0:00 Well, today is a special Sunday, because as you know, we are setting apart this service to recognize and celebrate God's faithfulness to us as a church family. And and I wanna let you know that taking the time to dedicate a Sunday to turn our attention to that and reflect on the beginnings of this ministry and how the Lord has guided us step by step over the years is not just an excuse to add another event to our calendars. More than that, it is an occasion for us to worship. Because the Bible tells us that when a community people come for a heartfelt, intentional adoration for what God has done, that is worship. But Thanksgiving is not limited to a service.
0:44 It's not limited to a celebration. The possibility of glorifying God in that attitude, in that act, has been granted to each of us as individuals. Private gratitude, Heartfelt individual thanksgiving. And so I wanna take this day where we are obviously thanking the Lord as a body to instill and to strengthen that conviction in our hearts to be a thankful people. And so that the celebration and the joy that we are tasting today would join us and go with us for the long haul, leaving this place this evening.
1:26 And so I began earlier this week to just think about the scriptures, the verses, the examples of Thanksgiving. And strangely, it was this verse that was brought to my attention. You don't have to turn there, you know it very well, where Paul commands the Philippian church in Philippians two five, have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. Now you might be wondering, okay, that's a wonderful verse, but what does it have to do with gratitude? Well, here's how you can translate Paul's command there by the spirit.
1:58 Think like Jesus thinks. Think like Jesus thinks. And then it dawned on me. When you read the gospels, you don't only find the Lord preaching, delivering, healing, serving, abstaining, overall obeying the father. If you read carefully, you will find the Lord Jesus Christ thanking the father.
2:25 And there are actually four distinct occasions where we find the Son of God expressing gratitude to God. And we're gonna look at those four occasions in a moment here, But I wanna tell you upfront what the goal of this message is and this is where I'm gonna ask you to turn to the epistle to the Colossians in chapter two. Consider with me two verses about why we need to focus a message on thanksgiving. Colossians chapter two beginning in verse six. The scripture says, therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith just as you were taught three very important words, abounding in thanksgiving.
3:23 Don't just be thankful. I want you to abound in thanksgiving. Do you know what it means to abound in something? Do you know when something is abounding? The original word here is to overflow.
3:36 To not even just meet a certain measure, for it to spill over what one might consider a standard. Overflow in thanksgiving. So Paul is talking about the lifestyle of a Christian that doesn't just express appreciation here and there. Now, he's talking about a way that our faith can connect to certain truths and those truths feed the heart to the point that it becomes swollen and enlarged, and even overflowing with this constant awareness of the goodness of God that then naturally expresses itself in thanksgiving. See, Paul is not saying abound in thanksgiving as a way to force Christians to just act in a thankful way.
4:26 That's never that's never the goal of any command in the scripture. What he's saying here instead is that you you should turn your attention on certain realities and revelations that will then result in this. And yes, like any spiritual discipline, there is a level of training and exercise and intentionality, but there is also this promise that the spirit is able to carry us in it. So understand this, listen. The thing that should mark us as believers in the realm of gratitude is that we should be abounding in it.
5:01 And I wasn't planning to say this until earlier this morning. It came to my mind because I'm concerned that with a message on Thanksgiving and looking at different reasons why we should be grateful to God, That we would hear that, and the response at the end of the service would be, alright. Thanks brother. I'll be a little bit more positive this week than I was last week. Thanksgiving is much more serious than that.
5:28 Implementing it, understanding it, when you actually look carefully in the scriptures, there's much more at stake of being a thankful people. It's just not a matter of you being a little bit more chippy on a Monday. It has different factors at play that I think most Christians don't even realize. Let me give you an example. Do you know that the scriptures describe Thanksgiving as a light to the soul that will keep your heart from growing dark?
6:01 Listen, a a lack of gratitude is like leaving a city gate wide open. Leaving darkness to enter more easily and once it's in, it will become the breeding ground for uninvited vices and sins to take over. You might think that's an exaggeration and I'm here to tell you this is not me, this is the scripture. So you're in the New Testament, me in the book of Romans chapter one. And look up Paul's words there in verse 21 of Romans one.
