The Only Begotten God: A Sermon on John 1:18

John 1:18, “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

We see in the New Testament that the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of the Father, the Blessed Messiah of God.  We also see that He is the divine Savior of men and women who place their trust by God’s Almighty grace in Him.  The Jesus of divine Scripture is the divine Redeemer, and no man can snatch us out of the Triune grip of God.  No amounts of spiritual abuse with take us out of the Father’s hand.  We know that Jesus Christ is the only begotten of the Father in truth, righteousness, goodness.  We also know that the Father is not wholly please in another save the Lord Jesus.  We know the Son is begotten of the Father, but the Father is not begotten of the Son nor the Holy Spirit.  And we know that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.  We see the work and the persons of the Blessed Trinity in divine Scripture, the world and in our lives.  We should never miss the work of God in our lives, and we should see it as it is: precious actions of God in our life for His blessed glory. 

Calvin wrote in his commentary in John 1:18,

18. No man hath ever seen God. Most appropriately is this added to confirm the preceding statement; for the knowledge of God is the door by which we enter into the enjoyment of all blessings; and as it is by Christ alone that God makes himself known to us, hence too it follows that we ought to seek all things from Christ. This order of doctrine ought to be carefully observed. No remark appears to be more common than this, that each of us receives, according to the measure of his faith, what God offers to us; but there are few who think that we must bring the vessel of faith and of the knowledge of God with which we draw.

When he says that no man hath seen God, we must not understand him to refer to the outward perception of the bodily eye; for he means generally, that as God dwells in inaccessible light, (1 Timothy 6:16,) he cannot be known but in Christ, who is his lively image. This passage is usually explained thus that as the naked majesty of God is concealed within himself, he never could be comprehended, except so far as he revealed himself in Christ; and therefore that it was only in Christ that God was formerly known to the fathers. But I rather think that the Evangelist here abides by the comparison already stated, namely, how much better our condition is than that of the fathers, because God, who was formerly concealed in his secret glory, may now be said to have rendered himself visible; for certainly when Christ is called the lively image of God, (Hebrews 1:3,) this refers to the peculiar privilege of the New Testament. In like manner, the Evangelist describes, in this passage, something new and uncommon, when he says that the only-begotten Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, hath made known to us what was formerly concealed. He therefore magnifies the manifestation of God, which has been brought to us by the gospel, in which he distinguishes us from the fathers, and shows that we are superior to them; as also Paul explains more fully in the Third and Fourth chapters of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. For he maintains that there is now no longer any vail, such as existed under the Law, but that God is openly beheld in the face of Christ.

If it be thought unreasonable that the fathers are deprived of the knowledge of God, who have the prophets daily going before them and holding out the torch, I reply, that what is ascribed to us is not simply or absolutely denied to them, but that a comparison is made between the less and the greater, as we say; because they had nothing more than little sparks of the true light, the full brightness of which daily shines around us. If it be objected, that at that time also God was seen face to face, (Genesis 32:30; Deuteronomy 34:10,) I maintain that that sight is not at all to be compared with ours; but as God was accustomed at that time to exhibit himself obscurely, and, as it were, from a distance, those to whom he was more clearly revealed say that they saw him face to face. They say so with reference to their own time; but they did not see God in any other way than wrapped up in many folds of figures and ceremonies.  That vision which Moses obtained on the mountain was remarkable and more excellent than almost all the rest; and yet God expressly declares,thou shalt not be able to see my face, only thou shalt see my back, (Exodus 33:23;)

by which metaphor he shows that the time for a full and clear revelation had not yet come. It must also be observed that, when the fathers wished to behold God, they always turned their eyes towards Christ. I do not only mean that they beheld God in his eternal Speech, but also that they attended, with their whole mind and with their whole heart, to the promised manifestation of Christ. For this reason we shall find that Christ afterwards said, Abraham saw my day, (John 8:56;) and that which is subordinate is not contradictory. It is therefore a fixed principle, that God, who was formerly invisible, hath now made himself visible in Christ.

When he says that the Son was in the bosom of the Father, the metaphor is borrowed from men, who are said to receive into their bosom those to whom they communicate all their secrets. The breast is the seat of counsel. He therefore shows that the Son was acquainted with the most hidden secrets of his Father, in order to inform us that we have the breast of God, as it were, laid open to us in the Gospel.

We must understand that no one has seen God at any time.  We are sinners and He is holy and just.  We cannot se Him because He is holy.  We need to be glorified to see the Lord face to face.  Only God the Son is inherently holy, and He has seen the Father, and He has explained the Father to the world in the Holy Scriptures.  The hope of the true believer is to behold the face of God that is known as the beatific vision.  Those who are glorified had to be regenerated, justified and sanctified.  We will be holy before God when we are glorified and the shed blood of Jesus Christ will cover His people for eternity.  Without the shed blood of Jesus Christ we would not be able to stand before God.  His blood covers us because we are sinful people; fallen, depraved, feeble.  We know that no saint has seen God the Father at any time who are in their sinful flesh.  But people have seen the God the Son because His humanity hid His glory, and we beheld His glory in the Transfiguration seen in Holy Scripture.

