Sermons
In Everything Give Thanks
IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS
Sermon Outline By Terry Siverd
Cortland Church of Christ / November 20, 2016
The religious world has created a veritable cottage industry that grinds out books about “knowing God will”.
In our fellowship we have been strong on speaking about knowing “God’s plan of salvation”.
But the knowing God’s will that I am referring to this morning is not so much about God’s plan of salvation.
Rather it is an attempt to try to sort through God’s individual and particular will for me.
The Muslim faith has latched onto this in an effort to recruit soldiers for Jihad (holy war).
Many read that it is the will of Allah for them to sacrifice themselves with a suicide bomb in order to kill infidels.
Those of the Christian faith have also become somewhat obsessed with seeking God’s will.
On the surface, this aspiration may seem to be a well-intentioned and noble pursuit:
“Discovering God’s Will For ME!”
Where does God want me to live? … Should I go to college and, if so, where does God want me to attend? …
Who does God want me to marry? … What does God want me to do for a livelihood (a job)? …
Which car should I buy? … In what neighborhood should I take up residence? … etc.
Now the last thing I would ever want to do is to discourage someone (anyone) from seeking God’s will.
Yet, I fear that we are asking for more here than the Scriptures were intended to deliver.
I’m not saying that we should not bathe all of these “life questions” with fervent prayer.
Some are strong on reading “promptings” from the Lord in seeking answers for the above questions.
I am not saying God does not help us in making these decisions, but my focus is on “a thus saith the Lord”.
What I trying to say is that I think we need to be accepting with a more generic version of God’s will.
The Scriptures are filled with broad principles that provide us all with inspired guidance in the pursuits of life.
Sometime in a future sermon we will delineate a number of these.
But today, I want to give you an invitation to lay hold of God’s will.
What I offer you is what the Word of God offers - - a rather simple map for a life that is pleasing to God.
In some regards it may not seem quite so exotic and exciting, since it is a plan that is not just for ME.
Yet it is very instructive and eye-opening. It is the clear voice of God speaking to us - - to me, to you and to all of us.
Here’s our text for this morning.
Three brief verses that we can be easily memorized - - 1Thess.5:16-18 - -
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything gives thanks;
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do you want to know God’s will for YOU?
God could not be more explicit. His words are precise, profound and actually quite simple.
Three brief phrases - - two words + three words + four words. How much easier could it be?
Rejoice always … pray without ceasing … in everything give thanks.
The one thing, the chief thing, that I want to do with my life is to do God’s Will.
1 … 2 … 3 … 4 - - It’s not hard to understand but it is also not always easy to practice, but practice it we must.
(1) The one thing I want most (to do God’s will) can be done by:
(2) Rejoice always …… (3) Pray without ceasing …… (3) In everything give thanks.
This will of God can be done no matter where we live - - in whatever country, state, city or neighborhood.
It applies to every occupation - - it works for skilled tradesmen, college graduates, and any job of any kind.
It makes no difference if we are high on the totem pole or if we’re in an entry-level position.
We can do this will of God whether we are single or married.
The phrase that I want to lock in on this morning is this third directive: in everything give thanks.
We’re about to celebrate the greatest holiday every created by mankind - - Thanksgiving.
If you think about it, these three charges: rejoice always; pray without ceasing;
in everything give thanks are so intertwined that they appear to be three strands of one cord.
If we REJOICE ALWAYS we will also be filled with gratitude and thanksgiving.
If we PRAY WITHOUT CEASING gratitude will be a key component of our prayer life.
If we give thanks in everything, we will be rejoicing and praying continually.
1Thess.5:18a / In everything give thanks … also translated: give thanks in all circumstances.
Eph.5:20 records a very similar exhortation / (be) always giving thanks for all things
Is this command/admonition actually DOABLE?
The life of the apostle Paul, who wrote these words, shows us that this command is practical - - it can be done.
This very apostle who tells us to give thanks for all things (Eph.5:20) was himself a prisoner (Eph.4:1).
Acts 16 records another instance of the same. Paul & Silas are imprisoned in Philippi.
They had been beaten and thrown into the inner dungeon with feet fastened in stocks (vs.23),
And yet, we read that they were praying and singing hymns of praise to God (vs.25).
In Philp.1:12-13, Paul elaborates in such a way that we can be confident that Acts 16:25 is not a fluke.
Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the
greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ
has become well known throughout the praetorian guard and to everyone else,
and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment,
have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.