6:31 Notice how he describes a people who are ensnared by a variety of sins. Romans one twenty one, for although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and here it is, and their foolish hearts were darkened. What led to their hearts being darkened? A lack of gratitude among other things. So you see, there's something about thankfulness that protects you.
7:10 And in order for us to be kept from a darkening taking place, a blackness blanketing our souls, thanksgiving is the repellent. It is the guard. It is a shield. Because look what Paul describes in the same context as the ugly consequences of a heart that is not filled with ongoing thanks to God among other things. Look at verse 29.
7:38 You're there in Romans one. Look at verse 29. They, the same people who did not honor God or give thanks to them, they were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murders, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
8:14 Do you see the connection in the train of thought? These vicious qualities become more possible when your heart is less aware and willing to express thanksgiving to God. In other words, if you wanna avoid being filled with all manner of unrighteousness, your heart needs to abound in thanksgiving. Think about it. It's much more difficult to lust when you're abounding in thanksgiving.
8:43 Yeah. It's a lot harder to go out there and commit adultery when you're grateful for your spouse. Despite all the difficulties and challenges, if you're grateful, if you if you can see the gift, if you can recognize God's providence in that person, it's a lot more hard to go out there and think that you're gonna find something better. It's a lot more difficult to become covetousness when you're grateful for what God's providence and his perfect leadership has granted you. It's a lot more difficult to crave something that doesn't belong to you.
9:10 It's a lot more challenging to slice up somebody's reputation with slander and gossip when you are willing to recognize the good in them and the blessings that God has brought to you through them. Do you see the wisdom of thanksgiving? It's not a matter of you and I just being happier, it's needed for effective spiritual warfare. I don't think people teach that when it comes to spiritual warfare. When's the last time I ever heard, be thankful if you want your heart to be strong against sin?
9:40 But I'm here to tell you it. And I want to fuel our hearts today in the place of gratitude by looking at our ultimate example in the Lord Jesus Christ and considering four separate occasions where the gospels tell us that he said, thank you. Thank you. The Lord Jesus, number one, gave thanks for God's immense grace. Let's turn to the first scripture in Luke chapter 10 verse 21.
10:12 Luke ten twenty one. Lord, train our hearts to be thankful today. It says here, in that same hour, he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, I thank you father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children. Yes father, for such was your gracious will. In all of the gospel accounts, you wanna know something remarkable?
10:43 This is the only place where we're explicitly told that Jesus Christ rejoiced. Not that he didn't express jubilation in other places, surely he did, but this is the only place in all of the gospel accounts where we are explicitly told that Jesus rejoiced. And it wasn't just a natural joy. It was a joy that was supernaturally inspired that it sprung from the innermost part of his being because he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit. This means many important things, many things, one of which is the evidence of the Spirit's work in your life and mine.
11:16 He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, which tells me one of the clearest signs that the Holy Spirit is working in a Christian's heart is that they desire to give thanks. How do we know that? Because we told again, he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and the first words that come out of Jesus' mouth is what, I thank you. I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. So if you're a person here who should be, we all should be seeking the continuous infilling of the Holy Spirit, I can guarantee you one thing based on this scripture, that you will find yourself growing and longing and yearning to express gratitude to God.
11:58 And you'll even find yourself spontaneously doing it. So this is an encouragement. Why is it an encouragement? Because thanksgiving is a work of the Holy Spirit. He inspires that desire.
12:07 He makes it a lifestyle. The more we depend on him and long for him to harness our hearts and our tongues and our thinking. Here's Jesus rejoicing in the Holy Spirit, and the first thing that comes out of his mouth is, I thank you. Many people come up with strange ideas of the manifestations of the spirit. The Bible is very plain and clear about them.
12:27 I don't think it's often brought up that if the Holy Spirit really moves in you and me, then you're going to be moved to give thanks. That's what it says. He's our helper. The Lord has granted us this gift to guide us in all matters including this. Can I point this out?
12:44 Notice how Jesus addresses God. He addresses God as father while simultaneously honoring him with the highest title that you can ascribe to anybody. With majesty and power, he says, you are the Lord of heaven and earth. What do I take from that? Well, you know, you have some Christians who see God as father, but they don't see him as king.
