THANKFUL NO MATTER WHAT
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Proposition: If we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we should be thankful no matter how difficult the circumstances in life that we face.
Objective: To challenge God’s people to express gratitude & be thankful no matter what.
INTRODUCTION:
Think of that little band of people who crossed the Atlantic in a boat that was 26 feet by 112 feet and landed on the New England coast during a bitter cold winter. At times that first year the daily ration of those who were well was only five grains of corn. In early New England, it was the custom at Thanksgiving time to place five kernels of corn at every plate as a reminder of those stern days in the first winter when the food of the Pilgrims was to depleted that only five kernels of corn were rationed to each individual at a time. The Pilgrim Fathers wanted their children to remember the sacrifice, sufferings, and hardships through which they had safely passed -- a fitting hardship that made possible the settlement of a free people in a free land. They wanted to keep alive the memory of that sixty-three-day trip taken in the tiny Mayflower. They desired to keep alive the thought of that stern and rock-bound coast, its inhospitable welcome, and the first terrible winter which took such a toll of lives.
They did not want their descendants to forget that on that day in which their rations was reduced to five kernels of corn, only seven healthy colonists remained to nurse the sick, and that nearly half their members lay in the windswept graveyard on the hill.
They worked seven years to repay London the loan for their trip. That was before the days of credit cards. After suffering every kind of hardship, they had a harvest of 21 acres of corn and in the fall of 1621, they immediately offered thanks to God for His blessings. This little group led by Gov. William Bradford marched triumphantly through the cornfields singing, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein.” Then they sat down to a meal in gladness and joy. They were giving thanks to God no matter what.
Likewise, Paul’s advice to the church at Thessalonica was “Be joyful” (“Rejoice always”—v. 16), “Be prayerful” (“Pray w/o ceasing”—v. 17) & “Be thankful” (“In everything give thanks”—v. 18). We are to be thankful in all circumstances, even hardships & affliction. Barclay states, “There is always something for which to give thanks. Even on the darkest day there are blessings to count. We must always remember that if we face the sun the shadows will fall behind us, but if we turn our backs on the sun all the shadows will be in front.” The great drama of the Bible centers in the belief that God is at work for good in the lives of His people, no matter what. There was nothing good in Joseph’s brothers selling him to the Ishmaelite traders. There was nothing good about the injustices he experienced from Potiphar’s wife. But, in retrospect, Joseph could say of it all: "You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20). We must never forget that God is at work in and through, and often in spite of the "things." Tell us Paul, “What are you thankful for?”
I. COMFORT: BE THANKFUL FOR GOD’S SUFFICIENT STRENGTH (2 Cor. 2:14) “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ”-- It’s remarkable that with all the pressure, persecution, and opposition he had experienced that Paul would think of his ministry in terms of triumph and not defeat. He was grateful for all the strength God gave him to cope with all the difficulties he experienced in his ministry.
1. Situation (vvs. 12-16) 16b--“Who is sufficient for these things”-- As Paul contemplates the tremendous responsibility of preaching the message that has such far-reaching consequences, he cries out, “And who is sufficient for these things?”
1). What an opportunity (v. 12) “a door was opened”-- He had not gone to Corinth as he previously announced he would. Paul left Ephesus and journeyed to Troas in hopes of meeting Titus there and receiving news from Corinth. When he got to Troas, some wonderful door of opportunity opened out before him by the Lord for preaching Christ’s gospel.
2). What a purpose (v. 12) “to preach the Gospel”—Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation…”
3). What a privilege (v. 12b) “for me” “a door stood open before me” Before proceeding to Greece Paul had hoped to minister in Troas, a favored Roman colony. It served as an important seaport in the Roman colony for those traveling between Asia Minor & Macedonia. The walls of the city were about 6 miles in length.
4). What a response (v. 12b) “opened”—It was at Troas that Paul saw the man of Macedonia and crossed over into Europe.
5). What a relationship (v. 14) “leads us in triumph in Christ”—Paul could not explain all the detours and disappointments, but he was sure God was in control.
