THANK YOU!!!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” - THANK YOU!!!

Saying Thank You is the language of a holy and healthy soul. Thank You, blesses God, lifts others, and humbles you. Thank You escorts you right into the presence of God! Psalm 100:4 “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Thanksgiving is foundational to a lifestyle of worship to God.

Jesus Christ, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, constantly said THANK YOU to His Father. In His 33 1/2 yrs of life, Jesus, Thanked God as he considered the joy that was set before Him, Hebrews 12:2, and that joy was His dying for our sins, being buried, and rising to reign forever more at the right hand of God, His Father. But Jesus also Thanked God for the joys that were all around Him. Like me, we often fail here. We speak of the joys of Heaven but fail to recognize the joys of Heaven that the Father has sent us now. Christ’s life is not only the end of our Thank You but the example of it.

How many times does Jesus say thank you, and who is it directed to? 4 times as recorded in the Gospels.

1. [For Food] Feeding 4 & 5 thousand - Matthew 15:32-38; Mark 8:1-10; John 6:1-13; Matt 14:13-21; Mark 6:31-44; Luke 9:11-17

a. The Creator of all food gave thanks for provisions He could have created.

2. [For Right Directed Revelation] Matt. 11:25; Luke 10:21 – wise and clever vs. childlike

a. Looking at this rag-tag group of fishermen and everyday workers, Jesus could not contain His gratitude that God Almighty would choose to bring the riches of His glory to the least of these! I stand amazed and humbled that the Lord would allow me to be a recipient of His grace and to participate in His master plan of expanding His kingdom.

3. [For Answering Prayer] John 11:41-42 – Raising Lazarus

a. Take note of this text; there was no visible answer yet, but Jesus prayed a past tense prayer. What a lesson in faith! Thank You and Faith always go together. Faith will let you know God hears and answers our prayers. So, stand at the ready and rejoice that God hears you and has answered you. Let us cultivate a THANK YOU attitude for what He has done and what He will do.

4. [For the Cup & the Bread] Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:19-20 Last Supper

a. How thankful are we for the body of the Lord given for us to bear what we could not? How thankful are we for the blood of the Lord poured out for us to make us acceptable to God?

Thankfulness should be at the forefront of a spiritual life. Thankfulness to God for his many blessings belongs in all of our prayers (Philippians 4:6), in all of our praises (Psalm 95:2), in all of our conversations (Ephesians 5:19-20), in all of our thoughts about others (Philippians 1:3, 2 Thessalonians 1:3), in all our life circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Thankfulness is the right and best attitude.

But thanking God for other people is equally an important habit to develop.

1 Timothy 2:1 “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,”

Romans 1:8 “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.”

1 Corinthians 1:4 “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,”

Ephesians 1:15–16 “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:”

Philippians 1:3 “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,”

1 Thessalonians 1:2–3 “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,”

2 Thessalonians 1:3 “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other,” | 2 Thessalonians 2:13–14 “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

There was this one preacher known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit. He always found something for which to be grateful. One Sunday morning the weather was so gloomy that one church member thought to himself, "Certainly the preacher won't think of anything for which to thank the Lord on a wretched day like this." Much to his surprise, however, the preacher began by praying, "We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this."

Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull. Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence.  The storming bull followed in hot pursuit, and it was soon apparent they wouldn't make it.

Terrified, the one shouted to the other, "Put up a prayer. We're in for it!"

The other answered, "I can't. I've never made a public prayer in my life."

"But you must!" implored his companion. "The bull is catching up to us."

"All right," panted the other one, "I'll say the only prayer I know, the one my father used to repeat at the table: 'O Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful.'"