Ingratitude

And we thank the young ones today for their patience and for performing so well to give honor and glory to God.

Well, just a few days ago was the Thanksgiving holiday. I've always felt that, as far as secular holidays go, it's the most important holiday that we observe as Americans. Just a little bit of history that I'm sure many of us are aware of. It goes all the way back, traced to 1621, a celebration by the Pilgrim Colonist and also the Wampanoag Indians at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts.

The 1621 Plymouth Feast and Thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest, and they were so thankful for the harvest they gave thanks to God. And throughout the years, after that, a number of colony leaders and a number of governors all proclaimed Thanksgiving days. It wasn't until George Washington proclaimed it, though, that it first got national attention in 1789. He proclaimed Thanksgiving as the first nationwide Thanksgiving celebration. And here's what he said. He said, quote, So Thanksgiving has a rich American heritage. During the Civil War, it was Abraham Lincoln himself who made this proclamation regarding Thanksgiving. This is October 20, 1864. He said, quote, He has largely augmented our free population by emancipation and immigration. And he has opened to us new sources of wealth and has crowned the labor of our working men in every department of industry with abundant rewards. Moreover, he has been pleased to animate and inspire our minds and hearts with fortitude, courage, and resolution sufficient for the great trial of the Civil War in which we have been brought by our adherents as a nation to the cause and freedom of humanity. And to afford to us reasonable hopes of an ultimate and happy deliverance from all our dangers and afflictions. And then he proclaimed the fourth Thursday in November to be a Thanksgiving Day. I think that Thanksgiving is important, and the reason I called it the most important secular holiday is that it is a reminder to everyone not to commit what I think is perhaps the greatest sin of all. There are lots of sins. You read about them from Genesis to Revelation. Lots of sins in the Scripture. But I believe the greatest sin of all is in gratitude. It's having a lack of thankfulness for the things that we've been given. Have you ever heard of the seven deadly sins? Perhaps if you're of a Catholic background, you would know what the seven deadly sins are. The Catholic Church divides sin in the two categories. One is venial sins, in which the guild is considered relatively minor. And there are more severe mortal sins. And theologically within the Catholic Church, a mortal or deadly sin is believed to destroy the life of grace and love within a person and creates the threat of eternal damnation.

And when this occurs in the Catholic Church, it requires a sacrament of reconciliation. Of course, we know all we need to do is go to our great and loving Father and repent of our sins and move on with life. But I thought I would mention quickly the seven deadly sins. I read through them, and I was very enlightened to say that I've only broken seven of them. So I thought I would mention them to all of you today and see how many of these we can relate to. They all come from Galatians 5, so there's nothing new here. They're all part of what Paul said are the works of the flesh in Galatians 5, but I thought I would just mention them quickly. Because I don't believe that any of these are the worst sin of all. I think there is a sin that actually leads to these. And that's what I want to talk about today. The first of the seven deadly sins, according to the Catholic Church, Catholic tradition is lust. Lust or lechery, the carnal word, the Latin is luxuria, is an intense desire. It is usually thought of as excessive sexual want. However, the word was originally a general term for desire. Therefore, lust could involve the intense desire of money, or food, or fame, or power. So the first of the seven deadly sins is lust. The second is gluttony. Oh, Mr. Thomas, just a couple of days after Thanksgiving, you've got to bring this up.

Well, it's derived from the Latin word glater, meaning to gulp down or swallow. The Latin word is also a gluttony word is gula. It means the overindulgence or overconsumption of anything to the point of waste. See, we tend to think of it only as food, but according to the seven deadly sins, it can be interpreted as selfishness, essentially placing concern with one's own interest above the well-being and the self-being of the world. So the second is gluttony. The third is greed. In Latin, it's a verita, also known as avarice. Cupidity, not stupidity, cupidity or covetousness is, like lust and gluttony, a sin of excess. However, greed is defined by the Catholic Church as applied to a very excessive desire and pursuit of material possessions.

It can be an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs, especially with respect to material wealth. So that's number three is greed. Number four, sloth. The Latin word saccordia, it can entail different vices, while sloth is sometimes defined as physical laziness. Spiritual laziness is emphasized.

I found that kind of interesting. Failing to develop spiritually is key to becoming guilty of sloth. According to the tradition, in the Catholic Church, sloth rejects the grace of God. And by the 17th century, it was referred to be believing to someone who had a failure to utilize one's talents and gifts. That was sloth.