In the article by J. Ligon Duncan The Divinity of Christ he says,

 Sometimes we are told that there is no verse in the New Testament that says "Jesus is God," with the implication that there is no straightforward claim to his divinity to be found in its pages. Such, however, is not the case. For instance, in the following passages the deity of Christ is either explicitly asserted or strongly implied. In Titus 2:13, Paul speaks of believers "looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus." Peter opens his second epistle greeting "those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (2 Pet 1:1). Luke records Paul's words to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:28 where he reminds them that they are overseers of "the church of God which he purchased with His own blood." Such a statement makes no sense unless we accept the full force of the doctrine of the incarnation: Christ was God in the flesh, therefore we may speak of God shedding his own blood. John testifies to Jesus (whom he calls the Word) in the foreword to his Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (Jn 1:1). John goes on to say that Jesus, the Word, is "the only begotten from the Father" (Jn 1:14) and then utters the astounding claim that "no man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him" (Jn 1:18). Thus John not only asserts Christ's deity, but also his sole ability to reveal the Father to the world. It is thus not surprising that Thomas confesses Jesus to be "My Lord and My God" in John 20:28. The author of Hebrews identifies Jesus, the Son as the person about whom the Psalmist (Ps 45:6) said: "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever" (Heb 1:8). James, the brother of our Lord, identifies himself as Jesus' "bond-servant" (Jas 1:1) and refers to his brother as "the glory" in James 2:1, neither of which designations is typical of siblings or reverent Jewish believers, but both of which speak volumes about his perception of the divine nature of Christ. Such passages could be multiplied (e.g. Mt 1:23, Jn 17:3, Acts 2:17 & 33, Col 2:9, 2 Thes 1:12, I Tim 1:17, and I Jn 5:20), but the ones we have just reviewed establish the teaching of Jesus' divinity from Paul, Peter, Luke, John, Thomas, the author of Hebrews, and James-a representative selection of apostles and their understudies. All of these unambiguously and unanimously testify to the deity of our Lord.

Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons isolate texts that speak of the only begottenness of Jesus Christ to falsely say He is a created person.  Heretics of old have done the exact same thing, but when it is compared with the divine Scriptures, it is completely shown to be false.  The only begottenness of the Lord Jesus Christ shows that He alone is the Only Son of the Father, and that He alone is begotten whereas the Father and the Spirit are not begotten.  The Father is from everlasting to everlasting the same is true for the Son, and the Spirit.  But when we come to the Spirit we see He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and we must understand that the Spirit is not begotten but proceeding.  This verse for our sermon today shows that Christ Jesus is the only begotten God!  This is the literal meaning of the Greek in the New Testament as other Reformed orthodox people have pointed out.  The begottenness of Jesus Christ is an eternal begottenness, and it does not in any way show that He is a creature without eternity.  In fact, it is Scriptural to say that Jesus Christ is the Self-Existent Jehovah in living flesh.  According to divine Scripture, Jesus is the eternal begotten, eternal Son of God the Father.  When we say the Father is the Father of the Lord Jesus who do not mean it in the Mormon sense: God the Father did not come down as a Man and have sexual relations with the Virgin Mary. No, the Father never became man nor did the Spirit but God the Son only.  Within the Godhead the Son is the only Person or Member of the Blessed Trinity who became Man!  Christ was and is Perfect and Sinless Man.  He never sinned, but we all believe that sin was applied to Him on the Cross, but He never became a sinner but remained pure and undefiled before His Father as the divine Substitute or Lamb of God. 

The London Confession of Chapter 3 under section 3 says about the Trinity and in particular the eternal Son that is relevant to our discussion,

3.  In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word or Son, and Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided: the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son; all infinite, without beginning, therefore but one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties and personal relations; which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and comfortable dependence on him.  (1 John 5:7; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Exodus 3:14; John 14:11; 1 Corinthians 8:6; John 1:14,18; John 15:26; Galatians 4:6)

When we speak of Christ as the eternal begotten Son of Man we do not mean He is a creature like us.  We had a beginning; we were not alive before our birth; we do not exist from everlasting to everlasting.  But Christ exists from everlasting to everlasting; He is the eternal I AM, and to understand ourselves we need to understand who God is, because in God we understand that He is holy, but we are unholy; He is just, we are unjust; He is perfect, we are imperfect; He is pure, we are impure.  Christ never committed any sin, and He was our divine Substitute in our place; in our behalf.  And we must understand that the Father is not pleased in another, save His Only Begotten Son: Jesus Christ the Righteous One. 

Let us look at what the divine Word says about the Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ,

John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  John 3:18, "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”  1 John 4:9, “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.”  (All from NASB).

We must understand that Christ has divine intimacy with God the Father.  In John 17 the Lord Jesus loved to be with His Heavenly Father.  The Lord Jesus had glory with His Father before the world began.  The Lord Jesus when He had His earthly ministry, desired to be with His Father.  He longed for fellowship with His Father.  He had fellowship with His Father for all eternity.  The Father and the Son has an eternally close relationship together.  The eternal Son is in the bosom of God the Father.  This is a sentence of the mystery of the Blessed and Holy Trinity.  The Lord Christ was always in the bosom of God the Father.  And we know that Christ was accursed that was His highest obedience.  Christ as the begotten God followed His Father’s will in perfect, spotless, sinless obedience.  We also know that Christ proclaimed the true reality of God the Father.  Let us read the Divine Scriptures that speak to the deity of the Lord Jesus.  We will do well to listen to what Sacred Scriptures teaches.

Colossians 1:9-18 clearly speaks of the Incomparable Christ who is God in human flesh,

9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. (NKJV)

Here we see Phil 2:5-11 about the humble and exalted Christ; here see the divine Christ,

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  (NKJV)

We see that it is perfectly consistent to say that the Lord Jesus is “the only begotten Son” and that He is equal with God the Father.  It is wholly consistent to say according to the divine Word that Christ is divine.  People need to know the divine Christ because there are false gospels out in the world.  People are believing a false Christ who is in a false gospel that saves no one.  But the gospel of Christ saves His people, because it is the truth of God.  If it is the truth of God, it is true in reality, in time and space.  When people believe His gospel because of the Spirit and the Word we see transformation.  It is not an unchanged conversion, but a true change from the Lord in the life of the believer. 

What do we see in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ?  We see that Christ explained the Father to the world.  We see that Christ proclaimed the gospel of His glorious grace.  His words were grace and a golden gift from heaven.  We see in the Gospels that Christ proclaimed salvation through Himself, and His own deity.  We see that Christ proclaimed essential truth about Himself. 

