Thankful? Grateful? 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Thanksgiving and Christmas are billed as the most wonderful time of the year! We’ve seen the television commercials of a crowded table filled with food and smiling family members enjoying one another’s company. For some, Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, will be exactly that, and families are looking forward to the month ahead with great expectation.
At the very same time, for many of us, Thanksgiving and Christmas can be the most painful and lonely time of the year. A nation-wide call to give thanks for an abundance of blessings seems to intensify the harsh realities that many have experienced during the year. Some of those who have had their hopes crushed and their hearts shattered by hardships wonder how they can give thanks at a time like this? I am so glad you are here, if you happen to be one of those people who has experienced great heartache, sorrow, and disappointment during the past year. I want to share something with you that has been so helpful to me during the hardest times of my life. I want to share a biblical truth with you that I’m certain will enable you to give thanks, to praise God, through the tears.
The key for you and me is to put our hope in the Lord and not in the outcome. Our natural tendency is to hope the Lord will fix our problems, get us out of every jam, and calm every storm. That is our natural tendency. The truth of the matter is, you don’t have to be a Christian to gravitate towards God during the hardships of life. Many people who have little to no belief in God will hope that God will fix their problems when they face the trials of life. When He does or doesn’t, they simply go back to being the person they were before their crisis. For you and me, we are not to fix our hearts on outcomes, but on the Lord. I ran across a great example of this during the week.
Tim Keller was a wonderful pastor, a brilliant mind who was able to engage our culture with the truth of God’s Word like very few people of our day. Tim was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in June of 2020. Most people who receive that diagnosis don’t live more than one year. Tim died on May 19, 2023, but the work that the Lord did in Tim’s life during those three years between his diagnosis and his death was remarkable. Tim continued to write books and speak, but he was different after his diagnosis. His diagnosis and certain death gave Tim a depth and vision of the faithfulness of God that was so inspiring. Tim wrote,
A person who gets a diagnosis of cancer will rightly put his relative hope in doctors and medical treatment, but his main dependence must be in God. He can have certainty that his plan and will for him is always good and perfect (Romans 8:28) and that the inevitable destiny is resurrection. If he puts his heart’s main hope in medicine, then an unfavorable report will be devastating. But if his heart’s main hope is in the Lord, he will be like a mountain that cannot be shaken or moved (Psalm 125:1). (Tim Keller)
This is exactly what I’m talking about when I say we are to put our hope in the Lord and not in outcomes, the outcomes that we desire. Earlier this week I was reading 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. I want us to spend our time this morning focusing on these three small, but powerful commands from Scripture and how we can apply them to our life. Read it with me.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV)
I’m certain that some will hear these words, written by Paul, and think, “No way! How can I rejoice after all I have been through this year?” If this is your mindset then I am so glad you are with us this morning. This is one of those opportunities for you and me to understand how God uses His Word through the work of His Holy Spirit to transform our way of thinking and living.
First, let’s remember the person who penned these words. Paul knew suffering. Suffering wasn’t an occasional experience for Paul. From the time he began serving Jesus, Paul suffered in many ways. He was run out of town, persecuted, and would eventually be beheaded for no other reason than his commitment to sharing the good news about Jesus with others. Paul wrote about some of the things he had been through when he wrote his second letter to the church in Corinth. Listen to him describe his experiences in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28.
23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. (2 Corinthians 11:23-28 NIV)
Paul had been through it and he was still going through it when he wrote to the people of Thessalonica: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
It is one thing to receive advice about giving thanks and having an attitude of gratitude from someone who has just hit the lottery. It’s a totally different thing to hear one who is familiar with suffering urging us to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Now, there is no doubt in my mind that you and I both want to follow the will of God for our lives, but the question is, “How? How can I rejoice, pray, and give thanks when I’m discouraged and overwhelmed by life’s problems?” That’s a great question! I’ve got some ideas I want to share with us that I believe can help us tremendously.
First, we need to be reminded that following Jesus and being conformed to God’s will can never happen if we rely on our feelings. We must rely on God’s truth and not our feelings. Have you noticed how our feelings cause us to focus solely on us? “My” and “I” come before everything and everyone else when we are trusting in our feelings to inform us.
Now, we all have feelings, we all feel “this way” or “that way” about the experiences we encounter in life, but we do not have to trust our feelings or allow our feelings to dictate our behavior and decision making in life. Many couples have divorced because they didn’t feel for their husband or wife like they once felt. All of us have made poor decisions at one time or another, or over and over again, because we allowed how we felt at the moment to direct our decision-making. If you are like me, you later regretted the decision you made and thought, “What was I thinking?” The answer is, “I wasn’t. I made a decision based on how I felt at the time.”
