Spiritual Sacrifices Of Praise And Thanksgiving

by G. PRASHER, SR., Maidstone | Category: Worship | Jul 1964

Sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving may be from individuals, from families, and from assemblies, and are the result of some measure of appreciation of the Persons and work of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. David says:

"Of the glorious majesty of Thine honour,

And of Thy wondrous works, will I meditate" (Psalm 145.5).

It was the glorious majesty of His honour that brought the Lord Jesus all the way to Calvary to the cross of woe, "That He (God) might Himself ...be the Justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus." Our fearful debt that demanded an infinite payment was met by Him "who gave Himself a Ransom for all". This is where we commence in our appreciation of the work of God our Saviour. While the wonders of His work in creation bow our hearts in reverential awe, the bright glories of His grace beyond His other w6nders shine, and we sing,

"Who is a pardoning God like Thee,

Or who hath grace so rich and free ?"

Our sacrifices of praise make confession to the name of Him who suffered without the gate.

THE INDIVIDUAL

David the Psalmist is a good example of an individual, offering the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. He says,

"I love Thee, 0 LORD, my strength,

The Loan' is my rock, and my fortress, and my Deliverer...

I will call upon the Loan' who is worthy to be praised

So shall I be saved from mine enemies ...

The LORD liveth; and blessed be my Rock;

And exalted be the God of my salvation ...

Therefore will I give thanks unto Thee, 0 LORD, among the nations,

And I will sing praises unto Thy name."

(Psalm 18.1, 2, 3, 46, 49).

Psalm 107 shows that men were brought into various trials because of transgression. Among those mentioned are wanderers, rebels and fools. The wanderers were in the desert forty years because of disobedience; the rebels had rebelled against the words of God and contemned the counsel of the Most High, and fools had gone in the way of their transgression. Hunger, thirst and fainting souls were the trials of the wanderers; the hearts of the rebels were brought down with labour, so that they fell down with none to help; and in the affliction of the fools their souls abhorred all manner of meat, and they drew near unto the gates of death. When, however, any such turned and cried to the LORD He was ready to satisfy the longing souls, and fill the hungry soul with good. He was ready to save them out of their distresses, and out of darkness and the shadow of death, to break their bands in sunder, to send forth His word to heal them, and deliver them from their destructions. The goodness of God leads men to repentance (Romans 2.4). In view of such salvation and deliverance the repentant one could appreciate the words of the Psalmist

"Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with singing" (verses 21, 22).

"Whoso is wise," says the Psalmist, "shall give heed to these things, and they shall consider the mercies of the LORD."

Ephesians 5.20 calls us to give "thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father". There are times when this is not an easy matter. Do we rise to it when tribulation and adversity come our way? Elihu tells us that "He (God) delivereth the afflicted by his affliction, and openeth their ear by adversity" (Job 36.15, RVM). It is therefore good when we are able to discern the hand of God in His dealings with us, and if, as repentant, believing people, we can say,

"0 Thou whose bounty fills our cup With every blessing meet,

We give Thee thanks far every drop, The bitter and the sweet."

The bitter drop, the desert road, the frown and loss are allowed by God to work us good. All sunshine would produce the desert. Israel had the desert road after the song of deliverance at the Red Sea, and then the bitter drop of the waters of Marah. Elim's springs were followed by the trial of empty stomachs and the attack of Amalek, and yet despite the delivering hand of the LORD on each occasion of trial we search in vain for the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. We do well to remember that sufferings and sorrows are God's plowshares that penetrate to the subsoil of our souls, to prepare us for God's purpose concerning us - that of bearing fruit. "Ye did not choose Me," said the Lord Jesus, "but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide" (John 15.16). If we are fully awake to all this, and appreciate that our trials and sufferings are to this end, then we might the better respond and offer the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving.

We would know more of what the sons of Korah wrote,

"Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house They will be still praising Thee. (Selah)"

We can scarcely leave this phase of the subject without some reference to Job, the man that was "perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil". For a wise reason of His own the LORD permitted Satan to rob him of his possessions, then of all his family, and afterwards to touch his flesh so that Job was smitten with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. His wife asked, "Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die", but his reply was, "What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" and "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD bath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 2. and 1.). Here indeed was a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, for the word barak, translated blessed, has the thought of praising and invoking on bended knees.

