Thanks For Everything

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING

Steve W. Reeves

steve@wschurch.net

stevesermons.blogspot.com

 

INTRODUCTION:

A. Is your life characterized by grumbling or gratitude?

    1. It is easy to grumble because there is plenty to grble about.  

    2. We’re like the farmer who had three pigs. One died. He went around the next day
        saying, “All my pigs died last night except two.”
    3. We often see the glass as “half-empty” rather than “half-full.”
    4. We grumble. Our friends grumble. Our families grumble.
        a. Grumble. Grumble. Grumble.
        b. A few years ago Joshua Rothman wrote an article in The New Yorker in
            which he said, “Given its omnipresence, it’s tempting to say that grumbling may
            be the quintessential modern speech act.”
B. Grumbling is as old as the record of Scripture.
     1.  Adam grumbled about his wife. “She made me eat.”
     2. Cain grumbled about his brother, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
     3. Joseph’s brothers grumbled against him because of the favor he was shown by
        their father Jacob.
    4. The people of Israel grumbled against Moses. Even his wife and brother grumbled
        against him.
    5. It is no wonder Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 10:10 – “Nor grumble, as some of them did,
        and were destroyed by the destroyer.”
C. There is an antidote for grumbling. The antidote is part of God’s expressed will for
    our lives.
    1. God’s will is for us to be saved (2 Peter 3:9).
    2. God’s will is for us to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:19).
    3. God’s will is for us to be sanctified and abstain from sexual immorality (1
        Thessalonians 4:3-4).
    4. God’s will is also expressly stated in 1 Thessalonians’ 5:18, “In everything give
        thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
D. In looking at this sentence there are three distinct parts that deserve our
    consideration.
 
I. THE INSTRUCTION
    A. The command of this verse is to A”give thanks.” Paul was certainly not the first
        Biblical writer to provide this instruction.  
        1. In Psalm 17:7 David wrote, “I will give thanks to the Lord according to His
            righteousness And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.”
          2. Psalm 92:1-2 – “It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your
            name, O Most High. ² To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your
           faithfulness by night,”
        3. The words “thanks” and “thanksgiving” are found a total of 79 times in the book
            of Psalms
        4. Jesus expressed thanks to His Father.
            a. In Matthew 15:36 when He fed the crowd with the loaves and fish He first
                gave thanks before distributing it to the people. 
            b. When He ate the Passover meal with His disciples and instituted the Lord’s
                supper he took the bread and the cup and gave thanks for them.
        5. In Acts 27:35 Paul broke bread and gave thanks as he shared it with his
             shipmates on the voyage to Rome.
        6. As Paul wrote to various churches and individuals giving thanks to God was
            never far from hiss mind.  
            a. In Ephesians 5:19-20 he wrote, “Speaking to one another in psalms and
                hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the
                Lord; ²⁰ always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus
                Christ to God, even the Father.”
            b. In Colossians 3:17 he wrote, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the
                name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”       
    B. Why does Scripture record so many instances and instructions about giving
        thanks?       
        1. There is a profound reason. Everything we have comes from God. According to
            Acts 17:28, “For in Him we live and move and have our being.”
        2. There is a practical reason. A thankful spirit will make a huge difference in your
            life. A recent study done by the University of California San Diego School of
            Medicine suggests that people who are grateful have better heart health, less
            depression and less fatigue. Other scientific studies suggest that thankfulness
            can even strengthen the bodies immune system. People who are thankful
            experience less stress, lower anxiety and an overall improvement in their
            mental, emotional and physical health.                
 
