HOW TO GIVE THANKS

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s[1]will for you in Christ Jesus.

Intro: I want to submit to you this morning brothers and sisters. That you worship out of your experience. I saw a PNC banking commercial the other day and it jumped out at me, it simply said welcome to your world, your why. They asked, what drives you, what do you want to leave behind, what do you want to give back, what do you want to be remembered for. That’s your why, it’s your purpose. The commercial ends by saying we will help you take care of the why, but what’s your how? How do you accomplish this?

Ø Why do you come to church every Sunday?

Ø Why do you get up every week and come to the same church?

Ø sit in the same seat!

Ø next to the same people

Ø listen to the same preacher, go to the same Sunday school class, every week with out fail? You worship out of your experience. The word of God says in Romans 5

Suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts.

The only way to truly worship is through your experience. You can tell somebody’s testimony but it’s not your testimony, you can sing somebody else’s song but it’s not your song, you can preach somebody else sermon but its not your sermon, if its not born out of your experience, its false, fake, and untrue.

But when God has been good to you, when God has brought you out, your worship takes on different flavor, takes on a different spin because it’s no longer routine, it’s no longer repetition, it’s no longer just showing up. Now that you know why, you get excited about how.

Ø I know why I worship, but Paul teaches us How to worship. He says rejoice evermore. Always be rejoicing, always be excited, always full of joy.

Ø Pray continually without ceasing, in everything, not for everything, but in everything.

Ø I’m not grateful for cancer but I’m grateful in the circumstance.

Ø I’m not grateful for my hard ace, but I’m thankful in the mist of my situation.

Ø I’m not grateful for the loss of a loved one, but I’m grateful for the circumstance.

Ø I’m not grateful for the storm but I thank God in the mist of my storm…

In this group of three exhortations (to strongly encourage or urge someone to do something), Paul leaves the instruction about the social obligations of the believers in (vv. 12–15) and turns to the habits that characterize Christians’ relationship with God. The marks of a Christian laid out in these verses are joy (v. 16), prayer (v. 17), and gratitude (v. 18). This person so grounded, lives according to the will of God. The apostle joins these three together, showing the Thessalonians that they should be constant in joy, prayer, and gratitude—always and in every situation.

📷 The first exhortation in Verse 16 is Be joyful always. Paul has already noted the joy the Thessalonians experienced, even in the face of suffering[2]which was evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. This joy should always be in their lives, in whatever circumstances they find themselves (Phil 4:4) Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, Rejoice . The apostles never encourage believers to deny that adversity brings sadness and grief ( Romans. 12:1 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep, but to recognize that during the most agonizing situations, the presence of God through his Spirit can infuse the soul with hope, and the heart with joy. This joy is rooted deeply in the gospel[3] and became one of the primary characteristics of the Christian community.

The source of Christian joy was different. Christian joy, rooted in the gospel, is infused with hope, and grows in relationship with the Lord.

JOY, not happiness but joy, because happiness is based upon what’s happening, but JOY is despite what’s happening.

Happiness is of the moment. Joy transcends the moment. Happiness reacts. Joy embraces peace and contentment, waiting to be discovered.

We are not happy always. but we are always full of joy, happiness comes and goes but joy shows up in your attitude.

Ø Joy shows up in your handshake.

Ø Joy shows up when everything around you is falling apart.

Ø You still come to church.

Ø You still hold your head up.

Ø You still give God praise due him, because God has been good to you, your joy shows up.

Pastor Rick Warren adds his own definition of joy: “Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of your life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the bold choice to praise God in every situation.”

📷 The second exhortation in Verse 17 is to pray continually . Continual prayer is not prayer that prevails without any interruption, but prayer that continues whenever possible. The Greek is: pray without intermission, without allowing prayerless gaps to intervene between your times of prayer. Paul was speaking of maintaining continuous fellowship with God as much as possible, in the midst of daily living in which concentration is frequently broken.

Pray continually. Does not mean to walk around everywhere you go saying the Lord’s prayer.

Here’s what it means…. To pray continually is a picture of a person with an in-ter-mitted cough. You not coughing all day, but there’s a tickle in the back of your throat that occasionally, you (cough) cough is possible, you not coughing all day, but a cough can come up any minute.

You not praying all day, but if you need it, it right in the back of your throat. You not praising all day, but when God allows a blessing to come your way, a praise just jumps out.

Ø THANK YOU, JESUS,

Ø HALLELUJAH

Ø Glory to your name

It’s always in the back of your throat. God’s been that good to you and no matter where you are, it just comes up because it’s in the back of your throat. (JOB,COOKING,DRIVING) GIVE HIM PRAISE

Now likewise. Just like praise and prayer is like an in-ter-mitted cough in the back of your throat. There are some things in our lives that are cough suppressants.. THINGS THAT STOP YOUR PRAISE.

