Dec. 3, 2000 Colossians 3:15-17
“A thankful heart”
INTRODUCTION
Eight things to be thankful for: Be grateful...
* for automatic dishwashers. They make it possible to get out of the kitchen before the family comes in for their after-dinner snacks.
* for husbands who attack small repair jobs around the house. They usually make them big enough to call in professionals.
* for the bathtub -- the one place the family allows Mom some time to herself.
* for children who put away their things and clean up after themselves. They’re such a joy you hate to see them go home to their own parents.
* for gardening. It’s a relief to deal with dirt outside the house for a change.
* for teenagers. They give parents an opportunity to learn a second language.
*for smoke alarms. They let you know when the turkey’s done.-- Gene Perrett
This morning, I want us to continue our look at what the Bible has to say about the attitude of gratitude – the giving of thanks. This week, our family was headed into a store and somehow the word “thanksgiving” came up. Victoria was saying the word a little bit different than we normally did. She was saying “thanksgiving” with the emphasis on the giving aspect of the idea. She reminded us that saying thanks is a gift in itself. It is the gift of encouragement to the giver of the gift, and it is a recognition of their impact on our lives, whether it be small or great. Unfortunately, the gift of saying thanks has become the hardest to find gift of all.
The verses that we are going to examine this morning talk about what it means to have a thankful heart. They tell us where a thankful heart comes from, what it can accomplish in us personally, and what it can accomplish for the kingdom of God. As we deal with these verses, ask yourself, “Self, am I controlled by a thankful heart? And even if the answer is yes, have I told anybody about my thanks lately?” By the time that we get done today, I hope that your motivation for being thankful and giving thanks will have been increased to the point that you will make it the predominant pattern in your life.
1. A thankful heart is a heart where Christ’s peace is in control. (vs. 15)
“peace of Christ” – the peace that Christ controls; the peace that Christ had [in the midst of his troubles & in the midst of those who disagreed with Him]; the peace that Christ commands (Mark 9:50 NIV) "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."
“rule” – the word which is used here for rule is not the kind of word that would speak of a king or an elected official. The idea is more of a judge or an umpire. Both a judge and an umpire take the information that is available to them, and based on that information, they make a call as to what course of action is going to be followed. One or all parties may not like what the judge has to say, but they have obligated themselves to do whatever the judge says. He is in control.
There are many umpires that a person can allow to control their hearts other than peace. A person who loves money lets money control their thoughts and actions. Who gets hurt and what is right is not important. Money, and the getting of more of it, is the rule. Whatever it takes to get more of it, that’s what they are willing to do. Some persons allow pleasure to control them. Whatever it takes to get more pleasure – sexual pleasure, football pleasure, TV pleasure, food pleasure – I’m going after it no matter if I have to put myself in debt to get it, no matter if I break God’s laws to achieve it, no matter how big the consequences are going to be, no matter if I hurt my wife and kids . . . Others allow the desire for control to control them. My way or the highway. My way or no way. Even if you convinced me that your way was the best way, I wouldn’t go that way because then I would no longer be in control.
None of these things that I have listed nor any other thing is supposed to control the decision making process in my mind. It is the peace of Christ that is supposed to control me. So when my bills pile up, it is not my bills that control my actions or my attitude; it is Christ’s peace. When my health goes bad, it is not my body that controls my spirit or my relationship to other people; it is Christ’s peace. When I have a disagreement with someone, it is not my emotions that control my thoughts or my actions; it is Christ’s peace. Christ’s peace decides how I’m going to respond to the events and people of my life.
