In Everything Give Thanks

Absolutely. Well, if you like a title for the sermon today, the title is, In Everything Give Thanks. In everything give thanks. If you have your Bibles, we can open them together and turn to 1 Thessalonians 5 verses 16 through 18. That's where we'll begin. 1 Thessalonians 5 verses 16 through 18. This will be the anchor passage of our study today. We'll read that in just a moment, but we do know for a fact that Scripture says that God's people are to be distinguishable by certain characteristics. To those who have been redeemed by God, those who have been called to be a part of his unfolding plan and purposes of salvation, God's Word says that it is his will that they be distinguished by certain characteristics. In other words, they are to be marked. God's people are to be marked by his character. Paul is going to put forth here two God's people, Enthas and Elika, at that time. He's writing to them in order they would know some of the marks that should identify them. One particular mark that we're going to see today is that they are to be thankful people. Thankful people. Let's see this. We're going to begin in verse 16 and read through verse 18. Here's some of the marks of God's people. Verse 16 says, Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. And here it is, verse 18, In everything give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. So let's stop there. In everything give thanks. In other words, part of the character of God's people, part of the marks, is that you will find them giving thanks in all circumstances. And you'll notice that from God through the pen of Paul, this is more than just a suggestion, of course. This is a directive. This is a command. There are several directives given here, along with this command to give thanks. Distinguishing mark of God's people, were to be joyful people. Rejoicing always. I love the fact that Paul is so black and white. He doesn't give us any room to wiggle out of some of these things. Joyful people. Another one there in verse 17, were to be prayerful people. Praying without ceasing. That's the second directive. And of course, this third one. It is the will of God that you be thankful people. Thankful people. This is not all we are to be, of course, but it is the command here that it's God's will that we are this. Again, the people of God are to be distinguished by a spirit of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is this mark of grace. If you have received God's grace through his spirit along with that comes this directive to be thankful. So we're going to tackle this topic today. Thanksgiving is going to be upon us soon. And I hope we come away from this study just understanding how profound this command is. And again, one thing to mark or to understand in Paul's writings is this is absolutely not a new directive by any means. Rather, when you begin to look for this direction, this command, you see this call to thanksgiving all throughout Paul's writings. In fact, it's the great chorus line that he sings through his pen. And it's scattered throughout all of his writings, the chorus line to this spirit of thanksgiving. Let me just give you a few examples here. If you want to put your marker here, we'll come right back to it. But we're just going to look at a few other examples of this great chorus line to thanksgiving. The first can be found in Ephesians 4. If you want to turn to Ephesians 4, Paul's writing to the people in Ephesus.

Forgive me, Ephesians 5. We're going to turn to Ephesians 5, and we're going to look at verses 3 and 4. Ephesians 5 verses 3 and 4 here. Paul sings this chorus line here, Ephesians 5 verses 3 and 4. And it's often what we find is that thanksgiving is placed perhaps in the most unusual sections of Scripture. Here's one such case. Ephesians 5 verses 3. Paul writes, But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named upon you as fitting for the saint. So we're not to be marked by those things, neither filthiness or foolish talking nor coarse jesting, which aren't fitting. So those are not to be our marks. But it's almost as if he pauses here, but rather giving of thanks. Let's stop there. So this is what we're to be marked by. And again, it's so remarkable. This is for thanksgiving to be placed in this position of these other more negative aspects, this positive action among the negative actions here. And when you begin to think about how Paul uses thanksgiving in this way, you might think of it in terms of thanksgiving being kind of an antidote to those negative actions. Once you start adding thanksgiving into your life, you will no doubt find yourself then moving away from these other elements. Thanksgiving has a way of pushing some of these negative actions out of our lives. So we're not to be marked by obscenity, not to be marked by foolish talking or coarse joking. Those things are out of place for the called believer, rather we are to be marked by thanksgiving. This is the high mark, the distinguishing mark. How about one more? Paul writing to the church in Rome, Romans chapter 1. And let's look at verses 20 and 21 here. Romans 1 verses 20 and 21. Again, sometimes we find this directive to thanksgiving in the most remarkable places, perhaps maybe the most unusual places. It almost jumps out at you here. Look at this. This is one such place. Romans chapter 1 verses 20 and 21.

