This evening, I would ask you to open your Bibles, please, to Psalm 136, the 136th Psalm. In light of Thanksgiving Day this week, I thought it very proper to give attention to the 136th Psalm, which has thanking God as a major theme. As you may be very aware, this psalm is noteworthy for its rather unusual structure. Each verse includes the words, for his mercy endures forever. And these words are kind of like an oft-repeated refrain. And perhaps it was designed to be sung responsively. Well, in the reading of it, you can see that Thanksgiving is a major theme in this psalm. Four times it is commanded. But I hope you could also see that that's not the major theme, but rather The major theme is God Himself. The psalm is all about God. Every verse identifies Him. For instance, what we see in verses 1 through 3, right at the outset when we're told, oh, give thanks to the Lord, that is, to Jehovah, that name by which He has revealed Himself, the great I am there in Exodus 3, the self-existent. never-changing, infinite God who needs nothing, God who condescends to make Himself known to men, a covenant-making, covenant-keeping God, that and more will be wrapped up in that name, Jehovah. But then, verse 2, He's there identified as the God of God's, supreme over everything that is called God, that men would worship as God. He is immeasurably superior, indeed beyond all thought. When the heathen would come up with their idols, well, it's just their own vain imaginations. But here's a God who is the true and living God, the only true and living God. also suggested here is he is the triune God, one God, in three persons. Now you know when he says the God of gods, well that gods is plural. But so also is the word, the name, title, God. That too, Elohim, is plural. It's the same one used, same word used there in Deuteronomy 6.4, Jehovah our Elohim, our God, plural, is one. Though plural, he's one God pointing to the mystery of the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that one name in which we were baptized. In verse 3, the Lord of Lords, and just like with the God of Gods, it means He is Lord above all Lords. Now Lord here is not Jehovah, it's Adonai, it's Master, Ruler, and the idea is there's none. His equal, He is Lord over all, even over all other Lords, even those of chief rank know He is Lord above them and over them. Twice in the book of Revelation, our Savior is described as Lord of Lords, and that would certainly be an inscription of deity attesting to his full Godhead. But when we have these two things together, God of Gods, Lord of Lords, they emphasize this infinite greatness. In fact, we find in a text like Deuteronomy 10 For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, etc." Well, that's the point he's driving home here in saying, Lord of lords and God of gods, great and awesome indeed. Well, the title given him at the end of the psalm further emphasizes his greatness. Notice how he is spoken of in verse 26, O give thanks to the God of heaven. Again, that's a title. here given him and underscores that he's not part of this world, he's over and above, infinitely above this world even as the creator of all things and as such he's the ruler of it. So often in scripture when he's referred to as the God of heaven or God in the heavens, it's the idea that he's above this world and exercises all authority. Psalm 115 verse 3, our God is in heaven. The heathens say, where's your God? We don't see your God. Come on, where is he? I'll tell you what, Our God is in heaven. He does whatever He pleases. He rules over everything under the heavens. This is our God. And the writer's aim, clearly, is to say much about Him, and that's what He does, especially by these titles. According to His greatness, His uniqueness, none like Him. Well, the psalm begins and ends on that note, but even beyond that, Each verse between these titles, verse 1 through 3 and then verse 26, each verse identifies him by his works. what he has done or is doing. In fact, eight times in this psalm we read the words, him who, him who does, et cetera. And then the verse is followed by words expanding on that. Here is what he does. It's him who does this and here is what he has done. For instance, notice verse four. To him who alone does great wonders. He's a God who's very active in His world, and He does what no other can. These great wonders, again, pointing to Him as infinitely great and entirely unique. Who alone? Remember how we see, like in Psalm 113, who is like the Lord our God? The idea that no one, even Exodus, when their children of Israel brought out of Egypt. Lord, who is like unto you? And again, no one. We find it God himself putting the question through Isaiah in Isaiah 46. To what will you liken me? Who is like me? Well, clearly No one. There's none like him. Well, that's certainly the idea here. He's unique. And he's seen revealed in these great wonders that he alone does and can do. And the psalm of sin illustrates this by showing some of God's great wonders. And again, he's identifying him by his works. Notice, let me read the bits there in verses