Choose Gratitude

Father, your son has told us that there's many different ways that your word can come to us,

that some of us people, we can be like shallow ground.

Some can be ground with lots of weeds and thorns.

And some of us, Father, can be good soil.

Some of us can be so hard that your word makes no impression whatsoever.

Father, you know our hearts and you know our minds and you know our wills.

And we ask, Father, that knowing us as you do and knowing that you still love us,

Father, in your mercy and in your kindness, would you so pour out your Holy Spirit upon us this morning

that we will be good soil, that your word will enter deep within our lives,

deep within our minds and hearts and wills,

and that as your word comes into us, that it will bear much fruit for your glory.

This we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Amen. Please be seated.

Just as a bit of an aside,

this Sunday in the blog, which is in your bulletin,

I talk a little bit about the Catholic Church and what the Creed means,

and over the next few weeks, different parts of the Creed in particular.

I'm going to talk about the Church again next week,

and then I'm going to talk about what it means by remission of sins and all that.

But if you have any questions, just send me an email,

and over the next few weeks as I write my weekly blog, I'll try to answer your questions.

Please take your Bible and turn in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5,

1 Thessalonians 5 · chapter mention

and we're sort of in the middle of a teaching series on practical discipleship.

And so we're taking a series of different commands in the Bible that are practical,

and we're looking at one each week.

And so it's 1 Thessalonians 5 verses 9,

1 Thessalonians 5:9

and we're going to read down to verse 18,

because verse 18 is the text that I'm going to speak on.

We're going to look at together this morning.

And 1 Thessalonians 5, if you've forgotten your Bibles,

there's always some Bibles up here at the front, and you're welcome to have them.

Here's how the text goes.

For God has not destined us for wrath,

but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

who died for us,

so that whether we are awake or asleep, we might live with him.

Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up,

just as you are doing.

We ask you, brothers and sisters,

to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord,

and admonish you,

and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

Be at peace among yourselves.

And we urge you, brothers and sisters,

admonish the disorderly,

encourage the faint-hearted,

help the weak,

be patient with them all,

see that no one repays anyone evil for evil,

but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

Rejoice always,

pray without ceasing,

give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

And the text we're going to examine together today is,

give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

On Thursday,

I went to my daughter Emma's high school graduation ceremony.

If you're a guest here,

I have nine kids.

Emma's my eighth child,

so it was my eighth high school graduation ceremony.

And, you know,

it's astounding.

I don't know if,

like,

like,

my oldest son,

my oldest child,

I don't know,

like,

if he just is,

like,

really inferior to Emma and her class,

but every single time we go to a high school graduation,

they always tell them that you are the kindest,

smartest,

most gifted,

you know,

on and on and on class.

That,

I mean,

the principal,

the presenters,

they always say that every year.

So I don't know if that means that,

like,

my son was up here,

and they just,

every generation just keeps getting better.

And I don't know,

before long,

they'll all be like,

I don't know,

like,

my grandkids will be like gods and goddesses.

I don't know what's going on.

But every,

every year,

they're always told the same thing.

I,

I said the same thing at the eight o'clock service,

and a man who was going out of the service said,

you know what,

I went to my daughter's high school graduation,

and it's not yours.

And they told my daughter that her class was the best,

and brightest,

and smartest.

So I don't,

you know,

he didn't know what was going on.

Now,

I'm not going to make fun of high school graduations,

and it's definitely better that they say nice things like that

than mean things.

True story.

When I was in my rural parish,

there was a neighboring church,

a few kilometers away,

and the minister had been away on holidays,

and he'd been away for,

like,

for quite a few weeks,

all on the same,

he went to one cottage,

and he went to the same church the whole time.

And when he came back on,

the first Sunday he came back in his sermon,

he said,

gosh,

you guys are such a lousy congregation.

