“But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
Brian La Croix, of the Aberdeen Wesleyan Church in Aberdeen, South Dakota, tells of an episode of the old country western funny show, "Hee Haw."
Doc Campbell (a character on the program) is approached by a patient who says he broke his arm in two places. The doc replies, "Well then, stay out of them places!"
My brother Brian used the story to illustrate that the best way for us to avoid temptation is to stay out of the places where temptation thrives. Good advice.
The sad fact is, that in a day when all of us are surrounded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by newspaper, magazines, television, radio, internet, telephone, cell phone and I don’t know how many other ways there are to communicate, advertise, preach, sell and otherwise impose, it’s near impossible to stay out of ‘them places’!
Paul is exhorting the Christian not to let any of these evil things be even named among them,. He means there shouldn’t be a hint of any of those things connected with the believer’s life. And I submit to you, fellow Christians, that in our day and age guarding against exposure to the evils on this list of Paul’s could work into a full-time job!
Now before I continue on with this thought, let me point out once more that Paul is addressing Christians, not unbelievers. He is not sending a message to the non-Christian world as to how they should behave and how they should speak. Neither should we. We need not tell the world to obey these Godly principles laid out for us in this Epistle, or any other. They need salvation, not moral reform.
Where the church has gotten herself in trouble with the world, and severely damaged her witness and her message, is by trying to legislate morality; trying to tell people what they should and shouldn’t do.
They are sinners, helpless, deceived, and in need of a savior. Our only message to them should be one of acceptance in Christ, and the possibility of eternal life for them through repentance and faith.
By the same token, and getting back to what I was saying, if we go into these verses defining each of these words, ~ immorality, impurity, greed, ~ and then spending the next 20-25 minutes exhorting you not to do them…not to entertain them in your life, then we’ve missed the point.
Yes, Paul is saying that we should shun these things as part of our Christian existence. There’s no room for them in our life anymore; they are contrary to the Christian character. We talked about that in the last two sermons from chapter 4.
But if I go on, brow-beating you about your behavior and sending you a message that the ‘good Christian’ doesn’t engage in these things, I would only burden you down with guilt, or stimulate your defenses, and in either case, send you out in a dark and possibly confused mood.
So I want our focus to be positive today, and rather than saying, ‘these things a Christian does not do’ I want us to see what Paul is telling us a Christian does, and why understanding his message and translating that into the life would make us much more pleasant people to be around.
LET’S DEFINE ‘THANKFULNESS’
I think we need to spend some time talking about Christian thankfulness, and not only what it is, but what it is not.
You see I’ve heard this word come up in the past with different emphases, some of them good, but some of them questionable.
There is a doctrine that is at least a fraternal twin, if not an identical twin, to the ‘name-it-claim-it’ doctrine. It says that if we thank God for things we don’t have, whether it be material things, healing of illness or whatever, we will have it.
“Thank you, Lord, for saving my son”, even though the son is off carousing,
living a Godless and immoral life and is even violently opposed to the gospel.
The teaching is that if you ask God for it, the act of asking in itself is an expression of doubt that you will receive.
So you see, once more, it’s just the magic mouth doctrine with a different dress on.
A spiritualized ‘power of positive thinking’ teaching.
This is not thankfulness. This is presumption. This is ignorance of the scriptures. This is ‘fat baby’ Christianity.
Then there are the folks who go around saying ‘Praise the Lord!’ for everything.
Now don’t get me wrong. I believe the scriptures clearly exhort us to go about with an attitude of praise for our God, and that He deserves and even rightly demands our praise.
But that doesn’t mean that we’re meeting some scriptural admonition, if we yell ‘Praise the Lord!’ when the television show we’re watching ends the way we wanted it to; or the waiter finally approaches the table with our order. In fact, he’s more likely to hear that as sarcasm and be offended rather than complemented or inspired to share our joy.
Of course there are times when we should vocally offer up praise and thankfulness to God. We thank one another out loud for services rendered or for graces offered.
But Paul is talking about a thankfulness that is manifest in the life.
When my wife does something for me I thank her. But I am always, 24/7, thankful for her. And that thankfulness that dwells in and emanates from the heart, manifests itself in my life and relationship to her.
Carrying that analogy a little further; when I deliberately go in my mind to all the reasons I have to be thankful for this relationship with my wife, and think of the love we have for one another, and therefore stimulate within myself this thankfulness for her,… and especially when I am moved to vocalize that thankfulness, or show it by some loving act, I cannot at the same time be doing or saying something that would offend, insult, or otherwise harm her or our relationship. Oil and water.
“Honey, I just got back from a date with a hot young chick I met at the movies last week; and by the way, I just want to tell you how thankful I am that you’re my wife”.