five through nine apart from the refrain. to him who by wisdom made the heavens, to him who laid out the earth, to him who made great lights, the sun to rule by day, the moon and stars to rule by night." Here he is, he's the creator. He's the creator of the heavens, but more than that, he's the creator of the earth, of all things. He laid it all out, and he alone did this great wonder. God alone keep your fingers here but notice quickly Isaiah chapter 44 Isaiah chapter 44 notice verse 24 thus says the Lord your Redeemer he who formed you from the womb I am the Lord who makes all things who stretches out the heavens all alone who spreads abroad the earth by my self. So the Lord God, He made it all and He underscores He did it by Himself. Now it is interesting that we come to a text like Hebrews 1.2 or Colossians chapter 1 and verse 16. There the Creator is identified as the Lord Jesus Christ. or John chapter 1 and verse 3. He made all things. Well, anything without him, nothing was made that was made. And therefore it is again another attestation. He alone did this work of creation. Well, how can that be since God alone did that work of creation, except that it's an attestation to the deity of Christ. One point from this that we see not only here, but elsewhere in scripture is that in creating, God thereby has revealed Himself. He is the one who did this. He shows Himself, His great power, speaking worlds into existence. Or verse 5 of Psalm 136, He did this by His great wisdom. Or you have Psalm 19, the heavens declare the glory of God, the firmament, His handiwork, right? You see God. Or Psalm 8, how excellent is God's name in all the earth, all the earth. It reveals Him, it shows His glory, His creation. Remember the angels there in Isaiah chapter 6, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, They're in God's very presence. And having said that, they then say the whole earth is full of your glory. I find that interesting that these angelic beings are witnesses to God's glory revealed in the Holy of Holies, yet they're saying the whole earth is full of God's glory and giving Him praise for so displaying Himself throughout the earth. And glory means the shining forth of His perfections. In fact, so much is the earth full of the shining forth of God's perfections, of God's attributes and character, that according to Romans 1.18, the only way people can't see it is they have to suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Remember how Paul goes on to say, what's revealed about God is clear in them. It's clear all around them. God's invisible power in Godhead. Everywhere they look, they're surrounded by testimony to the true and living God. Well, why don't they see it? Well, he says that they suppress that truth. They hold it down. I don't want to think about it. Let's explain it some other way. Let's get something else. How about a four-footed beast or creepy crawling, and we'll bow down and worship that instead. They exchange the truth of God for a lie, he says. You look at creation, you look at the stars, the sun, the moon, you look at this earth, and you see even a newborn baby, and those tiny little features, and they're all there. Everywhere you look, you see God displayed. And isn't it glorious indeed? Huh? Come on, kids, you've stood out in your yard perhaps, and a starlit evening, and the clear sky, and see all those stars? You ever counted them? Huh? You ever tried to count them? Well, no you haven't, right? Forget that. That ain't gonna happen. Well, here it is. This great God, He created all of these things. Glorious, right? Right? And yet we're told in Job 26, 14, that what we see of God, that's just the edges of His ways. It's just a small whisper, right? So you're standing out, you see all those stars, you see the sun, you see the beauty of creation throughout this world. That's just a something of a revelation, a small whisper of His infinite greatness. Well, how infinitely great He is and must be then. So the idea, look out at His creation. what He has created, and see Him. And rightly should we marvel, a God so wise, a God so powerful and great and glorious. Although verses five through nine speak of what God has done in the past, and how He has been revealed in creation, the psalmist is not simply speaking of what God did. Rather, he, verse 4, does great wonders. In other words, he's still at it. And especially in sustaining his wide and great creation. Isaiah 40 talks about all these stars, the whole host of heaven. And God not only calls them by name, but also He sustains them. We see in Genesis 8, even as that covenant with Noah, where God Himself has pledged to maintain seed time and harvest and cold and heat and winter and summer and day and night. It's not just some kind of fluke here, it's God Himself controlling all things, or again, as it were, and attestation to Christ's deity, Hebrews 1.3, He upholds all things by the word of His power, by His own authoritative command, He upholds and keeps it all together. The God of providence, very much at work. in his world, and that would include feeding