Number five, wrath, also known as rage, may be described as an inordinate and uncontrolled feeling of hatred and anger. Wrath, in its purest form, presents with self-destructiveness violence and hate that may provoke feuds that can go on for centuries.

And there's number six, envy. Like greed and lust, envy, the Latin invidia, is characterized by insatiable desire. Envy is similar to jealousy in that they both feel discontent towards someone else's traits or status or abilities or rewards.

The difference is that the envious also desire what another has, and they covet it. They want it. And of course, they refer to the 10th commandment regarding coveting. You shall not desire anything that belongs to your neighbor. And then there's the seventh of the seven deadly sins that is considered, actually, in Catholic tradition, the root of all other sin. It's pride. Number seven is pride. In almost every list, a Latin word is superbia. The Greek word for it is hubris. It is considered the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins. And the source of the others, it is identified as believing that one is essentially better than others, failing to acknowledge the accomplishments of others, and excessive admiration of the personal self. And this was before Facebook, especially holding self out of proper position towards God. So those are the seven deadly sins according to the canon law of the Catholic Church. With all due respect to Catholic canon law, I personally believe that they are wrong about the seven deadly sins being the root or the head of all other sins. My opinion, and again, this is just my opinion, we'll look at some scriptures today, is that there is a sin, there is an attitude that is actually the core and the root cause of all other sins, including pride. It's an attitude or a sin that leads to pride rather than pride being the core of the root of all sin. All of us are influenced to one degree or another by this sin. And we're going to see that it is actually the first sin ever recorded in prehistory. And we're going to go there, Ezekiel 28, verse 12, if you will turn there with me. We will see that before there was an earth, before maybe there was even matter formed, there was a world that existed, a spiritual world, and there was a being in that world who had a lot going for him. We could say he had it all. And we are going to see and read about the very first sin that was ever committed. And then I would like to explain to you why that sin was committed and how it is so tempting for all of us to fall into the same trap. Ezekiel 28, beginning in verse 12. This is an analogy, a duality regarding the physical king of Tyre and an archangel that once served directly in God's presence. Verse 12, Son of man, take up a full lamentation for the king of Tyre and say to him, Thus says the Lord God, you were the seal of perfection. I'm not sure God ever felt that the literal physical king of Tyre was the seal of perfection, but this spiritual being that existed at God's throne certainly was. Full of wisdom. Everybody that I've ever met would love to be full of wisdom, have the full capacity of wisdom and perfect in beauty. How many billions of dollars are spent every year in beauty products because people want to be young looking or they want to be better looking or they want to be beautiful or handsome? Verse 13, You were in Eden, the garden of God. This could literally be after he had fallen, was in the physical garden of Eden. Or Eden could be talking about a spiritual Eden that existed before the physical representation was made on earth, a garden, a paradise of God.

Every precious stone was your covering. So this being was just overwhelmed with wealth, with beauty, with preciousness of wisdom. Every precious stone was your covering. The Sardis, the Topaz, and the Diamond, the Beryl Onyx and Jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day that you were created. So this being was created. It didn't exist eternally like Jesus Christ or God the Father. This being was physically created. And the moment it was created, it was given all of these things, all of these qualities. You were the anointed carob who covers. I established you, God says. I gave you this as a gift. I made you everything that you were. You were on the holy mountain of God and you walked back and forth in the midst of the fiery stones, the sea of glass, and the heavens.

This being had intimate contact with God, a close personal relationship with God. Verse 15, you were perfect in your ways from the day you were created till iniquity was found in you by the abundance of your trading. You became filled with violence within and you sinned. Therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God and I destroyed you, O covering carob. There is again the second time it mentions that this was the carob that covered.

What could this carob have covered? Well, in a physical representation, if you went into the original temple and if you snuck into the Holy of Holies, you'd be very careful because you know what happened to the Germans in the film Lost Ark Raiders, right? They did not have a good day when they opened that box. Anyway, if you snuck in there, you would see that there was a chest called the Ark of the Covenant. And there were two carobs, two figurines on top of that chest, and they faced each other and they bowed down looking into the chest, which was representing God's literal presence.

