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The Preaching Ezine (the newsletter of Preachology.com)

• Thanksgiving Proclamation
• Sermon on "Thanksgiving and Thanksliving".
• New sermons, outlines, and illustrations link to preachology.com!
• You could have your own sermon web page on Preachology.com!!
• Coming Soon! ...PREACHOLOGY BIBLE INSTITUTE...

Hello,

Mark Hollingsworth here. Hope you had a great week in the Lord. I certainly hope and pray you have great services on the Lord's Day tomorrow.

2 Tim. 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I trust you are ready. The Lord has been so very good to us. I think it would be good for us to remember a little of our country's history.

FIRST NATIONAL THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION

The following is the first national proclamation issued by George Washington, first President of the United States. It is dated January, 1795, and will be read with interest, especially in view of the fact that some persons would have us believe that a national Thanksgiving proclamation is a recent invention in our country:

PROCLAMATION

When we review the calamities which afflict so many other nations, the present condition of the United States affords much matter of consolation and satisfaction. Our exemption hitherto from foreign war, an increasing prospect of the continuance of that exemption, the great degree of internal tranquillity we have enjoyed, the recent confirmation of that tranquillity by the suppression of an insurrection which so wantonly threatened it, the happy course of our pubjic affairs in general, the unexampled prosperity of all classes of our citizens, are circumstances which peculiarly mark our situation with indications of the divine beneficence toward us. In such a state of things it is in an especial manner our duty as a people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God, and to implore Him to continue and confirm the blessings we experienced.

Deeply penetrated with this sentiment, I, George Washington, President of the United States, do recommend to all religious societies and denominations, and to all persons whomsoever, within the United States, to set apart and observe Thursday, the 19th day of February next, as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, and on that day to meet together and render sincere and hearty thanks to the great Ruler of nations for the manifold and signal mercies which distinguish our lot as a nation; particularly for the possession of constitutions of government which unite and, by their union, establish liberty with order; for the preservation of our peace, foreign and domestic; for the reasonable control which has been given to a spirit of disorder in the suppression of the late insurrection (The Whisky Insurrection in Western Pennsylvania.), and generally for the prosperous condition of our affairs, public and private, and at the same time humbly and fervently beseech the kind Author of these blessings graciously to prolong them, to us; to imprint on pur hearts a deep and solemn sense of our obligations to Him for them; to teach us rightly to estimate their immense value; to preserve us from the arrogance of prosperity, and from hazarding the advantages we enjoy by delusive pursuits, to dispose us to merit the continuance of His favors by not abusing them, by our gratitude for them, and by a corresponding conduct as citizens and as men to render this country more and more a safe and propitious asylum for the unfortunate of other countries; to extend among us true and useful knowledge; to diffuse and establish habits of sobriety, order, morality, and piety, and finally to impart all the blessings we possess or ask for ourselves to the whole family of mankind.

In testimony whereof, I have caused the seal of the United States of America to be affixed to these presents, and signed the same with my hand. Done at the city of Philadelphia the first day of January, 1795.

GEORGE WASHINGTON.

2 Tim. 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

THANKSGIVING AND THANKSLIVING

Eph. 5:15-20
Eph 5:15 Look therefore carefully how ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise; Eph 5:16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Eph 5:17 Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Eph 5:18 And be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit; Eph 5:19 speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; Eph 5:20 giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;

Introduction:
Thanksgiving without thanksliving comes under condemnation both from the prophets and the Lord Jesus.

Isaiah says (29:13), "The Lord said . . . this people draw nigh with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me."

And our Savior's complaint was, "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46).

Eph. 5:15-20, Here we have the thanksliving shown in the first verses, and the thanksgiving described in the last.

I. Watch Your Walk.

Verse 15, "Look carefully how ye walk," let your walk be accurate, exact (verses 9, 10), not as unwise, but wise. Thus shall we bring honor to Him whose name we bear — this will be the thanksgiving He will prize.

