Thanksgiving Sermon: In All Circumstances
Think on these questions as we look at 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24:
1. How does practicing gratitude and thankfulness lead to a perspective that takes individuals "outside of themselves"?
2. What significance does respect hold in the context of thanksgiving, and how does it relate to acknowledging God's sovereignty in our lives?
3. How does the conviction that God works all things together for our good and His glory impact our ability to give thanks in all circumstances, especially in difficult situations?
Transcript:
It is a very good thing to be thankful. No one likes someone who comes across as entitled and thankless. To be a person who is grateful and full of thanks is a character trait that is to be desired. But why do we appreciate this characteristic in others and even in ourselves? Why is this a good thing? As I contemplated this question earlier this week the main thing I kept coming back to was that ultimately it takes us outside of ourselves and takes us out of the limelight. If I am thankful it means that I am acknowledging that I am not the center of everything and the one who is sovereign over my life. When we exhibit thanks we are saying that we needed help from someone else. We are appreciating that we are not fulling in control of the things that we do.
And so with this in mind it is obvious why a huge part of the Christian way of viewing the world is a perspective of thanksgiving. We do not believe that we are autonomous beings but instead we live and move and have our being because of the one who has created us. For that truth alone we could make a case for living our lives in gratitude. The fact that we exist and are able to live is grounds for being thankful. But there is so much more that we have to be thankful for. We have family and friends who care for us. We have homes and many other possessions. We are blessed with vocations that provide for us and we have hobbies and activities that give us significant satisfaction. Every one of these things are not something that we have provided for ourselves but they are from the hand of God for he is the source of all things and without him none of these things would be possible, for they come to us from his mighty and benevolent hand.
And you’ve likely noticed that I have mentioned only those things that are in the category of God’s common or ordinary grace. These are things that can be appreciated by everyone for as we read in holy scripture even those outside of God’s saving grace experience the benefits of his creation. The rain does in fact fall on the just and the unjust. All of these gifts from the hand of God are excellent and should drive us to give thanks for what he has given us. But for us as his covenant people we have a greater reason to give thanks. He has given us the gift of forgiveness of sins and salvation in the Lord Jesus. We have be brought out of the kingdom of darkness and have come into the kingdom of light. We have had our unrighteousness taken from us and we have been giving the perfect righteousness of Jesus. And because we have been united to him in his death and resurrection we have the sure promise of eternal life. There is even more to this truth of God’s special grace. Because we are united to Jesus we also are united to one another and so we gather not here simply as people who have similar thoughts and ideas but we gather in this place as family and as a covenant community. And just as it was with the other things I mentioned none of these things that are a result of God’s special grace are possible apart from him. We did not earn forgiveness of sin, it comes to us as a gift. Our salvation from sin, death, hell, and the devil is not a reality for us because we have done something special or we are smarter than anyone else. Instead, it is a part of who we are because we heard the word of God and the Holy Spirit quickened faith in our hearts to believe the truth of the gospel. You and I did not contribute anything to our salvation other than the sin that made it necessary for us to be saved. This is why the Christian life is one of thanksgiving because it all comes to us not from our hands but from the mighty, gracious, and merciful hand of God.
And so we lift up our praises to God today for his abundant mercies and we are taking a look at 1 Thessalonians 5 today. As we think about this passage in light of our celebration of Thanksgiving I’m going to break the passage down into three words that will give us foundation for offering thanks and praise to God. And so here are the three big things I want us to take away today.
The first word I want us to focus on from this passage is respect. We know the importance of respect in general but it is an important part of this idea of thanksgiving that I have talking about. Respect shows how we are submitting to that which God has placed above and so it helps us to acknowledge the truth that you and I are not the beginning and end of what matters in our lives.
The second word is rejoice. That is a response of thanksgiving for the good that we see in our lives. We are to find joy in the things that God has given to us, regardless of the circumstances.
And the final word I want to draw out is faithful. And as we talk about this word we are going to be thinking about how the faithful nature of our God and savior leads us to live faithful lives as we serve him.
And so, as we come to these ideas in the text we find our first word today right away there in verse 12.
We see her that Paul calls us to respect those who labor among us and those who are over us. This might be something that we find easy to do at times and extremely difficult in other circumstances. When we are working with others and they don’t upset us too much we likely find respect an easy thing to do. If someone makes our work harder or perhaps if we are involved in some sort of a mishap caused by them we might not have much respect to give to others. This is particularly true of our superiors. But as we think about what Paul is asking us to do and as we think about this idea in light of the full view of scripture we should respect all people because they are fellow image bearers of God.
We respect others because God has made them and they have value because they are his creation. Of course, we can respect people more for things that they do but we must never forget that even those people that frustrate from time to time are made in the image of God. And this applies very deeply to the idea I was conveying as we started today. I am not the beginning and end of the world. Life does not revolve around me. When we respect others we are acknowledging this fact. We are realizing that God has placed them here in some way to bring glory to himself and he will continue to do so long after you and I are gone. Our respect of others says that we respect the authority and sovereign rule that God has over his creation. It is acknowledging that God is wiser than you and I can ever hope to be.
