Category: General

The coming of God in the flesh is essential to eternal redemption for mankind. Anyone born into this world receives Adamic life and an Adamic nature, for the purpose of expression and fellowship with life as found in this present world. But this present life and world is under the judgment and curse of Almighty God. This condemnation has come because of sin. You and I must be delivered from this present kingdom of darkness, sin, and Satan into the kingdom of God, or we will not have life eternal. The question that confronts all who are in this life is how to escape the judgment of God that abides upon those who are confined in the kingdom of darkness. We entered this kingdom of darkness by being born into it. One enters the kingdom of God by means of the new birth.

The Lord Jesus, in John 3:3, says that to be born of the flesh and not of the Spirit means one cannot see the kingdom of God, hence the absolute need of the new birth. Unless one is born the second time while still living in this life, he will not see nor enter into the kingdom of God.?

MAN’S WAYS ARE NOT GOD’S WAYS

Many individuals who have become aware of sin and its problems have devised many ways, to their own liking, to escape the judgment at death and to enter into salvation in the life to come. But man’s ways are only a continuation of the way of death and darkness. In order to escape the inevitable result of this present life into which we have been born, God says we need to be born again- by the Spirit of God- that we might enter into His kingdom of light and life. The Lord Jesus Christ, knowing and recognizing these truths and principles,spoke to Nicodemus and said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:6-7).

How did this Teacher, Jesus Christ, know this? Was He just smarter than those living at His time? Did He come upon a truth that others had overlooked? What is the answer to this situation? You and I might speculate and reason on this for some time, but even if we were to hit on the truth of the matter, we would not know it as the truth because ” … the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” ( 1 Corinthians 2: 14).

The kingdom of darkness into which we have come by our first birth, which is a natural, adamic birth, can only be overcome by a second birth which is “from above.” The second birth will cause the first one to be laid aside by death that the second may continue for eternity. Hence by means of a second birth and that “from above”(heavenly), one born into the kingdom of darkness can now be translated into the kingdom of light. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10: 13).

Jesus said in John 14:6, ” .. .1 am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” He is the Way; He is the Truth; He is the Life. He came to this world of darkness for the purpose of giving to mankind ” … the way, the truth, and the life …. ” Who is this person called Jesus the Christ?

CHRIST WAS GOD IN THE FLESH

Jesus the Christ, according to the Bible, is God in the flesh. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 3:16, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

William H. Bowler, in his book, The Virgin Birth, states, “God will not permit any controversy on this matter. This is an ‘either-or’ statement. Either you believe God, or you call Him a liar. There is no middle ground, and no controversy about it, and no room for human interpretation or opinion!” Again he states, “If Jesus Christ were not the Son of God and God the Son, then the cross of Calvary was only a sham, and the death of Christ was only the death of one who was deceived. If Jesus Christ were not the virgin-born Son of God, then His blood could never cleanse from sin. The Bible says that we are redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:19). But if Jesus Christ were not virgin-born, His blood would have no more value than your blood! Do you see what difference it makes whether or not we believe in the virgin birth and deity of Christ? It makes the difference between Heaven and Hell!”

In John 1: 1, we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Then in verse 14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Jesus the Christ is God in human form. Philippians 2:5-8 very clearly presents this truth, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, 0 God” (Hebrews 1 0:4-7).

CHRIST’S BODY HAD TO BE SINLESS

The Scriptures teach that God was manifest to mankind in a body of flesh. It was in that body that Christ bore our sins to Calvary. It was the blood shed from that body that cleanses from sin (Hebrews 10:4).

In the Incarnation of God, the kind of body is important. It must be a sinless body. The record of Scripture is that God has used four ways to produce human bodies:

1. By the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7).

2. By the rib from Adam (Genesis 2:22).

3. By uniting man and woman (Genesis4:1).

4. By the power of the Holy Spirit and the virgin (Matthew 1:20).

The last or fourth way is known as the “seed of the woman.” This is the manner of providing the body for the Christ. Genesis 3: 15 states, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” God is here saying that by the Seed of the woman, He will overcome Satan. The Redeemer is to be of human form, derived from the woman. Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” The angelic messenger to Joseph, in Matthew 1:20-21, states, “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins”

CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS

The doctrine of Scripture as to the Incarnation is that God took upon Himself a human body. That body was without sin, for it was conceived by the Holy Ghost of the virgin Mary. God in that body lived the kind of life His Word commanded us to live. Then, at Calvary, he paid the price of our sins by the shedding of His blood on our behalf. Praise God, we now have a Saviour in the person of Jesus the Christ who lived for us in the flesh, a life without sin, and then died for the sin we had committed. Only God could be that kind of Saviour!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God” (John 1 :1-2).