13:05 And you have some Christians who see him as king, all sovereign, but not as an intimate loving father. But here's Jesus filled with the Holy Spirit and he says, I thank you father, Lord of heaven and earth. Do you see how the Holy Spirit helps us in everything? Not just in how you thank God, but in how you view God. But what was it that Jesus was thankful for at this moment?
13:29 Look again at this verse. He says that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children. What are these things? What is he talking about? Well, as usual, context provides clarity.
13:46 When did the Lord Jesus rejoice in the Holy Spirit? Look back at the beginning of verse 21. In that same hour. So something took place recently that served as a catalyst for him to outburst with this prayer of thanks. And all you have to do is read the preceding verses to realize what he's speaking of.
14:04 So look back here and look at verse 17 of Luke 10 and you'll see what he's talking about when he says these things. The 72 returned with joy saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. And he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
14:35 Ah, there it is. So these things that Jesus said were hidden to some yet revealed to others include the empowerment of his disciples. Their experience of the authority of his name. Divine protection from the evil one and their names being written in heaven. And when the Lord saw the 72 disciples relishing in those realities, he could not help but turn to the father and say, thank you, father.
15:04 That you are willing to unleash these graces to little children. In other words, what Jesus is saying is, thank you father for being willing to give such blessings to those who are the least deserving. You know, you don't have to do much investigation or studies to look at how the world treats people. And it's common knowledge that those who are wealthy and those who are intelligent and those who are beautiful and attractive tend to get more respect than others. But that's not how God's kingdom operates.
15:44 God reserves his rewards, not necessarily to the powerful and to the wise, but to those who operate in childlike faith characterized by dependency and humility. In fact, what he means by this is that those who are boastful, right? When he says these things are hidden from the wise and understanding, what he means by that is that those who are boastful and relying on their strength and their thinking, they are barred from such blessings, but God has opened his arms to those who acknowledge their weakness and their ignorance. So what is Jesus ultimately really giving thanks to God for? God's grace.
16:23 And I wonder if as followers of Jesus, we have ever taken the personal time to to thank God that when he redeemed sinners and that when he recruits servants, he does so with boundless grace, because Jesus does. Can I ask you something? I want I want this to be really practical here. When was the last time, not in a service, not because the worship team or the praise team or the preacher told you to, when was the last time you just on your own have paused and meditated that there is a final day coming where you will stand before God, and the record of your sin will be pulled out with 100% accuracy. And what's on that record will determine your eternal fate.
17:11 When was the last time that you breathe out a thanks because on your record, because of your faith will be stamped boldly, forgiven? Not because of you being part of a superior race, not because you passed an exam for eternity, or that you impress God with your amount of sacrifices, but simply because you trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ. May we never come to a point in our faith where the good news becomes old news. Beyond that, when's the last time have I thanked God that when he uses people, he's willing to use the foolish things according to the world? The weak things, things that are despised, even the things that are not so that they would become something.
17:59 So that no man may boast. What that means? That means that we all qualify to be used by God. I have no reason to live besides being used by God, honestly. To be with Christ is better.
18:12 And like Paul, I I wrestle because Paul says, I I wanna go be with Christ, but the only thing that I got going for me is staying here and bearing fruit for his kingdom. I don't ever have to worry or fear that there is something outside of my control that will limit me from being used by the Lord. That's what we're here to do today, to really recognize that God has used this church for his glory and nobody can take credit for it. Nobody. The first instance that we look together here is that Jesus gave thanks to the father for his boundless grace.
18:46 But here's the second place. Turn with me to John chapter six. Number two, the Lord Jesus gave thanks for physical needs being met. We see the Lord doing this at both the feeding of the 5,000 and the feeding of the 4,000, but we can merge them in the same thought. Now I know that these miracles of provision are very familiar to us, but I want us to consider carefully John's perspective on the feeding of the 5,000 because we're gonna learn something about the what and the when of the Lord's thanksgiving in this manner.
19:16 Look at John six beginning in verse nine. There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many? Jesus said, have the people sit down. Now there was much grass in the place, so the men sat down about 5,000 in number. Jesus then took the loaves and when he had given thanks, there it is.
