With A Grateful Heart

Baptism - signifigance

This week we are starting a new series. If you’ve been here for at least a year you know that November for me is almost always Thanksgiving month as far as what we are focusing on and talking about in our Sunday services.

I am a constant advocate for the power of remembering. That we as Christians often don’t live the way we are meant to, or don’t live in what we are supposed to experience simply because we forget what it is we are meant to believe, confess with our mouths and live out in our lives.

And if we could just get that sorted, reminding ourselves of what Christ has done for us and what the scriptures say we are meant to do, we would see significant change in our lives. I am honestly convinced of that. And because of that we often revisit certain things, right? There’s a necessity to focus ourselves at times, to remind ourselves of certain things. Otherwise we forget.

Unless you’re nothing like me. But for me, I need this.

One of the things I want to focus on in this series this year is not as much about the value or importance of being thankful, although, that will be a focus, obviously, but what I really felt as I was thinking and praying on this the other day is that God wants to do a deep transforming work in our hearts toward gratitude.

Saying thank you and having a heart of gratitude are very different things.

We all know there’s a difference between just saying something and actually living out of a fundamental belief in our lives, and even greater, the difference of something happening without us even thinking about it. And I think there are things that we are naturally gifted at, or naturally inclined to do, and some times we really have to work at it, right? And of course the more we do something, the more a habit is built, that’s obvious, but also the more we ask God to transform us the more we become like him - and that is the goal.

We kind of hold two things in tension, 1 John 2:6 says, / / Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

We just finished a nine week series where the whole thing pointed to one simple fact: / / Faith is about salvation, but the byproduct of faith should be faithfulness.

Our faith in a loving God should compel us to be faithful to Him.

Essentially that’s what John is saying here, right? If we say we live in God then our lives should look like it. If we say we love God then our lives should display a commitment to his commandments. Jesus said that in John 14:15, / / “If you love me, obey my commandments.” or depending on what translation you read it really says, / / If you love me, you WILL obey my commandments, because obedience comes from a heart of love.

The bible says that over and over again, God desires obedience more than he desires sacrifice, and what is he always trying to draw people in to? Relationship. Love. Connection. He is a relational God that wants to connect with the children and humanity that he loves to lead us to a place of obedience to what he’s shown us to do so that we experience the life he wants for us.

Again, obedience is not about God being some sort of narcissistic control freak that needs people to obey him. The call to obedience is entirely, 100% about our benefit. Yes, He is God and worthy of praise. Yes, He is God and deserves our servitude. Yes, He is God and we should honor Him with our lives. But he is no less God if we don’t. And he is no more God if we do.

It’s an interesting thought, really. There are people that would say they are Atheists, right? That means they don’t believe in any God what-so-ever. And then there are people who say they are Agnostics. And that is the believe in a god or some sort, but that this god doesn’t care to be involved in our lives, and the existence or nature of god is beyond our understanding or ability, so they neither claim faith or disbelief in god. They just assume it doesn’t really matter.

And then there are those who believe, engage with, and live in the benefit of knowing and following the way of the God of the Universe.

Again, we just finished our series on faith that mostly came from Hebrews 11, or at least that was our reference point, and what does Hebrews 11:6 say? / / …it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Believe he exists and believe he rewards.

So, let me ask you this. Do you think it is possible to live your entire life believing there is no God and the result of that is that you neither experience God or live in the benefits of His grace?

If the prerequisite for experience is belief, then doesn’t it make sense that people say, “I don’t believe in that christianity stuff because I haven’t seen any evidence in my life for it. God’s never done anything for me.”

Now, I personally believe and scripture backs up that God give multiple opportunities for people to believe, for people to begin that journey of faith. I think that is a constant in the world we live in. I honestly do. Paul says in Romans 1 that all we need to do is look around at nature and see that God is real. He was convinced that everyone should have faith in God because it’s obvious there’s a God. But what’s obvious to some is sometimes completely invisible to others, isn’t it?

So, that’s the one side of the tension we live in, John saying if we say we live in God our lives should look like it. But the other side is what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:16-18, which we are going to really focus on this morning. He says, / / But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord - who is the Spirit - makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

The veil he’s speaking about there is the inability to understand that the Old Testament scriptures were pointing to Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the fulfillment of that scripture. But it’s the same for anyone, whether they are reading Old Testament scripture, or contemplating whether God exists or not, Paul is saying there’s a veil that covers their minds and their eyes so they cannot understand the truth.