This is Paul writing again to the God's people here in Rome. He says, For since the creation of the world, his God's invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things which are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that we are without excuse. We see God and his handiwork everywhere. There's no excuse. Verse 21. But because although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened. Let's stop there. Isn't that a remarkable place?

So when you go out into creation, when you are meditating on God and looking at his handiwork, one of, if not the primary emotion that should come forward from you is gratitude and thanksgiving. Oh, thank you, Father, for this crisp, beautiful day that I've awakened to. And I want to glorify you in this way. I want to glorify you.

Glory emerges from thanksgiving here. And then you will find that futile thoughts, where our hearts can be darkened, those things will just have no place to exist. They'll have no place to live. So Paul is giving this command, make sure thanksgiving is at the forefront of all that you do every day. And in that way, you'll be moving away from some of these, from being darkened, he says. How about one more reference? 2 Timothy chapter 3 verses 1 through 4. Here's another place where Paul writes to Timothy. 2 Timothy chapter 3 verses 1 through 4. Here's another remarkable place that we find thanksgiving.

We find unthankfulness as being a mark of those who reject God in the end. You think thanksgiving is important? Well, unthankfulness is going to be a mark of those who reject God in the end. He's writing to Timothy. Perilous times are coming. And one of the perilous things is being unthankful. Look at this. 2 Timothy 3 beginning in verse 1.

Paul writes again, but this time to Timothy. But know this, that in the last days, perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents, and unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Stop there. If I were to ask you, write down some of the perilous things that will be present in those who are rejecting God in the end time.

Start making a list. I think we would come up with some of these things here. I don't know about you or for me. I don't know if prior to this study that I prepared, if being unthankful would be one of the characteristics, one of the perilous traits of the end time and those who reject God.

I just don't know if that would have come to my mind as naturally as some of these other things here. In other words, being unthankful may be much more grievous in nature than what you have previously deemed and what I previously deemed here. This should make us pause. Okay, where is Thanksgiving in my life? It almost makes you go back on your heels a little bit.

Don't stay there. What we want is this kind of study to actually not put us on our heels but put us on our toes. We want to be intentional now with adding this quality of Thanksgiving to our lives. Because it is being unthankful, the counter is part of these ugly qualities here.

Blasphemy! It's right here with blasphemy. It's right here with being unforgiving. It's right here with being unloving. Those are ugly things that mark people in the end time. Just alongside of it is the perilous thing of being unthankful. Are you guarding your heart against being unthankful? Is it this high alert when you start to feel it creeping in? That you're paying attention to it and praying to God, I don't want this abominable thing to be part of my life.

I don't want to be unthankful. We see the great importance of it alongside this other list in the life of the believer to avoid. Perhaps this is one of the most striking things about a study like this, is to recognize how important it is.

As all of God's character, it works to push out being darkened by some of these other characteristics. Add thanksgiving to your life and there will be no room to be unloving. There's no room to be unforgiving. The word that Paul uses here is pretty powerful. The word Paul most often uses in conjunction with this character of thanksgiving is the word perisuo. For those of you who might like to know, I'll spell it for you.

I'm probably not pronouncing it correctly, but it's P-E-R-I-S-S-E-U-O. P-E-R-I-S-S-E-U-O. Perisuo. It simply means to, has this notion to gush, to overflow. Gushing and overflowing with thanksgiving. This is what Paul's putting forth in his writings here. We ought to be overflowing with giving thanks in everything.