all of his creatures. We see in Psalm 104 how all these springs and all the rivers, that's God. He provides that. He gives them drink. The young lions, they seek their food from him. Psalm 104.21 tells us, in fact, he feeds it all. They all wait on him. This is later, Psalm 147, verse 9, talks about the ravens. He feeds them. In fact, our Lord Jesus in Matthew 6 refers to the birds of the air more generic. Not just the ravens, but all of these birds of the air. It's your Father in heaven, He says, who feeds them. Psalm 145, He gives food to every living thing. Even here in Psalm 136, verse 25, He gives food to all flesh. And that would especially include mankind. God's pervasive providence, feeding not only the animals, not only the birds, feeding people. Indeed, He gives to all life, breath, and all things. This God who works all things after the counsel of His will. You remember Psalm 127 about Unless the Lord builds a house, they labor in vain. Who built it? Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman wakes in vain." What does that mean? Except that God, in His pervasive providence, He's the one who blesses and grants the building of the house and the safety in a city. It's God and God alone, or Paul's words there. in Acts 14, when you got these pagans, and they're ready to offer sacrifice to Paul. Paul and Barnabas, they're gods, let's offer sacrifice to them. And they scarcely were able to restrain them in their madness, but he says, look, there's this one true and living God, and he's not left himself without witness. He's done you good. He's revealed His goodness and His providence. He's the one who filled your hearts with food and gladness. Not only food, but the gladness, the legitimate joys you have in family life and in work and enjoying His creation. It's God who's put that in your heart, He says. How pervasive. He alone does great wonders. Able to provide for all of His creatures, thereby revealing His greatness, revealing His glory. Do you give much thought to that? All the animals throughout the globe, all these birds, all flesh, all waiting on Him as it were. All that's involved in His feeding all of His creatures and sustaining His universe. What a wise and powerful God. And because He is the God of providence, He's revealed in human history and that's what we see in verses 10 through 24. It makes reference to Egypt, it makes reference to the Gentiles, and especially Israel, underscoring that God is sovereign over nations, even over all individuals. We see here references made to great and well-known kings. Now, even these, God rules over all. They are subject to Him. Well, this is the only true and living God. This is who He is. This is what He does. And He is our God. And His works reveal Him. of all that his works reveal, his wisdom, his power, his sovereignty, there's one truth, this psalm says, that especially stands out. Now, what truth would that be? Of everything that God's works reveal about him, from this psalm in particular, what one attribute, one perfection, do you think would stick out above others? Well, since you stated it 26 times, I suspect you know what it is. It's mercy which endures forever. It's in every verse. Now, King James, New King James, they translate it mercy, but it's not as limited as how we might use our English word. Often we think of pity, sympathy, or not dealing with a person as is deserved. That's more our English use of the word mercy. Where grace is giving people what is not deserved, mercy is holding back what is deserved. But the Hebrew word, it actually goes much beyond that as is reflected in various translations. For instance, New American Standard translates it, loving kindness. The New International Version simply translates it, love. The ESV translates it, steadfast love. We could perhaps find other translations as well. But you get the idea. It is the goodness of God, but not only in acts of kindness. It points to God's disposition to do good. In fact, even here at the outset of the psalm, when he says, give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endures forever, is somewhat synonymous here. He does good because he is good. He is disposed. This is his inward disposition. That of loving kindness, steadfast love, In fact, as we see twice in 1 John 4, God is love. And brethren, we must never downplay that. This is His character. God is love. Yeah, we know what people have done with that. professing Christendom, how, well, God is love, therefore there's no wrath, there's no anger, there's no, it's just, well, no, God is light, and there's more to God than just love, but we must take care that we don't downplay the reality and the greatness that God is love. That is very much His character and His perfection, and that's what's seen in this disposition to do good. Now, when it says His love, His mercy endures forever, Well that would include duration, that is to say all of God's attributes are never-ending as well as unchangeable. But it means more than just that. It's the idea of steady, of constant. His mercy, this love, it's ever seen in His dealings. Here's