In Colossians 3.17 we are exhorted, "Whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." This embraces very much in our daily lives, and calls for constant streams of praise and thanksgivings. Mr. C.H. Spurgeon says, "If we complained less, and praised more, we should be happier, and God would be more glorified. Let us praise God for common mercies - common as we frequently call them, and yet so priceless, that when deprived of them we are ready to perish. Let us bless God for the eyes with which we behold the sun, for the health and strength to walk abroad, for the bread we eat, for the raiment we wear. Let us praise Him that we are not cast out among the hopeless, or confined among the guilty; let us thank Him for liberty, for friends, for family associations and comforts; let us praise Him, in fact, for everything which we receive from His bounteous hand, for we deserve little, and yet we are plenteously endowed. But...the sweetest and the loudest note in our songs of praise should be of redeeming love. . . If we know what redemption means, let us not withhold our sonnets of thanksgiving."

THE FAMILY

There is a scene that lives in my memory. We were ready to set out for the Remembrance of the Lord in the breaking of the bread and the worship, but before we left the family gathered around and sang Isaac Watt's beautiful hymn

"Thisis the day the Lord hath made,

He calls the hours His own;

Let heaven rejoice, let earth be glad,

And praise surround the throne ...

Hosanna to the anointed King,

To God's most holy Son

With gladsome hearts we now would bring

Our praise unto the throne."

What a blessing it is when there ascends regularly from the family a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving! Something went up to God from a family, I judge, when "Noah builded an altar unto the LORD... and offered burnt offerings on the altar" (Genesis 8.20). Husbands dwelling with their "wives according to knowledge... as being also joint-heirs of the grace of life; to the end that your prayers be not hindered" (1 Peter 3.7) seems to envisage a family altar whence spiritual sacrifices ascend. If perchance the family altar be broken down, let us give diligence to have it repaired. Its ascending offerings are part of a divine arrangement.

THE ASSEMBLY PRAYER MEETING

The prayer meeting gives opportunity to present thanksgivings with our supplications, prayers and intercessions, since for "kings and all that are in high place", and for "all men" we are directed to give thanks. God's house is intimately associated with prayer. "Them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer ...for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all peoples" (Isaiah 56.7). There too within the sanctuary and upon the throne is our Great High Priest, "a Minister of the Sanctuary, and of the true Tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man" (Hebrews 8.1, 2). The word translated Minister is leitourgos, a person of property who performs a public service at his own expense. Because He is there we can "draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need." Here is the mercy-seat, and well do we sing.

"Ah whither could we flee for aid,

When tempted, desolate, dismayed

Or how the host of hell defeat,

Had suffering saints no Mercy Seat?"

As the priests of old burned on the golden altar incense which mingled with the prayers of the saints as these went up to God, so from the Lord Jesus Christ there goes up to the Father the sweetness of His Person and work with the prayers of the saints.

"Precious Name, oh, how sweet,

Hope of earth and joy of heaven."

The Meeting for the Remembrance of the Lord.

The above thoughts are a preliminary to discussing the place where spiritual sacrifices and thanksgiving are to be rendered in a very special manner, far exceeding those occasions detailed above.

In the second chapter of his first epistle Peter sets forth the important truth of the house of God, and also of the holy priesthood, the function of which priesthood is to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. This is collective offering, and finds expression when the church is assembled for the Remembrance of the Lord Jesus in the breaking of the bread on the first day of the week. Having taken, given thanks for, and broken the loaf, and in like manner having taken, given thanks for, and poured out the cup, all of which set forth cardinal truths concerning our Lord's incarnation, His spotless life, and His atoning death, we are brought face to face with the greatest of facts, with love that is stronger than death. It was love that loved the unlovable. "For we also were aforetime foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Saviour, and His love toward man appeared ...He saved us, through the washing (laver) of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3.3-5). Then made "clean every whit", our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water we can "draw near" (Hebrews 10.22). Our hearts being touched with wondrous love we present our spiritual sacrifices which make confession to His Name. Drawing near by the way He dedicated for us through the veil, that is to say His flesh, the priestly work of the Lord Jesus is available for us. The efficacy of His blood, the fragrance of His Person which is like ointment poured forth, and the efficiency of His service afford us the holy boldness we require as we enter the Holies. We thus fill the hands of our Great Priest with offerings for presentation to God, even the Father. "Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is necessary that this High Priest also have somewhat to offer."

This service of the Holies is the highest service that is possible to men to engage in. It is the unique occasion when we are taken up with the Person and work of the blessed Master. It is a time of giving to God, Him who is the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then it is "that with one accord ye may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 15.6).

G. PRASHER, SR., Maidstone | Jul 1964
Worship