This Is All I’ve Got!
Thanking Through IT • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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16 Rejoice always;
17 pray without ceasing;
18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Introduction: the behavior of man needs to be changed. There is one thing that will change it as much as anything else: seeing and grasping the Lord’s return to earth. If a person really believes that Jesus Christ is returning to earth, it will radically change his life.
You won’t understand where the behaviour comes from unless you understand the state of heart and mind. And you won’t change the behaviour unless you change the heart and mind.
N. T. Wright
1. Behavior toward the leaders of the church (vv. 12–13).
2. Behavior toward the church family (vv. 14–15).
3. Behavior toward God (vv. 15–22).
3 (5:15–22) Believers, Duty: third, the believers’ behavior toward God. Seven strong exhortations are to govern our behavior toward God.
REJOICE ALWAYS!
1. Rejoice always; rejoice evermore: God has saved us, and He looks after and cares for us. If we love God, God promises that He will take all the circumstances that attack us and work them out for good (Ro. 8:28 ).
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
And on top of this, He has given us eternal life, the glorious privilege of living face to face with Him and serving Him forever and ever.
The believer who knows and keeps his mind upon these glorious facts can do nothing but rejoice.
Rejoicing is an activity we choose to do; it is not an emotion. If we choose to rejoice, it means we are choosing not to do something else.
Steven Runge
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
11 But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You.
Exult (verb)used without object.
to show or feel a lively or triumphant joy; rejoice exceedingly; be highly elated or jubilant:
Use your weapon and give God praise! Preach!!!
PRAY ALWAYS!
2. Pray always—without ceasing. Prayer is God’s ordained way for man to receive things from Him. God moves, acts, and responds to prayer.
Prayer is a law that He has established throughout the universe. Why? Because prayer stirs fellowship and communion with God and brings about a greater knowledge and understanding of God.
It causes a person to learn more and more about God and stirs more and more trust as well as worship and praise of God.
Prayer stirs and causes every good thing imaginable between God and man.
This is the reason God destined prayer as the primary way man is to communicate with Him.
This is the reason for this exhortation. Therefore, pray without ceasing; continue and persevere in prayer: in your daily worship and quiet times and as you walk throughout the day.
To praise God without praying to Him would be impossible. To pray to God without praising Him would be ungrateful.
God In Heaven, And Men On The Sea, Volume 58, Sermon #3321 - Psalm 65:5
Charles Spurgeon
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
41 “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
GIVE THANK ALWAYS!
3. Give thanks in all things. How can we thank God for terrible trials such as accidents and death and sin?
We don’t; this is not what Scripture means.
What God means is to thank Him for His presence and power as we walk through such trials.
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
6 Be anxious for nothing, 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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
In Christ Jesus there is victory and triumph over all, no matter how terrible.
Some Christians are sadly prone to look on the dark side of everything, and to dwell more upon what they have gone through than upon what God has done for them.
Charles Spurgeon
Therefore, in everything (not for everything)—as we walk through all—thank God for the victory He has given us through Christ.
1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, And to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
Look at this statement, “this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” What is the will of God? All three exhortations that have just been given:
⇒ that we rejoice evermore
⇒ that we pray without ceasing
⇒ that we give thanks in everything