So, when you think about this, perhaps this will help you. There are some of us, and I've talked about this before over the last few years, there are some of us when it comes to thanksgiving, we really, really like gravy. How many of you are gravy lovers out there? Okay, I'm glad you identified yourself because it's always a challenge whenever you're waiting in line to go down the buffet line, whether it's at church, whether it's at home with your family members surrounding you. Everything's going well. You're kind of viewing and trying not to judge the person ahead of you in what they're selecting. You know, they put the turkey on. That's good. You know, there's the dressing. Great. Everything's going well. Little cranberry sauce. They grab that roll, put it on their plate, and then remarkably, they get to the gravy. And without any warning, you begin to see the individual put ladle upon ladle, and they just then proceed to make everything on their plate float. You know what I'm talking about? And you're looking at the individual, and you're looking at their plate and just trying to reconcile what's happening here. There's even the cranberry sauce floating there. And so, you know, I'm really not trying to be divisive this morning, but there are the individuals. You know who you are. You're the gravy connoisseurs, you know, and that's in juxtaposition. So we have the floaters and the non-flotors, right? I'll leave you all to work that out, but...

And you're just hoping you don't have to sit next to this individual there, you know, and you grab them a spoon. There's no way they're going to eat that with a fork, you know? Maybe you'll grab the ladle and bring it to them, you know? I don't know. But this is the word that Paul uses here. Perisuo. Overflowing. So the next time you, you know, you're partaking of a thanksgiving meal here in the next few days, as you're ladling that gravy on or watching and discussed, as someone else does, be thinking. I want you to think of this word, perisuo. And what Paul is saying, we don't want thanksgiving being just meted out one little teaspoon at a time. No, and for thanksgiving, we actually want to encourage you to think in terms of ladle. We want it flowing everywhere. And so Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica, in Ephesus, and in Rome, he writes to Timothy, and he says, no matter what else you are, we want you to be overflowing with thanksgiving. So that when we bump into you, you know, you're going to get just some thanksgiving on your shirt, you know. That's the connotation here. And I got to tell you, we have met these kind of people. There are those people here in this room today, and even watching online. No matter what circumstances they're going through, at that time of all people, there should not, humanly speaking, be thanksgiving coming from them. But you know them, and they're so inspiring. And what you find is when you're talking to them, they'll say, you know, in the most despairing of situations, they will be talking about their condition, what's happening. And they'll pause and say, well, you know, though, God certainly blessed me in this area. And boy, he took care of me when this happened. And I'm just thinking, wow, it's so remarkable, it's so striking when you see this kind of thanksgiving come from one of God's people. And it's supernatural. It's supernatural. And it's being empowered. It's the supernatural fulfillment of what Paul is putting forth here. And this is the directive to God's people. And you might wonder, I wanted to make it a point that this is a command. There is no wiggle room out of this. This is the command of thanksgiving. And it might make you think, why does Paul have to put it in such a way? Why does Paul have to make it so black and white over and over again in his letters, this call to thanksgiving? Why do we have to make this a command? Why does Scripture have to make this a command? Well, I think if we're honest, we understand why it is a directive to God's people is because it's not natural, right? And it's particularly not natural in our human experience to be thankful in everything, right? And there needs to be a command because we face trials. We face difficult circumstances, as we heard in the sermonette. Very challenging things. And we find at those moments, being thankful is so difficult to do. So difficult to do. And so what prohibits, the main thing that prohibits us from fulfilling this call are the trials and the tribulations that we experience in this lifetime. And perhaps there were some who heard or read Paul's words then, and perhaps some today, that will have emerged from us the defense that says, well, that's great, Paul. I appreciate that, but I really don't think you should be so black and white because you don't know my circumstances. If you knew my circumstances, you could not be putting forth such a black and white directive to us, Paul. You don't know what I'm going through, right? If you did, Paul, I don't know if you would be so resolute in your words here.

Well, I think Paul may have to hold his tongue a little bit if perhaps that was a pushback. What do we know about Paul? He went through the most difficult of difficult. So the irony is, this is the individual who's putting forth this call, someone who was close to death in city after city that he visited over and over again. Of all the people who should be writing about being thankful, it's quite striking that it comes from the pen of Paul. It almost makes it very authentic. It's very authentic because when he says, in all circumstances, he understands of all people what he's asking us to do. He understands that, and he addresses it here. Let's go back to 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 18 again. Again, we notice these two words that precede the command to give thanks. Very intentional. Paul knew what he was writing. 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 18. What are the two words that precede this command to give thanks? In everything! 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 18. In everything! Let's start there. This is the command. This is the high command. In everything! I'm going to start there. There's the command. If we can work back, Paul is saying that we can talk about this, but that's where we as God's people are to be. In everything! Again, it's very authentic. His words are very authentic. I will listen to Paul because I know when he writes it in everything, he's holding himself accountable to this as well. All that he went through and all that he would continue to go through. In all circumstances, and that's the rub, isn't it? All circumstances.

