Thankful because of Transformation

I tell you I love this time of year. Thanksgiving is probably one of my favorite holidays. i love being with family, I love the food. I love football, and I love pie. I love not having to do anything but eat and nap.

I know that this has been an extremely hard year for many. it is pretty dark right now, but I want to remind you this morning that there is plenty to be thankful for. Ive entitled this message Thankful through transformation. Because as believers in Christ we have something that the rest of the world doesn’t have, and that is hope…

Now don’t fall into the trap of Most Americans who take the day on Thanksgiving and Go from “Thankful for” to “I want more”. Don’t go from a Day of being “Grateful to wanting a cart full”.

Today we are going to be thinking about having a thankful and generous spirit and identifyin gthe things that will try to rob you of being thankful.

One of my unspoken personal goals for the days ahead and learning how to give thanks more, learning how to slow down, redeem the time, enjoy whats right in front of me instead of wasting time chasing things that may or may not ever come. Because life is extremely short

It was the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, and the University of California was playing Georgia Tech. And it was quite a game because both of these schools, at that time, were undefeated. And it was late in the second quarter, and Tech had the ball; and they were pressing hard on the thirty-three-yard-line when a man named Thomason was hit. And the center for the University of California scooped up the ball, spun around, and began to run with it. And the crowd started to cheer. And he took this fumble and headed toward the goal. His eyes were watching—peripheral vision. He’s moving to the right, the left. His knees are up high. His legs are spread apart. He’s running brilliantly, but with one problem—he’s headed toward the wrong goal. He has somehow gotten confused and spun around. He is literally headed for the wrong goal with this scooped-up fumble.

Now, the incredible thing is his own teammates are trying to tackle him, and the opposition is running interference for him. And finally, about on the one-yard line, after running almost sixty-seven yards in the wrong way, Roy Riegels is tackled by Benny Lom—one of his own teammates—on the one-yard line. Can you imagine the shame, the humiliation, as he walks back to the bench? The jeers, the catcalls, the hooting for Roy Riegels. They went into the half, and the coach put his arm on the shoulder of Roy Riegels and spoke to him words of admonition and encouragement. And he came out the second half and played brilliantly.•

That is a parable for life.... There may be some in here this morning like myself, we may have been spinning, bobbing and weaving running beautifully towards the goaline but the only problem is we are running towards the wrong goal line. We are chasing the things that are not really going to profit us, and if you dont watch it Satan himself will run interference for you, make things smooth and succesful for you, but the problem is you are heading toards the wrong goaline....

Ephesians 5:15–20 ESV

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

How many of you wish that you could turn back the hands of time and do things differently? I sure wish I could there are so many things that I could do differently, and wish I had done differently. So many wasted opportunities, so many wasted minutes, hours, weeks and years spent on things that dont really matter.

But let me speak something to some of you this morning that may change your life. The Devil wants you to focus on the past, so that the present is wasted

He wants you to spend your waking hours sighing over the past. He wants you to be overcome with a sense of hopeless ness and he wants you to waste the opportunities that you have now

Some of you have kids and you are constantly plagued by regrets about the past that you are missing the opportunities that you have now to form and shape them into godly individuals

Whenever there is a divorce- there is usually the lingering effect of regret and shame that keep people suspended in time in that place of pain

Heres the devils favorite thing to pull on Christians that have been walking with God for an extended amount of time and somewhere along the way they drifted, that drifting then led to a bbig sin and a big fall, and then they are plagued with memories from the past when they were close to God but because of this thing they feel like they are disqualified from ever serving God in that way again

Philippians 3:13–14 ESV

13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Somebody in here this morning needs to cut themselves free from the ghost of the past. You can’t go back and change it, there is nothing good that will come with you dwelling back there.

But what can change is how you respond now! What you can do with the past is learn from it, mature from it, but bury the guilt that is associated with it

Ephesians 5:15–16 ESV

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Now the Bible has two different words that is translated time. We see one of those words here “making the best use of the time” or the KJV says “redeeming the time”.

The first word is the word Chronos and it just simply means “the passing of time”.

Where we get our word Chronology from. It just simply means the passing of hours,days, weeks and years. Your watch is a chronometer. It just keeps the count of time

The Word here for time is a different word, this word is the greek word “Kairos” and it means time, but seasons of time. It literally means “oppurtunity”

What God is telling us is that we need to walk as wise people and redeem the oppurtunities that we have now, because the days are evil

And so why the devil wants you to live in the past, regret the days and weeks and years you have wasted, God is saying to us this morning to switch our perspective and begin to redeem the past by taking opportunities of the present

You know in a race, it really doesnt matter how you start, what matters more is how you finished… and just like with Roy Riegels who picked up the fumble and went the wrong way with it, he came out in the second half and played brilliantly

NOw the Question then is how do we redeem the Time?

Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive Outline

I. What Is the Answer?

A. Education Is not the Answer

B. Activism Is not the Answer

C. Emotionalism Is not the Answer

D. Phariseeism Is not the Answer

E. A Spirit-filled Church Is the Answer

A. Education:

Well some people think that education is how we redeem the time. And so alot of people go and spend themselves into debt with student loans and they fill their minds with all sorts of knowledge, and while their heads are full their hearts are empty. I can tell you that a Christian that is all head and no heart is a miserable, and cynical Christian.

The writer of Ecclesiastes said

Ecclesiastes 1:18 ESV

18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

Some church denominations think that education is the answer and send missionaries to educated their potential converts… Muhtma Ghandis son said this, the Christians came and taught us how to read and the Communist came and gave them materials to read

B. Activism- Some think that Actyivism is the answer. I am just going to find a cause and pour myself into that cause. In the church we have taught disciples to just do something, don’t just sit there, and they are running around wearing themselves out, until they get fatigued and burn out and figure that it is more restful to spend their Suundays on the lake with a cold beer. The problem is the church is sick and something needs to be healed before there is a bunch of activity

C. Pharisee-ism is not the answer… some think that redeeming the time means becoming a pharisee. That is they get the idea that the church is not seperated enough, and what we need to do is stop doing this and stop doing that, and stop doing this.... And yes there are some things that we need to stop doing, but when Christians turn into moralists, and their religion becomes a religion of the negatives, what happens is he starts pruning his limbs more and more, he strengthens his roots and he becomes a bitter hard Pharissee. The love and intimacy with the Lord s lost

E. The Answer is a Spirit filled Church

Ephesians 5:17–19 ESV

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

You see the answer is not education, it is not activity, it is not Phariseeism- the answer is a spirit filled life!!

How can you and I redeem the time?We can redeem the Time by beng filled with the Spirit of God.

When you are filled with the Spirit of God; you are filled with the Spirit of Truth

Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Spirit of truth, and remember we are to be redeeming the time. How many times have we wasted opportunity because we believed a lie.

How many times has someone allowed their hour to pass because they believed the lie that they did not have what it takes to meet the challenge.

How many parents never attempted to walk back into their child's life because they believed the lie that that child would never forgive them

And how many times has the devils lies cost not only you but the persons that would be impacted by you having the courage to step up to the base and swing

How many times has a child of God who has a specific gift of the Spirit believed the devils lies and never quite got around to serving God because they believed the lie that they did not have what it takes

Listen whatever God calls you too He will see you through… which leads me to my second point

When You are Filled with God’s Spirit you are filled with God’s Power

Acts 1:8 ESV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

God doesn't called the equipped, He equips the called

You see the days are evil and the evil are strong. Many simply don’t redeem the time because they say to themselves, what can little ol me do?

In evil days the devil simply wants good men to sit there and do nothing, and he will paralyze you with fear saying oh your foes are too strong for you!

He doesnt want you waking up to the fact that you are a dangerous man, that you are a dangerous woman.

He doesn’t want you getting a bull dog grip on God’s promises like the one in Isaiah that says no weapon formed against you will prosper

In fact if you do get a hold of that scripture the devil will try to twist it up and make you believe wrongly. When a weapon is formed and even used against you, he will say , see see I told you, God can’t be trusted, you are powerless, this is a losing battle, there is no way you can succeed, sit there and just shut up

But God didn’t say that no weapon would be formed,

He didn’t say that not weapon would be formed and used against you.

God said that that weapon wouldn't prosper

WHEN YOU ARE FILLED WITH GOD’S SPIRIT YOU ARE FILLED WITH GOD’S PEACE

Heres what will really carry you on to victory. God’s peace l;ook at verse 18-20

Ephesians 5:18–20 ESV

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

You see not only does God give you the Spirit of truth, not only does he give you the Spirit of Power, But He gives you the Spirit of Peace

I know Intellectuals that dont have peace, I know busy bodies that dont have peace, I know Pharisees that dont have peace, but Ive never met somebody who is filled with God Spirit that don’t have peace. I am not talking about peace when the sun is shining and the waters are calm. Im talking about a peace that sutains you in hurricane type winds.

You see when you are filled with God’s Spirit there will be a song in your heart

When you have a peacful heart, there will be a sweet melody that others will hear out of your life that will make them thirsty for what you have

And He Paul says giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ

And there will be unity in the body of Christ as we submit ourselves to one another