what He is. God is love. So here is what he does. He expresses that disposition in all that he does. In fact, in each of these verses you've got that his mercy endures forever. It begins with four He does what He does because. Here's reason to thank Him, but it's also all these many expressions are because of this. Because His mercy endures forever. All of those great wonders that He alone does, well these are not only acts of power and wisdom and sovereignty, it's expression of His mercy. He does this because for His love, His mercy endures forever. all that work of creation in verses 5 through 9. It's out of that loving disposition towards His creatures. He's wise and He's good. And certainly when we read in verse 25 how He feeds all flesh, birds, and beasts, it's because of His mercy, because of His love, because of His goodness. That's His disposition toward His creatures, including and especially toward man. He gives to all men life, breath, and all things, filling their hearts with food and gladness. And this is so even though people sin against Him. He's still loving them. He's still doing them good. He's still feeding all flesh. Or to use the words of our Lord Jesus in Matthew 5.45, He loves His enemies. He causes the sun to rise upon them. He causes the rain to fall upon them. And that as the daily constant expression of His love. to people, human beings, sinners, though they are even described as his enemies. Here in Psalm 136, we see what we're told in Psalm 145 9, that God is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works. The sun, the rain, the food they eat, it's a great God, who is such a very good God. That's his disposition. Enduringly. That is, constantly. Do you so see him? As a God of love? I don't use the word Calvinist very often. We would have to be described as that in our view of soteriology, of salvation. But I've met people who are very zealous for the doctrines of grace, Calvinism, Calvinists, who are so eager to protect the truth of God's electing love, that is to say, that that love that is spoken of in John 17, where the Father loves us as He loves the Son, John 17, 23, that they will all but deny God's love for the non-elect, right? As if somehow we've got to be so jealous for God's electing love that therefore there's no other love he has. He's angry with the wicked every day and God hates the workers of iniquity, Psalm 55, and that's the end of story. That's all there is to it. Brethren, that is not biblical. It's not right. In fact, it's dishonoring to God. It actually cheapens. No, cheapens isn't a good word. If you please, it gives a lower view of that electing love. God loves his enemies, and he displays it, his disposition, in feeding them, in causing rain, in giving them sunshine. God is loving. sinful human beings of all kind, with a perfect love that's not inconsistent with that hatred that's described in Psalm 5.5. But it's real love that God shows. And as I say, to not recognize that would, in a way, lessen our view of His electing love. He loves all. His enemies. how much more so that love of election whereby we are loved as Christ is loved again John 17 23 where he would choose a people out of love to have them accepted in the beloved as the beloved Ephesians 1 6 the point is all creation it points to God's mercy to God's love or loving-kindness or steadfast love a God who is very good. Well, do you so see him as that? Feeding the animals, feeding sinful man, good to all, tender mercies over all his works? Do you consciously recognize God's constant mercy to all, and in particular, to you? And do you then respond in the way that the psalmist here instructs? When he says in verse 1, in verse 2, verse 3, and verse 26, Oh, give thanks. Well, are you doing that? How right that we should be thankful But in actual fact, what is here commanded isn't simply have gratitude in your heart. It's to give thanks. It's to express that thanksgiving to God. And not only for what we receive, but because of who He is, His mercy. This is His disposition, this unchanging mercy. It endures forever. How right we should then express our gratitude, a God so good. And therefore, brethren, take heed to see God, His love, His mercy in His creation, in His providence. even towards the animals, feeding them. Trace everything, that building of the house, that protection of the city, all that everyone enjoys, giving to all life, breath and all things, the rising of the sun, falling of the rain. That's not just some mechanical something. It's no accident. It's the work of Him who alone does great wonders, and He does so as the expression of that mercy, of that love, which is His disposition forever. All right? So that's one. See God and see His mercy in His creation, in His providence. And give Him thanks. Express it. But it could be argued, yeah, some things don't look like displays of mercy or love. Some things would even appear to be contradictory to mercy. Even here in Psalm 136. I mean, those things that we've read in verses 10 through 24, to him who struck Egypt in their firstborn. How does that fit? with