As you are well aware, I am not known for my “special occasion” or “special day” preaching. However, I feel led today, especially since Thursday is the day we refer to as “Thanksgiving Day," to consider our giving of thanks and praise to our God. Thursday we will carry out a tradition as old as America. (The things you are about to hear probably are not taught in our public schools today since we want to erase any hint of God from public education in America.) In 1621 -- after a terrible year in which half their number died of starvation or disease, the Pilgrims set aside 3 days in December to praise the Lord for a bountiful corn harvest. Later in 1789, President George Washington proclaimed November 26 as a national day of Thanksgiving unto the Lord. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln revived the tradition of rendering thanks unto the Lord. Finally in 1941, the United States Congress decreed that the fourth Thursday in November was to be a national day of Thanks giving unto the Lord God. For many, Thursday will be a day when the family gathers, eats too much, some watch football on TV, and, most importantly, they do not have to go to work. I hope that it means more than that to us! We are to be thankful to the Lord every day of our lives. In fact, God goes so far as to say that being thankful to Him is His will for our lives. I Thessalonians 5:18: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” In truth, we must never be guilty of allowing our thanks and our praise to God to wait until “Thanksgiving Day” to be expressed. Yet, I am afraid that we tend to be an ungrateful people! Children are ungrateful to parents. People are ungrateful to one another. And, worst of all, people are ungrateful to God. Thankfully, there are portions of Scripture like the one we just read in which we can find, not only a challenge and a call to be thankful, but also plenty of reasons why we should thank he Lord for His goodness toward us. Psalm 95 is part of a series of Psalms that begin with Psalm 91 and which look ahead to the advent and coronation of the King, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is suggested that the keynote for this psalm is found in Psalm 93. According to tradition, these psalms were used at the dedication of the second temple. However, this psalm has its true setting in the Millennial Kingdom during the reign of Christ. It is a time when all the world will be filled with righteousness and all men everywhere will exalt the Name of the Lord. It is a time when His praises will fill the earth as they should at all times. It will be a time when the glory of Jesus will literally fill the earth. (Thank God, that you and I that are saved will get to share in that glorious Kingdom!) 4. So, let's examine this psalm, especially the first 7 verses, and see what it says about giving praise to the Lord and about being thankful to Him. Here is:

I. THE INVITATION TO ENTER HIS PRESENCE -- VV. 1-2.

II. THE DECLARATION THAT EXPRESSES HIS POWER - Vv. 3-5.

III. THE DEMONSTRATIONS THAT EXCLAIM HIS PRAISES -- VV. 4-5.