II. THE INCLUSION
    A. When should we be thankful? Carefully notice that Paul said, “In everything give
        thanks.” 
        1. Obviously, we are not thankful “for” everything. However, we can be thankful “in”
            everything.
        2. Job was not thankful for losing his riches, family and health. In the midst of his
            trial he was thankful that God was still in control.
    B. God does not always calm the storm. He does calm us in the mist of the storm.
        This is what enables us to be thankful in every situation. 
        1. In 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 Paul spoke of his own experience regarding a difficult
            situation he had encountered. “Because of the surpassing greatness of the
            revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me
            a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from
            exalting myself! ⁸ Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might
            leave me. ⁹ And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is
            perfected in weakness.”      
            a. Amid the speculation about Paul’s thorn in the flesh come the realization that
                whatever it was, it was a hindrance to him.
            b. The effect of this was a deeper realization of God’s grace.
        2. Joseph’s betrayal by his brothers was intended to be an evil thing for which we
            certainly would not be thankful. However, Joseph understood that “God meant it
            for good” (Genesis 50:20).
        3. The painful torture and excruciating pain Jesus endured at his crucifixion was
            terrible. It was a horrendous form of torture and execution. Yet, in that act God’s
            plan of salvation was fulfilled and we are thankful.
    C. “ For every hill I’ve had to climb. For every stone that bruised my feet, For all the
        blood and sweat and grime, For blinding storms and burning heat My heart sings
        but a grateful song— These were the things that made me strong!
         For all the heartaches and the tears,  For all the anguish and the pain, For gloomy
        days and fruitless years, And for the hopes that lived in vain,  I do give thanks, for
        now I know These were the things that helped me grow!
        'Tis not the softer things of life Which stimulate man's will to strive; But bleak
        adversity and strife Do most to keep man's will alive. O'er rose-strewn paths the
        weaklings creep, But brave hearts dare to climb the steep.” -  L. E. Thayer

II. THE INSPIRATION
    A. What is the inspiration or motivation for giving thanks in every situation? Paul says,
        simply, “This is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”
        1. God’s will for our life is not complicated.
        2. I am grateful for scholars who help us understand the context and background of
            Scripture. The beauty of the Bible is that God’s will is presented in such a way
            that you do not have to have an M.Div. or a Ph.D. to understand it.
    B. This command is one that affects everything we do. However, it also one that we
        cqan do something about right how.
        1. If you have been characterized more by grumbling than by gratitude you can
            change,. You can change right now.
        2. If you have allowed the difficulties of life to become burdensome and
            discouraging you can cast a new light on them with an attitude of gratitude.
 
CONCLUSION::
A. Every difficulty you experience in your life brings an opportunity.
    1. We can allow that difficulty to make us bitterl
    2. We can use the difficulty to make us better. The way we become better is by
        following the will of God and being thankful in every situation.      
B. When Habakkuk was faced with uncertain days and troubled times he wrote, .

    ^:”Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines,
   Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food,
   Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls,
   ¹⁸ Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
   ¹⁹ The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,    And   

    makes me walk on my high places.
 
l you come to Christ today w

Be Filled With The Spirit

Be Filled With The Spirit

Steve W. Reeves

steve@wschurch.net

stevesermons.blogspot.com

 

INTRODUCTTION:

A. Have you ever received a syllabus for a class you are taking?
    1. A syllabus usually contains a description of the course along with the requirements
        for the course.
    2. Let me share the lyrics to a song I found on “YouTube.” The song is called “it’s in
        Your Syllabus” sung to the tune “Just The Two of Us.”
 
“I passed the students in the hall, there are things they can’t recall. It’s conversation Deja – u.  What’s the textbook, when’s the quiz, can you tell me what this is, how do I get in touch ith you?  It’s in you syllabus, you can find it if you try, itt’s in your syllabus, between just the wo of us.  
What happens if I’m late for class, what do I have to do to pass, when is the first assignment ue?  If I miss a quiz, what then? Can I make it up again, Do you give extra credit too? I hope his good advice you’ll heed, pick up your syllabus from me, Take up the fight, go ndeterred. And if you say you didn’t find, , then I’ll be quick to just remind, I wrote every singe word,. It’s in your syllabus. You can find it if you try, it’s in your syllabus, just between the tw of us.”
 
