1 Thessalonians 5:18

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Thanksgiving, the pre-runner holiday for Christmas, it is the time where we eat with family and don’t have to worry about the presents. It is the day where we are to be thankful, but what is there to be thankful for this year? With the threat of COVID, with the fear that we are going to run out of toilet paper, many families are just foregoing the special day, so why should we be thankful? Our lives have been disrupted so much, that we are quite miserable and so many things agitate us. Listen to some of our biggest complaints today.

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[Read Scripture]

Well, I want you to know, we have a lot to be thankful for. The Bible tells us, to be thankful for everything! Now that sounds great when we read it, but applying it becomes quite difficult. I mean, how are we to be thankful when we are struggling financially? How are we to grateful when life has come crashing down on us? How are we to give thanks when we lost our job, our loved one is sick, and we cannot seem to find help? What does the Bible mean when it says to give thanks in everything?

Well, before we begin this message, lets understand what the Bible is saying to us.

The “Context” of Giving Thanks (“In” not “for”)

· Now when we read this verse, we must be careful not to read it too quickly, or we miss what this verse is trying to say.

· First, it is not saying give thanks for all things.

o It is not saying that we should give thanks because there is evil in the world.

o I mean, I’m not thankful for the alcohol industry, I’m not thankful for the abortion clinics, I’m not thankful for the pornography industry.

o The Bible is not saying that I should be thankful for sin. We are to hate sin and reject it.

· To often, a person will quickly read through a passage, and will miss the entire context that the Bible is teaching us in, and they will leave from that reading with the wrong understanding. So, we have to make sure we take the time to read those little words between the big ones.

· Now when you read this verse, do we need to be thankful for bad things to come to us in life? Well, the answer is no.

· The Bible is not saying we have to be thankful for going through these difficult times, but it is saying that through these difficult times we need to be thankful, and that thankfulness is for the Lord.

· Now, ask yourself, do you find yourself being thankful when you are going through one of the most challenging, and overwhelming situations of your life? Generally, what is our response to these scenarios?

· We don’t give thanks; we instead complain and groan about it. We ask God, why did you allow this to happen to me. We don’t give thanks.

· But the Bible tells us and teaches us, that we are to have a spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving, that if we are faced with something awful, that we are to still rejoice.

· Well, it comes down to the little word “in”, that when we are in these situations and perils, that we take comfort in knowing that we are able to give thanks because the Lord is with us.

· I mean, think about the words of Job when he lost all that he had and his wife told him that he should just curse God and die, but what did Job do during that time, he said naked I came into the world, and naked shall I leave, blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 1:21

· It is not a matter of being thankful for the wickedness and trouble of life, it is remember that through these situations we have a God that we can be thankful for.

The “Condition” of Giving Thanks (everything)

· Now we come to the next part of this verse and we find the condition in which we are to be thankful. The Bible tells us in “everything”.

· One day a young father was shopping in a crowded super-market. His three-year old son was with him. The little boy was riding in the grocery cart... and he was misbehaving terribly and causing all kinds of problems. Every time the father would put something into the cart, the little boy would grab it and throw it back out. If the cart went close to the shelves, the three-year old boy would just rake stuff off onto the floor. At one point, the little boy crawled out of the cart and ran down the aisle (knocking over every display he could get his hands on) with his father in hot pursuit. People who were in the store at the time could hear the father saying out loud over and over, "Just be patient, Tommy. It won't be much longer Tommy. It'll be O.K., Tommy. Be calm, Tommy. Hang in there, Tommy." Finally, a distinguished looking woman came up to the man and she said: "I just want to compliment you. I've been watching you and I want you to know that I admire you and the remarkable patience you have with little Tommy." "O, but Lady," the man said. "You don't understand." His name is Michael. I'm Tommy!!!"

· It’s all about perspective. For the normal man, we see the negative, but God sees the positive. When we are faced with troubles and trials, God sees opportunities to display his glory.

· We often fail to realize that it is through these circumstances, that we can be a beaming light point others to Jesus.

· When we learn how to give thanks to God in every situation, we will find that our worry, fear, and stress will go down remarkably.

· Now don’t misunderstand what the scripture is saying, it is not referring that we should go through life and not care what happens, but instead, when these situations happen to still give thanks to God.

· If we can just grasp the concept of in everything, I like how one student put it:

I am thankful for . . .

Ø The taxes that I pay because it means that I have income.

Ø The mess to clean after a party because it means that I have been surrounded by friends.

Ø The clothes that fit a little too snug because it means that I have enough to eat.

Ø My shadow who watches me work because it means that I am out in the sunshine.

Ø A yard that needs tending, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means that I have a home.

Ø All the complaining I hear about the government because it means that we have freedom of speech.

Ø The spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means that I am capable of walking and I have been blessed with transportation.

Ø My huge heating bill because it means I am warm.

Ø The lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means I can hear.

Ø The piles of laundry and ironing because it means I have clothes to wear.

Ø Weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means that I have been capable of working hard.

Ø The alarm that goes off early in the morning hours because it means that I am alive.

We need to learn how to give thanks to the Lord in everything that we are faced with.

The “Command” of Giving Thanks (give thanks)

· Now the Lord has told us “In everything give thanks”, what we need to also understand is that this is a command.

· We are reminded here in the Bible of what we are suppose to be doing, because, otherwise, we wouldn’t give thanks; right?

· It reminds me of how we as parents interact with our children, when its their birthday or Christmas, and that aunt gives them a present and they tear it open to find a knitted sweater. They were thinking it might be some fun toy or game, but no, it’s an ugly sweater. Now what do you have to do as a parent? You have to tell your child to go and tell that aunt, “thank you”. And in some cases, we have to do some forceful persuasion.

· Now many of us struggle with giving thanks, because we have become comfortable, with the nice and enjoyable things of life. We don’t want to give thanks for things or situations that we find unpleasant, but the Lord tells us that we are to give thanks.

· A few years ago, my son, Logan made me very proud. It was his birthday, and he had received gifts from family members, they weren’t much, in fact, some of the gifts were just cards, but he went without being told and gave all of them a hug and told them thank you.

· We have to come to a point in our relationship with Christ, that we do what the scripture has told us, and not have to be continually told.

The “Cause” of Giving Thanks (for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.)

· What is the purpose or cause for us giving thanks anyway, well Paul is kind enough to tell us; “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

· To often we are not thinking about the will of God, and instead we are just focused on ourselves. But the will of the father is to bring about good.

· Now what we may think as good may not necessarily be for our personal benefit. What do I mean by this?

· Well, when we see a person who in life, is far worse off, and they are praising God, it puts in perspective how we should be living. When we give thanks in everything, it is a reflection of God’s love, that people can see in our life.

· When we begin to give thanks in everything, this becomes very radical. The world sees this and they can’t believe it. Because it is so contrary to how the world sees how we should react.

· But this is what God wants from us, he wants us to be different. 2 Corinthians 6:17 “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord.”

· There is no greater reason than the Lord, for giving thanks. That knowing that no matter what this world throws at us, our Lord has the victory and we can wave that victory with confidence, giving thanks to the Lord.

Conclusion:

Perhaps you are here, and you are struggling with giving thanks. Have you forgotten what we have to be thankful for? We, are to give thanks in all situations and all stages of life, will you give thanks today with a grateful heart? Will you give your heart?