I am speaking to a group here specifically and even online that have been going through some of the most difficult times that they've ever experienced in the last weeks, last months, last years. Extreme difficulty, whether it be loss of health, loss of job, loss of loved ones, dark, dark shadows in the season that you're in. What do you do when those shadows are cast across your path? Those dark shadows.

Paul would say, in everything, give thanks. Even in that, give thanks.

Which would then spur the question, the understandable question from the son or daughter of God, how? How, Paul? How is that possible?

How do we do this? And the answer comes to us in the very next verse here. Paul addresses it. The answer, verse 19, what is the way we can give thanks in all circumstances? How is that possible? Here it is, verse 19. It is by not quenching the Spirit. Right there.

The way you are able to give thanks in all circumstances is by not quenching the Spirit. One of the revelations I had is, I know that phrase, don't quench the Spirit. You know, we all know that phrase. I don't know if I recognize the context in which that emerges. Here it emerges from the context of the means by which you can be thankful.

The Spirit, God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is brought into the picture as the means by which to fulfill the directive of thanksgiving. All right? And it's not placed here by accident. Because when we're given such a high directive to fulfill this thanksgiving in all things, God is such a loving God, he says, yes, I am going to hold you to this higher level of righteousness, but I love you, and I'm going to give you the power by which to achieve what I'm asking you to do. So God's great. He gives us this high call, but he makes us capable to do it through the Spirit. He had high admonishment, but he gives us the ability. It's always there through the power of the Holy Spirit. And we need it. Not only does thanksgiving hard to find in difficult circumstances, if you're like me, I find I recoil from it. Like, I don't even want to give thanks in difficult circumstances. It's not even that it's not present. I don't even want it. I don't even want to be thankful. I want to just sit in the sorrow that I'm in.

And so it's just something, and that's our human nature. But what Paul is putting forward here is that's the last thing we want to do. And what you should do when you're in those moments is to bow your head and begin to ask God that He would help you through the power of the Holy Spirit. First thing, and if you just have to say it, your heart will catch up. Sometimes you have to go through the process of obedience. Father, I don't even want to pray this, but I know it's a command, and I want to be thankful. I want to be able to pray for this. So first of all, just give me the heart to desire to be thankful, and then give me the ability to do it. And whatever I do, I don't want to quench the means by which I can achieve this command to Thanksgiving. This high command. God will give us the ability to achieve this directive in all directives in life. We know the sending of His Holy Spirit through the sacrifice of His Son.

This is God's will in your life that you be thankful. So when the directive comes, I want you to be thankful in all circumstances. Our response is, how am I supposed to do that? God answers and says, it is God who is at work to end you both to will and to do His good pleasure. God works this out. The Holy Spirit, He will work in us to work these things out. So this is who we need to turn to. By the way, that's Paul again for your notes. Philippians 2.13. We won't turn there. Philippians 2.13. This is Paul writing again. And he writes, let this mind be in you that was in Jesus Christ. And then he says those words, which we know. Philippians 2.13, for it is God who works in you both to will, I almost look at that as both to want to do it and to do it for His good pleasure.

