Classic Sermon Outlines
A Thanksgiving Sermon same word in Psalm 5:12: "With favor wilt thou compass (crown) him as with a shield."
3. It finishes and completes. God has crowned, that is, He has finished the year with His goodness. The happy issue of an affair we call the crown of it.
III. MAN'S RESPONSIBILITY TO GOD FOR HIS GOODNESS.
A. To Praise God.
Let us cast all the crowns of the blessings of the year at His feet by our humble, grateful acknowledgement of His infinite wisdom, power, and mercy. Let our closets and families witness to our constant pious adorations of the divine greatness and devout acknowledgements of the divine goodness to us and to our land; that every day may be with us a thanksgiving day and we may live a life of praise (Psalms 145:2; 119:164). Those who thus honor God no doubt He will yet further honor.
B. To Repent of Sin.
Let the goodness of God lead us to repentance and engage us all to reform our lives, to be more watchful of sin, and to abound more in the service of God and in everything that is virtuous and praiseworthy. Then, and then only, we offer praise so as to indeed glorify God when we order our conduct aright; and then shall we be sure to see His great salvation and be forever praising Him.
C. To Increase Our Goodness to One Another.
It is justly expected that they who obtain mercy should show mercy and so reflect the rays of the divine goodness upon all about them; being herein "followers of God as dear children" (Ephesians 5:1), "followers of Him that is good" (I Peter 3:13) in His goodness. Let God's goodness to us constrain us, as we have opportunity, to do good to all men; to do good with what we have in the world, as faithful stewards of the manifold grace of God; to do good with all the abilities God gives us.
D. To Support and Encourage Our Expectations for Next Year.
Has God crowned us with His goodness this year? Let us thence infer that if we approve ourselves faithful to God surely goodness and mercy shall still follow us. And our hopes ought to be the matter of our praises as
CLASSIC SERMON OUTLINES — Matthew Henry well as our joys (Psalm 75:1). The wondrous works for which we are giving thanks this day are upon this account the more valuable in that they give us ground to hope that God's name is near, and in the accomplishments of His promise.
CONCLUSION
That comprehensive prayer, "Father glorify Thy name," has already obtained an answer from heaven—which true believers may apply to themselves—"I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again" (John
12:28). May the goodness and mercy of God so lavishly bestowed upon us as individuals and as a nation not only lead us to proclaim His praise orally, but to show forth our gratitude in lives surrendered to Him who is the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).