Thankful in Every Circumstance

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 ESV

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Intro:

With Thanksgiving upon us, we are in a season of feasting, family gatherings, shopping, and serving. There’s a lot of hustle and bustle, traveling, and planning get togethers. For some, Thanksgiving is a joyful season full of laughter and great times.

For others, however, Thanksgiving is a painful time. Whether it’s recently losing a loved one or going through another Thanksgiving with out a beloved familiy member, the holiday serves as a reminder of what once was but can’t be enjoyed anymore.

Yet, Thanksgiving is a time for us all to be thankful, no matter what season we are in. This doesn’t mean we have to pretend to be happy. Nor does it mean that we can’t rejoice and celebrate with the friends and family God has given us.

As we think about what thanksgiving really means, we are reminded of this reality: Thanksgiving starts in transformed hearts and extends to our words and actions. Thanksgiving to God often comes through outward praise. Thankfulness to others can be expressed in words and deeds toward them.

FCF: As humans, we are utterly dependent on God, and in response to His provision, we need to express our gratitude.

Main Point: In all of our circumstances, we are called to be thankful.

1. Thankfulness is both a command and a blessing in the Christian life.

Context: We live in an anti-authority age. People don’t like to be told what to do—whether from God and His Word or from law enforcement. For my generation and younger, commands hit many ears like nails on a chalkboard. However, we need to take heed to God’s commands regardless of how we feel about authority.

Thankfulness is a command.

It may be better to say that God gives us the imperative to be thankful.

We see thankfulness commanded throughout the Bible.

In our passage this morning, Paul says, “give thanks in all circumstances”. In Colossians 3:15 we read the words “be thankful”. In Eph. 3:20 we are called to give thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We also see it in the psalms in passages like Ps. 100:4: Enter his gates with thanksgiving and Ps. 107:1: Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

As Christians, we need to take this command seriously.

Just as we are called to pray, worship, and gather together, we are called to be thankful.

This command is ultimately for our good.

Thankfulness is showing gratitude to God for the good He has done for us.

Every Christian in this room has SOMETHING to be thankful for. God the Father sent His Son to this earth to live the perfect holy life and die a cursed, sinner’s death for us! Then He rose again with power to save us! If we have nothing else to be thankful for, we can thank God for that grace!

Gospel Call: Everyone in this room needs to believe in the might work of Christ! And if you have, then you have something to be thankful for right now!

Thankfulness is a blessing.

It wouldn’t fair to merely say that thankfulness is commanded by God. It’s also a blessing for those who are thankful.

Thankfulness increases our appreciation of God Himself.

When we are grateful for God Himself and His presence, we won’t just want what He can give. We will want Him. Thankful hearts pour our words of praise and glory to God.

Thankfulness increases our appreciation of the gifts God gives us.

When we receive a gift from the Lord—big or small, we will appreciate it far more when we receive it with grateful hearts. We will express that thanksgiving to Him and cherish the gifts He gives us.

Thankfulness strengthens our witness to other believers and the world.

When we express our thanksgiving for God’s gifts, other Christians as well as non-believers get to see and hear about the goodness of God in our lives. This can be a powerful encouragement to Christians. It can also be a tool for evangelism for unbelievers.

Application: Build heart-level thankfulness into your Christian life. What does this mean practically?

Pray for a thankful heart that is ready to give praise and thanksgiving for God’s presence as well as His gifts.

Practice gratitude: Start a gratitude journal, send a daily gratitude text, start your day with a thankful prayer, or simply start praising God out loud when you’re thankful for something. It will bless your life and the people around you.

2. Thankfulness is a command and a blessing for all circumstances.

Encouragement: This week is Thanksgiving week, and Thanksgiving is a holiday of celebration. We feast, have family get togethers, and enjoy time together. But that doesn’t mean life is always easy.

Right now, our church family is walking through some deep grief. This week, some of us are still in shock and pain for the loss of a dear son, brother, nephew, cousin, and friend.

Others are spending your first Thanksgiving without someone you deeply love. Others of us as still moving forward after a tragic loss. That empty seat at the table is a reminder that life isn’t what it used to be. Despite the grief we are suffering, God wants us to see that we can still be thankful. Our hearts may ache, but we can still be thankful in these moments.

Paul commands us to be thankful in all circumstances.