But, when the invitation to see the Lord is there, and they choose to look, the veil is taken away. Not by anything we can do, but by the Spirit of God.

Amazing, isn’t it? We can’t be saved by anything we do, and we can’t even see that we can’t be saved by anything we do without God’s help. We are utterly dependent on His grace at every turn.

But what’s important, and what I felt this series is really going to go into is the transformation that only God can do. That’s what Paul says. When the veil is taken off and we begin to see the truth and we open our lives up to the Spirit of God then HE can transform us.. / / The Lord - who is the Spirit - makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

This is the same promise Jesus makes in John 8:31-32, / / “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Looking to Jesus, applying His truth, being transformed.

And that’s the tension I’m talking about. Is it all us? NO, is it all God? Salvation, yes, transformation, it would seem no, he invites us into the process. Like I said, Faith is for salvation, but the byproduct of faith should be a life of faithfulness. And yes, I want to go to heaven, especially in light of the other option, right? But I also want to experience the life that Jesus offered to those he ministered to when he invited them to follow him.

We can easily see the things that Jesus says to people as commandments they have to follow, but you can also, and probably more accurately, look at them as invitations to the true way of living. When he says to the rich man, “sell everything and follow me” I hear, “There is freedom on the other side of you giving up the hold that money has on you.” It’s more than “you have to do this IF YOU WANT to follow me.” It’s “When you do this, you will be free of that hold, and free to follow me.” I want to be free of the things in this world that hold me back from truly following Christ. No matter what that is, whether it’s a material thing, emotional thing, spiritual thing, mental thing. If it’s keeping me from truly following Jesus to the life that he offers, I want to be free from it. And so there is this two sided aspect to this, the tension I’m talking about.

This is why we need to really focus on what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18, which we read a moment ago, but if we read it from the ESV it says, / / And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

So, with that in mind today I want to look at / / the transforming work of God in our lives that produces a heart of gratitude.

Yes, we could look at the transforming work of the Lord in a million different ways, right? All transformation that is spiritual is going to be by the Spirit of God. But we can also look at it specifically in regards to thanksgiving, simply by the fact that we are taking time to focus on that in this particular series for the next few weeks.

And this is important to note because when we read scripture we are essentially interpreting scripture. Every time we pick up our bible and read it, we are taking that information into our minds and hearts with a particular meaning. And we have to do that in a correct way. There is good interpretation, and there is bad interpretation. We can’t just read the bible and make it say what we want, although many people have. They believe something already, and regardless of whether it is right or wrong, they will look in scripture to find where something validates what they already believe. But that is a bad way to read and interpret scripture. In fact, I would say it’s not interpreting scripture at all, it’s manipulating scripture.

Ever have someone hear you say something, take it completely out of context and then when they say it to someone else, if you’re close enough to hear it, what do you do? You jump in and say, “Whoa whoa, no no no, that’s not what I said… or at least, that’s not what I meant!”

I wonder if God gets that way sometimes. He wants to just jump in and scream, “Whoa whoa whoa, that’s not what I meant… Don’t use what I said like that...”

I say that because when we say we’re talking about a particular topic we are of course looking at scripture to validate or inform that topic. Talking about gratitude as a concept, or idea, you want to then look at scripture and say, what does the bible rightly say about this idea? And am I reading it rightly? How am I interpreting what scripture is saying to me? And we don’t want to go into it saying, “This is what I believe, and I’m going to find scriptures to back up my belief”, because we want our beliefs to be informed by scripture, not scripture validating our beliefs. I hope you’re catching what I’m saying here.

I’ll give you one example. I think I used this a couple weeks ago. Romans 8:28 says, / / And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

People take that verse and run with it. Whatever I go through, God will work it out for my good. Oh man, rough day today, but ya know what, God will work it out for my good. Someone hurt me, but ya know what, God will work it out for my good. My car broke down, It’s ok, God will work it out for my good.

