3) Thanksgiving Series

>>Introduction<<

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite times of year

One of my earliest childhood memories is waking up on thanksgiving day

Smelling the food

Family coming over

No regular schedule

I have a distinct memory of waking up and smelling the food and hearing voices in the house that I didn’t normally hear and wondering what was going on…

It has always been part of one of the most jubilant and celebratory times of the year

Beginning at thanksgiving and ending on new years day.

Winter officially began for me on this day

I lived for five years in New York as a child and always had allot of snow

This is where I learned to love winter.

But as I’ve gotten older I have noticed some other attitudes creeping

There is an impatience that wants to take over

There is a cynicism that wants to take over

I have noticed that I am not the only one

People of all ages are affected… and it permeates the season

I believe that the positioning of this holiday by godly men became the wisdom of God for positioning our hearts attitude throughout the season

There were three things that came to me that demonstrate or comes from the attitude of thanksgiving

>>Three things that are at the heart of thanksgiving<<

1) The heart of simplicity

Acts 2:44-47

a) Simplicity has three different meanings

•In one place it speaks to wisdom

2 Cor. 1:12 “we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity”

•Another place it means singleness in the sense of sincerity

2 Cor. 11:3 “I fear, lest… your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ”

•In this scripture it literally means “not stubbing your foot on a stone”

Hence, it means ‘smoothness’

Only place this greek word appears in scripture

b) Three avenues of simplicity we should choose

•Simplicity from the complications of life

We live life on an unprecedented complicated level

There are reasons for this:

Our business masks our wounds - From us and from others

Our business disguises our guilt

Our business covers up our neediness - For relationship and the time needed for relationship

•Simplicity from the humility of choosing to live absent of pride or arrogance

We like to think that we have no pride or arrogance

I would disagree

It is pride and arrogance that causes us to substitute business for healing, forgiveness and provision.

The life of pride and arrogance lead the same path as the fool

Psalms: “The fool has said in his heart there is no God”

When we do not simply our lives we are saying the same thing

•Simplicity from the singularity of a focused purpose

The KJV translates this passage as “singleness of heart”

These people were new believers and had come into a new purpose for living.

This mentality gave way to:

A ruling priority

A reason for living aside from and superior to the daily grind

What they were converted from

We tend to be converted to

2) The heart of a giver- 2 Cor. 9:6-8

Three postures of a grateful giver

a) Principle

v6 - “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully”

Understanding the principle of giving generates an attitude of gratefulness

b) Purpose

v7 - “Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”

What a picture of giving out of thankfulness:

•Purpose

-Not grudgingly

-Not for needs

•Cheerful

The attitude of thanksgiving IS giving

b) Provision

v8 - “God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

Three key words here

-Abound

-Sufficiency

-Abundance

God provides for us so we can provide for others

3) The heart of peace - Col 3:15-17

a)Thankfulness in relationships

•In Our Hearts: The peace of God

Thankfulness gives us His peace

Phil 4:7 - “And the God of peace shall keep your hearts and minds”

•In Our Harmony: The word of Christ

When the Word of Christ dwells in us richly, then we can teach and admonish one another in the harmony of the Spirit that supersedes talent.

It comes from His grace

We can look at this passage and limit it to our singing

But if you catch the fulness of the context it is as much about the harmony of our relationships through His indwelling Word

The word of the Lord is not meant to be a battle ax that we use on one another

In so many places it is

•In Our Honor: My words and deeds

Everything that you do and say reflect your heart of worship