Ø PRIDE IS A COUGH SUPPRESSANT

Ø HATRED SUPPRESSES YOUR PRAISE COUGH

Ø ENVY IS A COUGH SUPPRESSANT

Ø LUST IS A COUGH SUPPRESSANT

Ø JUDGEMENTAL SPIRITS IS A COUGH SUPPRESSANT

Ø JEALOUSY IS A COUGH SUPPRESANT

GOD WANTS TO GET A PRAISE OUT OF YOU BUT HE HAS TO GET SOME OTHER STUFF OUT OF YOU.

I need a real praiser in here, that’s not here because you got it all together.

You just know at any minute; praise can come up.

Listen. Real praise, will happen in the car, it can happen at Golden corral, it will happen sitting in the house all by yourself, it don’t have to be Sunday morning.

Ø You go look in your closet, and see how God has blessed you, that’s enough to (cough) say thank you Jesus.

Ø Go to that job every day, and you think back to when you didn’t have one (cough) thank you Jesus.

Ø The fact that your closed in your right mind and have activity of your limbs is enough to (cough) thank you Jesus.

Ø Come in this church where people love on you and hug you, you remember when you were all alone (cough) that’s enough to say thank you Jesus.

Ø Sit down at the table to eat and you have an appetite (cough) thank you Jesus.

Ø Know that God continues to look beyond your faults and keep blessing you (cough) thank you Jesus

IS THERE ANYBODY HERE THAT HAS A PRAISE IN THE BACK OF YOUR THROAT? Don’t let anybody suppress your Praise.

📷 Finally verse # 18 IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. We recognize God’s sovereign hand is in charge, and not blind fate or chance. (Spurgeon)When joy and prayer are married their first-born child is. Thankfulness

Thankfulness is the opposite of complaining.

I could complain, but I won’t.

I use to complain, but I won’t.

I maybe need to complain, but I won’t, because when I put my blessing on the side of my complaints. The balance of the scale is tilted in my direction.

My blessing far out weights my complaints.

The children of Israel had more to be thankful for than peoples in the Bible, yet they did more complaining than anyone. Like no other nation in scripture, they watched God move on their behalf.

I’m not talking about what they heard, I’m talking about what the first generation saw that came out of Egypt. If anybody should have been praising God, it should have been that crowd.

Ø They saw God work on their behalf.

Ø They saw God open the red sea, and he loved them so much, he wouldn’t let them get their feet wet.

Ø They went over on dry land.

Ø When they got hungry, God rained mana (bread from Heaven), they saw that.

Ø Then they started complaining there wasn’t no meat with the bread, and God sent qual to eat with their bread,

Ø Then they complained they didn’t have nothing to wash it down with, God told Mosses speak to the rock, and sweet water, flowed from the rock. They saw that.

Ø Their saddles would not wear out, they wore the same clothes for 40 years and they would not wear out. And if anybody should have been thankful, it was the children of Israel. But don’t be too hard on the Israelites, because we have some in here today called African Americans. God has brought us through slavery, civil rights act, voting rights, jobs, salaries, education, neighborhoods, drive vehicles and you still seating here like he’s done nothing. Give thanks in everything.

Illustration: Chicago bears

Ø I am an avid Chicago Bears fan, but living in the Dallas area, I’m unable to see a lot of games (due to living in Cowboy land)

Ø So, I must rely on my brother Patrick to tell me the score of the game because he has the NFL ticket or Sports center to show me how the game ended and to see highlights of the games I missed.

Ø I know what worked out, by the score, I know how it worked out by the game.

Ø I know what happened by the score. I know how it happened by the game.

Ø As I sit there and watch highlights of the game I already know the Bears won. It changes how I watch it when I know how it ends.

· I see Justin Fields throw an interception, but I don’t get upset because I know how it ends.

· I see my team fumble the ball, but I don’t get nervous because I know how it ends.

· I see the kicker miss a field goal, but It’s all good because I know how it ends.

· I see my team down at halftime, but it doesn’t matter because I know how it ends.

· I have already seen the end when they showed the final score in the highlights. John 14:3 tells us, how it ends.. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

You can give God thanksgiving because we already know the how ends.

HE WORKED OUT SALVATION FOR YOU AND I ON THAT CROSS, YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW IT ENDED.

· HE GAVE HIS HANDS TO SOME NAILS

· HE GAVE HIS FEET TO SOME NAILS

· GAVE HIS HEAD TO SOME THORNS

· HE GAVE HIS SIDE TO A SPEAR

· HE GAVE HIS SPIRIT TO HIS FATHER, AND HE DIED, BUT YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW IT ENDED. EARLY SUNDAY MORNING HE GOT UP WITH ALL POWER.

I’m Grateful .. I said I’m Grateful..