A couple of days before Thanksgiving the husband 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. "They are not 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 you 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."
Thanksgiving is a great family time. It’s when most families get together to eat, share, laugh, have a good time, and demonstrate love to one another.
Illus: A custom that some families have as they set down to enjoy their thanksgiving meal each one around the table state something they are thankful for. THIS IS A GOOD CUSTOM!!!
The book of Colossians is a very important book in the Word of God because it covers so many important things in our daily lives.
Such as, this portion of scripture that I read to you deals with “Gratitude”, something we all need to learn more about.
Illus: Have you ever heard the story of the mother who wanted to teach her daughter a moral lesson? She gave the little girl a quarter and a dollar for church. She told her “Put whichever one you want in the collection plate and keep the other for yourself,” she told the girl.
• When they were coming out of church, the mother asked her daughter which amount she had given.
• “Well,” said the little girl, “I was going to give the dollar, but just before the collection the man in the pulpit said that we should all be cheerful givers. I knew I’d be a lot more cheerful if I gave the quarter, so I did.”
Greed seem to be more popular then gratitude these days.
Illus: Years ago a group of home schooler teachers asked if they could use our facilities where all the home schooler in the area could come with their children and have some activities.
We were more than happy to assist them and open up our fellowship hall and playground for their activities.
They spent 3 or 4 hours using these facilities using our electricity for lights and air conditioning.
When these home schooler parents got through they all got in their cars with their children and went home without saying one word of gratitude.
The pastor was shocked not a parent or a student express any gratitude of what our church provided for them. NOT A ONE!
The pastor thought about their ingratitude and later on he talked with one of the home school moms and told her in a nice way that one of the important part of education is teaching gratitude. She did not apolize she just looked at him in a weird way and walked out of the office.
Illus: Listen some us can remember when we got our report cards on one side of the report card was where the child was graded for their academics and on the back side they were graded for their character such as: Kindness, Respect, honesty, cooperation, tardiness and etc.
And teachers and parents considered both side of the report card to be equally important.
Listen, parents and teachers today are doing a horrible job of teaching their children gratitude.
In this age of FREEBIES people today do not recognize the need for gratitude. When they are given something they feel they are entitled to it SO WHY SHOULD THEY SHOW ANY GRATITUDE!!!
Illus: A priest went into a Washington, D.C., barbershop, got his hair cut and asked how much he owed. “No charge, Father,” the barber said. “I consider it a service to the Lord.”
• When the barber arrived at his shop the next morning, he found a dozen small prayer booklets on the stoop along with a thank you note from the priest.
• A few days later a police officer came in. “How much do I owe you?” the police man asked after his haircut “No charge, officer,” the barber answered. “I consider it a service to my community.”
• The next morning the barber found a dozen doughnuts on the stoop along with a thank you note from the police officer.
• A few days after that, a Senator walked in for a haircut. “How much do I owe you?” he asked afterward. “No charge,” the barber replied. “I consider it a service to my country.”
• The next morning when he arrived at the shop, the barber found a dozen Senators waiting on the stoop.
This is the age when people line up in a line for freebies.
And many times no gratitude is showed.
Illus: A husband gave his wife a beautiful skunk coat on Christmas day.
• She opened it and she said, "I can't see how such a nice coat can come from such a stinking little rascal."
• The husband said, "Wait a minute! Look, I don't ask for thanks, but I do demand respect."
In today’s church we hear a great deal of complaining, but God’s church should be permeated with PRAISE and THANKSGIVING. There is a great deal to be THANKFUL about.
WHAT IS GRATITUDE?
The dictionary says that gratitude is to have a feeling of thankful appreciation for favors received.
In this passage of scripture, Paul shows us how we need to live a life of gratitude.
For example, if the apostle Paul asked what was he grateful He would say MANY THINGS, but let me narrow it down to three…
I. First, we should show GRATITUDE FOR GOD.
Let’s take a few minutes and talk about GOD THE FATHER.
We know that God is the father of Jesus.
Look at Colossians 1:3-5, We read, “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;“
It is clear that God is the father of Jesus.
Look at these words in verse 3, We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..”
• Is it important that we recognized that God is the father of the Lord Jesus.
• It is also important that we recognized that God is the Father of all the Believers.
During the time of Jesus’ life, the Jews saw God as the ultimate form of holiness, which is correct. God is holy.
They had such reverence for Him, that they didn’t even dare to say Yahweh (YHWH), the Name of God, out loud.
You can imagine their shock when Jesus called God His Father and instructed them to as well in the Lord’s Prayer. “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name.’” (Matthew 6:9 )
The interesting thing is that the word used there, is the word patér, which we always translate as “father” but actually has a really personal connotation, more along the lines of “daddy.”
God doesn’t want to be Someone standing far away in the distance. He wants to have a personal relationship with you. He wants to be your “Daddy.”