John 1:7, “He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.”  John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  John 3:18, "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”  John 3:36, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."  John 5:24, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”  John 6:29, “Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."  John 6:40, "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."  (All Scriptures of John were NASB).

It was Christ, my friends; we explained and declared the Father.  He is the Son of the Father.  Oh, how many people deny Him as the Son of God the Father!  Their salvation is forfeited because they reject the Son.  Why did the people of Jesus’ day reject Him?  Because they did not belong to the Father.  They did not have spiritually ears to hear, nor did they have minds to comprehend, nor did they have eyes to see.  Let us go over what Christ taught about the Father because when we do, we find precious truth that is matchless,

·        That people would see our good deeds and glorify the Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Do you live your life as a beckon of light in honoring God before wicked men? 

·        That His people may be sons of God the Father in heaven (Matthew 5:45).  Have you had assurance of your salvation that the Spirit bears witness with your spirit that you are a child of God?

·        That we are to be perfect as our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:48).  We are equipped to do every good work of God.  Do you realize that you will be glorified by God and you will see Him face to face?  Do you long for this time when you will be perfect before God?

·        That we ought to do our works with the right ambition and please our Father in heaven (Matthew 6:1, 4).  Do you do works to get approval from men or God?

·        That you ought to pray in secret and not to boast of your alleged ‘goodness’ before men (Matthew 6:6).  Do you pray in secret to God?  Or do you have selfish ambition and make your prayers known like the hypocrites?  We ought to pray to our Father in secret and He will surely reward us openly. 

·        The Father knows what we need before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8).  Do you go to God knowing He knows what you need before you ask Him?

Let us understand what the Father said about God the Son.  We shall see how the Father is well-pleased with the Son,

Matthew 3:17, “and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."  Matthew 17:5, “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!"  Mark 1:11, “and a voice came out of the heavens: "You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased."  Luke 3:22, “and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased."  2 Peter 1:17, “For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased…”  (NASB).

He taught that the God He served was the one true God.  But the Father who the Son explained was well-pleased in His Son alone.  The Father was not pleased in Another; He was not pleased in Buddha, Mohammad or any other.  We must submit to the Lord Jesus; we must listen to Him.  The Lord Jesus explained and proclaimed the gospel of Christ.  Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Let us understand the text that speak of the deity of Christ and see the harmonious Scriptures,

The Lord Jesus is the exact representation of His nature:

Hebrews 1 1God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

The Lord Jesus is The Incarnate First and the Last:  Rev. 1 17When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

The Lord Jesus is the Living Word—the Incarnate Word:  John 1  1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God.  3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

The Apostles Creed refers to the only Son of God:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
    the Creator of heaven and earth,
    and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

The Nicene Creed refers to the only begotten Son of God:

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

The Athanasian Creed refers to the eternal Son:

Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man.  God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and made of the substance of His mother, born in the world.  Perfect God and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.  Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood.  Who, although He is God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ.  One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of the manhood into God.

The Council of Chalcedon Definition refers to the terminology of the eternal begottenness of the Son:

Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the fathers has handed down to us.

We must submit to the text of Scripture and answer the objections but Scripture clearly gives the Scriptural substance of His deity, and may we never miss the truth of Christ as the only begotten God.  Let us proclaim the message of the Bible in the Creeds of the Christian church, and boldly stand with great saints of old.  Amen. 

The God Who Created: A Sermon on Genesis 1:1

Let’s pray:  “Holy Trinity, You are the God of creation.  You are the only God who has created.  There is no God like you in all that is.  You alone are Eternally Self-Existent.  There is no god besides you or that will emerge after You.  You alone are the God who created without evolution.  You created the heavens and the earth.  You created in six days.  You alone have the power of being in Yourself.  No god could speak and have it be.  You are not like the co-called gods of the world who are really nothing or demons in disguise.  May we glory You and honor You and praise You for speaking Your creation into being.  May people more and more submit to the Scriptures and say, “Truly God created without evolution in six days.”  Amen.”

Genesis 1:1:  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

          The Apostles Creed affirms the true understanding of God the Father saying, God the Father Almighty is the Maker of heaven and earth.  This verse is a summary verse that explains the six days of creation.  This encompasses all of creation which was done by God alone.  The Psalmist joyfully wrote of the creation.  We speak joyfully of God’s creation.  The God of the creation is the God of the Christian Bible.  Creation is general revelation and Scripture is special revelation.  We know what God did and how He did it because of Genesis.  Genesis is a book, and it was written by Moses.  Some think that the first chapter or so of Genesis was written by God Himself but may suggest to you that Moses wrote it.  Genesis is, indeed, a book of Moses.  It is within the Torah and the Torah is in the whole of the Old Testament.  It pleased God to create, and so God created the heavens and the earth. 

          If the God of the Christian Bible is not the God of creation evolution could have a way of getting into our thinking.  But if indeed the God of the Christian Bible is the God of creation, we know that evolution was never used.  Man-made theories try to usurp the sacred text, and insert false understandings upon the text.  It is essentially putting the interpreters’ understanding upon the text.  Hence it is a definite case of eisegesis.  We must flee from eisegesis and flee to the actuality of Scripture.  If we succumb to depraved imaginations we dishonor God and honor sinful understandings of the text. 

          Does God leave us without a description of what He created and how He created and why He created?  No, He plainly tells us what, how and why He created.  The “what” of His creation are the things He created, like water, animals and so on.  The “how” He created was through, by, from and because of the Son of God.  God did not create from a standpoint of chaos, or confusion.  He is not a God of chaos and confusion.  Why would God create from chaos and confusion when He never uses them in His Word?  His Word is never to bring such things.  He does all things in truth and goodness and holiness and righteousness.  He does not know how to do something in evil and unrighteousness.  He created from His truth according to His altogether good pleasure.  The “why” of God’s creation is not because He was in need of a creation but because He was pleased to create, and that His creation might enjoy Him and glorify Him forever.  God did not consult His creation before making that.  No, He accomplishes His good pleasure according to doing what is right and good. 