B. Have you ever looked upon the Bible as a syllabus for life?
    1. It describes the course.
    2. It tells you about the requirements.
    3. It promises a final exam.
C. In Ephesians 5:15-17 Paul wrote a syllabus for life, “Be careful how you walk, not as
    unwise men but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
    ¹⁷ So then do not be foolish, (simple minded or stupid) but understand what the will of
    the Lord is.”
    1. Verse 18 continues, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but
            be filled with the Spirit,”
    2. In many of the pagan religions of Paul’s day the drinking of wine to excess, (i.e.
        becoming drunk), was part of their religigous ritual. They thought by losing control
        of themselves and engaging in drunken, sexual behavior, they would transcend
        the body and have communion with their deities.  
        a. The result was that wine had control over them.
        b. There are many things that can control a person’s life. It may be wine or sex. It
             may also be pride, haughtiness, arrogance, prejudice or power.
    3. God’s syllabus requires that we be “filled with the Spirit.”
        a. The verb “be filled” is a present, passive imperative. What does this
           mean? 
        b. Present tense – it is an ongoing action as opposed to one time event.
       b. Passive voice – it is dependent on the action of another.
       c. Imperative – it is a command, not a suggestion.
    4. What was Paul saying? God’s will is that we allow Him to be the one who controls
        our life.
D. What are the practical, daily results of being “filled with the Spirit?”  
 
I. RIGHT ATTITUDES
    A. In verses 19 and 20 Paul wrote, “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns
        and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
        ²⁰ always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God,
        even the Father.”
    B. Is your life filled with praise or problems?
        1. Two little boys were involved in an experiment about attitudes. One little boy
            who was always whining and complaining was put in a room filled with toys.
            Another little boy who has always happy was put in a barn full of manure. After
            an hour the boy in the room with toys was crying because he had played with all
            of them. The boy in the barn was having the time of his life. “He excitedly said,
            “there has to be a pony around here somewhere.”             
        2. Some people are always talking about “what’s wrong” with their life, their job,
            school, church or the government.
        3. Other people refuse to complain. They sing, “Praise God from whom all
            blessings flow.”
       3. Does your joy come from Christ or circumstances?  If your joy comes from your
            circumstances anything can take it away. If your joy
          comes from the Holy Spirit nothing can take it away. The joy in our heart will
           overflow in praise and gratitude.
    C. The Spirit-filled life is also filled with thanksgiving.
       1. H.A. Ironside (1876-1951) was a well-known preacher and scholar during the first
           half of the 20^th century. On one occasion he was eating at a restaurant and
           paused to give thanks for his food. The man he was with said, “I earn my own
           money and buy my own food. I don’t give thanks to anybody or anything.”
           Ironside replied, “Just like my dog.”
       2. Lives fiilled with the Spirit overflow with gratitude.
 
II. RIGHT RELATIONSHIPS
    A. Paul gives three relational areas in which Spirit filled living is manifested.
       1. Relationships within the church (body of Christ).
           a. Vs. 21 – “And be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”
           b. Ephesians was a corporate letters written to a body of believers. The church
               is not about ”me.” It is about “one another.”
        2. How do we move from selfishness to submission and service?   
            a. Ask yourself, “What is the character of God? Was Jesus filled with selfishness
                or was He a servant? Consider John 13: when he wshed the feet of the
                disciples. Read Matthew 20:26-28 where He said, “The Son of man did not
                come to be served but to serve and give His life.”
            b. If we are filled with the Spirit what type of person will be be in our
                relationships?
    B. This is a “game-changer.”
        1. It affects our families (Ephesians 5:22-33).
            a. Wives submit to husbands.
            b. Husbands love their wives as Christ loved the church.
        2. A famous surgeon often had other surgeons come to watch him perform
            surgery. After one particularly difficult procedure a visiting doctor asked, “Why
            did you put twice as many stitches as were required.” The surgeon smiled and
            said, “Tonight, I will relive this surgery and think of every move I made. I will
            wonder, “Will those stitches hold?” I will remember that I put for the effort to put
            in twice as many as required. I will turn off my light, go to bed and go to sleep.
            Those extra stitches are my sleeping stitches.”.
        2. Being filled with the Spirit will make a huge difference in our relationships.
 