It needs to be made clear though, He is not the father of everyone! He told a crowd of unbelievers in John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Listen, there are many reason not to serve the devil but to know that the devil is your father is a good reason to accept the Lord.
There are many scriptures that convey that, but also He taught us believers to pray with these words, OUR FATHER, WHICH ART IN HEAVEN!
Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
We can think of God the Father is like our earthly father in some ways, that is He is the provider for the family of God.
The book of Colossians makes it clear that God the Father provides for His family as well.
WHAT DOES HE PROVIDE?
Look at Colossians 1:3-5 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
Notice these verses tells us that God told these Colossians God the Father provides FAITH, LOVE and their HOPE.
God the Father provides his children with…
I. FAITH.
Look at verse 3, We read, “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we HEARD OF YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS…”
We have a choice as to whether we want to receive faith or not, this falls under the category of free-will.
Illus: The hyper-calvinist teaches God created some for heaven and some for hell. This is not true. We all have a free-will and we decide where we are going to spend eternity in heaven or hell.
Free-will simply means no body can make you accept the Lord Jesus. NOBODY!
I wish I could and if I could I would make the whole world accept the Lord and put there faith in Him.
Ephesians, 2:8, informs us that FAITH ALONG WITH GRACE are gifts from God. We read, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the GIFT OF GOD.”
We can not boast of the faith we possess. The fact is, if God had not placed the faith we have in our hearts for Him, we would not have any faith.
Illus: I have heard folks brag about their strong faith. When I hear them bragging I think they must spend a lot of time in the Word of God.
WHY DO I SAY THAT?
Because the Bible tells us FAITH COMETH BY HEARING THE WORD OF GOD.
HOW DO WE RECEIVE FAITH?
The Bible tells us FAITH COMETH BY HEARING.
• Every day you need to read the scriptures
• You need to attend a good Sunday school class that teaches the Word of God
• You need to set under a preacher that preaches the Word of God.
Illus: The more you expose yourself to the Word of God it is like going to a table of delicious food and the more you eat the bigger you become.
The reason we have so many skinny frail christians today is because they do not make time to set down at God’s dinner table and chow down on the Word of God.
It is amazing how little people know about the Word of God, especially here in America where virtually everyone has access to the Bible.
Illus: Back when Jay Leno hosted the Tonight Show, he frequently did "man-on-the street" interviews. One night he collared some young people to ask them questions about the Bible. "Can you name one of the Ten Commandments?" he asked two college-age women.
• One replied, "Freedom of speech?"
• Mr. Leno said to the other, "Complete this sentence: Let he who is without sin..." Her response was, "have a good time?"
• Mr. Leno then turned to a young man and asked, "Who, according to the Bible, was eaten by a whale?" The student answer was, "Pinocchio."
While such misunderstandings may seem to be humorous, they are in fact tragic.
The Bible is far more than just a book. It is the Word of God and provides us with all things that pertain to life and godliness.
The importance of God’s Word is reiterated throughout its pages and no more powerfully than in Romans 10:17 where it states, "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God".
• Romans 10:14 declares, "… how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?"
• Romans 10:17 declares that faith is the result of hearing God speak through the Word of God.
A person can read the Bible every day of his or her life and still go through life unaffected by its pages and unchanged by its power unless he or she is willing to believe it and receive it.
We can not take credit for our faith. He has taken the initiative in our salvation - WE SIMPLY ARE WILLING PARTICIPANTS.
It would be completely inappropriate for Paul to thank these Colossians for their faith, because their faith was a GIFT FROM GOD!
So he thanks God the Father for their faith.
God the Father not only provides FAITH, God the Father also…
(2) PROVIVDES LOVE.
Look at verses 3-4, we read, “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith…AND OF THE LOVE WHICH YE HAVE TO ALL THE SAINTS.”
Every day of our Christian life we have to receive the gift of love, because inside all of us if was not for the Love He gives us this would be a terrible place to live.
This is what makes God’s church a wonderful place when you have a congregation that God has placed in their heart love one for another.
Illlus: We all know people who have HATE AND DISGUST for other races. But listen, when a person become born again God wants to give them a LOVE FOR EVERYONE!
Let me illustrate…
DEMON POSSESSED MAN CHAINED
We, within ourselves, do not know how to love. We all, with our Adamic nature, were born with the ability to hate, but we do not know a thing about love.
Illus: I can take you to any nursery in town and prove that we are born with this Adamic nature of hate. You will see children that can barely crawl:
• Biting each other
• Hitting each other
• Spitting on each other
• Clobbering some child on the head with a toy
We are all born with this Adamic nature to sin to hate.
Illus: Years ago we had a church nursery and one mother brought this little cannibal into our nursery. She was constantly wanting to chew on other nursery kids ears.
I am so glad that God the Father provides us with love.
