Giving Thanks, Even In The Hard Times
Philippians 4: 10-13
Intro: The day before Thanksgiving an elderly man in Phoenix called his son in New York and said to him, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; 45 years of misery is enough. We’re sick of each other, and so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her."
Frantic, the son called his sister, who exploded on the phone. "Like heck they’re getting divorced," she shouted, "I’ll take care of This." She called Phoenix immediately, and said to her father. "You are NOT getting divorced. Don’t do a single thing until I get there. I’m calling my brother back, and we’ll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don’t do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?"
The man hung up his phone and turned to his wife. "Okay, honey. The kids are coming for Thanksgiving and paying for their own flights this time."
. The holiday season is officially here. Thanksgiving is Thursday and the shopping season starts.
. While we are going to be busy with family and all that goes along with Thanksgiving, we need to remember to stop and truly realize to whom our thanks should be directed.
. No matter what our circumstances in life are, we can be thankful to God.
. The classic picture that we see and have in our minds comes from what is considered the first Thanksgiving.
. If you had been a Pilgrim, would you have given thanks?
Consider what they had been through, the men and women who broke bread together on that first Thanksgiving in 1621.
They had uprooted themselves and sailed for America, an endeavor so hazardous that published guides advised travelers to the New World, "First, make thy will."
The crossing was very rough and the Mayflower was blown off course. Instead of reaching Virginia, where Englishmen had settled 13 years earlier, the Pilgrims ended up in the wilds of Massachusetts. By the time they found a place to make their new home - Plymouth, they called it - winter had set in.
The storms were frightful. Shelter was almost non existent. There was little food. Within weeks, nearly all the settlers were sick.
"That which was most sad and lamentable," Governor William Bradford later recalled, "was that in two or three months’ time, half of their company died, especially in January and February, being the depth of winter, and wanting houses and other comforts; being infected with the scurvy and other diseases.... There died sometimes two or three of a day."
When spring came, Indians showed them how to plant corn, but their first crops were dismal. Supplies ran out, but their sponsors in London refused to send more. The first time the Pilgrims sent a shipment of goods to England, it was stolen by pirates.
If you had been there in 1621 - if you had seen half your friends die, if you had suffered through famine, malnutrition, and sickness, if you had endured a year of heartbreak and tragedy - would you have felt grateful?
. They were. They realized that even in the hard times, God was with them.
. In our scripture this morning, Paul is telling us this same thing.
. We can and should give thanks to God, even in the hard times.
.Philippians 4: 10-13
10How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me.
11Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.
12I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.
13For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
. Paul wrote this short letter to the Philippian church while he was in prison. A member of the church in Philippi had brought him some supplies and money to sustain him while he was in prison.
. Paul thanks them and tells them that even if nothing had been sent, he was content.
. Paul had learned to be thankful to God, no matter what his circumstances.
. He had learned to be content as he called it.
. Look at verse 11 again:
. 11Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.
. Paul writes that no matter what we can be content, we can be happy, we can be thankful.
. This was a man who knew hardships.
. He was beaten many times, jailed many times for his faith but he never wavered in his thankfulness.
.He starts out chapter 3 here in Philippians by saying this:
. 1Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord…
. Whatever happens, rejoice in the Lord. Be thankful, no matter what.
. The folks there in Philippi would be familiar with all the trials and tribulations Paul had went through.
. It was in Philippi that Paul had had been thrown in prison with Silas for casting a demon out of a woman.
. This is recorded in Acts 16: 22-25 for us.
. After Paul cast the demon out, scripture tells us this:
22A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods.
23They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape.
24So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
25Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.
. They were stripped and beaten with wooden rods, placed in the dungeon in stocks. They were having a bad day folks.
. Around midnight though, you could hear Paul and Silas praying and singing hymns to God.
. So when Paul says that I have learned how to be content, even in the hard times, these people understood.
. He says that he has been hungry, and he has been full. He has experienced prison and he has known freedom.
. No matter what his circumstances though, he trusted God. He lived a life of thankfulness for what God had done for him through the Good News of Jesus Christ.
. No matter what you are going through this thanksgiving, remember that God is with you.
. You may be on a hill top or you may be in one of the valleys of life, no matter what, you can be thankful to God for what He has done for us.
. Paul tells the Philippians this in verse 13:
13For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
. We use this verse for many applications. We see atheletes claim this verse, we see churches and various groups claim this verse.
. What Paul is truly saying here though is that no matter what circumstance you find yourself in life, Christ will give you strength to overcome any obstacle or problem you are dealing with.
Paul writes that even in the hard times, I can and will be thankful to God for what Jesus Christ has done for me and I will depend upon his strength to see me through any trial or problem that I am facing.
. Paul is not alone in modeling thanks during the hard times for us.
. As Jesus’ life was drawing to its end here on Earth, He modeled for us also this concept of giving thanks, even in the hard times.
.It happened in the upper room as we call it. The place where Jesus met with his disciples to share a last Passover meal together.
. Jesus knew that He was about to die. This earthly body was going to suffer great trials as they were going to beat him and whip him and nail him to a tree. He knew that crucifixion was eminent and just around the corner.
As He was preparing the bread and wine for a ceremony that has become known to Christians as communion Jesus was thankful .
. We read right over this when we read the story of the last supper because of all the theology and tradition that we find there. Luke tells us that even though all of these things were about to happen to Jesus, He took time to give thanks to God, even in the hard times.
Luke 22:17 records this:
17Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it…
.Then Luke records this in verse 19:
19He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it….
. Thankful, even though He was about to die.
.Thankful, when it seemed that the whole world was against him
. Thankful, even though a little while later He would cry out:
. E’loi, E’loi, la’ma, sa’bakh’tha’ni
. God God, why have you forsaken me.
.Thankful, no matter what because of who God was and what he was doing for mankind through him.
.My hope and prayer is that you will find time during this holiday season to thank God for who He is in your life and what He did for you through Jesus Christ.
Also in that upper room, Jesus modeled for us a way to remember who He was and what He has done for us.
Communion.
*** To my Christian brothers and sisters, thank you for taking the time to read this sermon. I ask that you take another second and score this for me. I am always open to feedback so that I can continue to grow in the proclamation of God’s word.
May God bless you as you continue to strive to walk worthy of His calling.
Sources: The Holy Bible, NLT
Illustrations from sermon central