He may do exactly that, but that’s not what the verse means. Not every situation we go through is good, or will turn to good. Sometimes things are just bad. I had my truck in the shop two times in the last two weeks. I neither have the money, time or patience for any of that. Broke down at my daughters school, Kelley had to come get us, waiting for tow trucks. Thankfully the tow truck guy was able to get it started, but I still had to drive it straight to the shop.

That wasn’t a good situation. I didn’t like it at all.

Second thing about that verse is that you have to read around the verse, not just the verse that has the little bit you want to be true. First of all, Paul has been writing about our eternal hope, so in that sense, in the end, God has worked all things for good for those who trust him. Meaning, faith means salvation, so my life could be horrible from day one to end but I’m still in heaven with Him provided I have faith in Jesus Christ.

Second of all, the turning for good thing is based on our love and trust in God and our following of his ways. If there is going to be some good coming out of anything it is going to be because I followed him through the bad and experienced HIS good in the midst of worldly bad. I mean, this is the same guy who wrote, / / I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:12-13)

The strength doesn’t make everything better every time. The strength helps me through the hard times.

Now, let me just say, where I can look at my situation with my truck and be very thankful. Did God make my truck break down. I don’t know if I’m going to go as far as to say that. But I do know that I drove to Ft. Myers on Friday afternoon and stopped half way across alligator alley at the Miccosukee gas station and that would have been a much worse place for my starter to die… So, maybe sometimes we need to hear ourselves when we say something like, “Oh man, I’m just glad that didn’t happen today, that would’ve been much worse.” And I believe I fall into that prerequisite of trusting and loving God and desiring his way so that when I go through things whether the thing itself is good or not, God can work in a way in my life to produce good, regardless of the situation I’ve been through. And that is very different than just taking a scripture and thinking that everything is going to be good. That’s not what it’s saying. So the point is to read scripture with correct understanding of what it means.

So, with that in mind let’s look at what we want to talk about today. I’ll make a statement and then we’ll break it down a bit. This is what we want to look at today:

/ / We give thanks through Christ, as we are becoming more like Him, by the power of His Spirit.

That’s our statement for this morning. So, three things to look at.

We give thanks through Christ.

We are becoming more like Christ.

Which is by the power of His Spirit.

/ / 1. We give thanks through Christ

Let’s read Colossians 3:12-17, / / Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

That would preach right there. Talk about a great breakdown of the life we are meant to have in Christ Jesus. And three times in there it says that we should be thankful. It says:

Always be thankful

…sing to God with thankful hearts

…whatever you do, give thanks...

But the last one is a bit different, it says, / / Giving thanks THROUGH him [Jesus] to God the Father.

What’s interesting is that these verses are actually a contrast to what he’s just said. It’s like he’s describing two different ways to live, one that produces terrible results, and then what we just read.

The first portion is vss 5-9, he says it’s time to put away sexual immorality, impurity, lust and evil desires, don’t be greedy, idolaters, worshipers of this world. Get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander and dirty language. Stop lying to each other.

Tom Wright in his commentary says, think of this as two different communities just down the road from each other. Which one would you want to live in? Sure, some will jump at the thought that the second one sounds like real “freedom”, but it ends in destruction. And I don’t even mean any kind of eternal consequence, but just purely those things do not lead to a life worth living in the long run. In Hebrews 11, again which we just finished looking at through our last series, says that Moses decided it was better to suffer with God’s people than to enjoy sin for a little while. That’s the thought, right, that sin seems enjoyable for a season, but we know that Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death.

So there is this great contrast here. The things of this world, and living toward God, which Paul says three times in that contrast that giving thanks is key. And the verses that tie it together he says, / / Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. (Colossians 3:10-11)

So, / / what does it mean to thank God through Jesus?

What Paul is pointing to here is that our life is now IN Christ, and not just giving thanks, but everything is meant to come out of that place. In the ESV vs 17 says, / / And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

That phrase, “And whatever you do in word or deed” is pointing heavily to that.

Everything in life, doesn’t matter what you’re doing, or thinking, make it go through that lens of “The life and redemption of Jesus Christ” and see how it transforms what you are doing or not.

Let’s all be honest for a second, I am sure there’s at least a few things in our lives that we might do or not do if we took a moment to think before every single action or thought in the light of who Jesus is and what He’s done for us, right?