Paul’s message through chapter four, and as you will see, continuing well into chapter 5, is one of contrast. ‘This is what you were, and this is what you are now. You have been made new and you are no longer that other person, so act according to the new nature imparted to you, which is absolutely diametrically opposed to the character of that old nature, and you will find that it is impossible for you to do both at the same time.
Be renewed in mind, and train your members to perform according to that renewal.
CHRIST: OUR EXAMPLE OF THANKFULNESS
As in all things, Jesus is our perfect example of a life lived for God. And He gave thanks to the Father.
In John 11:41 Jesus gave thanks to the Father for always hearing Him, just before calling Lazarus out from the tomb. Do you think He had been spending some time while on His way to Bethany, praying about this resurrection He was about to perform? I think so. And He thanked the Father for hearing His prayer.
In John chapter 6, as Jesus prepared to feed the five thousand miraculously, He took the loaves in His hands and gave thanks to the Father for His provision. And if you look over at verse 23 of that chapter you’ll see something interesting.
The people follow Jesus to the other side of the sea of Galilee, looking to be fed again. It’s the next day and they’re hungry again. But look at the narrative itself and see the emphasis John puts on Jesus’ tradition of giving thanks.
“There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks.”
Then going to Luke chapter 24, near the end of the account of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, we see in verses 30 and 31 that it wasn’t until He took bread and blessed it that their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.
Now I believe that they were kept from recognizing Him until that moment, for whatever purpose it served for Him. Perhaps He wanted them to be attentive to the things He was teaching them from the scriptures, without having their minds preoccupied by the fact that they were walking with the risen Christ. I don’t know.
But I find it interesting that He used something that must have been a very familiar sight to them, His giving thanks and blessing the bread, as the vehicle to bring them to recognition of who they had been with.
There are many ways an old acquaintance might recognize us after not having seen us for a long time, or just not expecting to see us, or perhaps seeing us in the distance and not being able to make out our features.
I remember my dad once, as we watched a western movie, commenting that it was interesting to note how different men sat a horse. And after that I realized that I could recognize my favorite cowboy stars, even when they were shown riding at a great distance, by the way they sat the horse. John Wayne, Randolph Scott, Gary Cooper, Gregory Peck, and later on Clint Eastwood, Scott Glenn and others, all had very distinctive profiles in the saddle.
You might recognize someone you know by their walk or the way they move their head as they turn to look at something.
I don’t know how often I still do it, but I used to smooth my moustache a lot, in a certain way. Once when Nicole was about six she accompanied my oldest daughter, Charlene, who was driving out to meet me on a country road and pick me up. When they were still at a distance they saw a man walking, and when Charlene said, “Is that him?” Nicole ran her fingers over her upper lip and said, “If he’s doing this, it’s Daddy.”
What a blessing it would be, to be recognized by someone because of your faithful lifestyle of open and sincere thankfulness to God.
Jesus didn’t act in certain ways; behave in certain ways; to set us an example and try to convince us to emulate Him.
He is who He is, and His acts were always in perfect harmony with His nature and character. But He alone knows the blessings and the power of a life of thankfulness, and He wants those things for us.
“…in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.“ I Thess. 5:18
THANKFUL LIVING
If we give this some careful thought, we will see that thankful living would be a pretty strange concept to most people of the world. The fact is, people don’t want to be told that they should be thankful. People don’t want to be beholden to anyone if they can avoid it.
The spirit of the world screams out from every quarter that truly successful people stand on their own and owe no one anything. Maybe you’ll remember my example a few weeks ago of Jimmy Stewart’s character in the movie, “Shenandoah”, where his prayer over dinner consisted of claiming all the credit for the food that was on the table, then thanking God for it anyway out of some perceived obligation.
In his book FOLK PSALMS OF FAITH, Ray Stedman tells of an experience H.A. Ironside had in a crowded restaurant. Just as Ironside was about to begin his meal, a man approached and asked if he could join him. Ironside invited him to have a seat. Then, as was his custom, Ironside bowed his head in prayer. When he opened his eyes, the other man asked, "Do you have a headache?" Ironside replied, "No, I don’t." The other man asked, "Well, is there something wrong with your food?" Ironside replied, "No, I was simply thanking God as I always do before I eat."
The man said, "Oh, you’re one of those, are you? Well, I want you to know I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brow and I don’t have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just start right in!"
Ironside said, "Yes, you’re just like my dog. That’s what he does too!"
Being thankful to God goes against our fallen nature, as it goes against pride and self. It acknowledges our need. Our dependence on Him. It acknowledges His provision and his Lordship.
It is not only a foreign concept to the unregenerate mind, it is an unwelcome one. They don’t even like saying “Thanksgiving Day”. It still comes out now and then, because that’s the traditional name of the holiday and most people have grown up saying it. But each year I see an increase in the usage of the term “Turkey Day”, and I will be bold enough to predict that in years to come that term will virtually replace the traditional title of “Thanksgiving”. You watch and see.