But I don't feel thankful. That's not the issue. God enables the thanksgiving. But my circumstances are so bad and so gloomy. We understand. God will work it in for you to work out, you see. So through pain, disappointment, loss, collapse of relationship, whatever it may be, the command is, and we sing these hymns, Thank you, Lord, for your blessings, for your spirit and love. Thank you for your word of truth and the calling from above. It's so often we see this refrain in our hymns. Thank you for your blessings. Thank you for your spirit and love. Thank you for your word of truth and the calling from above. Here. So when you have nothing else to be thankful for, of course, the circumstances, the difficult circumstances we're in, they're not good. And they're not in and of themselves thankful producing. But start here. What can you be thankful to to work up? Well, you can say thank you for your blessings. Okay, this is all falling apart. But where's the good that I can see in this? Thank you for your spirit, Father. They will enable me to get through this. Thank you for your love expressed through your son, Jesus Christ, who on the other end of this is going to remove all these things. Thank you for that truth. Thank you for the for the calling from above. You know, these are start to really exercise these things. And God will God will move you to this fulfillment here. Again, this is supernatural. Paul is not writing to the masses. Paul is writing to those whom his father has called, who the spirit's working with them, who are moving toward having the spirit dwell in them. It's only by the spirit will you have the ability to perform supernaturally in this physical life. So we don't quench that spirit. We stir it up in those times. We stir it up. So if you're stalled out this morning, it may be that you're quenching the spirit unintentionally, perhaps, but you want to be intentional now to go to the father and ask him to stir it up in you in those circumstances so that you can fulfill this command here, enabling power to make this possible.

Here's an example of what we're talking about. It's like this. Okay, these aren't perfect examples, but it's better than the gravy one, I'll tell you that. So if you were to come to me and you give me a pen and a paper and you give me some examples of Shakespeare's soliloquies, okay, profound, profound writings, and you say to me, Jay, I want you to write a new soliloquy as profound as Shakespeare. I'd say I can't do it, right? Jay, here's a picture of Rembrandt, and here's some paint for you. Here's a canvas. Take a look at some of his portraits, and I want you to paint a portrait as profound as Rembrandt. Go! Well, can't do it, right? And it really is likewise. Every Sabbath, myself or one of the other teachers, come before you, and we say, here's the life of Jesus Christ. We want you to be like him. And we say we can't do it. However, if only the genius of Shakespeare could come and live in me, well, then I might be able to pen some words like that. Or if only the genius of Rembrandt could come and live in me, perhaps I could paint some of those portraits. Well, you see where I'm going? If only the power of Jesus Christ came to live in you, what might you be able to achieve? It's not just any power. This is the power from God the Father through Jesus Christ in us to allow us to achieve the kind of thanksgiving that we have in us. It's a little classroom that can reach the level of being thankful in all circumstances. In everything. As long as we don't quench it.

Now, at this point, I want to make a brief distinction. We won't spend too much time on it, but it's a distinction that is important. It's a little classroom, so there won't be a test at the end of this, though. When you begin to look at this kind of gratitude, or you begin to look at gratitude in our lives, you will quickly recognize there's really two types of gratitude in our physical existence. One is the first is natural gratitude. Okay? Natural gratitude. Natural gratitude is able to be achieved by most everyone on the earth. Most everyone. What is natural gratitude? Natural gratitude can say by example, for example, it's a cold day, I've got my hot coffee, I go out on the porch, and I sit on the rocker, and I'm thankful for this moment. Right? This is a natural benefit to having some comforts in this lifetime, and in my physical daily existence. I'm thankful for this. Right?

Natural gratitude. Most anybody by virtue of life can appreciate good physical blessings. Right? Unless you have some mental incapability, we are able to recognize times when life, family, employment, a warm bed, cold drink, sunshine, and so on. We're able to be thankful. We're able to achieve gratitude, have a natural, grateful heart. That's natural gratitude. It starts with benefits, good things in this natural life. But Paul is speaking about a different gratitude. We could perhaps call this gracious gratitude. Okay? Gracious gratitude cannot be achieved by everyone. Gracious gratitude ultimately can only be achieved by God's people. Where gracious gratitude is so deep, and because it starts off with our relationship with God. Gracious gratitude starts with God. Gracious gratitude starts off with God's character, His goodness, His love, His excellency. So that, regardless of enjoyment in the physical life, we're still able to achieve gracious gratitude. Gracious gratitude, if you were to really get to it, it ultimately recognizes what God has done for us through the giving of His Son. That's where gracious gratitude starts.