And their wings touched one another as they covered the chest, literally looking over the awesome presence of God. And it could very well be that this being here once was one of those two carobs that covered. This being had it all. I'd like to read to you what it says from the Scofield Bible notes about this verse. Quote, here in verses 11 through 16, as in Isaiah 14, and we'll get there in a minute, the language goes beyond the king of Tyre to Satan, inspirer, an unseen ruler of all such pomp and pride as that of Tyre.

Genesis chapter 3, verses 14 and 15, and Matthew 16, 23, are other instances of thus indirectly addressing Satan. The unfallen state of Satan is here described. His fall is written in Isaiah 14 and see Revelation chapter 20 verse 10. Moreover, the vision is not of Satan in his own person, but of Satan fulfilling himself through an earthly king who arrogates to himself divine honors so that the prince of Tyre foreshadows the beast.

And I refer to Daniel chapter 7 and verse 8 in Revelation 19. So we read here this parallel, this analogy, between the physical king of Tyre and an archangel that once served directly in God's presence. And again, I'd like to recap what qualities this being had. He was the seal of perfection, meaning he was perfect. He was filled with wisdom and beauty, something that every human being I've ever known would love to be filled with.

He resided in Eden, was surrounded with precious stone, just wealthy. It says there were diamonds, there were emeralds, there were gold, just incredibly wealthy, surrounded by beautiful things. It says he was a created being. It says he was anointed by God for a special task, and he covered something. And we speculate he may have literally been one of the caribs that was right next to God in his throne, represented by the figures that were created in the Ark here on earth. He was perfect until a time came when he sinned.

And it says the sin was caused by pride. Let's read that here. Verse 17. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground. I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you. And of course, we know that after the beast power is destroyed, that literally the same thing will happen to the beast power. And the religious representative who's connected with the beast power.

So this was a being who we could say in our modern vernacular today had it all. Let's read a little bit more about his qualities in Isaiah chapter 14. That was referred here by Scofield Notes. Isaiah chapter 14 and verse 12. This is, again, the first recorded sin in prehistory. Before there's an earth, before there's mankind, perhaps before even matter was created. This is the very first sin. Isaiah chapter 14 and verse 12, if you'll turn there with me.

Isaiah chapter 14. How are you fallen from heaven? Oh, Lucifer. That's a Hebrew word. Helel. It means the sense of brightness. It means a morning star, a morning brightness. Oh, Lucifer, son of the morning. How are you cut down to the ground? You who weakened the nations. And we know that after he was cut down to the ground since that time, he has been the prince of the power of the air. He is the god of this world. He does weaken the nations and drive the nations away from God. Verse 13. For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I'm better than every other carob. As a matter of fact, I'm better than God is. Is the ultimate conclusion that he comes to. For he says, I will sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north. I will ascend to the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High. I'm as good as God. That's what he says to himself. Verse 15. You shall be brought down to Sheol to the depths of the pit. And of course, we know in Revelation chapter 20 and verse 3 that, indeed, in prophecy, that an angel will take Satan and chain him in spiritual chains in a bottomless pit. So putting this all together, Lucifer was a trusted archangel who served God. His vanity and pride destroyed him the same way it destroys many people today who were influenced by Satan. The book of Revelation implies that one-third of the angels may have followed Satan and become his demon. So he had quite an impact in heaven at the time. Revelation chapter 12 and verses 3 and 4 say, Another sign appeared in heaven, Behold, a great and fiery red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his head. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth, the tail representing followers. So he very well could have influenced one-third of the angelic world at that time, and they were flung down to the earth, and we know them as demons today.

Quite a story.

It's easy to say that his downfall was pride, but I think that it was something else that led to pride. I think there was another sin that preceded pride. Something within him opened the door for pride to walk in and for his own pride to consume him. And what was it? I believe it was in gratitude, and its natural cousin, an attitude of entitlement. You see, here's how it works. It all begins with receiving something that you've not worked for. It all begins with receiving a gift, an opportunity, a privilege. It can be spiritual. It can be physical. And over time, the joy of receiving that gift morphs into an attitude that we have earned it. And then, in a little bit more time, that gift that we received isn't enough. In a little more time, this undeserved blessing or gift becomes an entitlement.

And in a little more time, you begin to believe that you're being denied because you don't even have more. You only have that gift. Finally, you begin to think that you're actually being abused because you don't have more. That you're being abused because you've lost all appreciation and thankfulness for the original gift or opportunity.

