Intro: Ephesians is a wonderful letter written by Paul that talks about us being part of the family of God. One of the main themes of the letter is the Lordship or headship of Christ. The only way the body will ever be truly united in missions, evangelism, praise, and thanksgiving is to be under the leadership and headship of Jesus.
Chapter 4 calls us as Christians to Maturity. 4.4 is a call to no longer be children. We are to no longer stumble around like toddlers but are challenged by Paul to walk steady under the Lordship of Jesus. Listen to the way Paul talks about our mature walk in this Letter
1) 2.2 Our former worldly walk
2) 2.10 Our working walk
3) 4.1 Our worthy walk
4) 4.17 Our warning not to walk as the gentiles walk (change the culture not it change you)
5) 5.2 Our walk in love
6) 5.8 Our walk in the light
7) 5.15 Our walk of careful conduct (circumspect)
If we are talking about gratefulness or giving thanks, what is the source? Is it something that we conjure up based on how we feel? Is it a response to the circumstances of life? ‘
According to Ephesians 5.20 we are to give thanks to God the Father for all things. You mean that I am supposed to be thankful for someone treating me bad, for someone cheating me, for someone robbing me? Yes. What we find is that this type of thankfulness is not a natural reaction. Instead it comes from our being filled with the Holy Spirit of God and living or walking supernaturally.
Ephesians 5.18 tells us to be filled with the Spirit. It means to be grounded, guided and controlled by God’s spirit. As adopted children of God we are saved, sealed, and secure that is our basis for thanksgiving.
I. Our walk of thanksgiving begins with the Spirit
A) Salvation
John 16.8 tells us that when the Holy Spirit comes he brings conviction of sin. Until we see that we are sinners we have no need for a Savior. As you read the Bible you will discover that sin has no human solution. In the Old Testament we read the history of a people offering sacrifices not just yearly, monthly, weekly, but daily they must continue to offer sacrifices for some sin. There is no human solution for the sin problem. But while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. There is a solution and it came from God. If the Spirit of God has shown you the depth of you sin and it led to salvation that is the first step to thanksgiving. No matter how anything is going you have salvation in Jesus Christ.
George Barna just recently completed a survey of Americans and found that 87 percent of Americans claim to be born again Christians.
Now listen to the wise words of Adrian Rogers.
“How terrible not to be grateful to God, and yet in America all around we can find those who are grumbly hateful rather than humbly grateful.
If 87 percent of Americans are Christians why are so many appear to be so un-thankful?
B) Saturation
Ephesians 5.18 tells us to be filled with the Spirit. Be saturated with God’s spirit. Be still and know that He is. Take time to spend in prayer and study of God’s word in a quiet place where God can fill your soul with Manna from heaven. When we are saved according to 1.13 we are put into an eternal un-lockable zip lock bag called the Holy Spirit. Believing on Jesus we are sealed. That means that we belong to the Body of Christ. To the church all that call Jesus Savior and Lord. There is only one baptism in the Spirit. That happens at the moment of salvation. However there is an ongoing filling with the spirit. Be filled, means submit to the control of the spirit. The Greek verb is in the present tense and it means walk through life surrendered to the spirit of God and the will of God.
No matter what people think of the decisions you make, no matter what peoples opinions of you are, no matter the difficulty of the decision, or the job. Get so saturated so controlled that you are not only part of the Body, your body is Christ’s.
C) Satisfaction
Thanksgiving is the song of a soul that is truly satisfied. Lasting satisfaction comes from salvation in Jesus, and saturation in the Holy Spirit. Singing songs to one another and making melody in your heart comes from a life that is in melody with God’s plan. What is God’s plan for your life? Are you called to be a missionary, a pastor, a school teacher, a police officer, a government worker, a grandparent, an administrator, a husband, a wife, or even a child? Do so with thankfulness for all things.
II. Our walk of thanksgiving is directed toward the Father
A) The direction of our thanks
Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father. Psalm 116.17 “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call upon the name of the Lord” Thanksgiving is to be directed to the one true living God not the Indians. So many agnostics, atheists etc have such a problem with Christmas and Easter why don’t they have a problem with thanksgiving. How aggravating it must be to have no one to give thanks to. Our thanksgiving and gratefulness is to be directed to our Heavenly father. We are to be thankful for all things to God the Father
B) The devotion of our thanks
We no longer offer animal and incense sacrifices to God. Now we offer our selves as living sacrifices, we offer sacrifices of praise, we offer sacrifices of prayer, and we offer sacrifices of thanksgiving.
Listen to Psalm 69.30-31 “I will praise the name of God with a song, I will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or a bull, which has horns and hooves.”
To God thanksgiving is a sacrifice that he is pleased with more than money in the offering plate. Why? There are many reasons people give time talents, and treasures. Because it is required to give, it is required to serve, you can get a write off if you give. People will see if you don’t. God is pleased when you walk in thanksgiving because this is a sacrifice that is granted by grace. Our devotion of thanks comes from remembering where our salvation comes from and what it cost.
III. Our walk of thanksgiving is in the name of the Son (Jesus)
It is under the Lordship of Christ that we find a thankful heart. Our hearts of stone are turned to hearts of flesh. The living Lord makes us alive in the Spirit. With a thankful heart we find thankful lips.
What is the common tongue used at the market place. It is the tongue of complaining and griping. How refreshing it is to spend time in a line at Wal-Mart and not hear a complaint about speed.
Where does gratitude spring from? It grows from grace. As we experience the grace of God we realize that in all honesty we deserve nothing. We recognize that the one thing we deserve is separation from God.
We can be thankful because He is our salvation, His yoke is light, His touch is healing, His light is guiding, His love is abiding, His plan is everlasting, His blessings are sure, His righteousness is ours, His peace is never ending ,and His presence is promised.
Conclusion: Has the seed of grace placed in your life the stride of thanksgiving? Have you turned from your sins and turned to the giver of every good and perfect gift. If you have then every day you have a reason to give a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God the Father, in the Power of the Spirit, and in the name of Jesus.
Dr. James Merritt said it so well,
It better to lose count counting your blessings than to lose your blessings counting your troubles!
Practical Advice:
1) Take a legal pad or any paper when you get home and count the great things God has done for you
2) Write down the people that have minister to your life
3) Write down the many ways God has answered you prayers
4) Write down the great benefits you have of living in the USA
5) Write down the people that love you
6) Write down if you have a house, a car, a credit card, a bank account
7) Lift you head, heart, and hands to Our living, loving, giving God and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving!