Like,

where I was before,

they give more money,

they work harder,

they keep the church nicer,

they love Jesus more,

they come to the prayer meetings,

and he went on and on and on,

and the sermon ended,

and the whole congregation,

I'm not making this up,

the whole congregation got up and walked out.

Didn't come back.

So,

you know,

it's much better at high school graduations

that they say nice things than bad things.

Okay?

I mean,

they shouldn't really say,

the principal shouldn't say,

I've been a principal for 25 years,

you're the worst class that I've ever,

I've had more problems,

headaches,

sleepless nights with you than anybody else.

He shouldn't say that,

even if it was true.

However,

here's the thing,

at a high school graduation ceremony,

they'll always as well say all these things like,

reach the stars,

you know,

whatever you can do,

do it with all your might,

you know,

and,

you know,

be thankful,

be kind.

In fact,

actually,

if you put up the Bible verse,

you put up the Bible verse,

Andrew,

other than this little bit,

just say it with me,

give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

In fact,

often in ceremonies like that,

they'll actually say something like,

give thanks in all circumstances,

because it'll make you happier,

wiser,

more successful,

more fit,

better looking,

shinier teeth,

I mean,

they don't say all those things,

but you know what I mean.

And they'll often say things like that,

and often in churches and stuff,

when they have a sermon about giving thanks,

it often ends up sounding a little bit like it's a high school graduation ceremony,

that,

you know,

just give thanks,

give thanks,

give thanks,

give thanks,

give thanks,

but here's the problem with that.

The problem is Jesus.

Jesus throws a monkey wrench into all of this talk about give thanks,

and give thanks,

and giving thanks is good for you,

and giving thanks will make you more successful.

Here's the problem.

Jesus throws a huge monkey wrench into that whole way of interpreting give thanks in all circumstances.

You don't believe me?

Turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 18.

Luke 18 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 18.

Luke 18 · chapter mention

And we're going to look at verse 10 and following and see what Jesus says here.

Luke chapter 18,

Luke 18 · chapter mention

beginning at verse 10.

Luke 18,

Luke 18:10

verse 10.

And if you don't have your Bible,

and if you don't have your Bible,

and if you don't have your Bible,

you can just listen as I read.

Jesus is talking.

He says,

two men went up into the temple to pray,

one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

The Pharisee standing by himself prayed thus,

God,

I thank you

that I am not like other men,

extortioners,

unjust,

adulterers,

or even like this tax collector.

I fast twice a week.

I give tithes of all that I get.

But the tax collector standing far off,

notice he's not going to be thankful at all.

The tax collector standing far off would not even lift up his eyes to heaven,

but beat his breast saying,

God,

be merciful to me,

a sinner.

And Jesus says,

I tell you,

this man,

the tax collector,

went down to his house justified rather than the other.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,

but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

So here's the first thing.

Andrew,

if you could put it up.

Sometimes being thankful shows that we are very far from God.

Sometimes being thankful shows we are very far from God.

I'm going to have a different number.

Like I'm going to have a variety of points up here,

but in some ways,

this is like the thing I'm going to try to show you a little bit about how to

understand that when the Bible text says to give thanks in all circumstances,

that we have to try to understand it in a biblical way so we can put it into

in practice in a biblical way.

And the first thing is that while being thankful is,

good in a right,

in a certain context,

Jesus shows us and tells us that sometimes being thankful shows we are very

far from God.

Put the scripture text up again,

Andrew.

And by the way,

if you want these points,

they'll be on the webpage on Monday if you can't write them down quick enough.

But say this text with me together.

Say it with me.

Give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Now,

here's the other problem that we have with this text is,

I don't know how many people there are here,

a hundred people.

I don't know what the number is.

I'll figure it out later.

Chances are that some of you are very sad.

Some of you are probably depressed.

Some of you are probably depressed.

Some of you probably feel very empty.

Some of you are struggling with loneliness.

Some of you are struggling with financial problems.

Some of you are all of the above.