Illus: Before Thanksgiving, a first grade teacher asked her students to tell her what they had to be thankful for…” A boy answered, Teacher, I am thankful that I am not a turkey.”
2. Sincerity (v. 17) “For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God”— Paul refers to the Judaizing teachers who sought to turn the Corinthians away from the Word of God as well as the apostle. What were these men like? Paul says they peddled, huckstered, or made merchandise of the word of God. They had mercenary motives. They sought, for instance, to mix law and grace. Paul described his ministry as of sincerity. This means “as of transparency.” His ministry was an honest one. Everything was out in the open.
1). The origin is “from God”-- In other words, everything he spoke was from God. God was the source of his message, and it was from God he derived the strength to carry on.
2). The manifestation is “in the sight of God.” This means that the apostle served the Lord, conscious of the fact that God was always looking down upon him. He had a real sense of responsibility to God and realized that nothing could be hidden from the eye of God.
3). The sphere of action is that “we speak in the sight…in Christ”-- This means that he spoke in the name of Christ, with the authority of Christ, and as a spokesman for Christ.
Illus: Plutarch, “The worship most acceptable to God comes from a thankful and cheerful heart.”
3. Sufficiency (3:5 #3) “Our sufficiency is from God”— The power for his ministry did not come from within, but from above. The apostle was not anxious to take credit for himself. He realized that if God had not made him sufficient for the ministry, then nothing would have been accomplished.
Illus: Romaine: “”Gratitude to God makes even a temporal blessing a taste of heaven.”
Illus: After U.S. independence, there was a great celebration in England, the King of England appointed a day of Thanksgiving for the restoration of peace at the Windsor Castle. A Christian spoke with the king, “For what are we to give thanks? We have lost 13 colonies, millions in the war and many were killed.” “No, not for that.” “For what then are we to give thanks.” “Thank God! Thank God it is not any worse.”
Illus: “O for a heart to praise my God, a heart from sin set free; a heart that always feels thy blood so freely shed for me.” Charles Wesley
II. CONFIDENCE: BE THANKFUL FOR GOD’S INDESCRIBABLE GIFT (2 Cor. 9:15) “Thanks be unto God for His (unspeakable) indescribable gift.” Thanks is the word charis (“grace, favor”). Believers are to bestow “favor” on God because of His favors bestowed on them. His greatest gift is eternal salvation, spiritual riches, through His rich Son who became poor (2Co_8:9).
1. Acknowledgement (v. 8) “And God is able”-- God is able to supply us with resources so that we will not only have a sufficiency ourselves, but so that we will be able to share what we have with others and thus have an abundance for every good work. Notice the alls of this verse. All grace, always (that is, at all times), all sufficiency, all things, every good work.
Illus: N.P. Willis, “Gratitude is not only the memory but the homage of the heart—rendered to God for His goodness.”
2. Abundance (9:8b, 11) “to make all grace to abound toward you, that you , always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work…while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.” God’s grace abounds towards us in the meeting of every need all the time. Every good work is abundantly supported.
Illus: “Grace never looks for a reason, it only looks for an opportunity.”
3. Administration (v. 12) “ministry” (in NASB) (to care for)-- The more one gives to others, the more he is enriched, and thus he can be generous on every occasion. Such a generous spirit toward others results in more and more people giving thanksgiving to God. When the gift from the Corinthians was put to work in Jerusalem, it would not only supply the needs of the saints there but would also result in many people giving thanks to God. We have noticed, time and again, the emphasis Paul puts on thanksgivings. Anything which resulted in the Lord being thanked assumed great importance in Paul’s eyes.
4. Appreciation (v. 15) “Thanks be to God for His (unspeakable) indescribable gift”—As the Apostle Paul reaches the end of his section on Christian giving, he is forced to think of the greatest Giver of all—God Himself. He thinks, too, of the greatest gift of all—the Lord Jesus Christ. And so he would leave his Corinthian brethren on this high note. They are children of God and followers of Christ. Then let them follow such worthy examples!
