“Thanking God through Our Living” Hebrews 13:15-16

Ever since the first Europeans arrived in the Western Hemisphere, there have been observations of thanksgiving. Generally, these days were held by a community and occurred after various events, such as a victory in battle or a good harvest.

When the United States became a nation, the Thanksgiving holiday was generally proclaimed by the president, beginning with George Washington at the request of Congress. Such a date was usually the last Thursday of November, but it was always at the discretion of the president.

Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving Day as an annual holiday, beginning in 1863, with Congress passing a law to make it a holiday observed in Washington, D.C. President Ulysses Grant signed a law extending the holiday to all federal employees of the United States.

Franklin Roosevelt, at the request of retailers, moved Thanksgiving from the last Thursday in November to the fourth Thursday. Congress officially passed a law to that effect and it has remained a federal holiday since.

Needing the government to remind us to be thankful isn’t something followers of Christ should need. Paul, writing to the Philippians, urged them to give praise and thanksgiving always (cf. Philippians 4:4-6). The Lord’s Prayer includes the acknowledgement that all our daily needs come from the Father. The Psalms are filled with references of giving thanks and praise to God.

So, as we come to the official day of Thanksgiving, it is only right that we be reminded of what it really means to give God thanks.

Background

The writer of Hebrews has presented his case that Jesus is superior to all other forms of worship, particularly the Old Testament ways. Jesus has been shown to be superior to angels, Moses, Aaron and the Levitical priesthood and to the sacrificial system. Following encouragement to embrace all the benefits that come from following Jesus, the writer summarizes the superiority of the new covenant over the old in the end of Chapter 12. He concludes the chapter with this statement: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire’” (Hebrews 12:28-29).

The final chapter of the book is devoted to encouragements and instructions relating to the way we relate to one another, and warnings not to be “carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.”

As we come to today’s passage, the writer reminds us that all we are and have is made possible by God through Jesus. Accordingly, he gives us a message reminding us of today’s truth. He tells us we thank God by our words and by our actions.

Central Truth: We thank God in the way we live our lives.

We thank God by:

Continually giving Him thanks and praise (15a)

In the Old Testament, God instructed Moses that the people should give sacrifices for forgiveness and for thanksgiving. Over time, the debate was discussed over which sacrifice was more gratifying to God.

There were those who argued the atonement sacrifice was more pleasing, because God wanted to forgive sins and wanted us to acknowledge we had sinned against Him. The argument was that in presenting such a sacrifice, the person was realizing their constant need for forgiveness and atonement that came only from God.

Those who argued that the thanksgiving offering said that the atonement sacrifice, while important and significant, was given in order to get something from God—forgiveness. Those who made thanksgiving offerings, though, were not seeking anything from God, but instead were giving Him praise and thanksgiving. In this way, they acknowledged all they had came from God and in return gave Him their hearts and their beings. The thanksgiving offering was a love offering, not because of what God could do for them, but for what God had done for them.

Jesus is our source of atonement through His death at Calvary. By Him, we are brought into relationship with God as Father, and we are given free access to the Father through Jesus. In fact, every aspect of our relationship with God the Father is made possible only because of what God the Son has done and is doing for us.

Toward that end, then, the writer exhorts us to offer our sacrifices of praise to the Father through Jesus. Without Jesus, there is no redemption, no eternal life. It is through Him we give thanks, and it is through Him we encounter God the Father. Therefore, all we do and say is to be filtered through the glorious work and ministry and example of Jesus Christ the Son.

When we give thanks to God, we must thank Him first and foremost for His Son, because without Jesus there is no relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Giving continual sacrifice through our: (15b-16)

Even though Jesus fulfilled the atonement for our sins at Calvary, and even though Jesus ended once for all the need for continual sacrifices, nevertheless the New Testament speaks to us of our need for offering sacrifices to the Father through the Son as we are led by the Spirit.

