#6
(The Church’s Stance While Awaiting Christ’s Return
Series)
"BE THANKFUL!"
TEXTS: 1 Thess.
5:18 Dan. 6:10 Eph. 5:20 Rom. 1:21 2 Tim. 3:2 Philip. 1:3-6
INTRO: One of the
most important qualities we can develop as a Christian is that of "Thankfulness!" There are few characteristics that will
influence our lives more than this one ... it can affect every area of our lives
positively if we are careful to nurture it in our life! For the Christian this characteristic
should not be an option ... this is to be a quality that defines us in this
world!
ILLUS: In
1636 amid the darkness of the "THIRTY YEARS WAR" a German Pastor by the name of
Martin Rinkart faced the horrible duty of burying in one single year 5,000 of
his parishioners!! He averaged 15
funerals a day for a year! His
congregation was ravaged by war, death, and economic disaster on a scale you and
I can't even imagine! In the midst
of that darkness he sat down one night with cries of fear outside his window and
wrote the following table grace: [SEE HYMN ... first verse!] “Now thank we all our God, with heart and
hands and voices, who wondrous things hath done, in whom His world rejoices;
Who, from our mother's arm, hath blessed us on our way, With countless gifts of
love, and still is ours today!”
Here was a man of God who understood the absolute necessity of
"THANKFULNESS" in the Christian life even in the midst of great suffering ... it
kept balance in all the darkness!
– Source Unknown
You
will never be the Christian you need to be without "THANKFULNESS" as a major quality of
your life!!
PROP. SENT:
The Bible teaches that "THANKFULNESS" is the normal quality of
a Christian's life ... without it our Christianity would be warped and
unproductive!
I. WHEN WE GIVE THANKS 1 Thess. 5:18a Dan. 6:10 Eph. 5:20
A. Immediate!
1 Thess. 5:18a Dan. 6:10
1. Many times we offer thanksgiving to
God only after our prayers have been answered!
a. It is interesting to note that
Daniel went home to pray and “GIVE THANKS TO GOD AS WAS HIS CUSTOM” ... IN
the midst of trouble even when no answers were in sight Daniel still gave thanks
to God in prayer!
b. For many of us our prayers at such
a moment would have consisted mainly of requests and petitions to the Lord ...
Daniel’s prayers were mostly THANKSGIVING!
c. Perhaps this was the great secret
to Daniel's life of power and victory!
d. In fact it was his prayers of
thanksgiving that his enemies were counting on to get him in trouble with the
king!
2. Daniel and the other great men of
Scripture did not wait for answers to their prayers to cry out to God in
Thanksgiving ... check out the many psalms that David used as prayers for
deliverance and help ... they always included sections of thanksgiving, many
times at the beginning of the prayer!
3. If we included more thanksgiving
early in our prayers our petitions would have greater force ... God responds
much more clearly to people with THANKFUL hearts than those who do not have
one!
4. Notice we pray and give thanks to
God before our meals, not after!
a. What if we learned to practice this
in prayer before any and all requests!? Notice in Philip. 4:6 we see this pattern of Thankfulness
before or with petition: “… but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to
God.”
b. Notice too what follows prayer with
thanksgiving – PEACE OF MIND! Next
verse, Philip. 4:7 “And the peace of God, which transcends
all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
(Capitals and underline mine for emphasis)
c. Our faith would be revolutionized
... and our complaints diminished if we took seriously this command in 1 Thess:
ILLUS: One
little boy started to grasp this importance when he prayed before a meal that
included some items he noticed he didn't like! "Lord, I don't like the looks of it, but
I thank you for it, and I'll eat it anyway ... AMEN!" Some of us could use this prayer for many
of life's circumstances!
– Source Unknown
5. Too often we wait until we get the
answers we want to offer thanks to God!
a. This then robs us of our faith ...
faith would be able to thank God before an answer because you trust Him
for your need!
b. Thanking first helps to remove some
of the fear and concern ... it helps rid us of
anxiety!
c. Learn the strength of IMMEDIATE
THANKFULNESS ... don't always wait for the answers!
B. Inclusive
Eph.
