Thankful for the Season
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Introduction
Introduction
Well we have just celebrated Thanksgiving, a holiday that our world seems to forget. I was talking the other day with a man I had just met and we were discussing how things have changed through the years.
I remember growing up and stores decorating for fall, and there would be wonderful seasonal displays all around and as we entered the month of November one would see pilgrims and turkeys, horns of plenty all decorating tables and store fronts...
It all reminded us of the joy of Thanksgiving, a time of family gathering and celebrating together, we would watch the parade and some football on the TV.. and we would promise one another we would never eat that much again...
But today, we go from fall to Halloween and then suddenly to Christmas....
How sad that larger merchants of our world have pushed our society in such a direction as forgetting to be thankful.... instead its get up early and head out to Black Friday.
Now Im not against early Christmas shopping and great deals on items we might want to buy....
I’m just sad that society has lost it, the day after Thanksgiving becomes more important that the day it self...
Let me ask you a question, ponder on this … What are you thankful for.... I bet there is not one back Friday deal in any of that… not even a early look at Christmas…
No… instead we are thinking of a Savior, of our present hope in Jesus, of our family and friends… perhaps a few other things…
My friends we have so much to be thankful about… we cannot loose sight of it.
So this morning I want to share this thought… We have much to be thankful for, and no matter what we face, give the Lord praise my friends.
Let me begin by sharing this verse with you…
To the chief Musician upon Muth-labben, A Psalm of David.
1 I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee:
I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
3 When mine enemies are turned back,
They shall fall and perish at thy presence.
4 For thou hast maintained my right and my cause;
Thou satest in the throne judging right.
5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked,
Thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.
6 O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end:
And thou hast destroyed cities;
Their memorial is perished with them.
7 But the Lord shall endure for ever:
He hath prepared his throne for judgment.
8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness,
He shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.
9 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee:
For thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
11 Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion:
Declare among the people his doings.
12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them:
He forgetteth not the cry of the humble.
13 Have mercy upon me, O Lord;
Consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me,
Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:
14 That I may shew forth all thy praise
In the gates of the daughter of Zion:
I will rejoice in thy salvation.
15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made:
In the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
16 The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth:
The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
Higgaion. Selah.
17 The wicked shall be turned into hell,
And all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not alway be forgotten:
The expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.
19 Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail:
Let the heathen be judged in thy sight.
20 Put them in fear, O Lord:
That the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
So with this passage as our base this morning, let me share a few thoughts with you...
So with this passage as our base this morning, let me share a few thoughts with you...
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
So with this passage as our base this morning, let me share a few thoughts with you...
So with this passage as our base this morning, let me share a few thoughts with tyou
In these verses Paul gives us a recipe for us to consider as we approach the Christmas season.
1. Rejoice Always.....
1. Rejoice Always.....
He is a
Consider this word if you will, Rejoice? What does it mean.... We know that the word itself implies a happy or joyous feeling if you will, it is meant to be a feeling, a emotion that springs forth from the very heart of a person
And what does Paul say… let is always be....
But how, people want to know how can you be happy or joyous each day?
And what does Paul say…
Do you know people are looking for this secret day and night… ?
Yes, its true people desire to be happy… but honestly, the world goes about it wrong.. They seek to find the outside stimulus of life to bring or impart true joy.
But joy doesn’t work that way, oh… it can for a season but not forever. So much can change in a moment…
So what brings us happincess… He does. Jesus does!
The very nature of what Paul tells us here is that true joy, lasting joy comes from the Lord.
Listen to Paul in Philippians 4:4...
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
So here the very object of rejoice is the Lord.... we are called to rejoice in Him.
And in Him you can rejoice, every day without problem...
So why can we rejoice in the Lord?
Let me share why we can rejoice in the Lord...
A. He has saved us… Right there, if this was act, His salvation was the only thing we could rejoice in, my friends it would be enough.
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Listen to the prophet Isaiah...
says “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation....”
Jesus came and gave his life as a ransom from sin, as such, His sacrificial death brought us the means whereby men and women could be saved. So we have passed from death unto life....
Salvation implies that we needed to be rescued… Yes!!! And Jesus did just that… I am alive because of Him… can I rejoice in that? Yes!
And so that applies to you as well!
B. He Made Us New… Here is where it gets better… He takes us, our old self that has been saved and gives us a new self, a new nature…
B. He Made Us New… Here is where it gets better… He takes us, our old self that has been saved and gives us a new self, a new nature…
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
To be saved means we are united with Him, and therefore just has Christ has died, buried and rose again… so we my friends are made “new” in Christ Jesus.
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
The Greek word “new” implies a new nature, a new desire, different from anything that we previously had…
In fact to drive the point home, Paul says, the old has passed away… the old carnal, selfish nature.. it passed away just as one season gives way to the next.... that which is new...
17 “For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
The past is not remembered, behold all things have become new..
The past is not remembered, beyond all things have become new..
Can you rejoice in that my friends??
It doesn’t matter what your past was made up of either, simply this is enough. Your past made your destined for Hell, your Present makes Heaven your home....