          The Hebrew Bible and the totality of holy Scripture (both Old and New Testaments) supports the true and valid assumption of God’s real existence.  The Hebrew phraseology, “in the beginning” refers that it was, indeed, God who was in the beginning, not the big bang, not aliens, not self-creation but God Himself.  God was in the beginning.  He existed from everlasting to everlasting; there was never a time God did not exist.  Meaning comes from God and meaning is found in God.  It is God Who created; this is why meaning is from Him and of Him.  It pleased the God, Who is God, Who is the LORD, Who is Sovereign to speak into existence the creation.  The same phraseology of “in the beginning” is found in John 1:  “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God.”  John refers to the eternality of God the Word.  God the Word is the Second Person of the Trinity.  God the Word is sufficient, true and good.  The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament, and the God of the New Testament is the God of the Old Testament.  God created in goodness, indeed, it was very good.  The God Who is and Who was and Who will be is not merely a god, or some god made with human hands.  Rather God is God not made with human hands.  Man loves to manufacture God in his own image.  Man seeks to usurp God but it is God Who creates and it was pleasing to God to create man in His image.  “In the beginning” was God, not man.  Who was in the beginning?  God.  “In the beginning” was God, not Satan.  Who was in the beginning?  God.  “In the beginning” was Elohim, not Allah.  It is God Who created all creation as very good even man himself.  God the Son is the central focus of the book of Genesis.  It is indeed clear to say that the Holy Trinity is throughout the pages of Scripture, it is, indeed, a plethora of Trinitarian texts.  Surely it is the Father Who creates, the Son Who Redeems, and the Spirit Who Regenerates and Convicts.  Yet all Three Persons are Creator.  The Father created; the Son created; the Spirit created.  All the Persons created in goodness and perfection.  God by His sovereign act of creation demonstrates through general revelation of His actual existence and all creation speaks of His matchless majesty.  God reveals Himself in creation as the divine Creator but not as Redeemer.  God is only seen in special revelation, that is, His divine Word, His Sacred Word, of being a gracious, loving and plenteous in mercy; a Being, Who is revealed in Three distinct Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit; one in being and three in person.  And Matthew 18:16:  “…BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED.”  Is it not the Father, the Son and the Spirit Who witnessed creation, and is not this fact confirmed by the testimony of Scripture?  And how much more is the witness of God then the witness of man?  Doth not the Scriptures support people supporting every fact by two or three witnesses?  God is, indeed, self-attesting and the witness of His own work of creation.  God is good; His creation is good; God is true; His creation is real.  The God Who exists from everlasting to everlasting, the only true God of Scripture, is Truth itself, must be believed, and if believed, God is glorified to the praise of His mercy, and if rejected God is still glorified to the praise of His justice.  Some are made vessels of honor and others vessels dishonor.  The former is the realization and awakening of life through God the Son, the very Author of creation itself, and the latter, the horrifying second death, that is, eternal separation from God in the wrathfulness of God in perfect justice done to them. 

          Nor do we ever see disorder and chaos in His blessed text of divine Scriptures.  We see, once again, in Scripture that God is not a God of confusion, chaos and disorder.  Rather God is a God of order and clarity.  This is seen in creation (general revelation) and Scripture (special revelation).  The Genesis account is not merely a fable story but real history, actual truth, which Moses wrote.  The God of creation is not only the God of Moses but of Jesus Christ also.  The word God stated in Genesis 1:1 is not the God of pluralism and inclusivism, that is, of this fallen world but of the God of truth and exclusivity (as revealed to us in His word).  The word God is Elohim, which indicates a plurality, but this does not mean His message is in a plural fashion, but rather to show significance to God.  The God of Genesis is the true God; the real God; the God of Christianity.  God is eternal; He existed before the created angels; He existed before His creation; He existed before the universe; He existed before the stars; He existed before the planets; He existed before the earth; He existed before man.  God asked:  “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?  Tell Me, if you have understanding…” (Job 38:4 NASB). He not only existed before creation but He always was, is and will always be.  The God of the Bible is not the God of this fallen world, that is, He is not evil, and when God created the universe, the earth and man, He created everything good.  Even the angels were created good; God Who is good created what is good.  Somewhere in this verse, “In the beginning God created the heaven…” the angels:  “…while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?”  (Job 38:7 NIV).  God performed His creative act of His planned actions.  Were not “all things” preordained?  “…also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will…”  (Ephesians 1:11 NASB).  God voluntarily choose to create and choose what His creation would be.  God did not create because He was lonely, nor did He create because He needed something outside of Himself; God surely needs nothing outside Himself, and created unto His glory and magnification.  Doth not God have this right?  He has the right to create, and so He did.  Every living thing was made by a perfect God.  God is sinless and He is absolutely perfect.  God created out of nothing.  God needed no help from His creation nor His creatures.  He needed no advice.  He needed no human ingenuity.  No, He needed nothing.  God did what pleased Him.  God alone is eternal and transcendent.  People like to say God is transcendent and people assume He is not eminent, but God is both transcendent and He is near.  God the Son became man, and God is near in the Incarnation.  God also showed Himself in the Garden of Eden.  It was, indeed, God the Son who walked in the Garden.  The whole of Genesis is centered upon Him, and why should we doubt that it was Him in the Garden?  May I suggest to you that you must go to the Son for life!  This was a taste of God’s nearness to man, and it was God who sought out man not man who sought out God. 