So, how do I stop allowing my feelings to dictate my behavior and decisions? You can’t get rid of feelings and neither should you try, but you can rein in your feelings, keep your feelings in check, with God’s truth. You can set your mind, fix your thoughts, on God’s truth found in God’s Word. Let me give you a couple of examples. Turn with me to Colossians 3:1-2.
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (Colossians 3:1-2 NIV)
If we are in Christ then we have been raised with Christ to a new life, we are no longer to live and think like we did before we came to know Jesus, before He took control of our lives. Therefore, we are now to “set our minds on the things above, not on earthly things.” We are to set our minds, fix our thoughts, on the truths of God and not on what we feel or think about anything in life. Let’s practice this for a moment.
Right now fear and anxiety are the order of the day for so many people. I admit, there are so many things going on that can make us fearful and so much for which you and I can be anxious about right now, if it weren’t for God’s truth to correct our thinking. What does God’s Word say to those of us who are fearful? Turn with me to Isaiah 41:13.
13 For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. (Isaiah 41:13 NIV)
What greater comfort could there ever be than to hear the God of glory, the Omnipotent God who possesses all power say to us, “Do not fear; I will help you.” What is it that has you fearful right now? Name it. Speak it out loud. Now, hear the Lord say to you, “Do not fear; I will help you.”
Oh, there are so many verses I could share with you, the truths of God hidden in plain sight in His Word, to help you and me when we are fearful, but I’ll share only one more at this time. Turn with me to Psalm 34:4.
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4 NIV)
Did you notice what David said? He said, “he delivered me from all my fears.” It’s not like David was never fearful. I’m certain he was frightened many times during his life, but when fear came knocking at the door of his heart, David knew what to do: He ran to God each time fear would come knocking and the Lord delivered him from them all. Oh, that’s good stuff!
You and I have resources that this world knows nothing about. We have the Word of God, the promises of God, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit who takes God’s Word and brings it to mind, nudges us to try it and apply it, and strengthens us to stand on the promises of God.
Let’s review step one: You and I will never follow Jesus and walk in God’s will if we trust in our feelings, we must stand on God’s truth. Let’s move on to step two: You and I can’t follow the crowd if we want to follow God’s will for our lives. Turn to Romans 12:2 and let’s read together.
2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2 NIV)
Every generation of parents talks to their kids about not giving in to peer pressure. All of us who are parents know from firsthand experience that giving in to peer pressure can lead to disastrous results and therefore we don’t want our kids to make the same mistakes that we made. Paul tells believers of all ages, “Don’t conform to the world! Don’t do life like the world does life!”
J.B. Phillips was a minister in London during the 1900s. He translated the New Testament into modern English and his translation is still a big seller today. I love his translation of this same verse.
Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity. (Romans 12:2 JB Philliips Translation)
“Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within…” I love that, but how does God “re-mould” our minds? He works through His Word and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. God’s Word tells us that it is a “lamp to our feet and a light to our path” (Psalm 119:105). Ezekiel said God’s Word was “like sweetness to his mouth” (Ezekiel 3:3). The writer of Hebrews said God’s Word is a surgeon’s scalpel revealing the true thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
The problem we have is that we, the followers of Jesus, don’t know God’s Word. We spend more time scrolling through Facebook and Instagram than we do turning the pages of God’s Word. We know far more about the trades the Thunder made during the offseason than we do the truths of God’s Word. The result is twofold: First, we follow the ways of the world, we act just like the people of the world act and we think just like the people of the world think. Second, the Holy Spirit has nothing to work with in our lives because we don’t know the Word of God. Let’s use our Scripture for today as an example of what I’m talking about. Paul wrote,
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV)
If you know this verse, then when the difficult days of life come your way, the Holy Spirit will reach into your heart and mind and pull out God’s Word to counsel you in the midst of your hardship. Rejoice! Pray! Give thanks in all circumstances! Paul doesn’t say “give thanks for all circumstances,” but “give thanks in all circumstances.”
If you and I will trust God’s truth instead of trusting our feelings and if we will refuse to get caught up in following the crowd, the ways of the world, then we can begin to walk in God’s will for our lives. When we begin to walk in God’s will then we will see gratitude and a thank-filled heart begin to emerge and blossom in our lives regardless of what circumstances we find ourselves in.
