Sermon (26-Nov): Our Gratitude

Bible Passage:

16 Rejoice always,

17 pray continually,

18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Objective: (SLIDE)

The objective of this message is to take this time during the year to reflect on being thankful

Introduction: “Our Gratitude” (SLIDE)

- I recently saw this quote,

“Careful for nothing, prayerful for everything, thankful for anything.”

- Just coming out of Thanksgiving, it would seem easy to ride the coast of gratitude through Christmas right into the New Year

- Sometimes, it’s easy for some but not for others

- Maybe Thanksgiving brought up the hard issues like absence of family, or bad or less than fortunate family situations

- It’s the holidays that make the emotions of loneliness or sadness even more intense

- Some have to deal with it throughout the year but it becomes more magnified and pronounced during the holidays

- I look back at Paul’s epistles (letters) and he was challenged from just about every side

- Whether he was shipwrecked, jailed, or lashed 39 times for his beliefs, he says in Philippians (one of his prison epistles), “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice!”

- Despite his harsh situations, Paul still finds a way to recognize who God is, experience Him, and show his gratitude to Him

- We mostly think that Paul is this “super-Christian” with an unattainable status that we can never reach

- Yet, it was Paul who passed on to churches and elders who passed on to the “everyday saint/you and me” the principles to live a Christ-like life

- This is a bit of what he wants us to take in

Transition: First off, like He mentions to this church at Thessalonica, he wants us to

1) Rejoice Always (v. 16) (SLIDE)

- When feelings are high, rejoice!

- When feelings are low, rejoice!

- In every season, rejoice!

Transition: We can think that Paul is being overly optimistic but his hope has always been in God. He goes on to saying to…

2) Pray Continually (v. 17) (SLIDE)

- It’s not what you think it is

- It’s not walking around chanting

- It’s not appearing as if we’re the most holy

- It’s practical, ongoing fellowship with God

- It’s our privilege to do so

- The advantage that we have is that God has allowed us to talk with Him directly

- We have the most powerful and intimate connection—one with the Father

- This is only for children of the King

- Remember God answers prayer

- The Bible tells us to pray believing that He’ll answer (Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.)

- We frustrate and trouble ourselves when we don’t realize it

Transition: With the mindset that God answers prayer; with the expectation that He knows what’s best, we give thanks

3) Give Thanks (SLIDE)

18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

- It may be a discipline before it’s a practice (habit)

- There’s many of us that didn’t grow up knowing to say or give thanks

- It’s been said that it takes around 66 days to form a habit but the focus should be the process—doing it on a continual basis

- It’s IN all circumstances not FOR all circumstances

- Giving thanks itself can be a challenge—in all circumstances—makes it even tougher

- Paul knew that you can’t be thanks FOR a tragedy or unfortunate circumstance

- It’s IN the middle of the circumstance, where we see God is still God

- The situation is discomforting BUT God is all-comforting

- It’s linked to God’s will for us

Transition: The more we recognize that Paul and the other biblical writers are directing us to the will of God—hopefully, the quicker we can grasp His purpose for us

CLOSING: As I begin to close, Paul is teaching us what it means to live in Gratitude

- Sometimes we think that Paul’s principles are so far out of reach for us “everyday saints”

- God put it out there through Paul making it a principle in our life as a Christian

- Ultimately, our joy begins and ends with and in God

- Life’s every moment won’t be characterized by our happiness (or happenings) but the totality of our life should be built on Christ

- Those things are not necessarily exclusive—you can have happiness and Christ at times but you can have joy and Christ most if not all of the time

FAITHpoint (SLIDE):

God’s will for us centers on (JOY) Recognizing Who He is to us, (Praying Continually) experiencing Him, and (Giving Thanks) practicing Gratitude

- Will you pray with me…