THANKS ANY WAY

Thanks for Everything

I. Introduction

Thanks to Pastors George and Terri, Brother and Sister Copeland

Acknowledge seven years of employment at KCM and thanks staff for the privilege of working alongside all of them building the Kingdom

Acknowledge the fact that Charity actually showed up to hear me preach in Staff Chapel after skipping the previous two times

Here’s a joke for you...

II. More than a Turkey

“Thanksgiving is the language of faith.” - Pastor George

Our tradition tells us that an autumn feast was shared between the Pilgrims that came from England and the Native Americans in 1621 to celebrate the harvest and give thanks to God for His provision. It was a response to His goodness and an acknowledgment of Him as the source of everything they had.

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday in the midst of the Civil War. Thanksgiving is not just something that you can do when things are going well in your life!

In 2017, a couple of Ph. D.’s named Joshua Brown and Joel Wong did a study on what gratitude looks like in your brain. What they found is that focusing on thankfulness makes it impossible for someone to be anxious.

In our family, we make go around the table before dinner and talk about the reasons we’re thankful. It’s an exercise in what I like to call “priority management,” because it puts your attention where it belongs…the goodness of God.

III. Why gratitude?

I’m sure it’s no surprise to you that the Word of God tells us to give thanks to God. We see it a lot in the Psalms.

Psalm 136:1 (ESV)

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Psalm 107:1 (ESV)

1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalm 92:1 (ESV)

1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High...

I could keep going, but I figured these wouldn’t catch you by surprise. Instead of just telling you to be grateful, I wanted to take a few minutes to talk to you about the effect of gratitude in your life.

2 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV)

14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

Thanksgiving for God’s goodness belongs to God. It’s good to thank people for what they do, but there’s a gratitude that’s due Him and Him alone. Gratitude to Him produces results in your life!

Gratitude reveals God’s will.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (ESV)

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Being thankful is God’s will for you. When you focus on God’s goodness, you begin to see His plans take shape. His will is His way, which is found in His Word. And when you have His word active in your life, things can’t stay the same way they were.

Gratitude reminds you of your source, which relieves you of the burden to increase.

Psalm 75:6–7 (NLT)

6 For no one on earth—from east or west, or even from the wilderness— should raise a defiant fist. 7 It is God alone who judges; he decides who will rise and who will fall.

James 1:17 (ESV)

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Gratitude sets you free from anxiety and liberates you from the limits of logic.

Philippians 4:6–7 (ESV)

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Being thankful is our response to the circumstances of life. You may not be where you want to be, but THANK GOD that you’re not where you could be or where you should be! Our prayers must be rooted in gratitude. We present our requests in thanksgiving, which puts us in a place of faith. Thanksgiving is the language of faith. We are thankful for what God’s done, what He’s doing, and we are thankful - by faith - for what He’s going to do!

The result of this is the overwhelming peace of God that transcends understanding. It’s the peace that makes no sense. Its job is to guard your heart like an armed warrior aggressively combating every fiery dart of the enemy that would take you out of that place of peace. That guard sits at the door of your heart singing praise to God for what He’s done. Praise for what He’s doing. Praise for what He’s going to do. You may not see it. You may not feel it. You may not know it in your natural mind, but the Spirit that lives on the inside of you can give praise to God for even the specifics that are coming to pass in your life. So open your mouth and praise! Speak the Word and be grateful! Give thanks to the Lord, for HE is GOOD. HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!