Illus: I have seen men that was mean to their wife. They would not dare beat on some man because they know he will hit back at them! But they actually beat and slap their wives.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH A MAN LIKE THAT?
I will tell you exactly what is wrong with him---HE NEEDS TO GET SAVE, BORN AGAIN AND God the Father will provide LOVE IN HIS HEART IN SUCH A FASHION AFTER GOD DID WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE YOU WOULD NOT RECOGNIZE HE IS THE SAME MAN.
How do we get that love?
In I John 4:19, we read, "We love him, because He first loved us".
Our love for each other is in RELATION TO, and a REACTION TO, the love God has shown us through Jesus Christ.
We may give the impression that we are experts on love, but we do not know a thing about love.
Illus: Many, when it comes to love, remind me of some of these teenagers. When they are young, you can not even get them to sit together, then they reach a certain age, and they want to sit in each others laps. Then, one day they finally kiss the opposite sex, and all of a sudden they are experts on love. Overnight, they know more about love than both of their parents put together.
The fact of the matter is, WE DO NOT KNOW HOW TO LOVE!
Paul was THANKFUL UNTO GOD, for the FAITH and LOVE God had placed in their hearts of these Colossian christians.
God the Father provides
I. Faith
II. Love
And also, God the Father provides…
III. HOPE
As Paul speaks to the Colossions under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
Look at 3-5, we read, “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,… For the HOPE WHICH IS LAID UP FOR YOU IN HEAVEN, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.”
Thank God because He has given us hope. People have to have something to look forward to.
• The young girl keeps herself pure, because she looks forward to standing beside a young man that wants to spend the rest of his life with a virgin, not used product!
• The young athlete trains hard, because he looks forward to the game he is going to participate in.
• People look forward to vacation in the near future. They work day and after day doing the same thing, but they eagerly look forward to the day when they can get out of that routine.
But no other people on this earth have the HOPE that we Christians have, WHICH IS LAID UP FOR US IN HEAVEN.
Today’s churches do not preach and sing about heaven like the churches did in the past. This is one of the reasons you find much of the sadness there is in the church today.
Youtube: I've Got A Mansion - Classic Southern Gospel
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MANY CHURCHES ARE NOT PREACHING AND SINGING ABOUT THE HOPE WHICH IS LAID UP FOR THEM IN HEAVEN.
WHERE DOES THIS HOPE COME FROM?
Look at Colossians 1:27, we read, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, THE HOPE OF GLORY.”
The hope that God places in our hearts, is based entirely upon our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Since our faith, love and hope all come from Christ, we now understand why Paul did not thank the Colossians for these things, BUT HE THANKED GOD WHO GAVE THESE THINGS TO THE COLOSSIANS.
Without God, they would not have any of these things, so Paul said, “We give thanks to God…”
When the New Testament talks about hope, it is not talking about "PIE IN THE SKY." It is talking of the surety we have in our relationship with Christ. The longer we walk with Him, the more intimate our relationship becomes, and the greater our HOPE BECOMES.
We have people today who profess to be a child of God and I do not question they aren’t. But these same christians live in fear of death.
But we christians have hope!!!
Conclusion:
Matthew Henry, the famous Bible expositor, was once robbed by thieves and robbed of his pocketbook.
He wrote these lines in his diary:
Let me be thankful,
• First, because I was never robbed before;
• Second, because, although they took my purse, they did not take my life;
• Third, because, although they took my all, it was not much;
• And fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.
We have so much to be thankful for each day, God the father is so good to all of us.
It is a shame that Thanksgiving day has become “Turkey Day” or Football day when we have so much to be thankful.
Illus: The young man was feeling very proud of himself. As a brand-new college graduate he had taken the C.P.A. Exams and passed with flying colors. Now he was a full-fledged Certified Public Accountant.
His father had been an immigrant to the U.S. and now owned his own little business. Filled with self-importance, the young man began to criticize his father’s way of keeping books. He said, “Dad, you don’t even know how much profit you’ve made. Over here in this drawer are your accounts receivable. Over there are your receipts and you keep all your money in the cash register. You don’t have any idea how much you’ve made.”
The father answered, “Son, when I came to this country the only thing I owned was a pair of pants. Now, your brother is a doctor, your sister is an art teacher, and you are a C.P.A. Your mother and I own our home. We have a car and we own this little business. Now add that up, subtract the pants, and all the rest is profit.”
ADD IT UP, brothers and sisters. That’s exactly what we need to do at Thanksgiving. Add it all up. We came into this world with nothing but the eternal soul that God gave us. Everything else is profit. We all have profited quite well. BE JOYFUL.
There’s always something to thank God for.
But for the child of God this is the time to thank God the Father for what He has provided for His children.
I. FAITH
II. LOVE
III. HOPE
Many today do not have these gifts from God to be thankful.