This “peace of Christ” shows itself in three different areas. First, there’s the internal peace – “ . . . in your hearts . . .” That’s the peace that allows you to deal with your world. It’s the peace that prevents you from caving in on yourself when your world is caving in all around you. It’s the peace that enables you to look at who you are, where you are, and what’s going on in your life and be satisfied with what God has done and is doing. Then there’s external peace. “. . . members of one body . . .” That’s the peace that enables me to effectively deal with other members of the body of Christ even though I might have theological, relational, or cultural differences with them. It is what allows these teenagers to work with us old adults, and sometimes even to enjoy it, although they might not admit it. It is me putting Christ’s peace as the ruling factor in my relationship with you. I’m not going to let our differences come between us. In fact, I’m going to work to make sure that our differences enhance our effectiveness rather than limiting our effectiveness. Do you understand that in order for a body to be effective, there MUST be differences. It is not an option. It is a necessity. Each Christian that is in this place today is a member of this body – the one called New Life Baptist Fellowship – soon to be called New Life Baptist Church. Whether or not your name is on the roll as a “member”, if you call this place your home church and this people your church family, then you are a member of this church body. Paul wasn’t just writing to the church body as in all Christians of all time. He was writing to a local church. As a member of this body, we don’t all have to agree to work together. We don’t have to all be alike to be useful. We don’t all have to have the same ideas or even the same interpretations to be used of God. As long as we are headed in the same direction, we can be used of God. What direction are we supposed to be headed in – the direction that promotes the peace of Christ in the church and in the world. When the peace of Christ is the umpire in our church – when bringing people to peace with God through salvation and forgiveness and achieving peace with one another – is the guide that determines the decisions that we make and the pathways that we follow, then we can work together in spite of our differences. You see, whatever differences we may have one another, there is one thing alluded to in this passage that we, as Christians, all have in common. We have eternal peace. “ . . . you were called to peace . . .” That’s the third way Christ’s peace is shown. You and I have been called into a relationship with Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 1:9 NIV) God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. Since the Father has called us into a relationship with Jesus, we now have peace with God that will last forever. We were once bitter enemies with God, but now, we are at peace. (Rom 5:1 NIV) Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ . . . It is this eternal peace that allows me to have the internal peace and the external peace. Folks, if I didn’t have peace with God, I couldn’t have peace in my heart even if I had 100 million dollars in the bank, good health in my body and friends all around me. And if I didn’t have peace with God, then when you and I have a disagreement with one another, then I would be free to concentrate on that disagreement rather than concentrating on bringing peace between us. I would be free to let go of my relationship with you rather than working through our differences. Let the peace of Christ rule.
Then Paul says, “. . . and be thankful . . .”. It almost sounds like a thought that Paul just threw in for good measure. It didn’t really fit anywhere else, but it was important enough to include somewhere, so he just decided to stick it here. “Let the peace of Christ rule and oh yeah, be thankful." I don’t really think that’s what’s going on here. I think Paul was very intentional when he tied peace and thankfulness together. When I am thankful for my world, then I can be at peace with my world. When I am thankful for my brothers in Christ, then I can be at peace with them. And when I remember what God has done by bringing me into relationship with Himself through Jesus and am thankful for that, then I can let the peace of Christ control every thought, every action, every word. The more thanks, the more peace. The less thanks, the less peace. The two are in direct proportion to one another. You want peace? Try being thankful.
“Let the peace of Christ rule”. Then Paul says, “Let the word of Christ dwell”
1. A thankful heart is a heart where Christ’s word is overflowing. (vs. 16)
“word of Christ” – It is the word about Christ. Everything that describes Him – what He did while on the earth, how He reacted to people, the sacrificial life that He lived and death that He died. It is the word by Christ. The words that He spoke to His disciples. The thoughts and ideas and ways of Almighty God. The perspective that He has on this world. The way that He sees people. And it is the word which is Christ. Remember, John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus Himself.