Though it’s a command, we are blessed when we are thankful in our trials.

This is a reminder to pursue grateful hearts during days of prosperity and in times of grief and suffering.

This is not a call to be morbid or pretend that our suffering is not grievous or difficult. Rather, it’s a command to see the goodness of God in all of our circumstances.

Paul had already been stoned nearly to death, but he had also seen churches started and the gospel spreading. He had met Christ, and yet he faced deep suffering for Jesus. He faced hardship after hardship, and yet he urges the Thessalonians (and us) to be thankful in all circumstances.

How can we be thankful in the good times?

We can thank God for saving our souls. No matter how well life is going, nothing beats being a child of God. There’s no greater gift or blessing than being saved and set free from sin!

We can thank God for meeting our needs. We can remember that apart from God’s gracious hand providing for us, we can do nothing. We are utterly reliant on Him for every need, and He gives us all that we need.

We can thank God for the season of prosperity we are in. Ecclesiastes says God made the day of Prosperity. We can thank God that we are in a season where things are going well. There’s nothing wrong with this at all!

How can we be thankful in the mundane times?

We can thank God for overlooked blessings. Sometimes we forget to thank God for our salvation, His presence, our Bibles, our local church, and a host of other gifts He has given us.

We thank God for times of quiet. In a culture of constant change, hustle, and bustle, it’s a blessing to have some boring, quiet, average days. In fact, we are called to live peaceful and quiet lives. Sometimes mundane is a gift in disguise.

We can thank God for friends and family. Sometimes the antidote for feeling mundane or melancholy is to spend time with other Christian friends and family. Fellowship has a way of breathing life into the mundane average days of marriage, parenting, middle age, or the later years of life.

How can we be thankful in the tough times?

We can thank God that He doesn’t leave us in the tough times. We can thank Him that He’s near to the brokenhearted. We can thank Christ that He didn’t leave us as orphans but sent His Holy Spirit to be with us while He’s away.

We can thank God that joy comes in the morning. His word says in Ps. 30:5 that “weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Like we read in Lamentations, “The steadfast love never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is [His] faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23)

We can thank God that He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. There will come a day when we will never cry again. He will swallow up sin and deaht forever. He will show us living waters and we will live forever with Him. He keeps counts of our tossings and puts our tears in his bottle. He is right there with us in our worst moments.

As we consider being thankful in all circumstances, it’s good to be reminded that thankfulness is God’s will for our lives.

3. Thankfulness is God’s will for our lives.

Illustration: Have you ever been searching for something that’s right in front of you? Sometimes people are searching for glasses and they’re on your head. I’ve spent several minutes searching for my keys for them to be right there in my pocket. Sometimes, we search high and low for God’s will, but it’s right in front of our faces. That’s what we see in our passage this morning.

Along with rejoicing and praying, being thankful in all circumstances is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us.

If we know something is the will of God, that’s something we should strive, by grace, to obey in our lives.

When we put these three habits together, we will find ourselves growing and tremendously blessed.

We are reminded again of our union with Christ.

“For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”

When we see “in Christ” we are reminded of the gospel and our relationship with God. Only when we are “in Christ Jesus” are we able to please God and do His will.

Only “in Christ” can we truly be thankful in all circumstances. We also won’t rejoice or pray without ceasing unless we are in Christ Jesus.

Gospel call: Are you “in Christ Jesus”? Do you understand God’s will in Christ Jesus for us? Will you trust in Christ so you can obey God’s will and be thankful?

Application: You never have to question whether God wants you to be thankful.

He does! And He doesn’t want you to be stoic He wants you to truly see His goodness. He wants you to truly know that all things work together for the good of those who love Him. That’s a truth you can rest in today!

Conclusion: In every circumstance, choose thankfulness.

As we celebrate thanksgiving, let us be a thankful church. Let’s find ways to thank and praise God today.

As we grieve the loss of loved ones, let us be thankful. Let us be thankful for their lives and impact on us. Let us be thankful for the time we had with them. But let us also be thankful that God is still with us. He will never leave us or forsake us.

As we move into busy, stress, and travel, let us be thankful that we are still able to get around and be with friends and family that we love.

In all circumstances, let us strive to be thankful in our hearts and with our words. It can be tough, but we have the Holy Spirit working in us to make us thankful people.