The Power Of Thanksgiving
CCCAG November 28th, 2021
Scripture: 1 Thess 5:16-18
We're going to start off today with an exercise.
I want you to close your eyes.
Picture in your mind what Jesus may have looked like when he was here on this earth.
Now I want you to focus particularly on his facial expression.
What expression does he have? (poll the congregation)
A person’s resting facial expression tells you a lot about what they are truly like.
I was thinking this last week as I sat deer hunting about how Jesus may have looked to those around him. I'm not talking about being tall or short thin or chubby. I'm definitely not talking about the color of his skin, hair or eye color.
I was thinking- did he look approachable? Did he seem friendly?
One thing that struck me is that children ran to him. They were very comfortable with him.
How many people here have ever tried to introduce themselves to a small child only to have that child turn and run back to their mom crying.
I see that a lot working at hospital. Mom brings the child in for an earache and good luck get in anywhere near that child to look in their ears without five people holding them down.
Jesus didn't seem to have that problem. In fact so many children wanted to come to him that is disciples tried to keep them away from Jesus and pushed them back from what they thought was an interruption in his teaching. Jesus rebuked his disciples and said these children are the reason that he came in the first place.
Jesus had a way about him and a personality and a spiritual force if you will that was highly attractive to others.
I asked myself, “what was that one ingredient in our Lord character that made him attractive to others, even people that had a reason not too particularly like him (like the woman at the well)”
I think that vital ingredient in Jesus’ life was that he was always thankful.
When you read the gospels, whenever he was going to do something miraculous or profound, he always started out by giving thanks.
You and I look at giving thanks as a response.
but Jesus looked at giving thanks as a way of life. It was the precursor to anything that he did or asked God for.
Paul the apostle gave us is small glimpse into this idea when he wrote to the church at Thessalonica. He gave them three things to focus on to live a fruitful and successful Christian life.
1 Thess 5:16-18
16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Prayer
This morning we are going to talk about the power of thanksgiving.
Not just the holiday where we cut up a turkey and have a feast. Not just the holiday from work that we get to celebrate with family. Not the week that gun deer season happens.
There is power in this idea of living a life where we start and end with giving thanks and simply becoming a thankful person.
Let’s look at what this idea of living a life of thanksgiving can do for us-
I. It orients our nature
I want you to look at that scripture again where Paul says be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances
Now turn that verse around.
Paul is saying that if you want to live a life that is full of joy, be thankful always, even in all circumstances.
But it starts with Thanksgiving.
If you stop and think about all the chaos that exists in our world today it all stems from having a lack of Thanksgiving.
People are not thankful for anything anymore.
I read a great post on social media-
“America is the only place on earth where we go from one day of giving thanks for what we have to the next day beating people up in stores on Black Friday to get more”
A lot of truth there.
We want to be thankful- as Christian’s it should be our default mode.
However, this world system is structured to strip away any idea of being thankful.
We spoke about Black Friday being one of the things that can strip away our ability to be thankful, but also consider-
Everything in the news media is about us versus them.
those people over there are the reason you can't live your full life.
Whether it's because of racism
or because they're rich and you're not
or they’re Republican or Democrat
Liberal or conservative
Christian or atheist.
It’s all about separating people into camps- making them think that other group is the source of all of their problems, and creating an anger against them from taking something that you should have- jobs, possessions, wealth, status, equality, or you name it- they are the reasons you don’t have it, so hate them for it.
Fox is just as guilty as CNN, MSNBC or any of the other alphabet soups. Facebook, Twitter, Google and other social media platforms just add to this by censoring content that doesn’t fit in with their world view.
By the way- this is how things like Nazi Germany happen. This is also how the antichrist will gain power so quickly, and I believe it will be in our lifetimes.
This is why learning to be thankful is so important to us.
You might think- that’s impossible- The entire world right now is trying to make us live a life where it is impossible to be thankful.
But you know what- Jesus lived in this world too.