Can you begin to see why Paul contrasted thankfulness with his list of evils in our text?
Look once more at this long list:
1. Immorality
2. Impurity
3. Greed
4. Filthiness
5. Silly talk
6. Coarse jesting
And what one Godly characteristic replaces them all? Thankfulness to God.
A thankful heart squeezes all these things out. Oil and water.
Turn with me to Colossians 3 for a moment. If you have your Bibles open to Ephesians 5, which you should, because that’s how you get more out of a sermon and keep the preacher honest; by referring back frequently to the text and checking to see that he’s staying on line; so if you’re still in Ephesians 5 then Colossians 3 is only a few pages further on. (and by now you’re already there and waiting for me to stop rambling…)
We have a great example here of the strong emphasis Paul puts on the importance of thankfulness in the Christian’s life. He uses the word three times in three consecutive verses. Read along with me from verse 15
“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Col 3:15-17
There are examples in scripture of the power of a thankful heart, and of openly demonstrating thankfulness to God.
In II Chronicles 20 Jehoshaphat exhorted the people of Judah to put their trust in the Lord to route their enemies as Jahaziel had predicted on the previous day.
Jehoshaphat tells them, “…put your trust in the Lord your God, and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and succeed.”
And verse 21 of chapter 20 tells us, “And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for His loving kindness is everlasting.’
Then the results in verse 22; “And when they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed.”
There are examples such as this throughout the scriptures, and exhortations to the believer throughout the scriptures to give thanks to God; and I believe the reason for the repetition of this theme is that we so easily forget to be thankful.
I can’t remember where I saw it, so I’m sorry that I can’t give credit, but there was a story about a famous Scottish preacher who was known for his positive attitude and his lifestyle of giving thanks to God in all things.
One Sunday the weather was so gloomy and dismal that one of his parishioners said to himself, ‘surely the preacher can’t find anything in this day to be thankful for‘.
When the preacher stood up to the pulpit, he bowed his head and prayed, “Father, I thank Thee that all days are not like this”.
TRUE THANKFULNESS
I want it to be clearly understood that the thankfulness Paul is looking for and exhorting us to demonstrate is not a showing of a breezy, cheery attitude; going about with a frozen half-smile and not letting anything negative affect us.
It is not assuming a philosophy that says all things will come out ok in the end, so let it be, let it be.
True thankfulness to God, is the fruit of accurate knowledge of what God has done, is doing and will do , and knowing that all the circumstances of your life are in one way or another affected by that.
Every thing that comes into or through your life is either caused or allowed by Him, for your growth and the development of your faith and your relationship to Him, and for the purpose of conforming you to the image of Christ.
If we understand that, then we can truly thank Him in all things, and not with a thanks of resignation to defeat, but of joy and victory and sincere gratitude because we really do know that His loving kindness is everlasting.
Going back to Colossians, listen to the conditions Paul says should exist, from which thanksgiving should flow:
1. The peace of Christ should rule in our hearts
Why? Because we have full assurance of acceptance in God through what Christ has done.
2. The word of Christ should richly dwell within us
How? By faithful and diligent study of His word, to have it in our hearts, so that we might have the knowledge and understanding of Him that would bring about that thankfulness in us,
3. We should do all things in the name of Jesus
Why? Because if we consider what we’re doing or what we’re about to do, and ask ourselves if it’s in the name of Jesus, we certainly will not be able to engage in Paul’s list of evils.
Oil and water.
And thanksgiving will generate thanksgiving.
Give thanks. Develop a daily habit of consciously thinking of the things from God that you have to give thanks for (don’t just offer up empty and mindless ’thanks’ as though fulfilling some religious obligation), and give thanks for those things.
Your salvation. His unceasing grace in your life. The fellowship of His Spirit with you and in you. The love of the brethren. Opportunities to serve Him and the privilege to do so.
And then if you want, thank Him for lesser things like your health and His material provision and nice weather or whatever. But first thank Him for the spiritual things that no man can have apart from Him.
Put notes around the house if you have to. On the bathroom mirror. The fridge. The dashboard of the car. Your locker or desk at work. “Give thanks” That’s all it has to say.
After a while, if you are faithful to this, it will become not habit, but lifestyle.
You won’t have to consciously guard against the evils. Giving of thanks from a thankful heart will exclude them from your life, your thoughts… they will not be named among you.
But thankfulness will. You will change. Joy will light up your countenance. People won’t know why necessarily, but they’ll want to be near you. They’ll seek you out. Maybe even want what you have.
Thankfulness to God from a thankful heart. Powerful.
I think I’ll go and put a note on my mirror.
