OPEN: I read the true story of GIs stationed on Leyte in the Philippines during WW II. Although the region was secure, sometimes the enemy tried to infiltrate their food storage area. One such adversary, dressed in GI clothing, had worked himself into the noontime chow line. But the camp cook spotted him, pulled a pistol from under the serving table and yelled for the MPs to come and arrest the man.
After it was all over, the soldiers asked the cook how he knew the man wasn’t one of them.
"I figured it wasn’t one of you guys, ’cause he was coming back for seconds." (Reader’s Digest 5/93, p.46)
APPLY: That enemy soldier “looked” like the other GI’s
He was dressed like them.
He walked like them.
He behaved like them.
BUT something gave him away
Something made him stand out.
What gave him away?
He was grateful for all the food he could get.
He was thankful for the food no one else wanted.
Being thankful was what set him apart.
Those American soldiers had all the food they could want; they just didn’t want it all that bad. They weren’t thankful for what they had… but the enemy soldier was.
Here in Ephesians 5, God tells us He wants us to stand out. He wants us to be known for something. He wants us to be known for being thankful.
Why should I be thankful?
Because God said so.
Ephesians 5:20 says we should be “always GIVING THANKS to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Colossians 3:17 tells us “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, GIVING THANKS to God the Father through him.”
And 1 Thessalonians 5:18 evens says we should “GIVE THANKS in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Giving thanks is one of the big things that God desires from us. In fact that passage in I Thessalonians 5:18 even says it is GOD’S WILL that we should give thanks.
This part of our worship is so important that back in the Old Testament, King David appointed priests whose primary job was “giving thanks.” 1 Chronicles 16:4 tells us David “appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to make petition, TO GIVE THANKS, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel”
Now, unless you and I are giving thanks to God, we’re not really loving God as we should. Unless we’re thanking God, we’re not really worshipping Him as we should. Unless we’re thanking God, we’re not really praising Him like we ought to.
“Giving Thanks” is what God expects of us
It is God’s will for us.
It is part of our spiritual worship before God - to give thanks and praise His name.
So, this is extremely important!
But WHY does God want us to be thankful people?
Well, because when we’re thankful, we’re telling others what we think about God.
1 Chronicles 16:8 says we should “Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; MAKE KNOWN AMONG THE NATIONS what he has done.
Thanking God is a declaration that we believe in Him.
It’s a witness to the world around us that we look to God for our help.
ILLUS: A medical missionary in India had found a way to heal people who were going blind. He said that once he’d done this operation on the local people they never said, "Thank you," because that phrase was not in their dialect. Instead, they spoke a word that meant, "I will tell your name."
Wherever they went, they would tell the name of the missionary who had cured their blindness. They had received something so wonderful that they eagerly proclaimed it.
When you and I give thanks we are “telling God’s Name”.
We are declaring that we believe in a God who actively works in our lives.
So, what are we supposed to be thankful for? Look at Ephesians 5:20 and tell me - what are we to be thankful for?
(pause) EVERYTHING?
Yes everything.
Ephesians 5:20 says "be thankful for everything."
I Thessalonians 5:18 says “give thanks in ALL circumstances”
Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but IN EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
ILLUS: There’s the true story of the mother who asked her 4 yr. old son to say grace at the dinner table. The family all bowed their heads and folded their hands… and they waited. And they waited. After a few moments of silence, the mom looked over at the boy.
The boy looked first at her and then at his father, then back to her again. And finally, he said,
"But if I thank God for the broccoli, won’t he know I’m lying?" (Reader’s Digest 1/86 p.130)
Being thankful isn’t always easy to do, because there are a lot of things I’m just not thankful for. So, how can I be thankful for everything, if I don’t FEEL thankful for everything?
Well, there’s a couple of common ways to do this “being thankful for all things”
1st – we can do “comparative thanksgiving”
A lot of people give thanks this way, in fact, I remember thanking God in this fashion just a few days ago. Comparative thanksgiving is the act of comparing my present difficulties with something I COULD be experiencing and realizing based on that comparison that I’ve got a lot to be thankful for.
ILLUS: John Chadwick once wrote a poem that went like this:
“I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet
Oh God forgive me when I whine.