And that leads to bitterness. It's this sin of ingratitude that all of us have to be so careful for because, first of all, it was the very first sin. And it is so deeply ingrained in our culture. And the influence that Wi-Fi network I like to talk about from the Prince of the Power of the Air, that we all have to be very careful that we don't stumble into making the mistake of having an attitude of ingratitude. Because that is so prevalent in our world today. Let's see where this attitude is reflected in another scriptural example.

Legoda Numbers, Chapter 14. We'll take a look at the story of the bad report of 10 out of the 12 spies. I'm sure you remember the story. Israel had been through so much. They had traveled through the wilderness for many, many, many, many, many years, and they're on the cusp of going into the Promised Land.

What are they going to do? They sent 12 spies into the Promised Land. Out of the 12, 10 come back. And what basically is their report? Oh, can't do it! Not gonna happen! Whoa! People! We're like grasshoppers! These people are so big. We can't take the land. We're puny. We just don't have the ability to take the land. And the effect of that was devastating. Numbers, Chapter 14, Verse 1. So all the congregation, after listening to this bad report of spy after spy, even though, too, Joshua and Caleb tried to stop the momentum towards whining, even though they tried to intervene and they tried to say positive things, they were overwhelmed by that negative environment.

So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night, and all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron. And the whole congregation said to them, if only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness. All right, well that's one thing. They're criticizing the physical individuals that God chose to lead them. But then they cross the line. The next verse. Why has the LORD—you see, it's God's fault—why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims?

Would it not have been better for us to return to Egypt so they said to one another, let us select a leader and return to Egypt? Then Moses and Aaron fell in their faces before all the assembly, because they knew they literally had committed blasphemy. They had used God's name in vain. They fell in their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. Moses and Aaron understood that the people are really blaming God, not blaming them. I want you to think about how ridiculous these people are in judging God and imputing on him evil motives.

First of all, right now, taking a snapshot of this period of time, these are people who were slaves to the greatest power that existed on earth. We know it is the nation of Egypt. They witnessed a number of plagues, and even though the first few plagues also affected Goshen, all of the latter plagues, Egypt, suffered, but Goshen was spared. That was a miracle. They all witnessed that. They saw that. Then when they left Egypt, the Egyptians voluntarily gave them gold and wealth and basically paid them compensation for all those years they had been in slavery. So first of all, they see miracles.

Plagues affect other people. They're protected. They come out of this land. They're free from the greatest nation on earth, and they plunder it of all of its wealth. Then they think they're trapped, and God divides the waters of the Red Sea so they can cross it on a dry riverbed.

Then God begins to rain down manna and provides dozens of times, miracles, even various dozens of times to provide for them with numerous wonders and miracles. And this is a people who are complaining against God. So here's what God responds. Drop down to verse 17. Drop down to verse 17. Again, an attitude of in-gratitude. Verse 17, and now I pray, let the power of my Lord God be great. This is Moses speaking. You have spoken, saying the Lord is long suffering and abundant in mercy, forgetting the iniquity and transgression, but he by no means clears the gully, visiting the iniquity of the fathers and the children of the third and fourth generation.

Verse 19, pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of your mercy, just as you have forgiven this people from Egypt until now. So Moses says, please forgive them. Have mercy on them. Verse 20, then the Lord said, I have pardoned according to your word, but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, because all these men who have seen my glory, and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put me to detest now these ten times, and have not heeded my voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected me see it.

So because they were not grateful for the many miracles God had given them, for the miracle of freedom, for the miracle of physical wealth, for the miracle of food and protection, because they didn't appreciate, and they weren't thankful for the things that God had given them, He said, I'm going to let all of those who saw those miracles, they're going to rot and die in the wilderness, and it's their children who never saw any of the miracles who will eventually be allowed to go into the Promised Land.

I'm going to read verses 22 from the translation, God's Word. It says here, quote, None of the people who saw my glory, and the miraculous signs I did in Egypt and in the desert, will see the land which I promised their ancestors. They have tested me now ten times, and refused to obey me. None of those who treat me with contempt will see it. End of quote. So what was the sin of ancient Israel guilty of? Well, like the first recorded sin of Lucifer, an undeserved gift, that's freedom, blessings, morphed into ingratitude, and grew into an entitlement, and a perspective that if I don't get even more, that I'm being denied and abused.

Charles Spurgeon once said, You say if I had a little more, I should be satisfied? He said, You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.