And you know,

you hear a Bible text like,

give thanks in all circumstances.

And you think to yourself,

if you think to yourself,

I came into the church depressed.

Now I feel worse.

Because I don't feel thankful at all.

And I don't feel thankful,

and it's hard for me.

And now the Bible tells me

that it's God's will for me to be thankful,

and I don't feel thankful at all.

And inside,

you're saying,

George,

if you knew the financial problems,

if you knew the pain

that I was struggling with right now in my body,

if you knew the constant pain I had,

if God knew that,

he wouldn't say that I should be giving thanks

in all circumstances.

I feel completely and utterly unthankful.

Well,

here's the thing

about hearing this Bible text.

If

the first thing is

to try to tell us that

it's not,

the Bible's not telling us to be like

a boosterism,

like just,

you know,

give thanks,

give thanks,

give thanks,

and it's a key to success.

If that's not what the Bible's saying,

the Bible's also doing something else,

saying something else

which is often missed by Christians.

If you could put the next point up,

Andrew,

it's saying this,

the Bible is not telling me

to feel thankful.

The Bible is not telling me

to feel thankful.

All you depressed people out there,

a little bit of weight

should just come off your shoulders.

Okay?

The Bible is not telling me

to feel thankful.

I'm not denying the Bible.

I'm just trying to clarify,

in fact,

what those few simple words

are actually telling us.

And they're not telling us

to feel anything.

The Bible never tells us

to feel anything,

which is wise,

and the Bible is wise,

because as we all know,

telling somebody

to feel something

basically never works.

In fact,

if you tell somebody

to be more happy,

you know what it usually creates?

Anger.

It doesn't create happiness.

In fact,

unless they get happy

when they're angry,

that's the only way

they're happy.

You know,

they weren't feeling thankful

or happy before.

Now you told them

to be happy,

makes them angry.

They get happy

when they're angry,

so they're happy,

but that's not what you meant,

right?

You don't want to have

angry people get more angry.

And the Bible's not telling us

to feel anything.

If you could put

the Bible text up again,

Andrew,

let's say it together.

Give thanks

in all circumstances,

for this is the will of God

in Christ Jesus

for you.

The Bible

is not all,

it's also not telling us

that we have to be thankful

for every single thing

that happens to us.

The Bible

is not a piece

of Stoic literature.

Those of a certain type

of educational background

will know what Stoics are.

The Bible is not telling us

to be Stoics.

The Bible does not present

a God who's sort of distant

and distant,

maybe very distant,

and now sort of operates

basically by fate,

and we just have to accept

everything that happens.

We don't have to say to God,

okay, God,

thank you for my cancer.

Thank you that I'm bankrupt.

Thank you that I broke my leg.

Thank you that,

you know,

like that country

and western song,

my wife left me,

my dog left me,

you know,

my truck left me,

and everything left me,

and thank you for this, God.

The Bible's not telling us

that we have to give thanks

to God

for everything that happens to us.

Some really terrible things

happen to us,

and it's not our fault,

and some really bad things

happen to us

because it's our fault,

right?

I mean,

for many people,

if you have,

I mean,

I'm not a doctor,

maybe it's for every person.

If you have cirrhosis of the liver,

for many people,

it's because you have

excessive drinking

for a long time,

and you can't say,

God,

thank you so much

for my excessive drinking

for a long time,

and I now have,

that's not what the text

is saying at all.

Here's,

if you put up the point,

Andrew,

here's what the text is saying.

God calls me

to turn to him

and give him thanks

in my circumstances,

not for my circumstances.

That's what the Bible text

is telling us to do.

If we clear away

a little bit

about what the Bible

is not telling us to do,

this is part,

this is the heart

of what the Bible

is telling you

and me to do.

God calls me

to turn to him

and give him thanks

in my circumstances,

not for my circumstances.

It's a very,

very important distinction.

