Sermon Tone Analysis
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Illustration:
Several years ago, there was a need that a member of our church had.
Because of this need, I put a plan together to help meet the financial component of this need.
As a church, we had some reserves, but what we had was not sufficient.
As a result, I sent an email to several church leaders who each agreed to participate in a portion of that need.
There were several objects of thanks that this member in need could have addressed.
He could have thanked each individual who gave.
He could have given a general “thanks” to the church.
He could have thanked God for providing brothers who were able to meet the need.
Just as there could be different objects who receive “thanks” in my example, there are usually many different objects of our thanks.
Sometimes we thank other human beings.
Sometimes we thank people who are close to us, but as Creatures of God, we should recognize how deserving of thanks the Lord is.
confirms for us that God is deserving of “thanks”.
The question is whether God accepts our thanksgiving or not.
I submit to you that God does not accept all thanksgiving, and the reason that God does not accept all thanksgiving is because He has very specific requirements for the “giving of thanks” that is offered to Him.
Illustration:
There was a show on Television where an employee of a company was going to move to Florida from Pennsylvania.
He along with a coworker were enjoying the sites and sounds on a golf course in Florida.
The coworker pulled out a gift and offered it to the employee who was going to remain in FL.
The employee took the gift, set it on a tee, and smashed it with a golf club.
The employee was showing his dislike of the Pennsylvania office by rejecting the gift.
Rejection is quite difficult, but it is especially difficult when you are trying to be nice.
The scriptures clearly teach us what is required in offering “thanks” to God.
Because this book of Hebrews is written to Jewish converts to Christianity, I think that it’s important to understand what connection they would have made with .
Let’s consider
Several things to keep in mind here.
(1) It was voluntary.
(2) It was the highest form of peace offering that could be given.
(3) The giver had to be ritually clean before offering it.
(4) It was an expression of gratitude to God.
If the offering of thanks was to be accepted, it must be done according to what God had prescribed.
Outside of this it was unacceptable and not pleasing to the Lord.
This is no different today.
If the “giving of thanks” will be offered to God, who is supremely worthy, then it must be done so in the prescribed manner.
We have a few problems:
(1) We are not Jewish, and we don’t follow a Jewish code for life.
(2) We often are not even thinking about what makes our thanksgiving acceptable.
Most of the time we are thinking about “giving of thanks” as simply the right thing to do.
Illustration:
I was playing around with one of the small children here at Grace this past week.
I offered her some candy, and she took it.
Because of this, what do you think her mother told her to say?
Why did she tell her to say it?
I don’t expect that they will care whether I accept the thank you or not.
They assume that I will accept the thanks as an expression of gratitude.
On some occasions, the children will try to share with me because I have shared with them.
These are expressions of gratitude.
They assume that I will accept their tokens of gratitudes.
Proposition:
Because God is God and is worthy of thanks, we should be keenly aware of what makes our offering of thanks acceptable to him and what it is that he rejects!
He does not accept vain expressions or tokens of “thanks.”
(*) Giving of thanks to God is acceptable ONLY when it is given through [by] Christ (v.
15)
(a) What does this mean?
This means only those in relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
The original hearers needed to understand that their Old Testament rituals are not what made them acceptable before God any longer.
Illustration:
Several years ago, on my first trip to Ghana - Missionary Steve Volante told us that we were going to try to get in to see the King of one of the towns.
In preparation, Steve advised us in several ways, and he told us to bring a gift.
We put everything together and prepared for the meeting.
We were ushered into his presence where he gladly accepted us and our gifts were presented to him.
The only reason we were allowed to enter into the presence of the king of this town was because Steve, who knew the king, brought us.
Otherwise, we would not have been able to enter before him, nor would we have been able to give our presents to him.
This is precisely what the writer is saying.
Application:
This means that the only “thanks” that God accepts is from those who have been brought to God by Jesus Christ.
This means that only those who are true, born again believers are accepted with God and can offer thanks that is acceptable.
Illustration:
Around 10 years ago, a friend of mine took me out to Wilmington, Ohio to meet a farmer.
There, he introduced me to him, and there he asked the farmer if I could come and hunt on his land.
Though I had previously had not interaction with this farmer, the farmer let me on the land because of the relationship that my friend had with the farmer.
In like manner, because of the relationship God has with the Son, Jesus brings us to the Father and we are accepted because of Jesus Christ.
This is the only thing that makes any of our offerings acceptable with God.
Transition:
Not only does this mean only those who are in relationship with God through Jesus Christ, but...
(b) Why is this true?
This is true because of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Oh! what could we say about the blood of Christ.
Here, the writer points out that they are made holy by the blood.
This would be important because they were being tempted to believe that they were made holy by rituals.
See
Illustration:
That following Christmas after my first year on the farmer’s land, my wife had made some homemade apple butter for everyone for Christmas.
So, I asked my wife to jar some extra so I could take it out to this farmer who let me hunt on his land.
I did so, and he was grateful.
For a fleeting moment, I thought, “Now that I have my own relationship with this farmer, I really don’t need my friend any more.
I have brought this farmer my own gift, and now I have my own relationship with this farmer.”
I began to think that now the kind gesture I had with this farmer was really taking the place of the long term relationship my buddy had with this farmer.
Similarly, once we come to Christ, we have a temptation to forget that our lives are now what make us more acceptable with God.
It is almost as if we say within ourselves, “I have brought God my own gift of service/talents/money, and I really don’t need Jesus Christ anymore.”
This is so far from the truth though.
The blood of Jesus Christ is not only that which opens the way, but it is that which eternally keeps the way open for us.
Transition:
Not only does this mean only those who are in relationship with God through Jesus Christ, but...
This is true only because of the blood of Jesus Christ
(c) How can I offer this kind of thanksgiving?
(*) what does my thanksgiving look like if I am not a believer
Consider the fact that God has provided the ONLY way for you to know Him by giving His Son Jesus Christ.
You have, in your heart, rejected Him.
How then can you be genuinely “thankful” from the heart - when you have rejected him from the same heart?
This is hypocrisy, at best.
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