This is not just a powerful, potent, prodigious, paragon-ish Paul - - Silas also reflects this same attitude of gratitude.
This giving-thanks-in everything mindset is also seen in the life of other first-century disciples.
In Acts 5:18 we read that the Jewish leaders “laid hold of the apostles and put them in prison”.
An angel of God opened the gates of the prison and the apostles went right back to preaching about Jesus.
They were re-arrested and the Jewish leaders were really stoked (vs.28), with intentions of slaying them (vs.33).
A Pharisee named Gamaliel interceded on behalf of the apostles, warning his peers (vss.38-39):
If this action should be of men, it will be overthrown, but if it is OF GOD, you will not be able to overthrow them.
So the Jewish leaders had them flogged; ordered them to stop speaking; and released them (vs.40).
Now, notice vs.41 - - So they went on their way from the presence of the Council,
REJOICING THAT THEY HAD BEEN CONSIDERED WORTHY TO SUFFER FOR HIS NAME.
And every day, in the temple and from house to house they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
The world of politics has introduced us all to a phenomenon called “spinning”.
Spinning is a physical exercise (riding a bike of sorts), but it is also a mental exercise.
Spinning sometimes amounts to nothing but a cover-up for failure. Sometimes it’s another word for lying.
Actually, we don’t have to look to politicians to see spinmeisters, all we have to do is look at our children.
Pre-schoolers soon become pretty-near professionals at passing the buck.
When children get caught doing wrong we can sit back and watch them spin the story to justify themselves.
When we first got Siggy, we were told that he was “house-trained”.
But over the course of the first two weeks or so, I’m ashamed to say that I almost gave him up for adoption.
When I would encounter a new “accident” I would scold him and he’d just turn his head away sheepishly.
He was engaging in canine “spinning”. Actually, I think he was confused by all the different doors.
So were the early Christians just “spinning”? I don’t think so.
This is something quite admirable about learning to accept the will of God and cope with our circumstances.
Paul states in Rom.8:28 / we known that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God.
Joseph was thrown into a pit to die and later sold into slavery by his brothers (Gen.37:23-27).
Yet, years later he would profess to his shame-filled brothers:
You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good / Gen.50:20
Learning to give thanks in every circumstance is truly life-changing.
Possessing a constant attitude of gratitude is transformational.
Are you able to see the silver lining in every cloud?
In his great hymn, God Moves In A Mysterious Way, William Cowper writes,
the clouds ye so much dread are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head.
We all know and accept that bad things can happen to good people (to God’s people).
But are we also able to realize that God is able to make good things come from bad things?
Matthew Henry was a preacher in England in the late 1600s.
He is famous for his exposition of the Scriptures - - Matthew Henry’s commentaries.
He kept a diary that has also been preserved & published. It records his thoughts after been robbed by thieves.
Let me be thankful first, because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse, they did not take
my life; third, although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.
Bob and Maggie were robbed recently. I applaud Maggie because she sounded a lot like Matthew Henry.
Paul writes in Col.4:2 - - Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving…
This attitude of gratitude of which Paul speaks is a dynamic attribute than can become life-altering.
We must be real here and not be naïve. This constant and steady disposition is not easily attainable.
It will take a lot of practice for this attitude of gratitude to become our natural response and our “default setting”.
Bad things will come our way. Job reminds us (Job 14:1): man who is born of woman, is short-lived & full of turmoil.
Speaking of Job, we might find ourselves jobless. Or our boss might be almost impossible to work with.
We might want to be married, but can’t find a mate. We might be married yet suffering unexpected heartache
We might encounter a serious (even terminal) illness. We might lose a loved one, one that means the world to us.
} I have thought recently of Dean Miller, the long-time preacher at the Hartville congregation who lost his wife. |
Dean & Ruth Ann (M.Mickholtzick’s sister) had been married for about 40 years.
Now Dean is working solo with a congregation of God’s people in NW Tennessee. It must be difficult.
Life will bring to us many challenges and a host of obstacles. That is a given.
The question for us is this - - HOW ARE WE GOING TO RESPOND?
Are we going to wallow in self pity? Are we going to spend our days angry with others and perhaps angry with God?
Are we going to withdraw from the world - - close our curtains, stay in bed and fret & stew for the rest of our life?
Or, are we going to learn to be thankful in every circumstances, difficult though it may be?
Paul declares in Rom.8:27, “in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us”.
Learning to be grateful in all things will require of us a deep trust and faith in our Almighty God.