CONCLUSION:
A. It is beneficial for a student to check their syllabus periodically to see if they are
   meeting the requirements of the course.
B. As you look at God’s syllabus for living how are you doing?
    1. Have you been missing class?
    2. Have you been passing the tests?
    3. If the final exam were held today would you be prepared?
B. Jesus is the great teacher. He welcomes you to His classroom and has bicen His
 od to write your name on His

God's Will For Your Life

 

vestigating God #13

GOD’S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE

Steve W. Reeves

steve@wschurch.net

seversermons.blogspot.com

 

INTRODUCTION:

A. One evening when I was a student in college I saw a friend from high school in the
    library. She and I had grown up in the same church and had known each other for a
    long time. As we talked she asked me a question I’ve never forgotten. “How can I
    know what God’s will is for my life?”
    1. Some of you who are students may be asking that question today.
    2. It is not only students who ask that question. It is pertinent to all of us regardless of
        age, gender, ethnicity or status of life.
B. The desire to know God’s will is as old as time itself.
    1. The Psalmist wrote, “Teach me to do your will for you are my God” (Psalm 143:10).     
    2. Jesus was insistent of doing His Father’s will.
        a. In John 5:30 He said, ““I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge;
            and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him    
            who sent Me.”
        b. During his garden prayer the night before the crucifixion Jesus prayed, “My
            Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You
            will” (Matthew 26:39; Luke 22:42).
        c. Jesus taught His disciples to seek God’s will in prayer. In the model prayer of
            Matthew 6:10ff, He prayed, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  
    3. The apostles diligently sought to understand the will of God.
        a. In Romans 12:2 Paul wrote, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be
            transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will
            of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
        b. To the Ephesians Paul wrote, “not as man pleasers but as servants of Christ
            doing the will of God” (Ephesians 6:6).
        c. In Colossians 4:12 he expressed his desire that those Christians might, “stand
            perfect and complete in the will of God.”
    3. In light of the words of Jesus and Paul it is not unreasonable to say that a person
        who has no interest in doing God’s will can in no way be called a disciple of Jesus
        Christ.
C. What is God’s will for you? You do not have to guess.
    1. My college friend in the library was convinced God was giving her a sign to go to
        Russia. We had recently had a chapel speaker who had gone to Russia. In her
        study at the library she had run across material about Russia. It seemed that she
        couldn’t get Russia off of her mind. Was this God giving her a sign?
        a. I’ve heard of people who claim to have seen signs from God in everything from
            the reflection of a cross in a storm door (Wynne, Arkansas) to a Mexican woman
            who claimed she had seen the Virgin Mary in a scorched tortilla. 
        b. In Old Testament times God did use signs to lead and guide people. You might
            recall the pillar of cloud and fire that led the Israelites out of Egypt, the fleece
            that confirmed God’s commission to Gideon, or the signs that accompanied the
            ministry of Jesus. All of these pointed to something greater – that was the
            completed word of God.
    2. In Romans 10:17 the Bible says, “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word
        of God.”
    3. God’s will is revealed for us in Scripture. In the movie, “Apollo 13” there is a scene
        when the flight director admonishes his engineers after the spacecraft had suffered
        a debilitating explosion, “Let’s get it right people. We don’t need to be guessing.”
        You and I do not have to guess about the will of God.
    4. By examining Scripture we can understand the will of God for our life. This
        understanding begins with God’s greatest desire – our salvation.
 
