Paul’s Jailhouse Thanksgiving

PAUL’S JAILHOUSE THANKSGIVING

Phip. 4:6

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: True Thanksgiving Disasters

1. On Thanksgiving, one father who’d bought a Ron Popeil “Set It And Forget It” ROTISSERIE and decided to use it to cook the Thanksgiving turkey. He invited the whole family over, of course. "But in his excitement, he forgot the weight limit of what can be cooked in one of those things, and he set the entire bird on fire. To make things worse, the only 'restaurant' in town that wasn't closed...was a 7-Eleven. That year the entire extended family had lukewarm hot dogs and microwave burritos for Thanksgiving."

2. "Back when I was a kid, I thought it would be a funny prank to put a rubber chicken in the oven on Thanksgiving. My mom would laugh and laugh — 'Ho ho ho, there's a rubber chicken in the oven! What a gag!' This 13-year-old me didn't realize that normal adults usually preheat the oven before putting the turkey in." [Buzzfeed]

B. TEXT

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” Phip. 4:6, NASB 1995

C. HOW COULD PAUL BE THANKFUL?

1. Most people aren’t happy when they’re put in jail, but the Apostle Paul had a thankful heart, even when things went the wrong way.

2. Paul’s letter to the Philippians begins (1:3) and almost ends (4:6) with exclamations of thanksgiving to God. This is remarkable since Paul wrote it from prison (1:13-14), probably from Rome in A.D. 61. This would coincide with Acts 28:14-31. He eventually got his own rented house and was under guard until his trial before Caesar.

3. In Phip. 1:12, Paul said, “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.” This is what we call “finding a silver lining in a dark cloud” or “looking on the bright side.”

4. Paul saw his troubles as having a God-ordained purpose. Bad things don’t accidentally happen to Christians. God’s ways are beyond us, “past finding out.” We don’t see the end from the beginning, but God does. In Rome, Paul was able to influence even the members of Caesar’s household; he began to perceive the hand and purposes of God.

5. The title of today’s message is “Paul’s Jailhouse Thanksgiving.”

I. SUBSTITUTE PRAYERS FOR WORRIES

A. WORRY ABOUT EVERYTHING? NO PRAY!

1. The KJV says “be careful for nothing,” which means don’t be overly worried about the things of this life. We don’t know how GOOD we’ve got it!

2. 1.9 million people, today, have cancer (in USA). One little eight-year-old girl named Christina, who had cancer of the nervous system, was asked what she wanted for her birthday. She thought long and hard and finally said, “I don’t know. I have two sticker books and a Cabbage Patch doll. I have everything!” She’s right! [Erma Bombeck, Redbook, October, 1992]

3. One 12-year-old boy named David was born without an immune system. He spent his entire life, up to that time, in a plastic bubble to protect him from common germs, bacteria, and viruses that could kill him. When asked what he wished for, he said, "I want to walk barefoot on grass, and touch my mother’s hand." Wow! What we take for granted!

4. Bob Edens was blind. His world was only made-up of sounds and smells. He FELT his way through five decades of darkness. And then, he could see; a skilled surgeon restored his sight. Bob found sight overwhelming. He said, “I never would’ve dreamed that yellow is so... yellow! But red...I just can’t believe red. I can see the shape of the moon – and nothing [is] better than seeing a jet plane flying across the sky leaving a vapor trail. And of course, sunrises and sunsets. And at night I look at the stars in the sky and at flashing lights. You could never know how wonderful everything is.” [Oh God, open our eyes!]

B. ARE YOU “FULL OF CARE?”(“be careful for nothing”)

1. It’s customary for people today to worry about everything. Paul suggests an alternative – PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING! Anxiety is an evil habit that infects people; it controls and drives them with fears. Instead of worrying, PRAY! If you pray you can turn the devil’s unbelieving proddings into spiritual gain!

2. We need to go to our Father with all our needs. God doesn’t mind you knocking on His door; He made us to be dependent on Him. He invites us to come boldly to the throne of grace. If you want to worry, the enemy will give you plenty of ammunition. Strike out that word “care” and just write in its place the word “prayer.”

C. LET GOD BE GOD!