You see, it's all a frame of mind. Paul said, I've learned to be content in whatever state I'm in. Paul said, When I'm poor, I was poor. I learned to be content when I was poor. When I abounded, I learned to be content when I was abounded. He learned to appreciate and be thankful for everything that he had. And this, indeed, is a sin so deeply embedded, sadly, in our world today.

I'd just like to mention a few ways that it is. First of all, in our relationship with God. If we're not careful after a while, we begin overlooking his blessings, and we become bitter that we're not given even more. Not given even more? How about the gift of eternal life? Is there really much more than that? But no, we say, I want more material things. I want to be happier. I want more clothes. I want a new car. I want a big home. And from God's perspective, that comes across as ingratitude, as a lack of appreciation for the things that he's given us. Another area in which it's taken its toll are our marriages in the 21st century. Taking your spouse for granted with ingratitude. And that is so common today. People, they get married, they start off with expectations of joys and satisfaction, and eventually their marriages deteriorate to the point where they no longer respect or are thankful for the mates that their husbands are, or their wives are, in the case of a husband. And because of that, that's one reason that half of the marriages in the United States end a divorce today, is because of a lack of gratitude for what people have been given. Another area that we see it reflected is material possessions fueled by a media that tells you that you are entitled to the good life. You don't have this new Mercedes Benz? Well, what do you have credit for? You can have one in seven years of easy monthly payments. You deserve it. You're entitled to it. Everyone else has this big car. Everyone else has this new fashion, this new style. Why are you doing without it? And again, that begins to permeate our entire culture. I'd like to give you a personal example that I hope you get a kick out of as much as I have. Thirteen years ago, I bought a computer, a desktop computer, called an E-Machines. Apparently, according to this lawsuit, that I was party to a class-action suit. 800,000 dupes bought these desktop machines, of which Greg Thomas was one of them.

Now, I happened to remember buying it quite well because it was actually on Black Friday, as he slinks down behind the podium. And I got up at four o'clock in the morning, and I went to a store that's now out of business, probably because they sold products like this, called Circuit City. And I waited in line, and I got one of these E-Machines. And a year later, I bought another one for my wife. So I purchased two E-Machines. Thirteen years ago, they both worked fine. Eventually, the technology grew. They became outdated. I gave them away. Solar McRodge sales, whatever. They're long gone. That was thirteen years ago. Long gone, long out of my memory.

Well, last summer, I got something in the mail that said that I was, I chose a party for a class-action lawsuit against E-Machines, who since was bought by Acer, who since was bought by Gateway. And this wasn't like the previous half-dozen class-action suits that I'd been asked to be part of. Usually, they go like this. The court is considering a settlement of $400 million.

$399 million will go to the attorneys. And you, as one of the claimants, will get a check for 32 cents. Usually, I just crumble those up and throw those away. But this one was interesting, because this one said that for each of those two machines, I would receive a $365 credit for a replacement computer.

Not only paid $299 for the computer thirteen years ago. And so, I filled out both forms, and I received both forms. I have my certificates. I have one of them right here. And the beautiful thing is, you go on the website, and you have a choice. Granted, they're refurbished, but they're all existing present-day models, and you can choose tablets, desktops, monitors, laptops, and they're virtually all priced for about $365 or less. Basically, you're getting a free computer for nothing.

So, being the dutiful individual that I am, I decided to check out the discussion board from people who, like myself, have benefited from these computers they bought thirteen years ago that no longer exist. And by the way, what was the class action suit over? Some individuals had problems with the floppy drives. Now, this is an important part of my sermon, because right now, most of the children are turning to their parents, saying, Steady!

What's a floppy drive? Shows you how technology changes so quickly. But some of the floppy drives were bad, and people claimed they couldn't back up their computers. So, e-machine was bad and evil, and that's where we precipitated this class action suit. So, I decided to get on the log.

And the log is loaded with comments like this. Only $365! What a ripoff! I had to pay tax! I had to pay shipping charges! It came out of my material credit! They didn't have the computer I wanted! Maybe we can do a second-class action suit! And you go down this log, and it's entitlement, it's wine, gripe, complain. For all of these people, like myself, who frankly don't deserve a 365 replacement computer, for one that we bought 14 years ago and forgot about and couldn't care less.

It's a free gift! But the overwhelming sentiment on these forums is how shafted everybody is who got this unexpected free gift of a $365 merchandising credit to literally walk away with a brand-new tablet or computer that has been sent back to the manufacturer's refurbished with an original warranty. But what really dawned upon me as I went through this, of course, was the dark side of human nature that quickly takes a gift, something we really don't deserve, and how quickly it morphs into an attitude of entitlement.