mercy." Verse 15, "...but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea." How does that fit with that mercy, that love? Verse 17, "...to him who struck down great kings, slew famous kings, Sion, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan." They're dead! How's that a display of mercy? Where's the mercy in all of this? Well, clearly, the psalm speaks of God's dealings with Israel, what he did on their behalf, his mercies to them in delivering them out of that Egyptian bondage, and his mercies by way of settling them in the land and protecting them, from their enemies and as we see for instance in Psalm 147 20 he has dealt thus with no other nation in fact Deuteronomy chapter 4 what nation has God ever made except Israel how he went and took a people out of another nation and established them and made them his people and made them his nation and no other people has he so dealt with okay but what about the nations though Egypt and those nations in the land of Canaan, that which we read of here in verses 10 through 24. How does that look like mercy to them? Well, let me say that what we see going on by way of Egypt and the land of Canaan and those nations, that's actually a display of God's justice. God judging them for their sin. But please understand, it was sin for which they deserved judgment. Please come to Genesis chapter 15. You need to keep your fingers here in Psalm 136, but notice Genesis chapter 15. God's words, God's promise to Abraham. Let's take up our reading at the 13th verse. And he said to Abram, Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, that is the people in that land, and they will afflict them 400 years. And also the nation whom they serve, I will judge. Afterward, they shall come out with great possessions." And that speaks of Egypt and their wickedness against the people and God would judge and bring the people out. He says, now, as for you, verse 15, you should go to your fathers in peace. You should be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation, They shall return here, that is, in that land of promise, which is the land of Canaan, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." And it would probably include not just the Amorites, but other nations inhabiting that land. What God did by way of delivering them from Egypt, what God did by way of bringing them into the land of promise, it was actually expression of justice. They were guilty of great and constant sins. And yet God didn't judge them immediately. He says, no, their sin is not yet ripe. God's still giving them space to repent. And they have God revealed in creation and in other ways and His providence before them. And they didn't repent, though given space. And therefore, God dealt in justice. And justice is not inconsistent with goodness. In fact, if God's not just, how can He be good? And what did God do in the meantime, during that 400 years? What did God do? He didn't come at them, pouring out His wrath. That He would do in time. But in the meantime, Psalm 136.25, He was giving food to all flesh. He was showing real kindness, filling their hearts with food and gladness. Every day he made the sun rise upon them. Regularly he sent rain and gave them crops, and that as the expression of real love, which they repaid by wickedness against him. that goodness of God that's designed to lead to repentance, Romans 2.4, though in their case, in their impenitent hearts, they stored up wrath against the day of wrath. And even so, what God says in Ezekiel 33.11, it applies here, he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather they turn and live. And therefore, in Psalm 136 verse 25, He's calling on all to give thanks. Psalm 145 verse 9, He's good to all, His tender mercies are over all His works. Therefore, all should rightly give Him thanks. In fact, failure to thank Him is blameworthy. That's what we see there in Romans chapter 1. Here these people are, they're suppressing truth about God and unrighteousness. They don't glorify Him as God. Nor are they thankful, and he says, and they're without excuse. The true and living God is revealed, but they blind their eyes. They close their eyes and stop their ears. They refuse to acknowledge the true and living God. They're not thankful. They're without excuse. And therefore, in suppressing the truth and unrighteousness, the wrath of God is revealed. The goodness of God designed to lead men to repentance. But if they will not repent, they store up wrath against the day of wrath. What about you? To quote Albert Barnes, all that God has done, even though it seemed to be a display of power or justice or severity or of wrath, was in fact an illustration of the mercy of God and laid a foundation for praise. That is, all this was connected with the good of His people. with favors to mankind, with the accomplishment of great and benevolent purposes, and therefore was expressive of mercy, a proof that the mercy of God endures forever." And therefore, all should give thanks. But if all should give thanks, well especially so should that nation of which we're here reading in