Give Thanks
November 22, 2020 Morning Service
Immanuel Baptist Church, Wagoner, OK
Rick Boyne
Message Point: No matter the circumstances, we are to give thanks.
Focus Passage: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Supplemental Passage: A Psalm for Thanksgiving. Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations. (Psalms 100:1-5 NASB)
Introduction: Have you ever met an ungrateful person? Someone who simply expects people to serve them, give to them, kowtow to them? Someone who takes but never gives? Someone who has the “entitled” personality? They are not pleasant people to be around. In this world, we actually have a choice about many, many things and choosing to be grateful is definitely something we have a choice about. Gratefulness is a state of mind. It is a lifestyle. It is something to be learned and then taught. Sometimes it takes effort. But, if gratefulness is a habit, you don’t have to search very hard for something to be grateful for!
I. Always rejoice
a. Rejoice: feel or show great joy or delight (Siri)
b. How can you rejoice when things turn south? e.g. bad diagnosis, death, loss of something
i. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28 NASB)
ii. “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5 ESV)
II. Always pray
a. Prayer puts things in the right order; we got to God FIRST, when we are happy, hurt, sad, or in trouble.
b. Prayer turns things from the temporal to the eternal; from fleshly to spiritual
c. Pray more than just blessing a meal or only when you are in trouble.
III. Always give thanks
a. In ALL Circumstances (see I. b. above)
b. This is the will of God. This is what God wants for you. This is what God wants you to do. It is spelled out for you. This shouldn’t need further explanation!
Application/Invitation: Do you have a grateful heart? Or do you have a spirit of entitlement? Commit to giving thanks for all things, even when it isn’t something you like or want. Know that God knows what’s best for you and that He will ultimately get glory. If you have never trusted Jesus to save you the Bible says that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. (Romans 10:9-10 NASB)