You owe me. And it's never enough. And that's a very, very sad commentary on our culture today. So it's material possessions. It's the way that we look in our culture upon material things. And other positions of leadership. I'm old enough to remember when politicians, for example, would serve one term and then go back to their business and go back to wherever they came from and live positive lives.

Oh, that's not good enough today. We must have career politicians who, like leeches, are sucking off of the body politic for their entire career. 20, 30 years in politics leeching off of the taxpayers as a means of support. Why? Because they get to the point where they think they're entitled. It's no longer an act of service. It morphs into an attitude of entitlement. They owe me.

I'm powerful. I have position. They owe me. And that's not only, by the way, a problem in politics. It's a problem in religions, too. I mean, I have known a lot, a lot of ministers who had the same attitude that Lucifer had. Who dwarfed and forgot about how blessed they were in all that God had given them. And then decided that they became bitter, they were entitled, and started their own groups and split up families. No different than the original attitude that Lucifer had. That's how deeply it permeates our society and our culture.

Let's take a look at one New Testament example of someone who acquired this kind of perspective. Matthew 19, verse 28. Matthew 19, verse 28. Jesus chose twelve disciples, and he offered all of them the golden ring.

He offered all of them a unique, incredible opportunity that those of us will not have. Because they were first, because they followed him for three and a half years, they were given, offered, as a gift, something that was quite incredible. And Jesus said to them, this is Matthew chapter 19, verse 28.

He's talking to all twelve men, including one who's known as Judas Iscarragut. He's in the audience listening to this.

Jesus was saying those who are first in this society and are hauled up by our media as heroes, the entertainers, the people who play with balls and receive multi-millions of dollars, all these people who in this culture are first in that world will be last.

And all the humble people now that no one respects and people despise because they dare to believe in God and they're humiliated and put down and made low, all of those who are last at this time will be made first. That's what Jesus is saying.

So again, do you know who was among the listeners of this offer from Jesus Christ? None other than Judas Iscarragut himself.

Remember that earlier Jesus had chosen Judas to be his disciple. But things change over time.

Being offered something as a gift, being offered something a privilege, something wonderful, can eventually morph into an attitude of entitlement and an attitude that I'm getting the shaft because I'm not getting more, my needs aren't being met, and that eventually can lead to bitterness. Just like it did with the original example of Lucifer. Just like it did with the people of Israel coming out of Egypt. John 12 and verse 1. Let's read something that was done here, a comment made about Judas Iscarragut. John 12 and verse 1.

This is then six days before the Passover. Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus, who had been dead, whom he had raised from the dead, and they made him a supper, and Martha served. But Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenerd, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. She was symbolically anointing him for his death. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscarragut, Simon's son, who would betray him, said, Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?

Through any denarii, it was like a year's wages at that time. But he said this not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the money box, and he used to take what was put in it. But Jesus said, Let her alone, for she has kept this for the day of my burial, for the poor you have with you always, but me you do not have always.

You see, something happened along the road. This individual was chosen by Jesus Christ, and given the gift of the opportunity to rule over the twelve tribes of Israel. The gift of inheriting eternal life. Wow! But as time goes on, he morphs. He morphs to the point where he starts taking a little bit of money out of the till.

That doesn't seem to bother him. Pretty soon, it's an attitude of entitlement. Eventually, near the end, through sadly the influence of Satan the Devil, Judas was not thankful or satisfied with the gift that was being offered. His undeserved gift morphed into a gratitude and grew to an entitlement and a perspective that if I don't have more, if I don't have everything that I want, I'm being denied and abused. And what did he do?

He became bitter against Jesus Christ. So much to the point that he was willing to betray his Lord and Master. How sad. How deeply sad. But we have to be in guard for that. We truly have to be in guard for that.

Because, again, it was the first sin performed by Lucifer. We see that it existed in ancient Israel in the mindset of the Israelites. It existed in the attitude of Judas Iscariot. And I have seen in my lifetime, sadly many people, many ministers who went from receiving a gift and the exhilaration of having a job and receiving a gift to the point where they felt they were entitled and became bitter and could justify breaking families apart and hurting people.