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:8-14 ).

The greatest event that has ever taken place in the history of the world was the coming into it of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of mankind. The first promise of the coming of a Saviour is found in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” In Isaiah 7:14, we learn that He was to be born of a virgin, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”; and in Isaiah 9:6, we are told that ” … his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The MightyGod, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” God honoured Micah and Daniel in allowing them to tell where and when He would be born, (Micah 5; Daniel 9). As we know, the birth of Christ took place as foretold by the Old Testament prophets.

The story of the birth of Jesus is simply told, and it is the “sweetest story ever told.” The angels proclaimed it; the shepherds heard and believed it. They said one to another, ” … Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us” (Luke 2:15). As a result of their trip to Bethlehem, we are told that they ” … returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen,as it was told unto them” (Luke 2:20).

People have been told the story of the birth of Jesus ever since that first Christmas Day. Many have believed it and accepted Christ as Saviour, and they, too, have glorified and praised God continually for

this wonderful Saviour. Down through the ages the saints have sung His praises and have told the glad news of salvation from sin through His atoning work on the cross, and souls have been saved and born again as a result of their testimony.

Oh, let the glad news ring out! “The story of salvation repeat over and over,” for there are countless multitudes who have never heard it. When the angels announced His birth, the humble shepherds hastened to Bethlehem to worship and adore. The wise men saw His star in the East, and they traveled weary miles to behold Him, and to lay their gifts at His feet. Centuries have rolled by since that glad day, and history has repeated itself many times. For the plain people of earth, the unlearned, and the children have sought and found Him, and the wise and learned, many of them, have received the news of salvation with glad hearts, have left all, and followed Him.

The world was steeped in sin; it needed a Saviour. The world today is still steeped in sin, and men still need the redeeming grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Many are accepting Him, praise God! Jeremiah the prophet said, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). It is from the Word of God that men learn of Christ, the Saviour of mankind. How glad and thankful we who love Him and are giving out the Word should be, in doing what we can to tell others “the sweetest story every told.” This story of the One who was to be called ” … JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21 ), is being told to men of every race and country.

Men, alas, are still sinning against God, even as they were when the Saviour came nineteen hundred years ago. But let us keep reminding them of Romans 6:23, which says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The Old Testament Scriptures predicted the coming of a
Messiah who would be both a Saviour and a King. Prophecy became
history in Jesus Christ. At His first coming, ” … the LORD hath laid on
him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6), and when He comes again,
” … the government shall be upon his shoulder … ” {Isaiah 9:6).
The Lord’s return for the church and His subsequent coming
with the church to reign over the earth forms the Christian hope and
solution to the problems of a chaotic world. The Scripture reveals
numerous blessings bound up in that wonderful hope.

A HOPE OF RESURRECTION
The Apostle Paul tells us that following the archangel’s shout,
announcing the coming of Christ, believers in Christ who have died
shall be raised (1 Thessalonians 4: 16). This is the first resurrection or
the resurrection of life (John 5:28-29).
The happy state of those sharing resurrection at Christ’s
coming is described in Revelation 20:6, “Blessed and holy is he
that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death
hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ,
and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

A HOPE OF RAPTURE
Immediately following the resurrection of the dead in Christ,
believers who are living at that time shall be caught up to meet the
Lord in the air, “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” (1 Thessalonians
4: 17). The Lord spoke of this blessed hope to His disciples in John
14:2-3, ” … 1 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.”

A HOPE OF REUNION
Resurrected believers and living saints are to be caught up
together to meet the Lord in the air “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”(1 Thessalonians 4:17). What a happy reunion that will be! Husbands
and wives shall be joined again, broken fam1ly circles restored,
friends and loved ones shall meet, never to be parted again.

A HOPE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
“For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of
righteousness by faith” (Galatians 5:5). “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; f or we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of his Son…” (Romans 8:29). Not only to be sinless but to be unable to sin! “And every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3).

A HOPE OF RESTORATION
The redemptive work of Christ shall then lift the curse of sin
from the whole groaning creation. “For the earnest expectation of
the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God
(Romans 8:19). “For we know that the whole creation groaneth
and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:22). Then
shall the desert bloom as a rose, and thorns and thistles shall give
way to fruitful vines and trees. The lion and the lamb shall lie down
together. All nature shall rejoice and bring forth in abundance (read
Isaiah 35).