I have two feet, the world is mine.”
Chadwick was COMPARING the fact that he didn’t have enough money for shoes to another man who had no feet, and he decided to give thanks to God for the 2 feet he did have.
I call this “comparative” thanksgiving.
Then, there’s another kind of thanksgiving that I call the “this too shall pass” kind of thanksgiving.
I’ve heard one person say that one of their favorite Bible phrases is “And it came to pass”. It was repeated several times in his Bible.
And then he said: “It came to pass. It didn’t come to stay.”
In other words… this isn’t going to last forever.
ILLUS: The story is told of a Scottish minister named Alexander Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit. He always found something for which to be grateful. One Sunday morning the weather was so gloomy that one church member thought to himself, “Certainly the preacher won’t think of anything for which to thank the Lord on a wretched day like this."
But much to his surprise, Whyte began by praying,
"We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this"
In other words: “This too shall pass” – it will be bright and sunny again in a couple of days.
So… the two most common ways of giving thanks for things we don’t like are:
1. Comparative thanksgiving (comparing our difficulties with someone else’s)
2. “This too shall pass” thanksgiving. (hey, it’s bad, but it won’t be like this forever)
But, as I studied Bible verses on thanksgiving I found a 3rd (more powerful) way of giving thanks. And I will guarantee you – that if you give thanks this way - you will never be crippled by despair and anxiety. That’s not to say you won’t experience these emotions. I’m just telling you, you won’t be crippled by them.
The key to this powerful tool is found in Philippians 4:4-7
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And (what will happen?) the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
So, in other words, if I am anxious about something, if I’m troubled by my circumstances or difficulties, there is a way to get peace from God. There is a way to rejoice in the midst of frustration. And it starts with a four word phrase:
“The Lord is near.” (Philippians 4:5b)
Then Paul goes on to say in the next verse (because the Lord is near) “don’t be anxious for anything, but in everything - by prayer and petition - with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
How can I avoid being anxious?
How can I avoid being controlled by my circumstances?
How can I avoid being crippled by my difficulties?
It is in remembering that the Lord is near.
He’ll never leave me nor forsake me.
And Paul’s not the first writer in Scripture to tell us this. There’s a very famous psalm that goes this way:
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures:
he leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul:
he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
(WHY?)
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” Psalm 23
The Lord is NEAR!
A lot of folks look at the 23rd Psalm think it was written for funerals.
But this Psalm isn’t about death – it’s about life!.
The Lord IS near.
• He leads me
• He comforts me
• He anoints me
• He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
Back in Deuteronomy 31:8 God promised His people:
”The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you;
he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Hebrews13:5-6 quotes that passage from Deuteronomy and tells us that same promise is ours
God promises you and I "’I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’"
• I will lead you
• I will comfort you
• I will anoint you
• I will prepare a table for you in the presence of your enemies.
Don’t be afraid
Don’t be discouraged
The Lord is near.
It doesn’t matter what you’re going thru – you and I can give thanks that we’re not going thru that problem alone. God is always there. And He will never leave you or forsake you.
ILLUS: I’m told that one native American tribe had a unique rite of passage for their boys. On the night of a boy’s 13th birthday, the tribal elders would take the boy into a dense forest where he was to spend the entire night alone.
Until then he had never been away from the security of his family and tribe. But on this night he was blindfolded and taken miles away where he was left all by himself, all night long.
When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of thick woods. The night was specifically chosen to be moonless. And the dark, every time a twig snapped or an animal howled, he’d be reminded of his danger.
After what seemed like an eternity, the sun began to rise in the East. And for the first time since he’d left the camp he could see the forest around him. Looking around, the boy could see trees, plants, and the outline of the path.
Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow.
It was the boy’s father. His dad had been there all night long, guarding him and watching over him. He had never left him. He had never forsaken him. The boy was safe because his father was always nearby.
What the Bible is telling us is: God will never leave us/ never forsake us
His rod and His staff they comfort us.
If that’s the kind of God that you need this morning, we offer an invitation every Sunday morning for you to turn your life over to Him. Won’t you please come forward as we sing our invitation song…