5:20
1. What do I thank God for, is it open
ended or are there exceptions to the rule?
a. Do I even thank Him in advance for painful
experiences?
b. Do I thank Him for things that make things
worse in my life rather than better?
c. Do I thank Him when people I don't care for
are blessed?
d. Do I thank Him for the sermons on tithing
the Pastor sometimes preaches?
e. Do I thank Him for trials before I see the
reasons behind them?
2. There are no exceptions for the
Christian!
a. Eph.
b. It is not so much giving thanks for
the pain or loss ... but for the good that our Lord can bring even out of
terrible circumstances!
c. It therefore is not a denial of
suffering, it is not the absence of tears when hurt comes, it is
just the confident knowledge that God works out His good will in us no
matter how terrible the ordeal - trust!
d. So, yes we cry in trials, we get
discouraged in trails we don't understand, we are not walking around with a
silly grin on our face trying to pretend we don't hurt or are not confused ...
but we hold steady in our faith knowing God will bring fruit out of pruning,
that something good can come from trials!
e. Thus in time (or at least in
eternity) our pain or sorrow will give way to thankfulness in God's greater
purposes ... confidence in this gives us the ability to be thankful now before
we see the good!
3. Sometimes trials can simply be
God's way of keeping us from greater dangers or harm, even when we don't see
them immediately!
ILLUS: Two
artists were putting the finishing touches on a painting high on a scaffold in a
church. The younger artist stepped
back to admire the work he had done with his older companion and he became
enraptured with the beauty of what he and his friend had created! His master saw his pleasure and realized
that in the emotion of the moment the young man was continuing to step back
farther and farther, inching toward the edge of the scaffold. In another moment his young companion
would plunge to his death! Fearing
he would only frighten the young man if he shouted a warning to him the master
artist grabbed some paint and deliberately threw paint quickly on their
masterpiece! The young man plunged
forward in shock and cried out, "What have you done? Why did you do that?" Upon hearing the reason from the older
Master his anger and confusion melted into tears of joy and thankfulness! Such is the work of God many times in
our lives!
– Source Unknown
4. With this in mind it is possible to
thank God for everything, even the worse moments in our lives have purpose and
fulfill God's plan in producing in us the fruits of
righteousness!
a. Unthankfulness will rob us of our
confidence in God ... and the joy and peace of our
salvation!
b. Bitterness also destroys the
relationships we could have with God and each other; thankfulness goes a long
ways in combating many ungodly qualities that zap our spiritual
vitality!
II. WHY WE GIVE THANKS 1 Thess. 5:18b Rom. 1:21 2 Tim. 3:2 Philip.
1:3-6
A. Invaluable! 1 Thess. 5:18b Rom. 1:21 2 Tim.
3:2
1. Why is it so important for
Christians to be THANKFUL people all the time?
a. Because the Bible teaches that the
spirit of the age in the last days will be characterized by
UNTHANKFULNESS! (See 2 Tim. 3:2)
b. Obviously God doesn't want our
lives to be like those of this world.
If unthankfulness is to be the normal character of people’s lives in the
end time we are to be different from this world ... God's people should be the
MOST THANKFUL PEOPLE ON THE PLANET!
2. It is interesting to note Paul's
thoughts in ROMANS
a. Paul states that even in the early
years of man's existence when the knowledge of God was in the earth, man at that
time "neither
glorified Him as God, NOR GAVE THANKS TO HIM, but their thinking became
futile and their foolish hearts were darkened, Although they claimed to be wise,
they became fools...!" (Bold and underline emphasis
mine)
b. It is very clear from both 2 Tim. 3:2 and Romans
(1. It was at the foundation of man's fall
away from God!
(2. It will be true in the end times with
fallen man!
3. The best protection for you to be
true to God is to keep a thankful spirit! It is AN INVALUABLE QUALITY OF THE
Christian life!
ILLUS: Wilson
Johnson, the founder of Holiday Inn motels, once said, "When I was 40 years old
I worked in a saw mill. One morning
the boss told me I was fired! Depressed and discouraged, I felt like the world
had caved in. When I told my wife
what had happened, she asked me what I was going to do. I replied, ‘I'm going to mortgage our
little home and go into the building business.’ My first venture was the construction of
2 small buildings. Within 5 years I
was a multimillionaire! At the
time it happened, I didn't understand why I was fired. Later, I saw that it was God's unerring
and wondrous plan to get me into the way of His choosing!" Thus Johnson was able to bring great
glory to God in his testimony and life and helping the
4. The biggest thing that keeps us
from expressing this kind of THANKFULNESS to God is fear that the weight of our
trials will be too great for us to handle ... and this fear keeps us from
thanking God early on!
a. Will God ever allow you to carry a
load too heavy? NO!
b. Does He know your limits? YES!