HOPE OF REWARD
When our glorious King returns, He shall bring His rewards
with Him, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with
me, to give every man according as his work shall be”
(Revelation 22: 12). Every act of kindness done in His name, all work
built upon the foundation Christ Jesus, which abides the test of His
judgment, shall be richly rewarded.

A HOPE OF REIGNING
Those who follow the path of humiliation marked out by
His nail-pierced feet shall be exalted with Him. ” … and they shall
reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:5). The willing victim of
the cross shall one day wear the victor’s crown. The Saviour shall
be acclaimed Sovereign. He shall be glorified in the innumerable
hosts of the redeemed!

In Galatians 4:4, we read, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” Thus, according to the Word of God, the coming of Christ into the world and His lowly birth of the virgin were pre-arranged even to the setting of the very hour. This indicates that in God’s great program of redemption, there is neither confusion or chance, but perfect order and plan.

God is never ahead of His program, and surely never behind. As the first coming of our Lord was according to God’s prearranged plan, even so His second coming to earth will be according to His own set time. The church’s social schemes are not going to hasten the coming of His glorious kingdom. The world’s rejection of His program is not going to delay His return, “For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (Hebrews 10:37).

Christ’s first coming into the world brought light to the lost, life to the perishing, comfort to those that mourned, and joy to those who waited in hope; but alas, only sorrow and darkness to the many who rejected Him! We read that “He came unto His own, and his own received Him not” (John 1: 11). The tragic record of the overthrow of Jerusalem, with the destruction of the beautiful temple, and the scattering of Israel in unbelief among the nations, was but the aftermath of the nation’s sad rejection of Jesus, their Messiah.

There are many signs today that indicate the near approach of His second advent to earth. That advent will mean joy and glory to those that look for that ” … blessed hope … ” (Titus 2:13), but sadness and wailing to those who have rejected His claims and refused His grace.

Today we look in vain for anything hopeful among the many schemes of the nations for world peace. Our soon-returning Lord alone can establish peace. Furthermore, abiding peace and lasting joy can only come to every individual sinner by acknowledging Him as Saviour and crowning Him as Lord of all. Do you know and live for Christ?

A little boy, with sad heart and tearful eyes, wended his way out into the field and sat down on a log where he thought no one would see or hear. “All these things I have been told about Santa Claus are only lies … and stork’s don’t bring babies at all … I wonder if there’s any truth in what they tell me about Jesus.”

Reader, this little boy was not the writer of these lines, but he has my deepest sympathy. I barely escaped a thrashing as a boy of ten for telling my younger brothers and sisters there was no truth in the Santa Claus story. Do you suppose I ever regained the respect I lost for my father through that incident?

As I remember my past experience, I think I would have been saved at a very early age had it not been for the lies told me in the name of Christianity.

This little boy continued to muse on his mental and spiritual disaster, “Papa and mamma tell me lies about Santa, and about babies, and about many other things; but if l tell them a lie, I get a whipping … I wonder how old little boys must be before it is right for them to tell lies. What is there so wicked about being born that papa and mamma must lie about it?”

There is never any reason for telling lies to children or for treating them in such a manner as to give them a horror of sacred things.

Do you wonder that your children grow up without faith in Christ when you tell them lies? If you are to prudish to tell your children the truth about the origin of life, why tell them a lie? They will find out sometime, and usually from a morally degrading source, and then their confidence in you is destroyed.

The Lord Jesus said, “And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea” (Mark 9:42). In view of this solemn passage, I plead with you, “Don’t lie to the children.”

Christian parents, God has given you the blessed privilege of training your children so that they will want to know Him and be saved as soon as they are old enough to understand the Gospel. Don’t give them such a false conception of God that they will want nothing to do with Him. How solemn then is your responsibility to so live before them that they will not get a false conception of Him and be lost.

Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, the Scriptures spoke of His coming. The world should have known and welcomed Him, but their ignorance and blindness concerning the teaching of Scripture led them to fail to recognize who He was. The world is and was without excuse. Look what the Scripture revealed about Christ long before He came:

He would be of the tribe of Judah. “Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be”   (Genesis 49:9-10).

He would be born in Bethlehem. “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5 :2).

He would be born of a virgin. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7: 14).

He would be called out of Egypt. “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt” (Hosea 11:1).