19:40 When he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated, so also the fish as much as they wanted. I want you to look at what Jesus gave thanks to God for and when he gave thanks for it. The what is clear. Right? Jesus took the loaves from the little boy that he donated, and he had given thanks for those loaves.
20:06 But what are five loaves for 12 grown men, let alone 5,000? And those are just men, then you have their wives and their children. What are you this is more of an opportunity to worry than to worship. Five loaves. So here you are, you have a need, we need a we need to feed a few thousand people.
20:28 Anybody wanna make a donation? And the only donation that came in was five pieces of bread. That's it? That's all we can cough up here? That's what the Lord does.
20:40 He takes the bread, gives thanks. The average person would panic, but we're considering the mind of Christ here. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ truly gave thanks to God because he had this awareness of God's perfect wisdom manifesting in his perfect provision. You know, Thanksgiving is not always about responding to seeing what you desire to come to pass.
21:11 We reserve our thanksgiving for that. Right? We have these goals and these longings and we have these expectations, and only when those things transpired do we say, God is faithful. Look what he did, he answered exactly what I was looking for. Exactly what I laid out before.
21:24 God came through. You should rejoice when your prayers are answered. But thanksgiving should not be kept solely for those testimonies. It should equally be offered as a declaration of trust and contentment in God's gradual leading. That's what Jesus does here.
21:44 You know, Matthew Henry, the great English bible scholar, was reported to have been robbed by thieves at some point in his life. And many of us have benefited from Matthew Henry's writings, they're available online for free, one of the greatest scholars in church history. But they found an entry in his diary of that fearful occasion when he was robbed. And let me quote and read to you what he wrote in his diary. Quote, Matthew Henry says, let me be thankful.
22:14 Right there, I'm like, what do you mean let me be thankful? You had your purse taken from you. No, he says, let me be thankful first that I was never robbed before. Second, although they took my purse, they didn't take my life. Third, although they took my all, it was not much.
22:31 This is my favorite one. Fourth, let me be thankful because it was I who was robbed and not I who was doing the robbing. You see the strength of your thanksgiving is very much dependent on the accuracy of your perception of who God is. And the more comfortable and the more firmly you grasp the character of God, the nature of God, the promises of God, the better you and I are able to sincerely walk in a place where we can give thanksgiving. And it will be an aroma to the Lord and it will be a fragrance before men.
23:07 And that's why Paul could say something like, give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. First Thessalonians five eighteen. Which leads me to the when. When did Jesus give thanks? He took the bread and when he had given thanks.
23:24 People might think that he took the bread, he multiplied and gave it and then he gave thanks for the miracle. He gave thanks before the miracle. And we see here that this is a principle for us, that God's worthiness of thanksgiving should be granted even before what we hope comes to pass. And how fitting is that example for us as a church? Do we have a need for a bigger place?
23:53 Yes. If you don't know it, just come downstairs after the service. You'll feel it a little bit. We do. But what are you gonna do?
24:01 Wait to give our songs of praise and thanks until God comes through for us? No. That's not what I see in my Jesus. I consider us being in this physical place a miracle. I don't doubt that for a moment.
24:15 I don't. But I also like to consider this place in our situation as five loaves. In our situation and circumstances, two fishes that were provided through the selflessness of another church body called church of our savior who extended and donated their love to us. And here we are, we are waiting for God to do more, but we also are, by way of example, charged to give thanks. That providence has placed this in our hands.
24:44 He deserves glory for what he's done in these past three years. It's my genuine hope that when you and I go home tonight, you'll go home with a renewed sense of purpose and strength to be grateful for what God placed over your head, for the kind of car that he allowed you to drive, for the kind of clothes that he afforded you, for the things that are in your cupboards, for the meal every meal that he sets before you as a continuous acknowledgment of his perfect leadership in your life. Do you might have dreams and desires and hopes? Absolutely. Will they be realized immediately?
25:26 That's not how God works, but it's still worthy of thanks. You know, we're trying to do this in our home. From time to time, I'll look up my wife at just random times of the day, and I'll say, love, tell me three things you're thankful for. And we can do this all the time. Sometimes we do it while we're talking in bed.