That's how far that sin can lead. That's the devastation that it can leave in our lives if we're not careful. Let's see what Timothy said, what Paul said. Actually, 2 Timothy. In 2 Timothy, chapter 3 and verse 1. And Paul talks about last days. We certainly are in the last days. Certainly farther in those days than when Paul coined or wrote down this statement in his letter to Timothy. 2 Timothy, chapter 3 and verse 1. Paul wrote to Timothy, heart to heart to him, But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come, For men will be lovers of themselves.

And again, this was even before Facebook was available. Lovers of money, proud, or sorry, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, 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 on the outside they may wear a suit and a tie.

They may actually appear to be godly, but inside is a white enseplicker filled with dead men's bones, having a form of godliness but denying its power, and from such turn away. So, brethren, we don't want to be part of the generation of these last days.

That is unthankful for all that we have been given. It is essential and important that we don't allow ourselves to become this way towards God or towards one another. Let's go to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 and see a comment that Paul makes to his congregation. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 1.

We're going to take a look at three scriptures here in a row that Paul writes, and in every one of them he never uses the word thanks without also adding always or for all things. He always connects the word thanks with the additional phrase being thankful always or in all things. First of all, again, 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse 1. He says, Paul, Savannah, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians, in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ, we, he's speaking of the three of them, we give thanks to God always for you, making mention of you in our prayers. He doesn't say, when I remember it, I'm really thankful you're around. When it's convenient or when I need something, then I'm thankful you're around. No, he doesn't say that. He says, we give thanks to God always for you, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience, of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. The fact that you were chosen, the fact that God is offering you a gift, a free gift, all we have to do is accept it. And all we have to do is endure to the end and do our part. It's a free, wonderful gift given by God. So we see here that Paul prayed for the brethren, he was thankful for them. Is this our attitude towards one another? Is this our attitude towards our spouse in spite of all of his or her's weaknesses and struggles and personal issues that maybe they're dealing with? Are we giving thanks always for them? Or is the glass always half-empty? Is it never good enough? Are we always critical? Are we always looking for what's lacking instead of focusing on what's there and being thankful for the blessings of them? You know, about four years ago, I did a funeral for a church member. They don't attend this congregation, so I can feel free to say this. And the wife was just devastated. The gentleman who grew old, he lived a long life, he grew old, he had cancer, and he died. And after the service, I stayed into the funeral home. This is my habit, just something I like to do. When everyone else departs, it's usually just the funeral director staff and oftentimes the spouse or a loved one. And I'm always there. I'm there because I want to make sure that before they bring the lid down, which they do, and they have hand cranks and they lock it, before they do all that, that they don't slip off rings or take something out of there that the family intended remain in the coffin. But I just do that and hold hands and kind of represent the best interest of the family. And the wife who was there told me that I just miss him so much. What I would give for one more day to spend with him, to talk with him. She said, you know, why does God let people die, Mr. Thomas? Of course she knew. She's in the church and she knew about God's plan of growing old and this tent eventually wearing out, and we cease to exist as physical beings. But she knew and recognized that she lost something precious. Let's not wait until it's too late for us to show the gratitude for the things that we've been given. I think it's a very important quality that we should hang on to. Let's go to 1 Thessalonians, now chapter 5 and verse 14, and see what Paul says again here.

In the same book, Thessalonians, chapter 5 and verse 14. Paul writes in the fifth chapter, he says, Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, Comfort the faint-hearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil to anyone, But always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything. Give thanks, for this is the will of God and Jesus Christ for you. Come on, Mr. Thomas, you mean give thanks even when I'm washing those dishes I hate to do? Yeah, be thankful that you have the hands that can grab on to a dish.

Be thankful that you have dishes, because many people in the world, they only own one bowl. And they eat all of their meals out of that one precious possession, which is one bowl that they have, and they have to go down to the river and wash it out when they're done eating. Yes, indeed, giving thanks always for all things to God and Father, not taking things for granted. We don't want to do that. We don't want to be like the world is.

We don't want to fall into the same trap that Lucifer fell into.

