Jesus Gives Us Grateful Hearts Series

Every now and again someone will post a meme saying that there are 365 times in the bible that God says "Do not be afraid" or "do not fear" one for each day of the year. Absolute nonsense sadly. It's actually only 126 times! Sentiment is good God does want you to overcome fear and go in His strength.

The words around gratitude - grateful, thanks and giving thanksgiving appear nearly as much as do not be afraid - 106 times. There are so many Scriptures about being thankful - so it's pretty obvious that one of the transitions that God makes in our hearts as we follow Jesus is gratitude!

We're going to look at one passage that right at the end connects grace with gratitude!

We'll get the context by reading the whole paragraph so it makes sense

2 Cor 4:1-15

Paul is describing his ministry

v1 By the mercy of God

v2 It is full of Integrity and sticking to Scripture - lots of people throwing out Scripture as our authority. Even in Paul’s time, people did that.

v5 Servant of Jesus - servanthood is so important. Christians serve one another and the broken world out there.

v7 Needs God's power - we are jars of clay, so we need God’s power

v8-9 Fraught with trouble - if you became a Christian thinking it will give you an easy ride and parking spaces when you pray. Here Paul - afflicted, crushed, perplexed, but not despairing. Persecuted and struck down, but keeping on keeping on because...

v10-11 The troubles allow Christ's life to shine through

v13-14 His faith sustains him in the mission - faith knowing that because God raised Jesus from the dead, everything is possible.

You can see he is longing to stand before Jesus with all his spiritual children “bring us with you into his presence”. What an amazing thing that will be on the last day to be surrounded by people whose lives you have affected and transformed with the Gospel.

v15 key verse for today

All for your sake - all for God's sake

All for the glory of God

Key thing for this morning is that gratitude is the key for all of life and ministry that you do!

"so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase in gratitude"

Play of words in Greek there -

grace = charis

gratitude = eucharistain

Gratitude has grace as the root!

Gratitude flows from God's grace

Oswald Chambers said the thing that awakens the deepest well of gratitude in a human being is that God has forgiven sin.

It’s interesting that one of the words for breaking bread used in many churches is eucharist - giving thanks. That most holy moment when we take bread and remember Christ’s body broken and drink wine, remembering Christ’s blood shed for us, we are giving thanks in the most profound way.

The gospel is incredible

Inescapable Guilt

We were born in a state of inescapable guilt - lawbreakers, under the condemnation of a holy God, attempting but unable through our own efforts to make ourselves worthy and acceptable to God, good enough to earn his favour.

Jesus rescues us from that hopeless situation with his undeserved grace. Jesus unlike us perfectly fulfilled the law on our behalf, died in our place as a perfect substitute, taking the judgement we deserved. We don’t need to jump through hoops or manufacture our own righteousness. In that spectacular event of the cross and resurrection, everything we need to live in an amazing relationship with our creator has been provided.

What Christ’ did is ours when we come to Christ

His death paid the sacrifice for our sins

His resurrection means that even the grave is not the end

Death replaced by life!

For by grace you have been saved through faith And it is not your own doing, it is the gift of God! Eph 2:8

Guilt is swallowed up by the gift of grace!

A moment ago you saw how gratitude has grace at it’s root linguistically. So does gift - charisma

Grace, gifts, gratitude they are inextricably linked and all flow from the root of grace!

Gratitude must flow from grace. What an amazing thing God has done!

Logically they flow - inescapable guilt is dealt with by undeserved grace, which results in unbridled gratitude.

The thing is to make it how you live - have a heart that’s as grateful to God as the abounding grace that he has poured into our lives.

That’s why we are church that passionately pursues God!

Christian gratitude is so much more than worldly gratitude - I thank my lucky stars! Thank you - needs a you to thank! James 1:17 reminds us that every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of lights.