The Inner Disciplines Necessary for a Great Thanksgiving: Rejoice, Pray, and Thank

Thanksgiving times is a wonderful time. I have been blessed with a wife, mother, and grandmother who knew how to cook. But more than that it reminds us to take time to reflect on the goodness of our God and to render him thanks for He is the one who has given us our blessings. James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

And verses such as Psalm 68:19 “Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loadeth us with benefits, Even the God of our salvation. Selah.”

The created world around us is a wonder to behold, but even greater is to reflect on the Creator who made it all. He created everything for His glory. Even when sin came through Adam’s transgression the plan of God was not ruined. He knew Adam would sin, and had a plan to redeem his creation back to himself again through the sacrifice of His own Son by whom He created the world we now live. He is redeeming souls through the sacrifice of himself, but he will one day redeem the sin cursed creation from sin forever more.

You and I know these glorious truths. The challenges we face and busyness of our days can distract us from this glorious prospect we enjoy if we are born again children of God. The text tonight is ment to challenge us in the inner disciplines necessary for a Great Thanksgiving.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

D. Three simple commands that we are told to do in the present: Rejoice, pray, and thank.

P. If we obey these simple commands you will have a great thanksgiving.

T. How can you say this? Because when you get your eyes off your problems and on God, the problems will get pretty puny in the light of his great awesomeness.

Rejoice Evermore

One commentator rightly commented that everyone of these three commands and the following five are in the present tense. We are to presently doing these things. We are to be rejoicing full of joy. How often? Forever, evermore, all the time.

Argue:

How can I do that when I face the loss of a loved one?

Realize that rejoicing is not the same thing as being happy. Happiness is a feeling that comes and goes. Rejoicing or joy is a state of being. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit of God that flows through the submitted Christians life no matter his or her circumstances.

The Apostle Paul wrote 2 Corinthians 6:10 “As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.”

Our rejoicing is not based upon circumstances, but on a position or state we have before God IN Christ Jesus. It is also based on the fact that as we experience these hardships in life we are doing so according to the will of God. (5:18)

Illustrate: Joy is a mark of one who has experienced God’s transforming grace through Jesus Christ. - Daniel Akin

I have seen some of our folks go through very difficult things in their lives and I have seen though they have difficult situations they have joy knowing they have Jesus as their Savior and the hope of Heaven in the future.

Application:

My friend rejoicing all the time. It is easy to rejoice when we are happy, but when we are sad it can be very difficult.

My friend, do you know the joy of Jesus in your life tonight? If you are a Christian Jesus promised John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 15:11 “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

Jesus wants you to have joy in your life. He states John 15:11 just before he goes into a discourse about suffering for the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is our example.

Pray without Ceasing

The attitude of prayer

Praying without ceasing is a natural outflow of joy. Sometimes the joy is about something great that is going on in your life. Sometimes joy may be an act of faith where you anticipate what God is going to do because you trust His promises.

I will admit sometimes the praying may sound like whining sometimes. If you read the Psalms you find that rings true in some of the lament Psalms, however what you never find is the Psalmist staying in that place. He always gives gives himself a pep talk. Psalm 42:11 “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, Who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” He gather his hope back in God and anticipates God acting on his behalf.

One stated it this way. A heart full of joy is the result of a heart free of burdens, and a heart free of burdens is a heart comforted by prayer. Daniel Atkin

How often are we to pray? Without ceasing.

That does not mean you will get down on your knees tonight when you go to bed and if you will obey this verse stay on your knees the rest of your life. It is talking about an attitude of prayer, a constant communion with God. Our life breath should be prayer to God. It should be on our mind as we go about our business, it should take priority for some private alone time in our day, for Wednesday prayer meetings, and corporate worship.

It is a very important weapon in the armor of God and one most neglected. Ephesians 6:18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

For whom or what do we pray?

1 Timothy 2:1–4 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

We need to make it a priority to pray for everyone, especially our authorities, and each other. Why? We desire that we can live a godly life so we may evangelize the lost.

Andrew Murray said. Let us take time to seriously consider this need. Each Christless soul will go down to utter darkness, perishing from hunger, even though there is bread to spare. Unknown millions of souls are dying without the knowledge of Christ. Christians all around us are living a sickly, feeble and fruitless spiritual life. Surely there is a need for prayer. Nothing but prayer to God for help will avail.

Illustrate:

This past presidential election Christians prayed. Our church prayed. God answered prayer. He has given us a space. We are not to sit back on our laurels we are to be active. 1 Peter 3:12 “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”

Application:

High school Bible Club January

January 20th at 4:30am we have the privilege as a church to pray for our president elect on inauguration day.

Schedule time in your day to pray.

Make a commitment to pray at least five minutes a day.

Make a prayer list: pray for your family, unsaved relatives, your neighbors, your church family, our government leaders, and our missionaries. Pray for more missionaries and pastors to be sent out from our church.

Give thanks

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Why give thanks in everything? Does God want us to thank him for all the bad stuff and be really glad about it? No, it is saying through all the bad stuff you can give God thanks through it because God’s will is being accomplished in you.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

What is God’s will? That I be like Jesus Christ.

For a lost person to say “thank you” for everything is foolish. For the child of God to say “thank you” in everything is faith. Akinson

Argue:

Why would I give thanks when my car had so many problems? It gave me a relationship with my mechanic where I know him by name and pray for him.

What about your doctor visits. You might be the sermon in shoes they have been waiting to hear. Don’t ruin by being a complainer, but trust God thanking him through the difficulties. Rejoicing even when your sorrowful.

Illustration:

I remember a preacher talking about trials in his life he was going through as a teenager. I was thinking, “Oh trials, I’d be glad when those are over and to get on with normal life.” However, this preacher went on to say that he was grateful for the trials, because through the trials he saw God working in his life. He was right trials help us be more like Christ.

What is your outlook on trials in your life and just life in general. Are you giving thanks in everything.

Texas at Trico: I worked with Josh my Pastor’s son. We noticed something about everyone we worked loved to complain. They would complain about everything. It was eye opening to realize how different we as Christians ought to be in our conversations in our workplace, at home, with our friends and our family.

Now if you are here tonight and you do not know my Jesus as your Savior, I pray that you trust him today. We all will go through hardships, but without Christ you are going to be miserable. However with Christ in my trials I have hope, I have joy, I can even obey this command to give thanks and do so gladly because I know it is God’s will for me to give thanks.

Applications:

My friend, I do not know what hardships you may be going through. God does. If you will step out in faith to give God thanks you will find him transforming your outlook on life. You can look with eagerness for what he can do in you.

Take time as a family to go around the table and recount the blessings of God. Maybe you need to get a jar like we did at church. Whatever you do don’t celebrate thanksgiving and never thank God.

Make it habit when you wake up to thank God.

Conclusion

Three simple commands Rejoice, pray, thank. As you celebrate thanksgiving, celebrate rejoicing, praying, and thanking God. He is good to us.

Easy to say and by God’s grace a joyful delight to do. God is good. All the time God is good.