25:45 Sometimes we're in the kitchen cleaning things up, and I'll say, tell me three things you're thankful for. And she'll say things. She'll tell me, okay, what are you thankful for? And I'll say some things. It's impossible to do something like that and be in a bad mood after, unless you're just doing it mindlessly.
26:00 And in that little practice, I'm telling you, conversations pop up. And so now we're switching it up a little bit. Okay. Not the obvious things, you know, like family, one another, and stuff. Tell me other things that you're thankful for.
26:11 And then you get more specific, and then now you're you're you're broadening your understanding of how God is blessing you beyond what He He does plain and clear before your sight. Jesus expressed thanks for how God met his needs step by step. Let's follow him in that. Let's go to the third point. John chapter 11.
26:44 The Lord Jesus gave thanks for his access in prayer. This is the testimony of the miracle of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. In John 11 verse 41, as he's ready to call out Lazarus's name, and as many have noted before, if Jesus did not call out Lazarus's name, everybody would have raised from the dead at that gravesite. But notice what happens before. This moved me so tremendously.
27:13 Right? He He says here in verse 21, so they took away the stone and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around that they may believe that you sent me. Read carefully. Look again what he says.
27:37 Thanks for, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. So through Jesus's words, you know what I gained from this? That Jesus believed that prayer was a gift. And the sooner you and I believe that about prayer, the sooner we will understand prayer something we get to do, not something we have to do. Now here's what moved me.
28:06 If Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, while on earth, took the time to give thanks to the Father for having this kind of channel to him, how much more I, a mere creature, susceptible to inconsistencies and failures, give thanks to God. That that throne room of his and that courtyard of his is always available to me twenty four seven. Here's what I'm trying to get across. Jesus shows us that we shouldn't only be thankful in prayer, we should be thankful for prayer. I thank you that you have heard me.
28:53 Now this is fascinating because it shows that Lazarus's miracle was the result of prayer. Notice what he says, I thank you that you have heard me past tense. Meaning, that at some point undisclosed to us, Jesus Christ came before the father and acquired his wisdom and his guidance about what to do with Lazarus's case. And at some point, in secret, the father directed him. Directed him about the timing of when to go to the tomb and how to do it.
29:23 Everything was supplied by the father to the son through prayer. And that teaches me what what prayer is to the Lord Jesus at least, that it was his source of power. That it was the means for his fellowship with the father. That it was the channel of guidance that he utilized day by day, moment by moment. Yes, Christ was unique in many ways but these blessings are no less available to us in prayer.
29:54 One of the most convicting examples, and I love to use illustrations from the bible, one of my most admired individuals in the scriptures, not because of his name. Trust me. If he was named somebody else, I would still say his name. Daniel. K?
30:09 Daniel was a man of prayer. And one of my favorite stories there is in chapter six when a decree went out that it was illegal to pray to anybody except the king. You know what Daniel does? We're told that at the moment he heard about that document being signed, he went home, got on his knees, opened the window, prayed three times a day like nothing had happened. You know what that tells me?
30:37 That Daniel rather have died than not pray for a month. What do you know about prayer? What have you experienced in prayer where you without any hesitation said to yourself, I rather die than not use this gift called prayer. And it makes sense. You read Daniel chapter one to chapter six, and you see what prayer has done in this man's life.
31:04 You read it after chapter six, you see how prayer provided all these experiences and these revelations and these provisions. So to Daniel, he thought to not pray is not to live, at least abundantly, at least to the fullest. Yeah. Yeah. Many people are going about their day without prayer, but all the heights that you are missing because you don't see it the way you're supposed to see it.
31:29 And I can spend, which I will not do on the pulpit, I can use the next thirty minutes to just give testimony after testimony about how God has come through by no other way but through prayer, in such a way that if I had not prayed, I should have no reason to believe that he would have come through. Jesus says, I thank you father that you have heard me. And I always say this, forgive me if I'm repeating myself but we're creatures of repetition. Apart from salvation, there is no greater spiritual thrill than to know that God in heaven hears my prayers. And and when he actually answers them.
32:08 What did the psalmist say? I love the Lord because he has heard my plea and has answered my cry. Therefore, I will call upon him all the days of my life. When you actually see a prayer answered in a way that it can't be brushed off as coincidence or, you know, I think this would have happened even if I didn't pray. No.