And as we think about the idea of respect in this passage even further we see a result that can come from this. Peace. When we respect others our interactions can be free from excessive conflict and we see in the things that Paul lists here that this doesn’t mean we just let everything slide, right? Even though he is saying there is to be peace, that doesn’t mean we don’t try to deal with issues that can come up. In fact, Paul’s list has the potential for some interesting interactions. Admonish the idle. Ever done that? How does that go over with most folks. Encourage the fainthearted. People who are discouraged often don’t like to be encouraged, do they? But what does Paul say “be patient with them all”. This is what Paul is calling us to do. Being patient and doing good to one another.
And so, we’ve seen how respect is an important part of our Christian walk and how it can help us to be thankful. Now, we move on to the word rejoice, which is the attitude and activity of thanksgiving that we are called to.
And Paul calls us to rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances. I came across a story this week that talks about being thankful in all circumstances.
Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull. Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence. The storming bull followed in hot pursuit, and it was soon apparent they wouldn't make it.
Terrified, the one shouted to the other, "Put up a prayer, John. We're in for it!"
John answered, "I can't. I've never made a public prayer in my life."
"But you must!" implored his companion. "The bull is catching up to us."
"All right," panted John, "I'll say the only prayer I know, the one my father used to repeat at the table: 'O Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful.'"
As that joke points out, it can be difficult to be thankful in every circumstance. While it is unlikely that most of us would be chased by a bull like that we do encounter circumstances in our lives that bear down on us and we don’t see any good in them. Trust me, this isn’t a feeling that the Apostle Paul understood. When he calls the church in Thessalonica to give thank in all circumstances and rejoice always they know he means it. This is a guy who has been persecuted for the faith. He has been shipwrecked. He has been beaten. Yet, Paul tells us to give thanks in all circumstances. This is a hard thing to do and it is a humbling thing when you find someone who is able to do that isn’t it. Hearing someone in the midst of sickness still able to give praise to God and thank him for his faithfulness is an amazing thing. I have had conversations with people in prison who thank God that they got caught because they believe God used prison to save their lives and bring them to faith in Christ to save their souls. We give thanks in all circumstances because we have a deep underlying conviction at the center of the Christian life. That conviction is that God works all things together for our good and his glory. That is a difficult thing to believe at times. Circumstances are often hard but it doesn’t change the truth that our gracious and merciful God is at work to do his perfect will. And that’s what Paul wants us to know. In the midst of the hard stuff it is God’s will for us and that is tough. Yet, whose wisdom are we called to trust in? Our own or the infinite wisdom of God. My view of things is short sighted, God’s view is infinitely wiser than ours.
And it is because of this that we can work to give thanks in all things. And it is important that we bring this back to the gospel. You and I would not have ever conceived that the execution of the sinless Son of God would bring about our salvation, yet the God who is infinitely wise did this on our behalf to pay the punishment for our sin and we receive eternal life because he rose again. The good news of the gospel calls us to not only be thankful for what God has done for us in Christ but it shows us that God is working all things together for the good of his people.
And as we look at the end of this passage that is really the point as we think on the last word, I want us to dwell on in this passage.
All of these attitudes that Paul is calling us to do is not on us. Paul isn’t saying to you and I do these things or else. Instead, they flow out of an understanding of who Jesus is and what he’s done. And we also see that when Paul says a blessing over the people reading this letter he has God as the primary actor in their spiritual growth.
Look at what it says here and I want to help us appreciate it by pointing out what it doesn’t say. After encouraging his readers to respect and rejoice Paul doesn’t say and now may you get to work and sanctify yourself. He doesn’t say that if you don’t do these things then God is going to take away some of the stuff you love. That isn’t at all what Paul believes about how you and I become holy. Instead, he trusts that God himself is going to sanctify you completely. He is at work in you through his Word and Spirit. When you are convicted of your failure in these areas in your own life it is the Spirit working in you and you hear the word of the gospel offering you forgiveness and you then move forward striving to conform your life to these ideals. God is at work in you when you hear the Word and the message of the gospel. Even when you might feel like it isn’t working the truth of this promise from God doesn’t change. When you feel as though you aren’t advancing keep hearing the word and trusting the Spirit because it isn’t about your faithfulness, it is about the faithfulness of God. Look what Paul has to say, he will surely do it. God has a plan and while we all progress in different ways, he will accomplish his good will. If you are in Christ you will one day stand before your God robed in the perfect righteousness of your savior. This is the promise of God and he will surely do it.
And so may we be a people of God who lives our lives in gratitude for the work of God in our lives. May God’s love for us call us to respect one another and may the news of the gospel cause us to rejoice. For he is faithful to the uttermost.