Think about the world that Jesus lived in-
According to his culture- He is the illegitimate child of Joseph and Mary due to Mary’s supposed affair.
He is living in occupied territory and not even a citizen of the nation that rules over him.
As a Hebrew living in Palestine, Jesus has no rights to speak of-
if a Roman soldier decided he wanted his carpentry shop- too bad for Jesus and Mary- it’s now that soldiers house and business.
If a Roman like his very clothing, he can order Jesus to strip and leave him standing on the side of the road in his loincloth.
If the ruler of that area wants him dead for any reason- off with his head.
And we think our world is tough- live in that one!
Yet, Jesus choses to be thankful. It was his default mode.
Why?
This is going to be hard to hear for some people, or maybe some listening to the podcast, but neither life, nor God owe you anything.
In fact, The bible is clear that you were born into a sin nature, and God has judged that sin. The only thing you deserve is hell.
Some of you might be listening to the wrong preachers talking about prosperity and how to live your best life here on earth while forgetting to mention that this (gesture) is NOT our home.
All that does is create envy and covetousness, and I believe there is a famous list in the bible that warns about that.
You see, if you are basing your level of happiness or joy off of your circumstances here- that is your problem and why you are miserable.
It’s the answer to the question of why you can’t find peace, joy, and happiness in this life.
This is why many people can’t find it in their hearts to be thankful for anything.
However, If you have become a Christian- you are in essence an illegal alien in a country that hates you.
Here is the source of becoming a more thankful person- realizing this simple truth- Anything good that you might have in your life is a blessing God has given you by His grace.
Think of it this way- instead of being resentful, which is the opposite of thankful, consider instead how The author of Hebrews described our true existence
Heb 12:22-29
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,
Verse 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our "God is a consuming fire."
That’s why the first step to knowing the power of thanksgiving in your life is to realize that you are not of this world anymore, therefore turn your eyes and your heart to God, and be amazed and thankful for all HE has given you.
Again, It’s not on what you have here in this life, but what God has done for you so you can inherit the next life.
The second point in thanksgiving is this-
II. It helps us see the worth in others- this is what made Jesus attractive to those around HIM.
I mentioned a few moments ago how everything in our culture today is trying to separate us into camps that hate each other. This is where thankfulness is key to help us to see the innate value of every person we come into contact with.
Even the ones that irritate us the most.
I heard a sermon once about how Jesus told us to pray for our enemies. The sermon was being given by theologian who is an expert in the Greek language and added in the culture that the New Testament was written.
He Explained to us that because of the way the Greek language is structured Jesus is words for us to pray for our enemies could be just as easily translated as praying to God to send us enemies.
I thought that was kind of crazy when he said that. After all who would want someone who hates us constantly around us in our personal circle.
Whether it be at church
Or work
Or family
Or friends
Who wants to be around someone that is constantly challenging?
I worked with a guy once who what's the picture of being condescending. If you looked up the word condescending in the dictionary it would be his picture.
The only way he knew to talk to people is to try to bully or belittle them.
Eventually his behavior was noticed by the upper management, so he got talked to and told to try and be nice to people.
He did change- whenever he asked you to do something you would just say please and thank you to walk away.
Somehow just saying the words please thank you made it OK right?
He hit my every last nerve because at his core he was a bully, and nothing triggers my temper like somebody trying to bully me. I’m generally not a violent person, but bullies make me ball up my fist and want to go full Mike Tyson on them.
One morning he came into the station and was particularly bad. First, he was an hour late and you can’t leave until your relief is there and I got another call because he was late. I got back to the station 3 hours late off of my shift after dealing with a very trying patient. I had been up for over 30 hours at that point, He managed to hit every last nerve within a minute of backing into the station.