32:27 No. No. Like real prayer being answered, you'll never be the same. You can't. And I'm afraid so many Christians don't believe this about prayer that they're missing out on that opportunity.
32:39 Walk in it enough so that when God actually comes through, you'll be marked for the rest of your life and you can say like, Jesus, father, I thank you that you have heard me. Heard me? Shall we come to our last point? Let's turn to Matthew together in chapter 26. Lord Jesus not only gave thanks for God's immense grace, not only for his physical needs being met, not only because God had an open heaven over his head.
33:23 Lastly, the Lord Jesus gave thanks for the fellowship made possible by his sacrifice. Do you know what we do here every single Sunday? We partake of the Lord's supper together. And I'm not sure if you noticed it, but when pastor Bennett leads us in the breaking of the bread and and the cup, we give thanks for each element separately. And the reason why we do that is because Jesus modeled that at the last supper.
33:46 So it encourages us to take time to consider the distinct elements that have purchased our salvation. At least what they represent. And what do we find here? Let's read Matthew twenty six twenty six to 29. Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread and after blessing it broke it and gave it to his disciples and said, take eat, this is my body and he took a cup and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them saying drink of it all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
34:17 I tell you, I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new with you in my father's kingdom. So what can we say here? We we can say with complete validity that Jesus is in fact giving thanks for the new covenant. Absolutely. That's not wrong.
34:32 But I think it's more precise than that, at least in this context. Not only is he thanking the father that the new covenant now is about to be inaugurated, I believe that he is thanking the father about what the new covenant would bring about. And in this case, what he is eagerly looking forward to is that because of his impending sacrifice, he will one day be reunited with his disciples in eternity. I believe that was part of his thanksgiving. You're saying, really?
35:00 I'm saying, really? Why else mention what we see here in verse 29 where he says, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until I drink it anew with you and my father's kingdom? So think about it. The moment he establishes this communion, he he right away says, I wanna let you know that we're gonna be reunited again. That we're gonna have fellowship forever.
35:24 You cannot tell me that the Lord did not have this longing and this yearning even as he was laying out this ordinance for the church. He did. And that sets the seal of what this table is about every single month when we celebrate, at least in its fullness. And we're not just rehearsing what the Lord has done, but what he will do to return and reunite us to be with him everlastingly. And it would be unwise for us to celebrate our eternal fellowship with a savior and the saints only once a month.
35:58 Extend your thanksgiving about what has been made possible through the cross as a daily realization. Paul does this over and over. When he thinks about his relationship, yes, with Christ, but with the believers Years ago, we studied the book of Ephesians. We might revisit it in years to come. But I remember to this day that early in our study of the book of Ephesians, there was something that Paul says that he did for the church that cut my heart and it's still bleeding in a good way.
36:37 The way this man thought and thanked God for Christians was mind boggling to me. So you don't have to turn there but please just lean in because we're almost done here. I want to read these verses to you. Just listen to this man's language of how he gave thanks. Not for the bread that represents the body but the actual spiritual body of Jesus Christ, namely the church.
36:59 Doesn't know what he says in Ephesians one verse 15. For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. Now this was years ago when this was unpacked to me in great detail. And I sat back in my chair and this is the thought that came to me and I remember it so clearly like it was yesterday. When was the last time I took the time to come before the Lord and identify people based on their fervent devotion to God and their service to the church of Jesus Christ, and to thank you for such people, Lord?
37:40 Thank you for such people. When was the last time that I thanked God for his work? Not in me, but in somebody else. This is what Paul is saying. I can't help but give thanks because I'm witnessing something of God's glory in you, and I want to honor and acknowledge God for that.
38:01 Here's another place, in Philippians one verse three. I thank God. I thank my God and all my remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine, for you all making my prayer with joy. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine having such an awareness of people in your life that when you pray for them or about them, you get excited?
38:25 This is biblical Christianity. I'm just telling you what it's saying here. And I'm like, if this is possible, give it to me. Here's Paul who says, when I think about you and I pray for you, I get giddy. But it doesn't end there.
