2006-10-8 - Thanksgiving!1 thess 5 12-28 930&11
Message: Thanksgiving Scr: 1 Thess 5:12-28 Date: 2006-10-08 Newport Baptist Church
Intro: Thanksgiving…
· An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.
· Coexistence... what the farmer does with the turkey - until Thanksgiving.
· On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence.
· Thanksgiving, man! Not a good day to be my pants.
· The pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts... nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.
· Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.
I’m thankful for… my parents anger, my enemies hate, my children’s frustration, my wife’s worry, my brother’s resentment, my sister’s loneliness, my boss’s temper, my friend’s sickness, my church’s struggles, my sore feet…?
Thankful??
Story of thanksgiving day and the town grouch was grumbling as usual.
“Don’t you have anything to be thankful for?” a neighbor asked.
“Nope”, he said
“Have you considered thanking God for turning your nose right side up? He could have put it on you upside down. Then when it rained you would have drowned and when you sneezed you would have blown your thankless head off.”
Explanation – Thankfulness is something that we often fail to show. We complain constantly about problems, but thank those who help us only once, we pray unceasingly to God about sick people, but often forget to give him thanks when they get well, we live every day with worry, and forget to thank God for the breath we draw each and every day.
TS - Thanksgiving has a lot to do with how we see life. You ask most people what they are thankful for and they have to really think about it, struggle to come up with more than a couple of things, and have very little that they are individually thankful for. We say thanks that we are together, thanks that my kids are healthy and those kind of things. We need to learn to be like the little boy who prayed “thank-you God that I was sick last Friday, so that I didn’t have to go to school!
What are we thankful for? We show thankfulness in many ways, and Paul outlines them in 1 Thess 5:12-28 for us.
1) Be thankful for Your Leaders (5:12–13)
a) The church family must have leadership, I am thankful to all those in our church who lead.
b) The pastor, however, must lead the flock as God directs. I thank God for his direction in the life of his church
c) Christians should – show thanks by:
i) accept their leaders (Eph. 4:7–11; 1 Peter 5:1–5);
ii) honor their leaders, recognizing the work they do;
iii) love their leaders;
iv) follow their leaders (Heb. 13:7–9, 17, 24).
d) Whenever a church is not united, it is either because the pastor will not take the responsibility of leadership, or because the members will not permit him to lead.
2) Be thankful for one Another (5:14–15)
a) It is not enough to have church leadership; there must also be partnership, with each member doing his or her share of the work.
b) We must be thankful – two Christians were driving through and area where the road was being widened. At the end of the repair zone, a sign informed travellers, “Construction ended. Thank-you for your patience.” I think that would be an appropriate epitaph for my life said one of the Christians”
c) Paul specifies certain kinds of Christians who need special help: (VS 14)
i) The idle—the careless who will not be ruled, those who are out of line, must be warned.
ii) The timid—the fainthearted must be encouraged.
iii) The weak—those not mature in the Lord (Rom. 14:1–5) must be supported until they can walk in the Lord.
3) Be Thankful to God (5:16–18)
a) “Rejoice, pray, and give thanks” sound like ordinary admonitions; but when you add the adverbs, you have a real challenge: “be joyful always pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
i) There is a legend about two angels who were sent to earth to gather up the prayers of men. One was to fill his basket with the petitions of mankind. The other was to gather their prayers of thanksgiving. Sometime later they went back to the Father’s house. One had a basket heaped high, and running over, with the innumerable petitions of men. The other returned with a sad and heavy heart, for his basket was almost empty. The thanks of men were heard but rarely on earth, even though the angel had searched diligently. Let us not forget the thanksgiving side of our prayers.
ii) The Christian who walks with the Lord and keeps in constant communion with Him will see many reasons for rejoicing and thanksgiving all day long.
b) “Pray continually” does not mean a constant repeating of prayers (see Matt. 6:7).
i) True prayer is the attitude of the heart, the desire of the heart (Pss. 10:17; 21:2; 37:4; 145:19).
ii) When our hearts desire what God desires, we are praying all day long as the Spirit intercedes for us and in us (Rom. 8:26–27).
c) Give Thanks in all circumstances
i) For blessings
(1) Gratitude – comes from Grace (root word) – Grace of God through giving Jesus!
ii) For trials – James!
(1) Jesus said… Blessed are!
4) Be thankful in Daily behaviour (5:22–28)
a) “avoid every kind of evil.”
b) God is faithful to build us up in holiness if we but yield to Him.
c) Prayer, brotherly love, and attention to the Word of God will cleanse us and keep us ready for Christ’s return.
Conclusion – key verse – vs 18
Be thankful to leadership – especially when it hurts
Be thankful to one another – especially for those who need help
Be thankful to God – rejoice, pray, give thanks… continually
Be thankful in what you do – in all things give thanks.
When I look at a patch of dandelions, I see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over my yard. Kids see flowers for Mom and blowing white fluff you can wish on.
When I look at an old drunk and he smiles at me, I see a smelly, dirty person who probably wants money, and I look away. Kids see someone smiling at them, and they smile back.
When I hear music I love, I know I can't carry a tune and don't have much rhythm, so I sit self-consciously and listen. Kids feel the beat and move to it. They sing out the words, and if they don't know them, they make up their own.
When I feel wind on my face, I brace myself against it. I feel it messing up my hair and pulling me back when I walk. Kids close their eyes, spread their arms, and fly with it, until they fall to the ground laughing.
When I pray, I say "thee" and "thou" and "grant me this" and "give me that." Kids say, "Hi, God! Thanks for my toys and my friends. Please keep the bad dreams away tonight. Sorry, I don't want to go to heaven yet. I would miss Mommy and Daddy."
When I see a mud puddle, I step around it. I see muddy shoes and clothes and dirty carpets. Kids sit in it. They see dams to build, rivers to cross, and worms to play with.
I wonder if we are given kids to teach or to learn from? No wonder God loves the little children!
They are thankful… for all things… because all things… are from God.
Prayer –