I. SALVATION IS WHAT EVERYONE NEEDS
    A. What do we mean by “salvation?”  What does it mean to be saved or lost? 
        1. As I use the term “lost” in this message I am referring to being separated from
            God because of sin. 
           a. This is not a matter of subjective opinion. The Bible clearly teaches the
                tragedy of sin and the heartbreak of being lost.
           b. In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus spoke of two roads a person can travel in life. “Enter
               through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to
               destruction, and there are many who enter through it. ¹⁴ For the gate is small
               and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
           c. Later, in Matthew 7:21-23 - “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will
               enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in
               heaven will enter. ²² Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not
               prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your
               name perform many miracles?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew
               you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
           d. In John 5:28-29 Jesus said, “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in
               which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, ²⁹ and will come forth;
               those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed
               the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”
           e. Jesus proclaimed a truth that is revealed throughout the Bible. There is a  
               way of life and a way of death. There is a way of blessing and a way of
               condemnation. In Mark 16:16 he said, “He who has believed and has been
               baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”
       2. When we use the term “saved,” we’re talking about a person whose sins have
           been forgiven. A person who has been reconciled to God through the sacrifice of
           Jesus on the cross.
            a. It was for the forgiveness of our sins and our reconciliation with God that
                Jesus came to earth, lived a sinless life and was offered as an atoning
                sacrifice on the cross. In his resurrection He overcame death once and for all,
                and he offers us eternal life.
           b. In John 3:16-17 Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His
               only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have
               eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world,
               but that the world might be saved through Him.”
    B. To fully appreciate the difference between being saved and lost consider what
        Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:7 – “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the
        forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”
        1. Redemption means to release or set free.
        2. A missionary in Africa asked one of the local men how he would define the word
            “redemption.” The man said, “releasing the head.” He went on to describe how
            centuries ago native Africans would be enslaved with heavy iron collars placed
            around their necks. As they were taken through the countryside and villages on
            their way to the slave ships, a village chief might see someone he knew and buy
            their freedom with ivory or gold. Their head would be released from the heavy
            iron collar.
        3. The blood of Christ is the price God has paid for our lives to be released from
            the shackles of sin.
        3. Peter wrote, “Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like
            silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, ¹⁹ but
            with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of
            Christ.”
 
II. SALVATION IS WHAT GOD DESIRES FOR EVERY PERSON
    A. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:3, “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
        Savior, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the    
        truth.”
       1. This is the one thing that God wants for you more than anything. He wants you to
            be saved.
        2. Someone says, “God just wants me to be happy.”
            a. God is not opposed to happiness. However, happiness is here one minute
                and gone the next.
            b. God is far more concerned about your eternal well-being than He is your
                temporary happiness. Whenever God challenges you with something hard He
                has something good planned for you.
    B. In 2 Peter 3, Peter reminded his readers how God had brought judgment upon the
        ancient world in the days of Noah by the waters of the flood. Then he told them of
        another judgment that would come. This one would be a judgment of fire.
        1. Notice verse 9, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count
            slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to
            come to repentance.”
        2. Think of the vilest person you can imagine. God’s desire is for that person to
            turn away from sin and turn to Him that they might be saved; He wants them to
            confess faith in Christ and be baptized into Him. His forgiveness is absolutely
            full and complete.
    C. In Matthew 18:12-14 Jesus said, “¹² “If a man has a hundred sheep but one of the
        sheep gets lost, he will leave the other ninety-nine on the hill and go to look for the
        lost sheep. ¹³ I tell you the truth, if he finds it he is happier about that one sheep
        than about the ninety-nine that were never lost. ¹⁴ In the same way, your Father in
        heaven does not want any of these little children to be lost.”
        1. Though Jesus addressed “little children,” the principle is true for all of us.
        2. Can you imagine how much God wants you to be saved?  Look at the
            outstretched arms of His Son on the cross. That’s how much.
 
  III. SALVATION IS DEPENDANT ON OUR CHOICE
    A. There are two choices made the process of salvation.
        1. The first is God’s choice. God did not choose some arbitrarily and neglect
            others. He chose to save all who came to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ.
        2. The second choice is the one you make. You are the one who must choose
            whether or not you will accept the grace of God that has been extended to you.
    B. Imagine a man being caught in a flood. As the water surrounds his house
        someone comes by to rescue him in a four-wheel drive truck. He refuses the offer.
        As the water continues to rise he is forced to the second floor. Someone comes by
        in a boat to rescue him. He refuses. Ultimately, he is forced to the roof. A
        helicopter pilot sees him and lowers a basket for him to get in and be saved. He
        refuses. At judgment he complains to God, “I don’t understand why you let me
        drown?” God said, “I sent you a truck, a boat and a helicopter. You refused all of
        them.”
 
CONCLUSION:
A. There are some things about God’s will for your life I do not know.
B. I do know, beyond any doubt, that God loves you more than you can comprehend
  and His ultimate will is for you to be saved. That is why He sent Jesus. Will you    
  respond to Him today in faith, repentance and baptism. If you have forsaken Him will
  you come home. Why not now?