“dwell” – It is that word which Paul says is supposed to dwell in me. From time to time, I have had persons come to my house and spend some time there. They have stayed overnight or even for a few nights. Some of my family has come; some of Tammy’s family has come. Different speakers for the church have stayed in my home. All of these persons were guests. There is a difference between a guest and someone who dwells in a home. A guest is not a permanent resident. A dweller is. A guest comes and goes according to what is convenient for him and for his host. A dweller remains regardless of the circumstances. A guest does not have the right to go in and paint the walls a different color if he wants to. Almost two years ago, my former pastor, Robert Dickard, came and conducted a seminar for our church. During that week that he was here, Pastor Dickard stayed at my home. There were times that he was alone at our home while I was out doing my duties here at the church. What if one day I came home and found him painting the walls in my living room purple with pink pokadots? How do you think that I would react? But he didn’t do that. He didn’t move any furniture. He didn’t even do any laundry. It wasn’t his home. He didn’t have the right to make any changes in it. A dweller has that right. I am a dweller in my home; I have the right to paint my living room purple with pink pokadots. I have the right to make changes.
“richly” – Paul says that this word is supposed to dwell in me richly. On Wednesday of this week, 14 persons who had been lower to middle class persons suddenly became millionaires. 14 security guards went together to purchase power-ball tickets and ended up winning 130 million dollars! I don’t tell you this to endorse the lottery. In fact, I am totally against it. I only wish to illustrate that now these men and women are what you might call rich. They have an overabundance. What they will have to be careful of is that they learn to control their riches rather than their riches controlling them. That’s what riches tend to do. They control you so much that they start making your decisions for you. Many persons who have won the lottery have ended up deeply in debt after just the first year of their good fortune because they allowed the riches to cause them to make unwise decisions. Whatever you are rich in will make most of the decisions in your life. If you are rich in love, love will make your decisions. If you are rich in mercy, mercy will color every relationship that you have. If you are rich in wisdom, the decisions that you make will be governed by that wisdom. Paul says that we are supposed to be rich in the dwelling of God’s Word in us.
A few moments ago, I said that if I wanted to, I have the right to paint my living room purple with pink pokadots. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. I can do that if it’s okay with my wife. She has to look at those walls too. Decisions that will affect us both, we make together. We have a partnership. But if I were dwelling richly in my house, I would be allowed to make any decision regardless of what Tammy thought about it, and she would have to go along with it.
I hate it when waitresses fill my coffee cup at restaurants, especially if I have already told them that I want cream for my coffee. Those of you that have seen me drink coffee know that I put 2 or 3 creams in my coffee along with 4 or 5 packs of sugar depending on how strong the coffee is. The problem is that the waitress will often fill my cup so full that by the time I get all my other ingredients into the coffee, it’s about to overflow the edges. That first sip of my coffee, I have to be very careful. I want to maintain control of my coffee, but if I’m not careful, it can take control of me. It can overflow the edges and spill on me. If that happens, then amazing things result. Suddenly, I have a burst of energy. With the speed of superman, I rise out of my chair, knocking it over and getting up off of my rear. Words come out of my mouth with great volume. (not cuss words by the way; just a loud “OW!”) Hot liquid falling into your lap can do that to you. And once it gets onto my clothes, then I have to go home and change my clothes.
Christ’s Word dwelling richly within me is supposed to do all those things. He’s supposed to have the right to change whatever about my life that God doesn’t like. He wants the walls of my mind painted purple with pink pokadots? Go for it. He wants me to get up off my rear and get busy for Him? I’ll do it. He wants me to speak loudly the words that He communicates to me? Where’s the bull-horn? He wants me to change my spiritual clothing? I’m taking the old ones off right now.
Paul’s words here about the word dwelling richly remind me of some other verses. Look over at Psalms 1. [read verses 2-3] Then turn back further to the left to Josh 1:8. [read it] When we allow Christ’s word, Christ Himself, to have control over our thoughts and actions, there will be a result.