He would come as a prophet. “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him” (Deuteronomy 18: 18-19).

His own people would reject Him. “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3).

He would make a triumphal entry into Jerusalem. “Rejoice greatly, 0 daughter of Zion; shout, 0 daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass” (Zechariah 9:9).

He would be sold for thirty pieces of silver. “And I said unto them, Ifye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD” (Zechariah 11: 12-13).

He would be put to death by crucifixion. “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture” (Psalm 22: 14-18).

His hands and His feet would be pierced. “For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet” (Psalm 22:16).

Soldiers would cast lots for His clothing. “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture” (Psalm 22: 18).

He would be raised from the dead. “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption” (Psalm 16:9-10).

He would ascend into Heaven. “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them” (Psalm 68: 18)

It is Christmas! The best diagnosis of the true meaning of Christmas was given by a doctor over 2000 years ago, and it cannot be improved upon. The doctor is Luke, and the diagnosis is found in the second chapter of his inspired “prescription,” which is known to us as the Gospel according to St. Luke. In the eleventh verse, we have the very core of the message, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2: II).

Note how clear and sharp is the doctor’s diagnosis! ” … unto you … ” that is personal. ” … this day … “-that is present. ” … a Saviour … ” -that is precious.

There is all the difference in the world between Christmas and Christ. Millions make a holiday over the former and forget the latter. Christ is frequently crowded out of this special day, which is meant to remember Him the most. Holiness is hidden beneath the holly. The wreath is hung higher than the cross. Often the Saviour is replaced by Santa Claus.

Yet without Christ, there is really no Christmas. Without Him, there is nothing to sing about or rejoice over. Outward merriment all too quickly becomes inward mockery to the starved soul. It is time for us to turn back to that perfect prescription of the old doctor and spend a quiet moment with his words.

” … unto you … ” This is a personal message, and there can he no evasion nor denial. What have you done with the Lord Jesus Christ for this occasion? You have remembered family and friends with gifts, but have you remembered Him?

” … this day … ” Yes, this day, this very moment! Thoughts of Christmas fill the air, and there is at least the passing acknowledgment of His person. But do you know that the thoughts of Christ concerning you are those of grace and eternal life? He offers you the most wonderful Christmas gift available-the gift of your soul’s salvation. What will you do with Christ this Christmas?

” … a Saviour … ” Yes, that is the power source of the prescription. The road from Christmas to Calvary is really a short one, for this Babe of Bethlehem came to die as the Sin-Bearer upon Calvary’s cross. Not “Santa” but the Saviour; not “Claus” but Christ. It is only the man or woman, the boy or girl, who has truly been to Calvary, whose sinful heart has been broken at the foot of the cross, whose life has been cleansed and transformed, who can really and truly know the blessed joy of a “heavenly Christmas” within the heart.

How precious are those words, ” … unto you … this day … a Saviour … “, when the heart is open to receive Him.

How is it with you? Do you belong to the Lord? Or are you still passing by the manger, forgetting that the Holy Babe long ago climbed from His cradle and died on the cross for your redemption. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”, but we are ” … justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24).

Make this redemption your own by accepting into your heart God’s gift, the Christ of Christmas, as your personal Saviour.

The devil’s hatred of Scripture is revealed the first time his name is mentioned in the Bible. Moreover, those who associate with him manifest the same hatred. Let us notice Genesis 3: 1-3:

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat ofthe fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat ofit, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”

” … Yea, hath God said … ” This is Satan’s first utterance in Scripture. It is a challenge to the authority of the Word of God. Eve, in listening to the devil, altered God’s Word:

l. She omitted the words every and freely (Genesis 2: 16).

2. She added the words neither shall ye touch it (Genesis 3:3), to God’s command in Genesis 2:17.

3. She altered the certainty of ” … thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2: 17), to the uncertainty of” … lest ye die” (Genesis 3:3).

Satan’s temptation succeeded because the Word of God was omitted, added to, and altered. It was undermined to the extent that the devil was believed when he denied the Word of God, saying, ” … Ye shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4).

In sharp contrast, Satan’s temptation of the last Adam failed because the Lord Jesus Christ three times repeated, honoured, and established what God had said. He refuted the devil’s suggestions with the affirmation, ” … It is written … ” (Matthew4:4,7,10).

In Christ’s great high priestly prayer (John 17), the Word of God is referred to three times (verses 8,14,17). The disciples received the Word, and they conformed to it. That fellowship with the Father sanctified them and determined their relationship to the world. God’s commandments are only kept when they are obeyed.