Illus: Corrie Ten Boom once remarked about the goodness of God, saying "God is good when He sends good weather, but God was also good when He allowed my sister, Betsie, to starve to death in a German concentration camp." She remembered when she was discouraged and told her sister that she felt God had forgotten them. "No, Corrie," said Betsie, "He has not forgotten us. Remember His Word: ‘For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him’" (Psalm 103:11). In that moment, Betsie taught Corrie about the reverential reflection of God’s goodness, even in her darkest hour.
Illus: One husband said to his wife, “I can’t understand how God could make women so beautiful and yet so dumb.” The wife answered, “He made us beautiful so you could love us and dumb so that we could love you.” That ended the discussion.
III. CONQUEST: BE THANKFUL FOR COMPLETE VICTORY IN CHRIST (1 Cor. 15:57-58) “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”-- Through faith in Him, we have victory over death and the grave.
1. Destroyer (v. 56) “The sting of death is sin”-- Death would have no sting for anyone if it were not for sin. It is the consciousness of sins unconfessed and unforgiven that makes men afraid to die. If we know our sins are forgiven, we can face death with confidence. If, on the other hand, sin is on the conscience, death is terrible—the beginning of eternal punishment.
Sigmund Freud, founder of psychiatry, “And finally there is the painful riddle of death for which no remedy at all has yet been found, nor probably will ever be.” Not so with the child of God. The Christian has victory in death and over death.
2. Designer (v. 57a) “But thanks be to God”—Let us give our thanks to God our Creator, Sustainer, Protector, Helper, Comforter, King of Kings and Lord of lords, etc. Eternal thanks are due to God for this unspeakable gift. He has given us the victory over sin, Satan, death, the grave, and hell. The victory was in no way due to ourselves (Psa. 98:1 “Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.”).
3. Direction (v. 57b) “Through our Lord Jesus Christ”-- Through faith in Him, we have victory over death and the grave. Death is robbed of its sting. It is a known fact that when certain insects sting a person, they leave their stinger imbedded in the person’s flesh, and being thus robbed of their “sting,” they die. In a very real sense death stung itself to death at the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and now the King of Terrors is robbed of his terror as far as the believer is concerned.
4. Devotion (v. 58a) “Be steadfast”—We do not fight for victory, we fight from victory.” Remember that sound doctrine kindles Christian love. Do not let Satan turn you aside from the faith of the resurrection of all of God’s saints. Also, be unmovable in not being turned aside by others (1Cor. 15:12; Col. 1:23). Keep on doing the work of the Lord which includes the promotion of Christ’s kingdom (Phil. 2:30).
5. Delight (v. 58b) “Your labor is not in vain in the Lord”-- In view, then, of the certainty of the resurrection and the fact that faith in Christ is not in vain, the Apostle Paul exhorts his beloved brethren to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that their labor is not in vain in the Lord as the deniers of the resurrection would make you believe (1Cor. 15:14, 17). The truth of resurrection changes everything. It provides hope and steadfastness, and enables us to go on in the face of overwhelming and difficult circumstances. This future hope means that our labor now is never in vain. PTL!
CONCLUSION:
1. How thankful are you really?
Illus: “It isn’t what you have in your pocket that should make you thankful, but what you have in your heart!!”
2. Are you thankful no matter what? Illus: “He who forgets the language of thanksgiving will never be on speaking terms with real happiness.”
Illus: The following was in HOME LIFE: “Some years ago in Nashville, Tennessee, my wife wanted to buy some additional items for our Thanksgiving dinner. The cart was almost full and we were about ready to go when my wife was addressed by a man wanting to know how big a turkey he ought to buy. Then he wanted to know how to cook it. My wife told him patiently as much as she could standing in the market. ‘But could you tell me what I ought to cook it with?’ At that point my wife more fully understood the man’s need for assistance and went up and down the aisles selecting the things he needed for a good dinner. She told him how each should be cooked. As we turned to go the man with a great deal of emotion sought to express his gratitude for my wife’s courtesy. I think I shall never forget that man’s final remarks: ‘We have just come from the cemetery where I buried my wife. The children have just lost their mother, but I don’t want them to lose their Thanksgiving dinner—we still have much for which we are thankful.’”
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