“teaching and admonishing with all wisdom” – Teaching – that’s communicating information about what I am supposed to believe and know. Amonishing – that’s warning people about the beliefs they hold right now and the direction that they are headed in. Both of those are my responsibility as a pastor. But Paul wasn’t writing to a pastor here. He was writing to the church as a whole. Each of us have a responsibility to teach other persons including our children, fellow Christians, anyone we come in contact with. And we have a responsibility to warn. That’s not always easy. But it is necessary. If you are in a burning building, I understand that I have the responsibility of do everything I can to warn you to get out. And you will probably be glad that I warned you. But why is it that I don’t also see the responsibility that I have to prevent you from being burned by sin? And if I do warn you, why is it that you take offense? The way that you know what to teach and the way that you recognize when to warn is by filling yourself full of Christ’s word. That’s what gives you the wisdom to see the smoke, recognize the difference between the smoke of a fireplace and the smoke of a fire, and then the wisdom to go and bang on the door of someone’s heart until they open up to you and get out of the danger that they’re in.
“singing” – There is another result when the word is overflowing in your life. You will sing. And it’s not a funeral durge or the blues that you’re singing either. It’s a song that flows out of gratitude in your heart toward God. Now, some of you who have the KJV of the Bible have a slightly different translation of that last phrase of verse 16. Instead of “with gratitude”, you have “with grace”. The actual word in the Greek text of the Bible is the word for “Grace”, but that doesn’t mean that gratitude is a bad translation or different from what the Holy Spirit intended here. If you look up the word “gratitude” in your English dictionary, you will find that it comes from the word “grace”. When you sit down to the dinner table, you might still call the prayer of thanks that you say “Grace”. “We’re going to say ‘grace’ over the meal.” Grace is all about gifts, and gratitude is the proper response to any gift. So Paul says that I’m supposed to sing with thanks to God . . . for what? He doesn’t say. But that’s part of the point. My attitude at all times is to be one of thanks regardless of what the circumstances may be. And it’s not just an attitude that I have way down in my heart. I’m supposed to vocalize those thanks. Let those thanks come out of my mouth in the form of a song.
“But God, I don’t feel like singing. I’d rather complain.” “Sing!!” “But God, my throat hurts. I’ve been yelling at the kids.” “Sing!!” “But God, my singing makes me sick. No one else wants to hear me.” “Sing!!!!” Who is supposed to be in control here? The word of Christ. From who’s perspective am I supposed to be looking at my world? From Christ’s. Who has the right to change me because He’s richly dwelling inside of me? Christ.
Here lately, I have had to say “see you later” to some friends. The Colangelos left us for a new job in Indianapolis, Jim Morris left us to head on home to heaven, and others have left us as well. Am I glad that they are gone? No, it saddens me. Am I thankful that they are gone? No, I wish that they were still going to be a part of my everyday life. I don’t sing about the fact that they are gone. But I can sing about the time that we had together. I can be thankful for that. I can sing about the impact they had on my life. I can sing about what their leaving me will produce for them.
It talks about singing hymns here. One of my favorite hymns is “It is well with my soul.” The reason I like it so much is because I know the story behind it. [tell the story & sing a couple of verses] Does that sound like a durge or a blues song to you? It sounds like a song of triumph and joy to me. How could that author say those kind of words? Because He saw things from God’s perspective. He knew the end of the story. He knew what God already done in his life. He let the word of Christ dwell in him richly.
If the word of Christ is going to richly dwell in you, you’re going to have to get it down off of the shelf. You’re going to have to do more than just read a verse or two a day just so that you can say you fulfilled your duty. You’re going to have to study it. You’re going to have to start memorizing it. There’s been a lot of things that have happened in the last couple of weeks that haven’t been too pleasant to me. But one church member came to me this week and thrilled my heart. He talked about the fact that he wants to get to know the Bible better and that he’s started trying to memorize verses. The only way any of us are going to escape our tunnel vision, see things from a different perspective and get thankful is as we fill our minds with the word of Christ.
1. A thankful heart is a heart where Christ’s name is lifted up. (vs. 17)
“And whatever you do” - that means everything including your job, your parenting, your shopping during the Christmas season, your driving on the road – ‘do it all” – that means every part of everything that you do even those boring parts or those parts that you do because no one else will do them or those parts that really don’t seem to matter too much – “in the name of Jesus” – knowing that what you do and how you do it will color what people think of Jesus, will at least partially determine whether they want Jesus in their life or not, will determine whether you were a faithful servant or not – “giving thanks”. There’s that thanks word again.