Psalm 136, Israel, blessed by God's dealings with them. Because beyond just feeding them as He does all flesh, He established them as a nation and gave them good laws. He gave them his word. He gave them much truth. He gave them an apparatus by way of worship and an approach to God. And he made known to them his salvation and the way of salvation, even in that Old Testament period, even in the Old Covenant. God's mercy, God's love is especially seen in the provision he would make through that nation of Israel. Remember the promise to Abraham in Genesis 12, 3, that through you all the families of the earth will be blessed. That's part of that Abrahamic covenant, through you. In fact, that falls right after that dispersing the families of the earth. Remember the Tower of Babel, and how they're all united, and in their pride and arrogance, here we are, we're great and wonderful, and well God, by that confusion of tongues, divided them and scattered them throughout the whole earth. Oh, but wait, back in Genesis 3, God had made a promise, a purpose of grace that God had articulated, that the seed of the woman would come and bruise the serpent's head, pointing to Jesus Christ, the Savior, that God would send into this world for sinners like us, even before judgment was pronounced on Adam and Eve's sin, before the curse was pronounced, First, there's this promise in the cursing of Satan, as it were, the serpent, there's this promise that the Messiah would come and crush the serpent's head and all that Christ would do. And yet, Genesis 11, all the families of the earth are scattered. What's going to become of that promise? Here it is, Abraham, I'm calling you, I'm making this covenant with you that through you, all the families of the earth, scattered though they may be, shall be blessed. And how is that going to happen? It's because this great God, the God of gods and Lord of lords, the creator and sustainer of all, This one against whom all have sinned, all Gentiles and so the Jews, even with so much light and mercy. This God so dealt with Abraham's descendants, with Israel as a nation, making them and keeping them a nation, in order to bring that seed of the woman that promised Messiah through them. Paul spells this out in Romans chapter 9, where he refers to the fathers, and they had the promise, and the adoption, and all that belonged to them, through whom, according to the flesh, Christ came. a true Jew, and all of God's dealings, that whole history of redemption in the Old Testament, what we see of it is dealings with Abraham and thereafter, even before Abraham, but certainly in God's dealings with that people, with that nation. It's all with this in view, to provide redemption for sinners in this world. God's goodness, God's mercy. display his great love as God himself was made known, as God made sin known, as God revealed truth about Christ even in that old covenant. And that's what we have spelled out in verses 10 through 24 of Psalm 136. Here's what God did for that nation. But what He did, it wasn't only for that nation. It's that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish. but of everlasting life. And all of that history of Israel was part of bringing that Son into the world as the expression of God's love, that One who's called the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Or even Samaritans, John 4, 42, we know He is the Savior of the world, not just Jews, but all kinds of sinners. What great mercy, what great love for sinners, not just Jewish sinners, Gentile sinners, that God would provide this great salvation. Didn't leave Himself without witness, showing goodness to all men. Even through Israel, giving the light and the truth about Him, as well as what's revealed in creation and providence. Well, in His mercy, His love, that endures forever, He was bringing a Savior into the world and He gave truth about Him all along so that even before Christ's coming sinners could look to God's provision and be forever right with God and that would include even Gentiles who could be proselytes. And it's that love that endures forever in the most ultimate sense that whoever believes on Him, not perish, have everlasting life. He who has a son has life. That Christ came into this world to save sinners, and suffered and died the just one in place of the unjust. Died, was buried, and raised from the dead, and now ever lives to save to the uttermost all who come to God by Him. And whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved with a salvation even by which saved sinners, have peace with God, are immutably fixed in God's favor, and will be glorified together with Christ. Because God's mercy endures forever. Well, here is a great wonder that he has wrought. Not only creation, not only providence, but the whole work of redemption, displaying that mercy, that steadfast love, If it's right to thank Him for His goodness in creation, if it's right to thank Him for His goodness in providence, even that food that He gives to all flesh, how much more is it right to thank Him and to praise Him for that great love that He's displayed