So again, Paul states that part of the will of God is that we give thanks in everything. Let's see, as Paul expands in another book, Ephesians, chapter 5, let's see where he expands this idea of what the will of God is. Let's take a look at it in another way. Ephesians, chapter 5 and verse 17. Ephesians, chapter 5 and verse 17. Maybe it was Paul's connection with all that he suffered. Maybe it was Paul with the poverty that he had experienced when he went through periods of time when he had very little, that he worked with his hands, he would go into a strange city, and he would build tents, and he would, with that income, provide for himself and found a church congregation in these cities. Maybe it's because he had to work so hard for the things that he had that he wrote these kind of things. Maybe that's why he was so thankful compared to someone who just has everything given to them. Ephesians, chapter 5 and verse 17. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is, and do not be drunk with wine, which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit. So if you're going to drink, drink up of the Holy Spirit and be filled with the right Spirit. Obviously not filled with alcohol or filled with wine. Verse 19. Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Here's what he says in verse 20.

Do you see a pattern here? I do. It's the pattern of a man who says, Always be thankful every day. Be thankful. Be thankful for all things. Don't take anything for granted. That's what he's telling us. So once again he tells us that it is God's will that we give thanks for all things. Very important. Now let's go to Colossians, our final scripture today. Colossians, chapter 2 and verse 5.

We have one of two choices. We can either be like the world and it's dog-eat-dog. I heard someone tell me once that the problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat.

So we can either make that choice. We can be in the world. It's dog-eat-dog. And we can be all for me. Unlike the three musketeers, it's all for me and me for all. Right? We can live that way of life. We can be selfish and self-centered and it's all about me. Because that's what the majority of the world, that's the flow. That is the culture of what our world is.

It's reflected in our media, in our newspapers, a lot of our co-workers. Sadly, that is the way of the world. Or, as an alternative, we can choose spiritual things. We can choose to live by the Spirit. We can choose to use the fruits of God's Holy Spirit to literally help us become like Christ to develop the mind of Christ. And this is the contrast that Paul is giving in Colossians, chapter 2 and verse 5.

He says, for though I am absent in the flesh, he's not there, he's writing a letter, I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. You know how much fear that he probably had in a city like this when he left, wondering, without any leadership, will this church even exist in a month? After I'm gone and I'm founding another congregation and I'm doing something else, will this church be torn apart by deceivers? Will this church stop meeting together? Will the church survive without leadership? That had to be something that bothered him quite a bit. But he said that he was rejoiced to see that they were in good order and they were steadfast in their faith in Christ. Verse 6, as you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him, the foundation of our lives has to be on Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. Built up in him and established in the faith as you have been taught abounding in it with thanksgiving.

That's the key, being thankful for all that God does for us, for all that he has given us. In verse 8, don't flip back into the world. He's saying here, beware, lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. So don't go back to dog-eat-dog. Don't go back to it's all about me. Stay with the right spirit, the right attitude, the right way of life. What our nation celebrates during a single day is something that we call thanksgiving. And truly, that day should be our attitudes and our perspective every day of the year.

For us, thanksgiving should be just another day that we take time out, that we show gratitude and appreciation for all the things that we have been given. Brother, you and I have more to be thankful for than anyone else on earth.

First of all, if you're in the United States, if you were blessed of all the people on earth to be born to a nation of this kind of wealth and this kind of opportunity, you won the lottery. Congratulations. If God called you and offered you His Holy Spirit, you won the lottery again. Congratulations. Because very few people who have ever lived have won the lottery twice. And you have been blessed in that way. So set aside our material possessions, which eventually will turn the dust. Everything we own will turn the dust. Set aside our physical bodies that will eventually turn the dust. And focus on what's really important and what we should be thankful for. We've been baptized. We received the Holy Spirit of God. We received a down payment, an earnest payment from God, for eternal life. To be part of His firstfruits. To literally be part of His family in the reign with Jesus Christ. To leave this earth and meet Him as He comes down from the heavens into the air. And to return with Jesus Christ in this earth in a new form and being made immortal in a new being rather than this physical tent that we have. And the joys and fulfillment that will come from serving all of humanity for eternity. Being part of the family of God. If we've been baptized and we received the gift of the Holy Spirit, please don't grieve it. Please don't quench it. That's what happens when ingratitude turns into a sense of entitlement. Please don't let that happen in your life. What we have will last forever because it's treasure in heaven. And Jesus Christ is going to return to earth and He's going to give us that reward. And we will receive the gift of life and become part of the family of God as His child. It is a great and a precious calling that you and I have. Let's be sure to be thankful for it every day. Let's be sure to be thankful to God every day. Let's be sure to be thankful for each other every day. And let's not acquire an attitude of ingratitude. Have a wonderful Sabbath.

Thank you.