Thanksgiving 2021

Thanksgiving 2021

Ephesians 5:20

Me:

The Joy of Thanksgiving Day

a. Food family fun

i. It doesn’t have the commercialism of Christmas

b. It also has meaning

i. A time to be thankful

ii. We need more of this in our society

iii. We live in a dog-eat-dog world

iv. People will do anything to get want they want. Even if it means harming other people

v. The church is far from exempt from this – Maybe more the church than in other places

We:

2. We don’t have to always get our way.

A boy asked by his father to say grace

i. While the rest of the family waited, the little guy eyed every dish of food his mother had prepared. After the examination, he bowed his head and honestly prayed, “Lord, I don’t like the looks of it, but I thank you for it, and I’ll eat it anyway. Amen.”

ii. At least he was honest

iii. And a good lesson

iv. Let’s notice something God says

God:

Giving Thanks Always

a. Some hard passages

Ephesians 5:20 LEB

20 giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to the God and Father,

ii. This passage reminds me of James 1:2

James 1:2 LEB

2 Consider it all joy, my brothers, whenever you encounter various trials,

Philippians 2:14 NCV

14 Do everything without complaining or arguing.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 LEB

18 give thanks in everything; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

vi. These are hard passages

vii. We love to praise God about the good stuff

viii. But become depressed and worry over the bad.

b. The biblical principle

God allows both good and bad in our lives

ii. Paul and James understood this

iii. The mature believer understands this

iv. The bad in our lives are there to teach us and mature us for every good work.

v. Paul tells the Ephesians to not get drunk with wine but what?

vi. Be filled with the Spirit

vii. The lesson is not to drink but to be filled with something else

viii. One leads to reckless behavior – “dog eat dog”

ix. The other leads to mature godly living.

x. One is ungrateful and cares only for themselves (“Religious Church” people act this way)

xi. The other is thankful in all things. They care for the needs and wellbeing of others

xii. An ungrateful life or a thankful life you get to decide

You:

Thankfulness

The evergreen

i. It’s always green not matter the weather

ii. In the hot desert sun

iii. In the freezing cold winter

Like the evergreen

i. So also, our lives are to be characterized by an enduring thankfulness that is unaffected by the changes around us

ii. When the heat of a pressured week or the deadly cold of pain strikes us, we should stand “ever green,” always thankful, regardless of which that surrounds us.

Just imagine

5. What a verse to lean on

Giving Thanks Always

i. Ephesians 5:20 (LEB) — 20 giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to the God and Father,

ii. Notice the last part

iii. Because we are in Christ we can always be thankful

iv. In the name of Jesus

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