Three Things I Am Thankful For!

Titus 2:11-15
" For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee."

Psalm 100:4, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

I Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Here we are again when the Thanksgiving holiday is almost upon us. As Americans we have so much to be thankful for.
That great 16th president of the United States by the name of Abraham Lincoln made these remarks in reference to being thankful to God Almighty: “It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the American people.” In fact, these words were part of a formal statement issued in bringing to pass the first yearly National Day of Thanksgiving in 1863 which was passed by Congress.

Those of us who are Christians who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our very own personal Lord and Saviour have more to be thankful for then anyone else on the face of the earth! If we know that our sins are forgiven by Jesus Christ the Son of God, then we are eternally thankful to God for His great salvation. But tonight I am especially thinking of three things for which I am most thankful for with all of my heart: the book, the blood and the blessed hope. Our text passage in Titus 2:11-15 deals in some way with each of these three things.

I. THE BOOK-verse 15
1. When we say the book we mean the Bible. It was said that in Sir Walter Raleigh’s dying hours he said, “Bring me the book!” And someone replied, “Which one?” And Sir Walter Raleigh answered, “There’s only one book.” Of course, he was referring to the Holy Bible the precious Word of God!

2. I am thankful that we have the inspired and preserved Word of God! And I mean the old King James Bible which has withstood the critics and liberals, the modernists and doubters, the atheists and all of the present day ungodly crowd that would ban its truths from the universe if they could.

3. II Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”.

4. Paul commanded Timothy in II Timothy 4:2-4, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

5. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:24-27 that if we will hear the word of God and do it, then we are like the wise man who built his house upon a rock and when the storms came the house did not fall because it was built upon a rock. God’s Word is a solid rock!

6. Psalm 1 teaches us that if we would be blessed, bring forth fruit, and prosper that we must delight to meditate in God’s Word both day and night! The blessed man or woman does not seek the ungodly counsel of hell-bound worldly sinners but thirsts and hungers for the wise counsel of God’s Holy Word. How thankful I am for the Book tonight!

II. THE BLOOD-verse 14

1. Thank God that Jesus shed his holy blood at Calvary’s Cross for our wicked sins!

2. Ephesians 2:12-13, "That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."

3. Colossians 1:12-14 "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:"

4. I Peter 1:18-20, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you."

5. Hebrews 10:19, 20, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;"

6. Revelation 5:9,10, " And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."

7. Jesus said in John 6:53, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”
It’s still the blood of the Lamb of God in 2003 that brings life to a lost soul when he by faith alone takes in the blood that was shed at Calvary’s Cross. Churches will be dead except they drink the blood. Hymnbooks and songbooks are dried up except they get the blood back in them. Sinners will remain dead in their trespasses and sins except they drink the blood. Your religion is dead as long as it leaves out the precious blood of God’s own Son.

8. Thank God that in 2003 it’s still the blood!

III. THE BLESSED HOPE-verse 13

1. I thank God that I am looking for that blessed Hope! I am looking for Jesus to come from God’s right hand to call me up to meet Him in the air one day!

2. John 14:1-6,"Let not your heart be troubled: ye 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 go 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. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

3. I Corinthians 15:51-54, "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."

4. I Thessalonians 4:13-18, "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

5. Philippians 3:20,21, "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."

6. I John 3:1-3, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."

7. Thank God we ought not to spend our days looking for the undertaker but for the Uppertaker! The Church is not on its way down but on its way up!

8. Christ is the Heavenly Bridegroom and we who have trusted His Book and have been washed by his blood make up the Bride of Christ. We are looking, waiting, eagerly anticipating the coming of Jesus Christ for His own saints. Jesus will take His bride up in the air and begin pouring out the wrath of God all over this earth as the Antichrist comes on the scene and rules the world for a just a short while. People everywhere will take the mark of the beast and seal their eternal doom in the lake of fire where the Antichrist and Satan himself shall burn forever. Thank God if we are saved, then we are not looking for the wrath of God but the rapture of the church. And we who love Jesus are not looking for the Antichrist but the actual Christ! Like a star burning brightly in the darkest hour before dawn, so the church is waiting to be robed with glory when the blessed Saviour appears in that moment when He comes again for his own! Thank God that a better and brighter day is ahead for God’s children.

9. The best is yet to come!

Do you know for sure that Jesus Christ is your personal Lord and Saviour? Are you trusting in the Book of God-the Holy Bible? Have you taken in the Blood of God’s Son that was shed and poured out to redeem your soul?

Are you looking for Jesus to come back? Are you living like He could come today?

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