I love the prophet Habakkuk. Habakkuk was really troubled by what he saw taking place in the world around him. He wanted God to do something and then, when God told Habakkuk what he was doing, Habakkuk was even more confused and perplexed. Eventually, Habakkuk came to the place where he realized that God was to be worshiped because He was God and not because He did what Habakkuk wanted. Habakkuk then wrote,
17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights... (Habakkuk 3:17-19 NIV)
If the problem that is paralyzing me never changes, if my marriage never gets any better, if the loneliness I feel at the loss of my loved one never goes away, if my child never gets clean and sober...you fill in the blank with your heartache. If the outcome I desire never comes about…will we choose to rejoice in the LORD? Will we choose to be joyful in God our Savior? Can you give thanks, not for your circumstance, but in your circumstance this morning? It has been a tough year no doubt, but can you give thanks this morning? Can you take out a piece of paper and write down what you are most thankful for at this time? I want to encourage you to do that and to place, at the top of your list, the faithfulness, mercy, and steadfastness of the Lord. Though our lives and circumstances will be forever changing, He is unchanging.
The man or woman who knows Jesus and knows the love of Jesus can see light in the midst of utter darkness. The man or woman who knows Jesus and knows the mercies of Jesus can give thanks even in the midst of brokenness and sorrow. We, you and me, the followers of Jesus have so many reasons to give thanks, to praise Him for His saving grace, His endless mercy, and His unending faithfulness.
I’m sure you have probably never heard the name Martin Rinkart since he lived 400 years ago. You need to hear his story because Martin was a man who knew how to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in all circumstances. From the time Martin was a kid, he wanted to be a pastor. He went to school, did his studies in theology, and folks from his hometown of Eilenburg, Saxony, what is now Germany, invited him to come home and be their pastor. The invitation went out and Martin accepted the call to pastor. Martin began his ministry one year before the Thirty Years War broke out in Europe in 1618. The war, which lasted 30 years, took the lives of 8 million Germans. Martin was 31 years old at the time the war began.
Eilenburg was a walled city and when the war broke out thousands of Germans rushed to the city for their safety. Overnight the city was overcrowded which caused food shortages. People literally were fighting in the streets over dead cows, cats, and birds. Along with war and a crippling famine, a plague hit the town in 1637 that wiped out 8,000 people in one year. Martin and three other pastors began holding ten or more funerals a day. One of the pastors left the city and the other two died of the plague. Martin was left alone to care for the sick and dying. Martin began burying up to 50 people a day, including his own wife. History shows that by the time it was over Martin had conducted nearly 4,500 funerals.
Martin did everything he could to care for the people of Eilenburg, to get food to those who were hungry, to care for those who had lost loved ones, and continue to share God’s Word and God’s love. He gave away nearly everything he had to the poor and needy, so much so that he could barely clothe and feed his own children.
The Thirty Years War ended in 1648 and when it ended Martin was still in Eilenburg, worn out, wrung out, but faithfully serving the Lord and His people just as he had done for the past 30 years filled with hunger, death, and heartache. Martin died just fourteen months after the war ended, but he has left for us an incredible testimony of the grateful heart that sustained him throughout his life of serving the Lord. Martin wrote a song for his kids to sing at the dinner table to remind them to always give thanks to God. The song is called, “Nun Danket Alle Gott,” or in English, “Now Thank We All Our God.” It was the theme of Martin’s life through war, famine, disease, and death--and it should be the theme of ours as well. I want us to listen to this song and then we will close our time together.
(Play video)
“Now thank we all our God” through thirty years of war, famine, plagues, suffering, 4,500 funerals including his own wife, and who knows what else Martin had to endure. Martin chose to thank God, to praise God, through tears, heartache, and sorrow.
Now thank we all our God, with hearts and hands and voices; who wondrous things hath done, in whom His world rejoices; who from our mother’s arms hath blessed us on our way, with countless gifts of love and still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us; with ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us; and keep us in His grace and guide us when perplexed, and free us from all ills in this world and the next.
Some of us have had a tough year, a painful year, but God is good. He is so good. Rejoice. Pray. Give thanks in all circumstances. Give thanks for His grace. Give thanks that He has opened your eyes and stirred your heart so that you might know your need for Jesus. Rejoice that His sustaining, loving Hand has kept you through the tears and heartache. Rejoice that He will never leave you or forsake you. You can rejoice through tears because the One who sees your suffering is more than familiar with suffering and He is with you. Give thanks for this day that is a gift from His gracious hands. Give thanks for those He has directed into your life who love you, who take time to care for you. Give thanks for the trials and hardships that He has brought you through. Rejoice. Pray. Give thanks in all circumstances.
Mike Hays
Britton Christian Church
922 NW 91st
OKC, OK. 73114
November 24, 2024