I was driving home fuming, so angry I was shaking and wanting to turn around and stomp him into the ground when one of my favorite worship songs of all time came on the radio- “Be the Centre”
“Jesus, be the centre, Be my source, be my light
Jesus
Jesus, be the centre, Be my hope, be my song
Jesus
(Chorus)
Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in these sails
Be the reason that I live
Jesus, Jesus”
I felt Holy Spirit conviction wash over me, and instead of turning around I began to grudgingly pray for this man.
Let me tell you- It’s hard to do when you are mad at someone
But it’s impossible to stay mad at someone you are praying for.
Read many of David’s psalms- he went from praying that God would smash them into dust to actually praying for his enemies.
The more I prayed, the more thankful I became that God put that man and that situation into my life because it showed some glaring pride strongholds in my own spirit that God needed to deal with.
By the time I got home, my spirit was at peace, my temper was gone, and I was able to enter the house and crash right out.
After awhile, I was able to befriend that person, and help him with some of his life problems that made him that way.
So I’m thankful that God sent that person into my life, because in the end HE used him and that situation to make me a little more like Jesus.
Who is in your life today that you can’t stand?
Is there a group of people that you don’t like? Is there some racism in your heart you might have to deal with?
Is there any enemy that you cannot forgive?
There is a great quote about unforgiveness which is a symptom of a lack of thankfulness in our hearts-
Quote-
“Unforgiveness is a poison you mix for your enemy but drink yourself”
It’s the killer of ever being thankful for anything, and in fact if you remember the Lord’s Prayer, it says-
“Forgive us our sins AS we forgive those who sin against us”
In other words you are saying, “God forgive me the same way I extend forgiveness to others”
Chose thankfulness instead. Don’t allow your heart to grow cold with bitterness.
Thank God for those people that get on your last nerve, and watch the Holy Spirit enter you and change your heart toward that person.
The 3rd power of thanksgiving is scene in this-
III. It will develop the same character in us that Jesus showed people-
Has anyone ever had that relative that you never wanted to be around when you were younger?
Your parents would say, “come and kiss your aunt before we leave” and you’d take the wuppon and grounding before you came anywhere near her?
That’s how many in the world view the church and those who attend- a bunch of judgmental hypocrites that think they are better than everyone else.
There is a infamous character that showed us that called the “Church Lady” on SNL played by Dana Carvey. Everyone was going to hell except her, and if you disagreed with her on anything she’d shriek “Satan!”
No one wants to be around that? Right? Would any child willingly go anywhere near a person like that?
Remember I said at the beginning of the message that children ran toward Jesus to the point that 12 grown men had a hard time keeping them away.
Because his love and mercy were products of HIM being thankful for everything in his life.
I leave you with one final story from the Apostle Paul’s life.
In Acts 16, they are ministering in Phillipi and cast a demon out of a girl. The locals are furious, and the rulers of the region have them severely flogged- probably meaning they got the full 39 lashes like Jesus did.
Not only that, but they are stuck in the worst jail imaginable- it’s cold, it’s dark, it’s wet, bugs and rodents everywhere. They are shackled to a wall with the flesh from their backs rubbing into the dirt with bugs and rats chewing on them.
What was there response to all of this?
Acts 16:25-26
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
Wait a minute- they weren’t calling down fire from heaven upon their enemies?
They weren’t asking for healing? Or even a change of circumstances?
No
They were giving thanks and praise to God.
And what happened?
The jail shook, the chains fell off, and God showed up on the scene to the point that even the jailer became a disciple of Christ.
All Rise
Many of you this morning may be stuck in a jail of unforgiveness or or you don’t seem to think you have anything to be thankful for. You have failed to see God’s hand moving in your life, and seen it for what it was- You loving Father using the circumstances of this life to mold and shape you into an image of Jesus for people to see.
We are going to take a moment this morning and ask God to show us where we are in chains to our own stubbornness or spiritual blindness so that he can give us a heart of thanksgiving.
Let God shine HIS light into your soul so that you can be freed from your personal jail this morning.
Let HIS joy be your source of strength as you learn to be thankful in everything.
Conclusion/
Altar Call