There’s another really prominent “through Him” statement in scripture. It’s in John 1. If you know the book of John, the first 18 verses of chapter 1 are what we call the prologue. It’s John laying out this kind of base theology for the rest of the book he’s writing. And John 1:1-5 says this:

/ / In the beginning the word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

And then he states in vs 14, / / So the word became human and made his home among us.

Or the ESV says it this way, / / And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Clearly, obviously, without a doubt talking about Jesus.

And what does he say God has done through Jesus?

/ / God created everything through Him

Nothing was created except through Him

/ / The word gave life to everything that was created.

His life brought light to everyone.

I would suggest that giving thanks through Jesus is reminding ourselves that everything that is done through Him will bring life and light meaning our giving thanks is more than just a nonchalant string of words. It’s not something we do out of obligation. It’s something we do both AS a created being of this Word, who is Jesus, and THROUGH this Word that brings life and light.

Have you ever said thank you to someone, and it’s not that you didn’t mean it, but you were more saying it because you were expected to say it?

And then have you ever said thank you to someone out of a true, genuine recognition of what they have done and what you are feeling toward them as a result?

That’s what we’re going for: And whatever you do, in word or deed, meaning, whatever you say, and whatever you do in life, all day, everyday, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. Remember, “name” doesn’t just mean saying “In the name of Jesus, Amen” when we are praying, but it’s saying, make sure that everything you say and do line up with the character and embodiment of who Jesus Christ is…giving thanks to God the Father through him, or, with the recognition of the light and life of Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh for us - that kind of gratitude.

Recognize here he’s directing that thanksgiving toward God the Father! And you might not feel that deep sense of gratitude toward Aunt Thelma after she passes you the gravy at thanksgiving dinner like you asked her too, but are you beginning to see the difference here simply between saying thank you and living a life through Jesus Christ that embodies the gratitude He has toward His Father? There’s something more to be accessed and lived out of than just saying thank you.

/ / 2. We are becoming more like Christ.

Or, what I should really say is, We SHOULD be becoming more like Christ.

So. that first part, as awesome as it is, isn’t always easy, is it? I mean, it only requires us to become so like Christ that everything we do and say is done in the very way that He would say and do it, living life with a gratitude that always embodies the life and light of Christ toward the Father. That should be easy, right?

No, of course not. This is a journey.

So, let’s start with 2 Corinthians 3:18, which we have read already, but reading it from the ESV it says, / / And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is Spirit.

So, the first point I want to make is this. / / True transformation in regard to becoming like Christ comes only through the power of the Holy Spirit. Oh sure you can mind over matter and make habits, and work really hard to make great changes in your life, Yes, that is true. There are entire industries that are dependent on that fact, people that will help you change your habits to be a better, healthier, faster, stronger, smarter person.

But in regard to becoming like Christ. You can’t muscle that one. Yes, there are muscles to work, but the flesh cannot produce heavenly results.

In John 3, Jesus has a conversation with a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Nicodemus has been searching for the kingdom of God. He’s been praying and waiting for the Messiah to be revealed. And in hearing about Jesus and seeing what he’s been doing he is wondering, is this him?

So he comes to Jesus in the dark of night and they have a conversation. Of course this is where we get the famous John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

But before they get to that point, Jesus says to Nicodemus, / / “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

Jesus replied, “ I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can produce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.”

How do we do that?

Well, of course, starting point is vs 16, all who believe. But what is Paul saying in 2 Corinthians 3:18? / / And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.

beholding in this scripture means both to look at and to reflect. It’s the idea of looking into a mirror and you see a reflection. But Paul is saying that mirror we are looking into is the glory of God, which is the greek word doxa, of course which means glory, but it means honor, praise, dignity and worship. Having a good opinion of someone resulting in praise, honor and glory.

So, what’s he saying? / / The more you physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually look to God with dignity, praise, worship and honor you will experience his glory which will transform you and you will begin to reflect more and more of who He is.

Transformation does not happen without true worship to God. What does Jesus say to the woman at the well in John 4:23, / / “…the time is coming - indeed it’s here now - when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.”

spirit and truth

spiritual and natural

This is abiding in his presence, and abiding in his word / teaching and applying it to our lives.

