An Attitude of Graditude

introduction: Defining the Pain

Today we start a new series entitled “Thanks and Giving.”

“Manifesting Kingdom Opportunities on Earth”

I want this series to be a continuation of the truth that God taught us last week.

We came to the dramatic conclusion of what it means to renounce all other gods and kingdoms and pledging our allegiance to King Jesus.

We also came to the realization that our responsibility as a church is to manifest opportunities for people to choose the kingdom of God over the kingdoms of this world: to come out of darkness into His marvelous light.

So the question we must ask is, “How can I posture my heart to “Manifest Kingdom Opportunities on Earth?”

“What will it take for me as an individual and us as a Church to shine light on the Kingdom of God so that others may enter in.”

Lost

If you have come here this morning looking for a kingdom of love, acceptance, forgiveness, and joy. I hope that this morning you will see that in us and God Word to us and choose to enter in to the kingdom of God.

Saved

If you have tasted the Lord and know that he is good, If have come out of the darkness into his marvelous light, then is our joy and privilege create opportunities for people to see and experience the Kingdom of our God.

To reveal the kingdom we must have an attitude of gratitude.

An attitude of gratitude is a heart posture of “Thanks and Giving” toward the King and his kingdom.

I remember counseling a man with a horrific past trying to help him see and experience the kingdom of God. He had professed Christ as his Lord and Savior but didn’t feel he was getting all that he deserved. But was having a hard time adjusting attitude to gratitude.

He said, “ I have done all this stuff for God and what do I have to show for it. It’s time for God to start kicking in and blessing me.”

I replied, “God gave you His Son.”

With anger in his voice, he replied, “Is that all I get.”

I’m so glad this was a phone conversation or I believe I would have punched him straight in the mouth.

There is a song out right now called “Nothing Else.”

Oh, I'm not here for blessings Jesus, You don't owe me anything More than anything that You can do I just want You

There are 2 attitudes of gratitude that I want to focus on this morning.

I want to focus this morning on 2 attitudes of gratitude that will reveal the kingdom of God to others.

Your attitude of gratitude reveals the graciousness of God.

Grace is revealed when the rich are willing to become poor.

Ephesians 2:13 ESV

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

God clearly defines grace for us through the acts of his Son, Jesus.

Christ is our example of Grace

eph 2:13

Ephesians 2:19 ESV

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

2 Corinthians 8:9 ESV

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

eph 2:19

The flesh is never satisfied always looking forward to the next bigger and better thing.

Therefore it is hard to remember just how far you have come with the Lord.

God has taken your ordinary and made it extraordinary.

2 Corinthians 8:8–9 ESV

8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

1 Peter 2:9–10 ESV

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Grace is pouring out yourself into someone else wether that be time, talent, or treasure.

The grace of Christ opened the door of the kingdom for us.

The grace of Christ has taken us out of poverty and made us rich by pouring out his love on the cross.

Psalm 40:2 KJV 1900

2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

Ps 40:2

We show grace to others out of our richness and not our poverty.

Many of you serve the Lord and others out of the debt of your sin instead of the richness of your grace.

All debt has been paid in full. We don’t serve out of debt.

Colossians 2:13–14 ESV

13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Colossians 2:13

Because you have been made rich you have something to share.

We have been made rich in the Spirit of God.

We have been made rich

“You will never accomplish out of debit of sin that you could accomplish out of the richness of grace.”

“Serving out of sinful debt will never accomplish as much as serving from the richness of grace.”

Because you have been made rich you have something to give.

We have been made rich in the Spirit of God.

We have been made rich in our relationships of love.

We have been made rich in the provision of God.

Are you willing to spend your riches and become poor that others might be rich.?

Matthew 20:26–28 ESV

26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matt 20:

1 peter 2:9

2 Cor 8:8-9

Are you willing to spend your

Through the grace of Christ we have been

God didn’t just save you from yourself and your sin, but made you a new creature of prestige and privilege as his chosen people.

God’s grace to us causes us to be gracious to others.

“Our servitude through grace opens the door of the kingdom for others.”

Your attitude of gratitude unlocks the generosity of your heart.

Pure generosity always comes from a thankful heart.

Thankfulness is a humble heart posture necessary for generosity.

Psalm 136:1–3 ESV

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;

You have nothing of worth that you didn’t first receive from the Lord.

James 1:17 ESV

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

James 1:17

Generosity begins by honoring the Lord for his blessing.

Proverbs 3:9–10 ESV

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

“When you posture your heart to honor the Lord through tithing, The Lord can trust you with more.”

Generosity from an unthankful heart always has strings attached.

You give for your own benefit and not the blessing of others.

Much of the charity work done today is to make the giver feel better about themselves and not to bless the recipient.

Some even give to feel superior to others. “If I am in a place to bless you then I am above you.”

Proverbs 3:9–11 ESV

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. 11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof,

Proverbs 3:9–10 ESV

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

Proverbs 3:5 ESV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

When you take a humble heart posture to honor the Lord through tithing, The Lord can trust you with more.

“When you position yourself as the giver and not the receiver, God will withhold the blessing.”

Haggai 1:3–11 ESV

3 Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? 5 Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. 6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. 7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. 9 You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. 10 Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.”

Haggai

Haggai 1:3–6 ESV

3 Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? 5 Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. 6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.

Haggai 1:7–9 ESV

7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. 9 You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.

Haggai 1:7-

Haggai 1:10–11 ESV

10 Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.”

Haggai 1:

“Pure Generosity through love open’s opportunity to enter the Kingdom of God.”

Next Steps:

How can I posture my heart to manifest opportunities for the kingdom of God to shine?

Honoring The Lord opens the door of blessing.

Be thankful for the grace God has shown you through Jesus Christ.

If you are stuck in the darkness and have not recieved the grace of forgiveness and healing, Jesus is calling you out of the darkness into his marvelous light.

If you have been made rich through the poverty of Christ, have a heart of thanksgiving.

Show your thankful heart to God by giving Him the firstfruit (tithe) of your blessing.

Serve others from the richness of God’s grace and not the debt of your sinfulness.

Honor the Lord

Use the blessings of God to manifest opportunities for the kingdom of God.

Proverbs 3:9–10 ESV

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

An open heart toward God opens the door to bless others.

We learned that our responsibility as a church is to manifest opportunities for people to choose the kingdom of God over the kingdoms of this world: to come out of darkness into his marvelous light.