          “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  He is not finite but infinite.  God is not part of His creation.  He is both all-knowing and all-powerful.  He is omnipresent.  People are not all-knowing, all-powerful and omnipresent neither are animals nor insects.  God is perfect and sinless.  God alone has the ability to create, man does not.  God is sufficient, man is insufficient.  God is life and He provides life.  It is God alone Who can create, man cannot create in the same way God can.  Man is not God.  God become man in Jesus Christ, that is, God the Son became man.  God the Father and God the Spirit did not enter humanity the way God the Son did.  God the Son from the will and cooperation of and with God the Father became man in the person of Jesus Christ (the God-man, Who is the Incarnate One).  It was by the Spirit of God.  God is loving, compassionate, having abundant mercies, lovingkindness, graciousness, benevolentness, wrathfulness upon His enemies, judgment upon sin, patient, longsuffering, and forgiveness; this is the God of creation revealed in none other place, then the Scriptures of special revelation.

          Let’s turn to the word “…created.”  The biblical cosmogony is unique and special because of it’s rarity of theme in the absolute origin of the universe.  Modern naturalism and paganism do not mention a creation account as the biblical story.  The creation account begins with the space, time and matter universe already in existence.  God created out of nothing.  There was nothing that was there that God worked from.  He purposefully and voluntarily created out of nothing.  Nothing was there when He created.  It was simply nothing.  But God choose to create out of nothing, which He could do, and which He did.  He created ex nihilo.  Nothing evolved into something.  There was not a big bang but rather God spoke and it was.  Nemesius of Emesa wrote concerning God creating out of nothing:  “Even if it is granted that the God of all things followed an order [in the creation], He is shown to be God and Creator and to have brought all things into being out of nothing.”  (Louth, ACCOS, Old Testament I, 2).

          The special creation of God in His creation is only found in the unique record in the Old Testament.  The creation account is of the space, time, and matter continuum.  The space is the heaven.  The “in the beginning” is time.  The matter is the earth.  The universe created is the tri-universe.  The God Who created it is Elohim, which is the uni-plural name.  It denotes His majesty.  There is no other god but the God of Israel.  God Himself is truth, and He is the basis for all sound and logical knowledge.  Matthew Henry says, The author and cause of this great work—GOD. The Hebrew word is Elohim, which bespeaks, [1.] The power of God the Creator. El signifies the strong God; and what less than almighty strength could bring all things out of nothing? [2.] The plurality of persons in the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This plural name of God, in Hebrew, which speaks of him as many though he is one, was to the Gentiles perhaps a savour of death unto death, hardening them in their idolatry; but it is to us a savour of life unto life, confirming our faith in the doctrine of the Trinity, which, though but darkly intimated in the Old Testament, is clearly revealed in the New. The Son of God, the eternal Word and Wisdom of the Father, was with him when he made the world (Prov. viii. 30), nay, we are often told that the world was made by him, and nothing made without him, John i. 3, 10; Eph. iii. 9; Col. i. 16; Heb. 1. 2. O what high thoughts should this form in our minds of that great God whom we draw nigh to in religious worship, and that great Mediator in whose name we draw nigh!”

          Let’s understand everything created was good.  When God created, He alone can create, and the word for create, is a special word that belongs to God alone.  Nothing exists apart from God’s creative activity.  He alone has the power to create; and there is no such thing as self-creation, it is an absurdity.  The darkness had to be only because it was God Who created it to glorify and magnify Himself.  God orders a formless and empty world.  God is not the author of disorder.  This is summary verse of the six days of God’s creation.  God created but He never had a beginning like His creation; He creation had a beginning but He never did.  The word create here in Genesis 1:1 is only used of God, and it is never used of man.  It is a special word that God used of Himself regarding what He did unto goodness and mercy.  The threefold meaning of the verse is to identity the Creator Himself, the origin of the world, and to show the work of God in general revelation recorded in special revelation.  The God Who created is sufficient, and in time He has sent His only begotten Son, Who is sufficient, and God the Father sent His Son to redeem man Who is lost and in sin.  God is sufficient to create and God is sufficient to create; for God is the Gospel.  God sent His Son to save His people.  God the Son created, as did God the Father, as did God the Spirit.  All three persons created, and God the Trinity accomplished a Trinitarian work of creation and salvation and providence.  The Trinity is not only seen in creation but also in the resurrection of Jesus and salvation is accomplished by the Trinity and providence is done by the Trinity.  God has sent His Beloved Son to die for His people, and so His people may believe on Him Who the Father has sent.

          The Christ who created in Colossians 1:15-17:  “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him.  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”  (NASB). 

          First, Christ is the image of the invisible God.  He said to Philip that since you have seen me you have seen the Father.  Jesus said I and the Father are one.  This clearly indicates that Christ is of the same substance as the Father.  Both the Father and the Son are equally divine; co-equal, co-eternal, co-essential and co-existing.  Christ has preeminence over His creation.  He did not simply exist before creation.  No, God the Son existed from everlasting to everlasting.  The God-man is eternally self-existent.  He is ontologically God.  This fits perfectly with Genesis 1:1.  Christ taught and referred to Moses.  He knew of Moses’ writings and submitted to them as Scripture.  He is the Messiah of Moses and He is also the Creator of Moses.  Christ did not teach from confusion or disorder.  Rather Christ taught clearly and He spoke the truth.  And Christ is the Incarnate Truth, and as He is the Incarnate Truth, He spoke the truth.  Pilate asked, “What is truth?”  Truth was standing before Him.  God spoke His truth and what wasn’t came to be.  What angel could say I created “all things” as the Son can say?  The Son is the only Son of the Father, and if He is the only Son, He alone is the dispenser of all graces.  The Trinity made the world, and since He made the world by His Son, and sent a Savior to save those fallen in Adam, and sent His Spirit to apply the work of Christ to His people, how much then does this show that God has a specific purpose for this planet?  Malachi 2:10, “…Has not one God created us?”  We are to have God-centered theology.  He created to glorify Himself not to glorify and exalt man.  Isaiah 43:7, “Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made."

          God created in six days of creation.  The seventh day is when God rested.  What God of the world (and by this, I do not mean they are literally God) created as the God of the Christian Bible?  Isaiah 42:5, “Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it…”   Isaiah 45:18, “For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited),"I am the LORD, and there is none else.” 