Amen...
Are you glad you are not the same person you used to be because you met Jesus? I am....! Without a doubt, I am!
C. His Presence.... We can rejoice that He is always with us...
Jesus promised us himself that He would never leave us or forsake us… it doesn’t matter where we are going and it doesn’t matter where we have found ourselves, He is with us, all the way,
You see I have told you all of this to remind us that no matter, our state, our position or place in this life, we can rejoice for the Lord is with us and has done everything for us...
Can you rejoice in the Lord? Can you rejoice in Him no matter what else is happening? Now I know you say… Pastor, that is a lot.... Friends, he is a lot....
Bless His holy Name....
These are just a few reasons why I can rejoice my friends, just a few!
Now moving on, the second thing that Paul reminds us of is to ....
2. Pray without Ceasing....
2. Pray without Ceasing....
Now you might not think of this as something we can be thankful for… but I assure you the opportunity and privilege to pray is something we can be extremely thankful for my friends....
Lets go back to our text for a momement...
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
I Thes 5
I believe my friends that the first (Rejoicing always) truly isn’t possible without the second; pray without ceasing!
Prayer is the one measure that God has given to us that we might not only communicate with Him, but in prayer we have the opportunity to be more like Him.... in that regard it helps us rejoice in all things...
How does prayer make us better, how does it make us more like Him?
I believe when we have the joy of praying, the more we pray, the more we commune with our Father, it makes us, changes us, shapes us into His likeness.
Now consider the word pray....
The word “pray” means to petition God. to reach out to Him and ask?
But can that be done continually?
Yes, it is not that our knee is continually bent before God, it is that the very desire of our heart is remain in Him. To talk, to share and to listen to his counsel.
One writer said… we are to pray ..... “Without allowing prayerless gaps to intervene between the times of prayer...”
So we remain in a state and attitude of prayer that we might allow ourselves to grow closer and closer to the Lord, toward His will and purposes…
I believe here is where peace abounds my friends… it bounds in the presence of the Lord, listen, praying and worshipping him.
Do you pray always? Is prayer as natural to you as breathing or is it is discipline you struggle with...
Part of our responsibility is to pray.... and Jesus expects us to pray..
He said… And when you pray
Matthew 6:6 But when you pray
And when you pray
This, then , is how you should pray...
So I say to you: Ask, Seek and Knock.....
Then Jesus told his disciples… they should always pray....
My friends we are expected to pray....But we say it is hard, I forget.... I struggle in prayer.... I can’t....
I would ask you then to be like Paul says for us… devote yourself to prayer..
2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
But we say it is hard, I forget.... I struggle in prayer....
The word continue here means to be devoted too and friends there is a old saying, what we are devoted to, we will sacrifice for it....
Be devoted to prayer
It is there that we learn and have reason more and more to be thankful my friends...
Now let me ask you… are you a person of prayer?
Now finally, my last thought....
3. Give Thanks in Everything....
3. Give Thanks in Everything....
What can you think of right now that you are thankful for? I am sure there is probably many things you are thankful for.. but just pick one!
Think on that one thing....
Now if that one thing was gone, could you still be thankful?
There in lies the challenge my friends, being thankful no matter what…
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
The phrase “give thanks’ means to express gratitude, to show appreciation for what we have received.....for what we have shared, for what ha been given to us.
I think of family, friends, and yes a Savior! but we now that everything in life is fleeting, only one thing is constant, and that is Jesus. The other things of life will eventually pass away,
And Paul says.. it is God’s will, that you give thanks in all circumstances...
Lets talk about this.... in everything, every circumstance in life, we are to give thanks....
So In death and or life give thanks… In plenty and in the lack of plenty give thanks, in the clean easy things or in the messy, terrible things of life… give thanks.
Count it all joy
No matter the circumstances, we are commanded to give thanks…
No matter the circumstances, we are commanded to give thanks…
How is that Possible?
Jesus!
Jesus is the whole measure whereby we can have joy and be thankful....
says
listen to Psalm 72:18....
18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
David reminds us that with God all things are possible… so no matter the circumstance of life, Jesus is the one who is still in control.
Paul knew this as well, he had faced everything and the Lord had cared for him, protected him and blessed him
I look around and so many of you that have faced tragedy in recent years, You never stopped praising God through it all, whether we understood it or not.... the truth was simple… He is worthy of our praise...
Paul says this in
20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Give thanks always and for everything..... to who.. God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ...
Have you thanked God for all the good times?
Have you thanked him for the difficult times, even when He had to hold your hand, when we didn’t know the hows or the why’s.... but we knew He was and is faithful.
Romans 8:28
For this is God’s will in Christ Jesus…
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
For this is God’s will in Christ Jesus…
In truth the verse could read more easily, this is God’s will for us in Jesus, that we Rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances…
So are we thankful?
So are we thankful?
As we walk from thanksgiving into the Christmas season, I would like to challenge you to daily find one item you are thankful for, even during the difficult days and thank God for that item… Give him praise for He loves you!
Pray...
1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
25 Brothers, pray for us.
26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
27 I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.