Sacrifice of Thanksgiving
By: Pastors Rodney & Adonica Howard-BrownePublish date: 11/19/2023
Foundation Scriptures:Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. Psalm 100:4-5 KJV
1. Sacrifice of Thanksgiving.
a. Psalm 116:17 NKJV — I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the Lord.
b. There are two Hebrew words, translated ‘thanks’ and/or ‘thanksgiving.’
c. Thanks (Hebrew yāḏâ) — to give thanks; laud; praise—with extended hands.
d. Thanks/Thanksgiving (Hebrew tôḏâ) — an extension of the hand; adoration; confession; specifically, a choir of worshippers; (sacrifice of) praise; thanks(-giving, offering).
e. Thanksgiving, or the giving of thanks, is both a posture and an attitude.
f. Praise, worship, and thanks to God is expressed through extending—lifting up or throwing up—your hands.
g. This is one of the reasons that we lift up our hands when we sing and worship the Lord.
h. Psalm 100:4a AMPC — Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise!
i. Jeremiah 33:11 AMPC — [There shall be heard again] the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing as they bring sacrifices of thanksgiving into the house of the Lord, Give praise and thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good; for His mercy and kindness and steadfast love endure forever! For I will cause the captivity of the land to be reversed and return to be as it was at first, says the Lord.
j. A sacrifice—an offering—of praise and thanksgiving will reverse captivity and break bondages.
k. God’s people can praise their way into victory!
2. Sacrifice of Praise.
a. Hebrews 13:15 KJV — By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
b. We give praise and thanks as an offering to the Lord.
c. Praise and thanks are intertwined with one another and go together.
d. When we thank Him, we are praising Him and when we praise Him, we give Him thanks.
e. We praise God from a grateful heart—because we are thankful and appreciative and grateful to Him, for Who He is and what He has done for us.
f. We praise God when we are feeling thankful—but even when we do not feel thankful, we can choose to praise and thank Him anyway.
g. Sometimes, when we do not feel happy, we can still choose to put a smile on our face, and somehow it makes us feel better and happier.
h. In the same way, we can choose to praise and thank God, especially when we least feel like doing it.
i. It will serve to change our attitude, and also release the blessing of God in our life that we so desperately need.
3. Joy and Thanks.
a. Psalm 27:6 AMPC — And now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies round about me; in His tent I will offer sacrifices and shouting of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
b. Joy (Hebrew tᵊrûʿâ) — joy; shout of joy; alarm of war; war-cry; battle-cry.
c. It is Biblical to bring a sacrifice of joy and shouting to God.
d. It is a battle cry and victory shout!
e. Psalm 95:2 AMPC — Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!
f. Isaiah 51:3 AMPC — For the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song or instrument of praise.
g. Joy, gladness, thanks, thanksgiving, praise, and victory go hand-in-hand.
h. 1 Corinthians 15:57 NKJV — But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
4. We Give Thanks.
a. Psalm 140:13 KJV — Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.
b. We give thanks to God because He is good and His mercy endures forever.
c. We give thanks to God because His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.
d. Psalm 100:5 AMPC — For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting, His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.
e. We give thanks to God because He is holy.
f. Psalm 97:12 KJV — Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
g. We give thanks to God because of, and for, His wondrous works.
h. Psalm 105:1-2 KJV — O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. 2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.
i. We give thanks to God for His generous provision and for His protection.
j. Psalm 79:13 KJV — So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.
k. We give thanks to God for Jesus—and for His indescribable gift of grace, salvation, and sonship.
l. 2 Corinthians 9:15 AMPC — Now thanks be to God for His Gift, [precious] beyond telling [His indescribable, inexpressible, free Gift]!
m. Colossians 1:12 AMPC — Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God’s holy people) in the Light.