          Matthew 19:4, “And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE…” Here is a verse that speaks to Christ who created and testifies to the reality of God creating them male and female.  We have the sinless Son of God and the sinless Son of Man who says God made man male and female.  1 Corinthians 11:9, “for indeed man was not created for the woman's sake, but woman for the man's sake.”  1 Timothy 2:13, “For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve.”  We turn to the love of Christ:  God created all things yet there is nothing in creation that can separate God’s people from the love of Christ (Romans 8:39).  Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  The purpose of God in creating us means it is for good works that we walk in them.  We are not saved by good works but for good works.  Ephesians 4:24, “and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”  We are made in righteousness and holiness of the truth when we are made Christians.  Christians put on the new self; Colossians 3:10, “and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him…”  1 Timothy 4:4, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude…”  Everything God created was good, and God’s ways are to make us thankful. 

          How many of us believe we were created by God to do good works?  How many of us believe that when God created he had us in mind?  Before time was, God had His people in mind, that is, to elect unto holiness.  Before time was God purposed to send Christ and to die for His people.  God purposed that we are to do good works and it was prepared for His people to do so.  How many people turn to creation and worship the creature rather then the Creator?  It is because of sin that people turn to the creature rather then the Creator. 

          When people pollute the earth, is it a sin against God?  It is a sin indeed but many have put it aside as “no big deal” but all people will be held accountable regarding their sin.  If someone polluted the earth and they do not repent, they will be judged, but a person who has sinned must repent.  The God of creation is not a sinner.  He is holy, just, righteous and good.  Who in creation is good besides God Himself?  Angels have fallen and man has fallen.  Angels cannot repent but man is commanded to repent.  So this means man must repent, and if man rejects repentance, he has rejected God’s divine remedy that is necessary for sanctification.  Those who do not repent will perish.  God created everything good, and what God has designed for man who is in sin, is nothing less then repentance. 

          The God who commands repentance is the same God who created.  The God who sent Christ as Savior is the same God who created.  The God who commanded love is the same God who created.  The God who created and knows all things is the same God who made the heavens and the earth.  The God who is: is the God who created.  No one can escape the fact that the God of goodness is the God who created.  May I suggest to you that God is not the God of the big bang!  He is the God who created out of nothing.  The God who created out of nothing is the God who is worthy of worship.  Thus worship, serve and praise the God who created.  Do not worship the God who is not the God of the Christian Bible.  Turn to Him; submit to Him; give yourself to Him; believe that He sent His Son as a divine Redeemer to redeem His people.  Thus love the God Who has created. 

          The God of creation is not the God of Islam.  The God of creation is not the God of Mormonism.  The God of creation is not the God of Jehovah’s Witnesses, nor is He the God of Scientology; nor is He the God of Theistic Evolution; nor is He the God of chance; nor is He the God of Freemasonry or Romanism.  Thus surrender to the God who is the Holy Trinity.  Will the God of creation have your allegiance?  Will you you’re your rebellion in sin, and will you believe His command of belief, love and repentance?  How many in the world merely believe that God exists and yet have the faith of demons?  How many really believe God and submit to the Christian Bible as His holy, matchless Word?  It is in the matchless Word of God that we find the God of creation. 

          Matthew Henry wrote, “The foundation of all religion being laid in our relation to God as our Creator, it was fit that the book of divine revelations which was intended to be the guide, support, and rule, of religion in the world, should begin, as it does, with a plain and full account of the creation of the world—in answer to that first enquiry of a good conscience, "Where is God my Maker?"…”  Acts 17:24, “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands…”  Again Matthew Henry, “The world is a great house, consisting of upper and lower stories, the structure stately and magnificent, uniform and convenient, and every room well and wisely furnished. It is the visible part of the creation that Moses here designs to account for; therefore he mentions not the creation of angels. But as the earth h as not only its surface adorned with grass and flowers, but also its bowels enriched with metals and precious stones (which partake more of its solid nature and more valuable, though the creation of them is not mentioned here), so the heavens are not only beautified to our eye with glorious lamps which garnish its outside, of whose creation we here read, but they are within replenished with glorious beings, out of our sight, more celestial, and more surpassing them in worth and excellency than the gold or sapphires surpass the lilies of the field.”

          The world is the place where God’s creation is.  Moses does not specifically mention the creation of angels.  The earth is filled with grass and flowers and metals and precious stones.  God made all these wonderful things and they were and are beautiful and good.  Let’s marvel and honor the God Who created. 

Let’s pray:  Lord of creation; Lord of heaven and earth, we bow before Thee and prostrate ourselves before Thee and worship Thee as the true God of the Christian Bible; the God Who created, and we honor You and praise You.  We submit ourselves to You and ask that You would have our minds exalt You.  Thank You for creation of heaven and earth.  Thank You for creating us, and to have Your creation bring You glory.”  Amen. 

A Sermon on Thankfulness To God

Lord Jesus, give us hearts to give You thanks, and praying always for the brethren.  Let us give thanks for their faith and the love of the saints who are in Christ Jesus.  Amen.
3We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,  4since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;
Giving thanks to the Lord of heaven and earth is a fundamental attribute of the Christian faith.  We are to pray to God, giving thanks for the faith of His people.  We know of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the love they have for all the saints.  Do you give thanks as you ought for the faith of the brethren?  Do you pray always, giving thanks for God’s people, and for the hope laid up for them in glory?  Does the Christian faith and those who share it with you bring you on your knees to a place where you are most thankful?  How much do you treasure the Christian faith and others who profess it?  We ought to give thanks for the brethren.  We ought to give thanks in our prayers, always for God’s people and the hope they have laid up for them in heaven.  At one time we never gave thanks for the faith and love of God’s people.  At one time they were outside of Christ, and foreigners to the eternal city.  At one time they were unthankful, and unashamed of their life of sin.  At one time they were prayerless, and self-sufficient.  At one time they were faithless, and unloving toward all, bring forth hatred toward all. 
We are not to give thanks in pray to saints or angels.  We are to give thanks to the One who delivered us from His own punitive wrath through His Only Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.  We are not to remain prayerless but be always in the spirit of prayerfulness.  If we pray always we show that our heart is God-focused and that our minds are God-oriented.  We show that we not self-reliant.  Isn’t God the reason why we should be thankful?  Thankfulness and praising the Lord of hosts are two attributes Christians lack the most.  We need to be people of thanks and people of praise. We read the exposition of Calvin,