in preparing for and then sending His only begotten Son into the world. Well, in God's common grace, we as a nation have our annual day of thanksgiving. And brethren, I would exhort you in light of that, not just to see it as a day for eating turkey or ham or overeating all the other fine foods that no doubt will be set before us, but to make sure that we truly give thanks to God. All of us, especially as believers on Christ, see what God has done, see what he has done constantly for all of his creatures, but especially for, and especially through that nation that is here referred to in Psalm 136, bringing the Messiah through them. And don't just think about the good that we've received, but rather in all of these things, this psalm is teaching us to see God himself, see him. Who He is. Powerful, wise, good, merciful, loving. And to trace all these things back to Him, to His disposition, if you please, to God's heart. And to thank Him for who He is. That disposition of love doing good in all things and to all. And especially His work in providing a Savior for sinners. Christ coming and suffering, dying and now living. And God still saving sinners through Him. Take care, brethren, on Thanksgiving Day to truly give thanks to God in a way suited as we see here in Psalm 136. But now also take care that you don't wait until Thanksgiving Day to give thanks, to express thanks to God. Because surely what we see in Psalm 136 speaks of every day. God's not just feeding all flesh on the last Thursday in November every year, but every day throughout the day. And all of His works in Providence doing such good to all of His creatures and certainly to us. Rather, thanks is constantly due. Don't just wait until Thursday. And again, don't see only the good received, but rather see God Himself, His enduring mercy and love always, always in all things, and then act accordingly. That's why we read, say, in Ephesians 5.20, to give thanks to God for, always, for all. things or 1st Thessalonians 5 18 in everything give thanks for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus all should thank him but how much more should we those redeemed through our Lord Jesus Christ and therefore by way of aiding us not only this Wednesday but the days between Thursday rather but the days between now and Thanksgiving Day and every day thereafter brethren well we've looked at Psalm 136 what reason we have to give thanks always, and that even throughout the day. I think it's interesting, in Ephesians chapter 5, there's certain talk that is not right, not suitable for us as Christians, and Paul says, don't do that, rather giving thanks. Well, it also shows one way to avoid wrong language is to be mindful of God and thank Him, but it underscores that in our regular conversation, giving thanks to God as we're mindful of His goodness, of His grace, especially His love to us in Christ. What reason we have and what a way to show ourselves very different from the world by way of constant thanksgiving to a God whose mercy endures forever. If you're not truly thankful to the only true and living God, I hope you see why. If you're here and you've no thought of really giving thanks to God, oh, maybe on Thanksgiving Day you might think a little bit about it, but It's because you're suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. That's why you're ungrateful to God. And see what that deserves. God's wrath is revealed from heaven. God's goodness is designed to lead you to repentance. Well, are you going to Christ? Are you repenting? That ungrateful impenitence and sinners who die that way, they will forever be monuments of God's justice. Will you wait until that time? or will you now be a trophy of God's saving grace in Jesus Christ? Believe on the Lord Jesus, you will be saved. God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son that whoever, young, old, slave, free, Jew, Gentile, doesn't matter, whoever believes on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. What about you? Let's pray. Father in heaven, truly, your mercy, your steadfast love endures forever. We thank you for so dealing with our fallen sinful race and that you have provided such a savior. And in the meantime, you've not left yourself without witness. Lord, even man is wickedness. You continue to give food to all flesh. Well, Father, grant that we would trace all back to your hands and see your goodness, to see your heart of love displayed. Even when we see the sunrise and we see the rainfall and all the creature comforts that we see in the world around us, even as we read in Psalm 17, how you're giving to men, even ungodly men, out of your treasures, even their children and the like. It's your goodness. The Lord grant we would see that, and that we would abound in thanksgiving, especially as we see your goodness to us, and all the more as we see your goodness to this fallen world in providing the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us, Lord, to be more mindful of you and your heart, and to thank you for that great love. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.