38:39 Why is he praying with joy? Verse five, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. So here again, thinking to myself, looking at this, this is how we should read our Bibles. When was the last time that I came before the Lord and I identified people in my life who enriched my ministry and make my walk with Jesus Christ that much sweeter. When have I given thanks for that?
39:16 Might be thinking, I didn't know a message on thanksgiving can be so convicting. I'll tell you why it's convicting, because it's not our disposition. It's not our disposition, and that's why the scripture is absolutely sprinkled with it So we would be reminded, you have so much to give thanks. You have so much to be grateful for. And the Bible has been given to us as a mirror to be like, this is you're missing this.
39:41 You're you're not seeing this. And that's why we have every right to come before the Lord saying, Lord, help me see what I can't see. You know, there's a testimony in the book of Genesis where where we see the Lord answering many prayers and there were simple really answers to prayer. Where God opens people's eyes to things that are before them. Let me give you one example of that in Genesis 16 and then we'll close together.
40:11 Genesis 16. Hagar in verse 13, when she experiences the Lord coming through for her in a particular moment of her life, So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, you are a God of seeing. For she said, truly here I have seen him who looks after me. Therefore, the well was called Beer Lahorei. It lies between Kadesh and Bereth.
40:51 And it's not only there, when you move on, something else happens. Eventually, Isaac is born and now Hagar is permanently expelled from that place. And she is will she's just wandering in the wilderness. As as she's wandering in the wilderness, the Lord comes through for her once more. And I want you to see it with me again.
41:08 Come to Genesis 21. Her and her son Ishmael are out in the wilderness. They run out of water. And notice what verse 17 says of Genesis 21. And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, what troubles you, Hagar?
41:26 Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Up. Lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand for I'll make him into a great nation. This is it. This is it.
41:34 I'm telling you we're not going further than this. Verse 19. Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. People debate, did God create the well and then show it to her?
41:48 Or was it always there but she couldn't see it? I lean to the latter And it reveals something about us and our humanity, especially in our troubles and our trials, that we often cannot see what things are right before us that can rescue us, that can bless us, that God has supplied for us. So I bring this up in closing that we would ask God for that same miracle. There are things that we should be thankful for that are right under our noses, and we just can't see it. But God is so gracious enough to open our eyes so that we can give thanks.
42:25 Can I give you a final thought from Jesus giving thanks at the last supper? It was on the night that he would be arrested and put to death, which tells me something about his gratitude. He was thankful until his dying day. I wanna follow my Jesus in that way. You know, sometimes as people get older in life, they become more cynical.
42:51 They get grumpier. Because they've sailed through life and they've seen the fickleness of people and the evil in the world and they just become jaded. That's not your destiny if you're a spirit filled Christian. I see my Jesus and I see him even on the night that he was going to be betrayed by one of his own. He just finished washing his feet.
43:11 The devil had entered him according to John 13, and yet he can still have the presence of mind and the heart filled with the Holy Spirit to give thanks? I need that. Can Can we pray and ask God to help us? Lord, we thank you for the service. A simple message, Lord, that all one that convicts us all including the one who shared it.
43:37 Lord, help us be a people who know the great protection and provision of thanksgiving. Heal our hearts from murmuring and grumbling. Help us be like Hagar who is able to see things that she missed. Even if our eyes are filled with tears, Lord, even if our eyes can't seem to pull away from the things that trouble us or disturb us, help us see what you want us to see that can save us and sustain us. Lord, from our hearts, we say thank you for Maranatha Bible Church.
44:14 And as Paul gave thanks for the churches, we give thanks to you for this one. Thank you for every single believer here who makes this ministry possible. Thank you for every servant behind the scenes. Thank you for every person who sacrificed time and energy for the gospel to go out, for believers to be strengthened and encouraged, people who have sacrificed their money, people who have sacrificed their gas, people who have sacrificed their homes, their meals. Lord, we are grateful and we trust, oh God, that it will be rewarded.
44:43 Lord, we pray that as a church moving forward, we would abound in Thanksgiving. May that be our portion by your spirit's help. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen and amen. Amen.
44:58 We're gonna celebrate downstairs in a moment, but let's give God a final thanksgiving and praise and in song and worship.