3. We give thanks to God. He praises the faith and love of the Colossians, that it may encourage them the more to alacrity and constancy of perseverance. Farther, by shewing that he has a persuasion of this kind respecting them, he procures their friendly regards, that they may be the more favourably inclined and teachable for receiving his doctrine. We must always take notice that he makes use of thanksgiving in place of congratulation, by which he teaches us, that in all our joys we must readily call to remembrance the goodness of God, inasmuch as everything that is pleasant and agreeable to us is a kindness conferred by him. Besides, he admonishes us, by his example, to acknowledge with gratitude not merely those things which the Lord confers upon us, but also those things which he confers upon others.

But for what things does he give thanks to the Lord? For the faith and love of the Colossians. He acknowledges, therefore, that both are conferred by God: otherwise the gratitude were pretended. And what have we otherwise than through his liberality? If, however, even the smallest favors come to us from that source, how much more ought this same acknowledgment to be made in reference to those two gifts, in which the entire sum of our excellence consists?

To the God and Father. Understand the expression thus — To God who is the Father of Christ. For it is not lawful for us to acknowledge any other God than him who has manifested himself to us in his Son. And this is the only key for opening the door to us, if we are desirous to have access to the true God. For on this account, also, is he a Father to us, because he has embraced us in his only begotten Son, and in him also sets forth his paternal favor for our contemplation.

Always for you, Some explain it thus — We give thanks to God always for you, that is, continually. Others explain it to mean — Praying always for you. It may also be interpreted in this way, “Whenever we pray for you, we at the same time give thanks to God;” and this is the simple meaning, “We give thanks to God, and we at the same time pray.” By this he intimates, that the condition of believers is never in this world perfect, so as not to have, invariably, something wanting. For even the man who has begun admirably well, may fall short in a hundred instances every day; and we must ever be making progress while we are as yet on the way. Let us therefore bear in mind that we must rejoice in the favors that we have already received, and give thanks to God for them in such a manner, as to seek at the same time from him perseverance and advancement.

One of the essential motivations and attributes of the church is gratitude.  We need to speak of the Christian attribute of thankfulness or of gratitude.  We see that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Supreme Example of obedience to the Father.  We see that He gives thanks unto God.  He never ceased giving thanks unto God.  He enjoyed following the Lord and doing those things that pleased Him.  The Lord Jesus always did those things that pleased the Lord.  He thanked God perfectly and He was perfectly grateful to God.  There was never a time when the Lord Jesus expressed to the Father ingratitude or un-thankfulness or imperfect thankfulness or gratitude.  We Him giving thanks unto God.  Is that what you do?  Have you expressed to the Father great thanks?  Oh, how wonderful it is to give Him thanks! Do you not know that it brings Him great glory?  The Lord Jesus gave the Father great glory by giving Him thanks.  It came from a heart of gratitude.  The Lord Jesus had a heart of perfect gratitude.  It came from the depths of his person.  It came from the depths of His sinless heart.  He was a Man of gratitude.  He was a Man of thanks. 

Matthew 15:36, and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

Matthew 26 

26^(A)While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and ^(B)after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."

27And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you;

 28for ^(C)this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for ^(D)many for forgiveness of sins.

Mark 8:6, And He directed the people to sit down on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples to serve to them, and they served them to the people.

Mark 14:23, And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

Luke 2:38, At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Luke 22: 17^(B)And when He had taken a cup and ^(C)given thanks, He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves; 18for ^(D)I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes."

Luke 22:19, And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

John 6:11, Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.

John 6:23, There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks.

We ought to be people that take His example.  We see Jesus giving thanks in the little areas of life.  It is fundamental to give thanks in the little things of life, and the big things of life.  People in the church need to be people of thanks and gratitude.  We need to express to our Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we are grateful for His spiritual blessings, but not only this, but first and foremost who He is.  Are you thankful for who God is?  Are you thankful that He is a good God?  Have you expressed this to Him or have you merely prayed supplications to Him?  We are living in a time of “Give me; Give me; Give me.”  Have you posed and set time aside and thanked the Lord?  How much time have you spent thanking the Incarnate King of kings?  How long have you spent time expressing your gratefulness to Him who saved you from Himself, sin, yourself and eternal damnation?  We ought to thank Him for saving us.  We ought to thank Him for saving us from His wrath.  We ought to thank Him for saving us from sin.  We ought to thank for saving us from ourselves.  We ought to be grateful that God saved us from eternal hell and damnation.  What a glorious God we serve! 
How many of us give thanks for our salvation?  Has their gone by a day where you have not thanked Him for salvation?  Do we thank God as we ought by healing our hearts and saving our souls?  God sent forth His Son to live a perfect and sinless life for His people.  God sent forth His Son on a mission to die a death that no mere man could die.  God sent forth His Incarnate Son to rise again and to do it for our justification.  We are people that ought to be more thankful then we are.  We are mere sinners—spiritual beggars—we need to give God the thanks, praise and express our gratefulness to Him.  So many of us fail in this respect.  If we turn to the Psalmist, do we not see a man who was possessed and obsessed with thanking God? 

Psalm 7:17, I will give thanks to the LORD according to His righteousness And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

Psalm 9:1, I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart;I will tell of all Your wonders.