Three times God has warned us of the seriousness of altering His Word:

1. “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you” (Deuteronomy 4:2).

2. “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:5-6).

3. “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (Revelation 22:18-21).

God has entrusted us with His Word; therefore, it is time for believers to uphold His Word.

A Christian is commanded to give thanks always, and surely it is of special importance to set apart a day when we make public our thanksgiving to God for His abundant blessings.

In Ephesians 5: 18-20, we are given the following exhortation to holy living,” … be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In Philippians 4:6, we are commanded, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

In Colossians 3: 16-17, we are told, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

Colossians 4:2 says, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.”

1 Timothy 2:1-2, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

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

So I would encourage every Christian to get ready in heart for Thanksgiving Day. The thankful Christian will be a happy Christian, for as he counts his blessings, he will see how blessed of God he is. The thankful Christian will honour God who “giveth and giveth and giveth again”-even to ungrateful hearts.

HEZEKIAH’S GREAT REVIVAL AND THANKSGIVING

In 2 Chronicles 29, we read how King Hezekiah came to the throne of Judah. The temple was abandoned and dirty. Levites had gone about other business instead of keeping the temple and offering the sacrifices. Hezekiah called the Levites back to the service of God, had the temple cleaned up, and the sacrifices restored; and God sent a spiritual revival. The elders of the city brought seven bullocks, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven he goats for a sin offering for the kingdom. They killed the sacrifices and, the people confessing their sinfulness, were reconciled to God.

What a time of rejoicing followed! Hezekiah ” … set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king’s seer, and Nathan the prophet: for so was the commandment of the LORD by His prophets” (2 Chronicles 29:25). The priests joined with the trumpets, “And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt-offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel” (2 Chronicles 29 :27).

So the singers sang and the trumpet was sounded and the great burnt offering continued, ” … And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank-offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt-offerings. And the number of the burnt-offerings, which the congregation brought, was threescore and ten bullocks, an hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD. And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep” (2 Chronicles 29:31-33).

There were not enough priests to slay and dress these animals for the sacrifices, so the Levites helped them. What a revival!

Here the Bible reminds us, as it so often does, that a thankful heart is a giving heart. Thank offerings go with thanksgiving.

God makes the connection of the thank offering and thanksgiving very clear in Psalm 50:14, “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High.” Then follows the blessed promise to the person who is thankful and pays his vows, ” … call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me” (Psalm 50: 15).

Someone has defined Thanksgiving as “our annual time for saying grace at the table of eternal goodness.” Just as some people neglect to say grace before their meals, so some have forgotten the meaning of Thanksgiving.

It is good to remember that “think” and “thank” come from the same root. We need only to think in order to be thankful. Yet ingratitude is one of the most common sins of our time. The inability to feel and express gratitude shuts off blessings God would otherwise freely give. Dwight H. Small writes, “How can God lavish His blessing and power upon the heart that is so dominated by self as to be incapable of reciprocating with proper gratitude? Grave indeed is the sin of ingratitude which withholds the blessing of God from oneself and from others.”

When George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving Proclamation, he said, “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection.” This is a good summary of the duty of all nations today.

We can all be thankful for what we acquire, and what we avoid. We can be thankful for what we experience, and for what we escape. We can be thankful for what we have, and for the blows which do not come. But let us not make the mistake of tying our thanksgiving to material blessings alone.

The basis of a true spirit of thanksgiving is not material at all, but spiritual. It is based on the love and mercy of God, on the joy of the Lord, on the forgiveness of sins, and the cleanness of heart. It grows out of freedom from corroding care, and the peace of God which” … shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

No portion of our Bible is more full of expressions of praise and thanksgiving than the Psalms. Yet these sparkling anthems of praise were written by men who suffered bitter persecution, who risked and, at times, lost all they had, who lived in a little kingdom constantly skirting the edge of disaster, and whose standard of living

would make the poorest of our day seem almost like millionaires in comparison. Still they offered ” … the sacrifice of thanksgiving … ” (Psalm 116: 17) from full hearts.

What a shame it is then to us if we do less! To us has been given God’s unspeakable gift, and He who has not withheld His own Son,” … but delivered him up for us all … “, will certainly with” … him also freely give us all things” (Romans 8:32). Let us then be thankful, and make sure that in appropriate ways we say “grace at the table of eternal goodness.”