ILLUS: A
man was shopping in a grocery store while his young son followed close on his
heels carrying a large basket for the groceries. The father would load the basket with
items from the store while his son carried them. Item after item was put into the basket
until a lady shopping near the man and his son began to feel sorry for the boy
carrying this load. To get her
point across to the father, she knelt down to speak to the boy, but in a loud
voice so the father would hear said, "That's a pretty heavy load for a young
fellow like you isn't it?" Before
the dad could say a word the boy jumped in and said, "Oh, don't worry lady, my
dad knows how much I can carry!"
The boy was thankful that his dad trusted him to carry the load and was
excited at being with his father who had confidence in him ... his thankfulness
sprang from his love and trust in his father who he knew wouldn't allow a load
too heavy for him to carry! IF ONLY
WE COULD LEARN THIS LESSON!
– Source Unknown
5. Why do we give thanks to God? BECAUSE THIS IS HIS WILL IN
CHRIST!
B. Identity 1 Thess. 5:18b Philip.
1:3-6
1. This brings us to the final reason
why we can give thanks ... IT IS HIS WILL IN CHRIST!
a. Because we are identified with
Christ by being IN HIM!
b. WE belong to Him; therefore all
things must pass by his OK before they are allowed in our
lives!
2. The longer we are saved the easier
this THANKFULNESS will come. We
will have learned along the way to trust our Lord through experience as well as
through teaching:
ILLUS: Breaking
a horse to a saddle usually has one of two reactions: most three year old
mustangs that have never had a saddle put on them before react one of two
ways: 1. They will react with
anger, rearing back and trying to get away, even striking out with their
forefeet at their trainer! Their
nostrils flare, their eyeballs roll, and they panic! 2. Others will just stand there,
trembling, and shake like a leaf; they won't move they're so afraid! They don't know what's happening to
them. This is the way we are at
first as Christians, trials come and we don't feel too thankful ... some of us
react the first way, with anger, nostrils flaring, feet kicking, trying to run
away or kick at God! Others just
sit there and tremble in fear, shaking silly they are so afraid! Yet in time, as God proves Himself
faithful over and over again we finally become obedient to the bit and bridle
and we learn to submit to our Master!
We finally discover that this "breaking" isn't to destroy us, but to use
us and to direct our strength for His service! Finally we learn the joys of
thankfulness even before we understand the trials!
– Source Unknown
3. We CAN be thankful always, not only
because He says it is His will to do so but because we know that we are HIS
CHILDREN ... and therefore all that He has is ours, we cannot be
losers!
a. If you were the child of the
richest man in the world you would find it easy to be thankful for your secure
financial condition!
b. We are certainly the children of
God in Christ ... a God who “owns the cattle on a thousand hills” and who
controls the entire universe and more!
c. Therefore, we can be THANKFUL! In Him all things are
ours!
4. God's Will (and His wisdom!)
commands us to be THANKFUL in ALL CIRCUMSTANCES!
a. This will guard our hearts and
spirit from bitterness.
b. It will keep us from
anger.
c. It will strengthen us for any and
all trials we might face.
d. It will establish our testimony for
Christ to others.
5. Paul to the Philippians (1:3-6) demonstrates that this thankfulness and joy
comes from that knowledge that "HE WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK IN US WILL CARRY IT ON TO
COMPLETION UNTIL THE DAY OF CHRIST JESUS."
a. And so we can carry on in
confidence and in THANKSGIVING!
b. Don't lose out on one of the most
productive qualities of Christianity ... that of
THANKFULNESS!
c. This quality has effects on all
areas of our lives.
CONCLUSION: One of the most productive
qualities God desires us to develop is that of "THANKFULNESS!" It is not so much "Thankfulness" for
pain or troubles as much as it is “Thankfulness” for the fruit that will result
from such experiences! God has
absolute control over all things so that we can give "thanks" with assurance.
MAKE GRATITUDE YOUR ATTITUDE! It
will bless everyone ... you and
God!