Psalm 18:49, Therefore I will give thanks to You among the nations, O LORD, And I will sing praises to Your name.

Psalm 26:7, That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving And declare all Your wonders.

Psalm 30:4, Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, And give thanks to His holy name.

Are a person who is awaiting the time when you will give thanks unto our Lord forever?  Psalm 30:12, That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

Psalm 33:2, Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.

Psalm 75:1, We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks, For Your name is near; Men declare Your wondrous works.

Psalm 97:12, Be glad in the LORD, you righteous ones, And give thanks to His holy name.

Psalm 118:29, Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

The heart of the believer is to give thanks unto the Lord.  We ought to have a heart that flows out thankfulness.  Jonah said chapter 2 verse 9: But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving That which I have vowed I will pay…Salvation is from the LORD."
 We ought give thanks for the love, hope and faith of God’s people.  Hear what Matthew Henry wrote,

He gave thanks to God for them, that they had embraced the gospel of Christ, and given proofs of their fidelity to him. Observe, In his prayers for them he gave thanks for them. Thanksgiving ought to be a part of every prayer; and whatever is the matter of our rejoicing ought to be the matter of our thanksgiving. Observe, 1. Whom he gives thanks to: To God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In our thanksgiving we must have an eye to God as God (he is the object of thanksgiving as well as prayer), and is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in and through whom all good comes to us. He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as well as our Father; and it is a matter of encouragement, in all our addresses to God, that we can look to him as Christ's Father and our Father, as his God and our God, John xx. 17. Observe, 2. What he gives thanks to God for—for the graces of God in them, which were evidences of the grace of God towards them: Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love you have to all the saints; for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, v. 4, 5. Faith, hope, and love, are the three principal graces in the Christian life, and proper matter of our prayer and thanksgiving. (1.) He gives thanks for their faith in Christ Jesus, that they were brought to believe in him, and take upon them the profession of his religion, and venture their souls upon his undertaking. (2.) For their love. Besides the general love which is due to all men, there is a particular love owing to the saints, or those who are of the Christian brotherhood, 1 Pet. ii. 17. We must love all the saints, bear an extensive kindness and good-will to good men, notwithstanding smaller points of difference, and many real weaknesses. Some understand it of their charity to the saints in necessity, which is one branch and evidence of Christian love. (3.) For their hope: The hope which is laid up for you in heaven, v. 5. The happiness of heaven is called their hope, because it is the thing hoped for, looking for the blessed hope, Tit. ii. 13. What is laid out upon believers in this world is much; but what is laid up for them in heaven is much more. And we have reason to give thanks to God for the hope of heaven which good Christians have, or their well-grounded expectation of the future glory. Their faith in Christ, and love to the saints, had an eye to the hope laid up for them in heaven. The more we fix our hopes on the recompence of reward in the other world, the more free and liberal shall we be of our earthly treasure upon all occasions of doing good.

We could turn to the hymn of Luther and sing..

            All Praise to Thee, Eternal God

        1. All praise to Thee, eternal God,

        Who, clothed in garb of flesh and blood,

        Dost take a manger for Thy throne,

        While worlds on worlds are Thine alone.

        Hallelujah!

        2. Once did the skies before Thee bow;

        A virgin's arms contain Thee now,

        While angels, who in Thee rejoice,

        Now listen for Thine infant voice.

        Hallelujah!

        3. A little Child, Thou art our Guest

        That weary ones in Thee may rest;

        Forlorn and lowly is Thy birth

        That we may rise to heaven from earth.

        Hallelujah!

        4. Thou comest in the darksome night

        To make us children of the light,

        To make us in the realms divine,

        Like Thine own angels, round Thee shine.

        Hallelujah!

        5. All this for us Thy love hath done;

        By This to Thee our love is won;

        For this our joyful songs we raise

        And shout our thanks in ceaseless praise.

        Hallelujah!

I conclude with Dr. MacArthur words,

We have so much to be thankful for, beloved. God's holiness that makes Him perfect and He never makes a mistake. God's goodness and mercy which is always available, which is overflowing and abounding toward us. The gift of Jesus Christ, that unspeakable gift for which we are thankful. All good gifts that flow down from the Father of lights, victory over sin and death, divine guidance, complete provision for all our needs, the hope of heaven, the power of the Word and on and on and on and on we go. Lots of reasons to give thanks. And if the church is to be the church of Jesus Christ and His life is the flow through that church, it will be people who are filled with gratitude, even for the trials, even for the pain, even for the suffering. And my prayer is that God will fill your heart with joy, no matter what, and that you'll rejoice always and in everything give thanks. That's crucial to the life of the church.

And you can do on the basis of this one little verse in Philippians 2:13, "It is God who is at work in you." Isn't that great? And what's He doing? "To will and to work for His good pleasure." And since He's at work in you using all this stuff to work for His own good pleasure, the next verse says, "You can do all things without grumbling...into all things with joy and gratitude."

Father, we thank You so much for Your mercy and kindness toward us. We thank You for the way in which You have consistently demonstrated Your goodness. And, Lord, fill us with thanksgiving. We have to much to be thankful for, even the difficulties, for those we thank You...the easy and the good times. Should be easy in the hard times if we understand the purpose. Lord, we pray that You'll even use the strength of Your Spirit to break patterns of critical spirit, rebellion, worldliness, selfishness, impatience, all those things that hinder gratitude. And may we begin every day no matter how challenging it might be by thanking You for being faithful in making your mercies new every morning, great is Your faithfulness, by thanking You for all that is ours in Christ, by thanking You for eternal life, the hope of heaven, guidance, direction, truth, trials which humble us, trials which shape us. Give us thankful hearts, You are worthy to be praised, You are worthy to be thanked. It is a sin not to do so, forgive us for that sin and put us in a path of righteousness where we are in everything thankful. And may it be infectious to those around us that the thanks may redound to Your glory in Christ's name. Amen.