The difference under Christ is that our sacrifices are personal and internal, not the giving of an animal’s life and blood. Paul reminds us to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice (cf. Romans 12:1-2), calling it a spiritual act of worship. This living sacrifice leads us to transformation by the Holy Spirit.

The writer of Hebrews tells us also that we are to offer sacrifices of praise to God through Jesus. He gives us three ways to make this offering.

• Words of praise

The first way the writer shows us that we give the sacrifice is through the praise of our words—“the fruit of lips that confess His name” (15a). It is through our words that we demonstration our devotion to the Father by confessing Jesus Christ as Lord.

Our words also give thanks in the way we speak to and about others. Returning to Philippians 4, Paul urges us to focus on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—let us think about such things” (v. 8). Our words should be used to lift others up, to encourage and instruct.

And our words should be filled with gratitude toward the One who saves us through His Son, Jesus Christ. It’s easy to get into the habit of going to God in prayer solely to ask Him for things, but we should spend time in giving thanks and praise. An interesting exercise to take is to spend a few moments just writing down the things that God has done for us and to write down God’s attributes—what makes Him God. Someone once told me that we give thanks to God for what He does—His actions—and give praise for Who He is—His attributes. If you have a concordance in your Bible, look to the section under God and just look for verses that say, “God is. . .” You can use the entire Bible or just the New Testament. You’d be surprised and also find a wonderful resource of God’s attributes.

Use our words to reflect that we belong to the Son by giving thanks to the Father with lips that confess His name.

• Acts of ministry

Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase, “If you can’t walk the walk, don’t talk the talk.” I don’t know if it was around when the book of Hebrews was written, but it fits nicely with what the writer tells us next about the idea of self-sacrifice in our devotion to God through Jesus.

You see, it’s not enough to tell God we love Him and thank Him for all He does for us. There must also be a demonstration of this love and gratitude, and it is expressed in the way we relate to others. Toward that end, the writer gives us two examples of how to demonstrate our sacrifices to God.

The first is in doing good. Please note that the doing of good is not the activity of not doing evil. Simply not doing bad is merely a form of inactivity. If we want to walk the walk, then we have to take steps. We have to do good. Help one another. Go the second mile. Speak words of encouragement. Hold doors open, letting others go first. Rather than insist on our rights, let us submit to one another in Christ Jesus our Lord (cf. Ephesians 5:15-21). If we would offer God a sacrifice of action, then let us do good toward one another. Let us live out 1 Corinthians 13.

Second, our sacrificial activity should include the sharing with others.

When we give ourselves to Christ, we give Him not just ourselves but all we have. We are no longer possessors of our goods, but stewards of our goods, recognizing that all we have and all we are is a result of God’s mercy and grace. As stewards, then, we are to use the goods in our care toward the Master’s glory and honor.

It doesn’t take much to help someone in need at their time of need. Sure, it make take a few minutes of our day and a few dollars out of our pockets, but if God put the minutes and dollars there to begin with, He gave them to us for a reason, and He will replenish our stock as needed. Serving God through Christ is never a waste of time or effort, nor is it a waste of money.

Being a steward means being prudent in our giving and in our sharing. As we prayerfully go along each day, we become sensitive to God’s leading and our decision-making becomes more in keeping with God’s will. He doesn’t expect nor does He want us to throw our money and time away on frivolous things, but on things that will bring glory and honor to Him.

Conclusion

The season of Thanksgiving comes around regularly on our calendars. We know once Halloween has passed that we need to start serious preparation for big meals, planning on cooking turkey for the first time since last Christmas or Thanksgiving.

But the attitude of thanksgiving that comes to us through Christ Jesus our Lord must be with us throughout the seasons, extending past a mandated date or time or place. We demonstrate our gratitude to God not just from saying things of praise and thanksgiving, but in the way we let Him live through us through the giving of ourselves to Him. We not only give thanks verbally, but we also do so in acts of goodness and of sharing. This is how we truly say “Happy Thanksgiving” to the Father.