II. Watch Your Watch (Time!).

Verse 16, Seizing every opportunity, because the days will soon be past, and the evil of the times calls for urgency.

III. Watch God's Will.

Verse 17, "Be not foolish." It is the height of foolishness not to understand our Lord's will, or to know the Lord's will and do it not (Luke 12:47; I Thess.4:3; 5:18).

IV. Watch the World.

Verse 18, The world seeks its exhilaration from the use of strong drinks; the Christian gets it from being filled with the Spirit, and should honor his God by abstaining from that which the worldling needs. God's Holy Spirit will not dwell in a mind which is unbalanced by excitement produced by excess. Throughout this whole passage there is the contrast between the life of a heathen and that of a Christian.

V. Watch Your Worship.

Verse 19, The indwelling Spirit so fills our hearts with unrestrainahle joy that we must give vent to our feelings with our voice. True thanksgiving thus expresses itself in sacred song (Col. 3:15-17).

VI. Watch Your Words.

Verse 20, Thanksgiving for the trials as well as the joys, for the pain as well as the pleasure, in time of adversity as well as prosperity. Thanksliving by our grateful acceptance of all that comes, be it good or bad, knowing it is from the hand of a loving Heavenly Father.

Conclusion:
The only medium through whom our thanks can be offered is the Lord Jesus (Acts 4:12).

Let me remind you again preachers and teachers that you can now have your own Preachology sermon web page. If you submit 15 or more sermons on the "Your Sermons" page, I will then move your sermons to a page of your own where you can continue to add sermons and invite your family, friends, and followers to view your work. When they visit your page, they can make comments about each of your sermons.

Several preachers have now submitted 15 sermons and have their own sermon web page. They have submitted some great sermons. Check them out and then get your own page!

Coming Soon! ...PREACHOLOGY BIBLE INSTITUTE...

In the near future you can start and/or continue your ministry education right here at Preachology Bible Institute. We will have a Certificate Program and a Diploma Program, depending on whether you just want to study the Bible and receive a certificate of achievement or whether you want to pursue a diploma that can lead to a bachelor's, master's, and/or doctor's degree. Look for all the details on this ezine and on our website very soon.

There are more outlines at the "Bible Study Outlines" page where I share my skeleton outlines and there are more outlines at the "Your Skeleton Outline Page" where you can share your great skeleton outlines with all of us.

I also just recently added some more material at preachology.com on the FREE SERMON ILLUSTRATIONS page. There is also new material at the YOUR SERMONS page. There are new sermons there from several different preachers.

Go to the... Free Sermons ...page to get the new sermons and come often because we will soon add more. Take a look. There are some new sermons there now.

Subscribe to my free newsletter and receive even more sermons, outlines, notes, and ideas on a regular basis emailed directly to you. If you subscribe, you will also be able to access "The Preaching Ezine" archives where you will find even more sermon material (not on the website), sent out in the past. I'll also give you a free copy of E. M. Bounds book "Power Through Prayer."

Click here to subscribe to...The Preaching Ezine.


YOUR SERMONS, OUTLINES, and ILLUSTRATIONS:
Preachers, let's be an encouragement to other preachers by sharing our sermons and outlines and commenting positively about other preacher's sermons.

I love to read other preacher's sermons as devotionals for my own personal spiritual growth and also to get ideas for developing sermons of my own.

Go to the... Your Sermons ...page to submit your sermons and outlines and be a blessing to other preachers. There are some new sermons there right now!

Go to the... Your Skeleton Outlines ...page to submit your skeleton outlines and be a blessing to other preachers. There are some new skeleton sermons there right now!

Go to the... Your Illustrations ...page to submit your sermon illustrations and be a blessing to other preachers. There are some new illustrations there right now!

Well, that's about it for now.

Do you have any comments, ideas, or feedback? I'd love to hear from you personally. You can either reply to this ezine or go to the form on the "Contact Me" page on my website and tell me what you think.

Yours for Powerful Preaching,

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