pretty dark for Jonah. He admitted, I'm the problem on this ship, throw me overboard.

Even the sailors didn't want to do it. They were pagans, but they were compassionate, but finally he said, there's no other hope or this ship's going to go down. And God provided him transportation. Sent a great fish to swallow him. There might have been some fear when he saw that thing coming at him with his mouth open.

Didn't know if he was going to be chewed up or what. But he landed safely in the whale's belly and began to cry out. Said, yet once more will I look toward thy holy temple. Oh, how good to know that on the second time around, God will hear us still.

I'll cry once more, there's nothing else I can do. I'm sure he didn't have his direction straight to know left from right, but he knew he needed to cry that God might hear him in his holy temple. And God heard him, delivered him. And after three days and three nights in that fish, which no doubt was an unpleasant ride, but it was better than drowning in the sea. And he said the seaweed was wrapped around his head, and finally God directed that whale to spit him out on dry land. And when Jonah came out, he sang, salvation is of the Lord.

Now friends, I think that includes a lot. Salvation from the storm, salvation from the ocean, salvation from the fish, salvation in every category is of the Lord. In fact, they tell us that in the Hebrew language, the word here has an extra little signal to it that indicates he wasn't just talking about temporary things, he was talking about salvation in its fullness, the salvation of his soul. Salvation is of the Lord.

Aren't you glad that's the case? It's not left up to us, it's not what we have done or can do, salvation is of the Lord. Speak with the voice of thanksgiving.

That's what Jonah is telling us here. I will sacrifice with the voice of thanksgiving, praising him for salvation. We should speak with the voice of thanksgiving to others. We're not just holding back, we're not just saying, I'm thankful or just speaking it to the Lord.

Speak out. Put your thanksgiving for your thankful heart. Be ye thankful, but be ye thankful by putting it into words.

Don't be one who is always complaining, always telling somebody about what a bad day you've had. Cheer others up, encourage them, help them by expressing your gratitude to God for his abounding blessings upon you. Back to our text, it says in Psalm 26, I will compass thine altar, O Lord, that I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all thy wondrous works. The voice of thanksgiving, are you regularly speaking of his wondrous works? Do you delight in talking about God, his greatness, his glory, the deliverances that you've enjoyed in your life? Do you talk about it?

Do you share it with others? Singing with grace or with thanksgiving in your heart. We want to sing the truth as we sing. Number 155 in our books, ye servants of God. There are two of the verses that are not in our book.

I'm going to read those along with verse 1. Ye servants of God, your master proclaim and publish abroad his wonderful name. The name all victorious of Jesus extolled, his kingdom is glorious and rules over all. The waves of the sea have lift up their voice, so troubled that we in Jesus rejoice. The floods, they are roaring, but Jesus is here, while we are adoring, he always is near. When devils engage, the billows rise, and horribly rage and threaten the skies. Their fury shall never our steadfastness shock, the weakest believer is built on a rock. Rock of ages, glad for me, let me hide myself in thee.

Let the water and the blood from thy room inside which flow. I hope that as we have emphasized the importance of thanksgiving in this message, that you will keep in mind these wonderful truths as you meet with family and friends on thanksgiving day. May we all be able to say that we are speaking with the voice of thanksgiving. Now until we greet you again next time, this is LeSaire Bradley Jr. saying, may God richly bless you. Now let me know, peace for sin could not atone, thou my Savior and thou alone. The Baptist Bible Hour has come to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley Jr. Address all mail to the Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. That's the Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Rock of ages, glad for me, let me hide myself in thee.