THANKS FOR EVERYTHING
Steve W. Reeves
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. 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
l you come to Christ today w