This week, I took the opportunity to write several thank you letters to persons who have done things for me recently. I hand-delivered one of those letters. This particular person had done something for me that he was obligated to do for me, but he did it well, and he did it quickly, so I took a letter of thanks. He was not in, so I gave it to his secretary. You should have seen the look of glad surprise on her face when I told her what was inside. I have to think that that simple act of unexpected thanks lifted a little higher the name of Christ and Christians in her view. Thanks will do that. It will do some other things too. It will cause us to look . . .
“Upward – It looks upward to God and bows in worship to Him. It realizes that it is our Heavenly Father who has blessed us and that all good gifts come down from above (see James 1:7). It knows that thanks should be given for all things to the one who cares for us. As Paul tells us, we are to give thanks “always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 5:20). Giving thanks is” not just a vocal thing. It is “a spiritual thing, and it is a great prayer and crown of worship.”
“Around – As we give thanks to God, we look around us and find a source of joy in the bountifulness of our God.” Many times, when we are depressed or despondent, it’s because we are only looking in one direction at one thing and at one time of our life. Look around. See your friends. See what God has done. See what God has given. Count your many blessings – don’t just sing it, do it!
“Outward – Are you trying in vain to find something to be thankful for? Try looking at someone else. We need only to look” outward from ourselves “to see others who have greater needs than we do. Then, our troubles seem small, and our sorrows seem few. Our weeping turns to joy as we give thanks, and, instead of complaining, we want to extend a helping hand to others. We want them to be blessed, also. Thanksgiving looks outward with a helping hand to the needs of others in an effort to bring as many as possible into the blessings of God.” – all quotes are from a mini-sermon done by Billy Bryant, pastor of West Court Baptist Church in Marion, NC.
Inward – We are thankful not only for what has happened and what we have acquired on the outside, but also the changes that have occurred in your character on the inside. As I look inward, it also reminds me that I am not worthy to receive the goodness of God anyway.
Beyond – On Christmas morning, when I was a kid, I would rip into presents and find all kinds of neat stuff. But the problem with that was that I usually neglected to read the tag that told who the gift was from. I got so wrapped up in the gift that I forgot about the giver. True thankfulness looks beyond the gift to see the giver. Do you remember the leper that we talked about a couple of weeks ago? That’s what he did. He looked beyond the gift of his healing to see Jesus, the One who had healed Him. In this Christmas season, remember to concentrate on the Giver of all gifts. For the greatest gift is not what God does for us. The greatest gift is God Himself.
CONCLUSION
The story is told of one of the wagon train parties on the Oregon Trail. Water and grass had been scarce for several days. Some of the wagons were broken down, with consequent delays amid the stifling heat. A general feeling of fretfulness had succeeded the early optimism and cheer. So it was decided that, at the next night’s stop, a meeting would be held to air their troubles. When the immigrants had gathered around the campfire, one of them arose and said, “Before we do anything else, I think we should first thank God that we have come this far with no loss of life, with no serious trouble with the Indians, and that we have enough strength left to finish our journey.” This was done, and then there was silence. No one had any complaints to make. Looked at in such a light, it seemed they really were fortunate. This is the transformation the thankful heart can often make. It enables us to see the real dimensions of many worth-while things that might be passed over – Country Gentleman as quoted in Knights Master Book of New Illustrations (p. 681-682).
You may or may not accept my belief that having a heart full of thanks will change you and change your outlook on life. But can I make this request of you? Try it out. For one week, whatever happens in your life, find something in that situation for which you can give thanks. You may have to look pretty hard, but look for something. It may be very small, but find something to be thankful for each and every day. And try to find something different each day. Then, once you’ve found that thing to be thankful for, express your thanks to the person or persons who are responsible for that item of thanks. Don’t keep the thanks inside. Let it spill over the sides and run down into the saucer. Then, your attitude of gratitude will not only affect you and your outlook on life, but it will also affect the people around you.