How are we becoming more like Christ? By beholding, or stopping our lives and looking to His glory. I want to encourage you this morning. I know we live in a busy world. I know there is always something going on. Always something to be doing. / / If you want to become more like Christ this is the key, You have to stop and behold the glory of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. By the Power of the Holy Spirit

So, we are becoming more like Christ, by what? Beholding His glory and by worshipping Him in both Spirit & Truth. Ok, that’s stopping, taking time to look to God, beholding, staring intently into a mirror, then opening our mouths and worshipping, honoring Him through our words, our attitude, our simple adoration of who He is, and then dedicating our lives to learning about and following His Word, both written and living. This is the path to becoming more like Christ. Or at least, that’s our part.

Now, we can give a big sigh of relief, because everything else is on Him.

If we go back to Hebrews 11:6, / / …it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

So all that stuff we just listed, that’s the sincerely seeking God part.

But 2 Corinthians 3:18 gives us the final piece. / / And the Lord - who is the Spirit - makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

The Lord - who is the Spirit - makes us...

Remember what we started with. We give thanks how? Through Jesus Christ.

So, Jesus says it in John 3, you have to be born of the Spirit.

Paul is saying it here, it is the Lord who does the work.

I think we read this last week, 1 Corinthians 3, One of the issues that Paul had to address was that people were attaching a preacher to their salvation, or to their discipleship, I follow Paul, I follow Apollos. And Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:5-6, / / After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seeds in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.

You do you, let God be God in your life.

Focus on what God says will cause growth, but realize it is only by the power of His Spirit that growth happens, that transformation happens. In that way we are 100% reliant on the Spirit of God.

Ephesians 2:10 says that we are His masterpiece.

So, we’re going to spend the next couple weeks as well talking about giving thanks, talking about having a heart of gratitude, but I wanted to start today with this absolutely critical and foundational truth. / / Transformation only happens through the power of the Holy Spirit as we make an invitation to God to change us BY our pursuit of who He is.

There’s always this tension between what is our part and what is God’s part. But I think it’s not all that complicated. We are called to be faithful, as we saw in our last series. We are meant to live our lives toward and for Christ. And in so doing, he continues to do a transformative work in our lives.

Which comes first? The Spirits’ work or our obedience?

First of all, I would say that doesn’t matter as much, but also, if someone is asking, then the Holy Spirit has already begun drawing you.

In John 16 Jesus says, of the Holy Spirit, that when he comes he will convict the world of it’s sin, but also that he will guide us to the truth.

What does a guide do? They point the way. They can’t walk for you. They can’t take the journey for you. They simply show you the way and how to do it, and then it’s up to you to go where they are leading, right?

The Holy Spirit is convicting for change, and inviting for transformation. We know that when we abide in Christ and are faithful to His teaching we will know the truth and the truth will set us free, so what do you think the Spirit of God is leading us toward? The truth, who is Jesus Christ, and is the Word of God both written and living.

When I say written and living Word I mean we have scripture that guides us, and we have Jesus Christ, that the scripture says is the very living, breathing Word of God who was God in the beginning and is still God and the Word of God today. And that word has never stopped talking.

So, what I want to do today to close out this service is simply take a few minutes to behold God.

This is a practice. It is something we need to make a part of our lives if we want true transformation. All the good work we could do will amount to nothing if we don’t get this point - He wants to be with us. Yes, what we do is important. It is part of the process. But it’s only a part of this great puzzle that is living a life in God.

It’s like baking a cake, You can mix all the right ingredients, but you can’t actually bake it without an oven. We can do all the right things, but we can’t be transformed without the power of God.

So, let’s pray this morning and then we are going take a few minutes. And if this is new to you, it might feel a bit awkward to simply just sit and focus your attention on a God you can’t see or can’t touch. But this is what Scripture says, isn’t it? Beholding His Glory. Beholding Him. What can that mean but to stop our busy lives for just a moment and say, “God, here I am. Come and work in my life like only you can do.” You can simply sit with your eyes closed and focus your hearts attention on God.

And remember, this isn’t about how good you do something or even doing the right thing. You don’t have to pray the right thing, worship the right way or do some sort of trick to make this happen. This is simply letting God do in you what only God can do by making your life available to His life transforming presence. You don’t have to try harder. That’s actually the point, it’s definitely not about trying harder.