Sanctified Gratitude (4 of 5)
Series: The Rest of the Gospel
Steve Jones
John 4:13
INTRODUCTION: You know that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in October 1621 by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the new world. The feast lasted three days and was attended by 90 native Americans and 53 pilgrims. Thanksgiving in America has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789. The celebration was intermittent until one president made it a federal holiday with the following proclamation: ''The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are so extraordinary in nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.'' The president went on to list many of those bounties. Who was that president? Abraham Lincoln. His proclamation of Thanksgiving was all the more extraordinary when we realize that it was made in 1863 at the height of the American Civil War. In the midst of what is arguably the most terrible period in our nation's history, Lincoln could point to many reasons to thank God for his goodness and grace. And now you know, the rest of the story.
Just as there is a ''rest of the story'' aspect to the account of Thanksgiving, there is a ''rest of the story'' aspect to the Gospel as well. The gospel everyone knows about is that Jesus died on the cross so that our sins might be forgiven, and we could all go to heaven. That IS the gospel. That IS true. That IS wonderful. That IS amazing, as in ''Amazing Grace.'' But the rest of the gospel of grace is sanctification. It is the second cure of grace - the part of grace that heals us of our hard hearts and spiritual corruption. The rest of the gospel has to do with the provision that God has made for us, ...
Series: The Rest of the Gospel
Steve Jones
John 4:13
INTRODUCTION: You know that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in October 1621 by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the new world. The feast lasted three days and was attended by 90 native Americans and 53 pilgrims. Thanksgiving in America has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789. The celebration was intermittent until one president made it a federal holiday with the following proclamation: ''The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are so extraordinary in nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.'' The president went on to list many of those bounties. Who was that president? Abraham Lincoln. His proclamation of Thanksgiving was all the more extraordinary when we realize that it was made in 1863 at the height of the American Civil War. In the midst of what is arguably the most terrible period in our nation's history, Lincoln could point to many reasons to thank God for his goodness and grace. And now you know, the rest of the story.
Just as there is a ''rest of the story'' aspect to the account of Thanksgiving, there is a ''rest of the story'' aspect to the Gospel as well. The gospel everyone knows about is that Jesus died on the cross so that our sins might be forgiven, and we could all go to heaven. That IS the gospel. That IS true. That IS wonderful. That IS amazing, as in ''Amazing Grace.'' But the rest of the gospel of grace is sanctification. It is the second cure of grace - the part of grace that heals us of our hard hearts and spiritual corruption. The rest of the gospel has to do with the provision that God has made for us, ...
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