I have reason to be grateful to God today. Whether it's a good day or a bad day, whether it's raining or sunny, whether I'm employed or unemployed, whether I have my health or not, I'm thankful to God. That's gracious gratitude. That is the distinguishing mark of the true believer.

Again, this is the gratitude that Paul is calling us to. It's a unique Thanksgiving. It starts with God. This is what we are to be overflowing with, gushing with, ladle upon ladle. Gracious gratitude. Again, natural gratitude, you will find, is on a roller coaster. It ebb and flows with whatever is occurring in your life. So if you find yourself doing this in life and you are a son or daughter of God, something's wrong. Or perhaps you're not living at the level that God intends for you. God wants us up here in everything. So if you find when you're in the ebb and flow of life, what you're perhaps experiencing is natural gratitude and you've left the realm of gracious gratitude. Again, natural gratitude will say, in good things I'm thankful and bad things I'm not. Right? Natural gratitude somehow thinks that all these, all that's occurring in our life, everything is by chance. So if the seas are calm, I'm thankful. If the seas are choppy, I'm unthankful. This is all just the chance that's occurring. Everything is just chance. Where gracious gratitude understands that everything is under the provision of God, God the Father, a loving God. And so therefore I can be thankful in everything.

Because I know all things work together for good to those who love God and to those who are called according to His purpose. That's Paul as well. So again, by the way, for your notes, we won't turn there. A very famous scripture. That's Romans 828 for your notes. Romans 828. Again, Paul again. So for Paul, who was beaten, shipwrecked, chasse, I mean just on every round, every turn, for him to pin those things, all things work together for good. Wow! He would understand. That's an authentic voice, and he understands. All things work together for good. For everyone, no. To those who love God and who are called according to His purpose. Gracious gratitude, that's what he's speaking of, and it can only be achieved by God's people. Gracious gratitude, and the truth is we're to be overflowing with it. How do we give thanks? Man, so you can look at the news today. It's so discouraging, so disappointing, and you can turn it off sooner than later. I'll give that advice. And you can say, you know what? I'm thankful. I'm thankful today. I'm thankful in everything, because God is working this out. And I know if I love Him, and I live within that call, according to His purpose, I'm overflowing. I'm gushing with thanksgiving. And when the devil comes and tries to give you reason to not be thankful, you say, no. No, devil. I'm still thankful. Even though outwardly I'm perishing, that is true, I know that inwardly I'm being renewed every day. You see? So, man, all of Scripture really drives on this one mark of grace, thanksgiving. It's driven by it. It's where we stand upon. And again, when you see some of those men and women who God has worked so significantly, done a tremendous work through, you will find gracious gratitude working in their life. And oh, this is but a lie deflection, right?

This is but a lie deflection. It's just for a moment. And I know it's working for me a far more exceeding, eternal weight of glory. So, I don't even look at the things which are seen. I look at the things which are unseen. That's Paul again, you see? For your notes, that one is 2 Corinthians 4.16. 1 of the marks of the Apostle Paul and how he was able to do a tremendous work and persevere through it all was that he was marked with this grace of thanksgiving. Gracious gratitude. It allows us to persevere to the end. It allows God to do a tremendous work through us. It's the understanding that everything God does is under his sovereign control. His timing is never wrong. His hands are loving and capable. He looks after the sparrow. How much more is he involved in your life? This is the wonderful revolution that gracious gratitude will bring to you. Is everything in the category of good? No, but even in those things we're learning today to give thanks. So, as we begin to conclude today, today is a day to pray for this level of gratitude. One of the things we want to pray first and foremost is, God, stir your spirit in me. I can't do this oven by myself. It's impossible. Stir your spirit up in me.

Pray that we're overflowing with thanksgiving. That's the level that we're shooting for. Again, this thanksgiving as you're ladling that gravy onto your plate. I want you to think about Paul here, and I want you to think about being overflowing with thanksgiving, gushing with it. So, this year let's have thanksgiving be our mark. Let's be marked by this so that in everything we give thanks.