Put the text up again,

Andrew, please,

and say it with,

give thanks

in all circumstances,

for this is the will

of God

in Christ Jesus

for you.

Here's the other thing.

When I was in my

previous church,

one morning I got a call

from a distraught mom

and her,

no,

so it wasn't the mom,

it was the wife,

and her husband

was in jail

and she asked me

if I would go

to visit him in jail.

And it was the first time

I ever went

to visit somebody

in jail.

It was the old jail

in Pembroke.

I don't think

it exists anymore.

And so I went

to see this fellow

in jail.

It was a very memorable time,

not only because

it was the first time

I ever went to jail,

but it was the other thing

that was memorable

was that when I walked

into a certain part

of the jail,

not only was my parishioner

there,

but another parishioner

was there.

And I wish I had a camera

to capture the look

of surprise on his face

when I walked in

because he was trying

to keep it secret

that he was doing

time in jail.

And anyway,

so I go see

my parishioner

and he had a really

hard, terrible time.

It's his own fault.

He woke up

that morning

in the Killaloo

Detention Center

and he didn't know

why he was

in the Killaloo

Detention Center.

He didn't know

what he'd done.

But he woke up

feeling sick

and with a terrible headache.

He knew

the last thing

he could remember

was that he was drinking.

And then he wakes up

and he's in a jail

and he asks the guards

what he's done

and they won't tell him,

but they're not

very friendly to him.

And they drive him

to the Pembroke Jail

and he asks them

time and time again.

He doesn't know

if he's killed somebody.

True story.

He doesn't know

if he's killed somebody.

They drive him

to the jail.

They still don't tell him

what he's done.

It's only when he's

being booked

into the Pembroke Jail

that they tell him

what the charges

were against him.

He'd gotten

ragingly drunk,

crashed his car,

and when the police

came to try

to deal with him,

he was a little

short guy like this,

little scrawny,

short,

hardworking,

working class guy,

and he tried

to take on the cops

and beat them up.

And the cops

were all like this tall

with shoulders like this,

but so he got

overwhelmingly drunk,

smashed up his car,

walked away from it,

started to fight

and kicked

and fought the cops

as hard as he could

until they finally

subdued him,

put him in the car,

passed out,

threw up in the car,

I mean the whole bit.

You can understand

why the cops

didn't want to talk to him.

But he was very subdued

when I met with him.

And here's the thing.

If you could put

the next point up,

Andrew,

here's the thing.

God calls me

to turn to him

and speak to him

and one of the things

I am to do

is to give thanks.

I'll explain why

the Bible text

tells us this.

God calls me

to turn to him

and speak to him

and one of the things

I am to do

is to give thanks,

but it's not the only thing

I am to do.

You see,

that young guy,

if he was to listen

to give thanks

in all circumstances,

he has to turn to God,

he has to say

some things to God,

but he shouldn't

only say thank you.

Right?

He needs to probably say,

dear God,

I really messed up,

I really did wrong things.

Isn't that what he has to say?

I mean,

some of us,

if we're

in a terrible situation,

maybe we're in a terrible

family situation,

and we take this text

to heart,

we're not to say to God,

dear God,

thank you so much

that nobody in my family

will ever talk to me again.

That's not what the Bible

is telling us to say.

One of the things

that we might have to say

is, dear God,

please forgive me

that I am so angry

and unforgiving.

Please help me

with my unforgiveness.

That might be one of the things

we have to say.

You see,

if you put up the text again,

Andrew,

here's the thing,

in the original language,

in English,

they have to translate English,

give thanks in all circumstances

for this is the will of God

in Christ Jesus for you.

In the original language,

the word the isn't there.

It doesn't make any sense

in English,

so they have to add it

in English.

And what it means is,

if the word the was there,

it might mean that literally

in these circumstances,

that's the thing you have,

you always have to be thankful.

Like,

it has to be the substance

of your talk,

the main thing of your talk.

But what this is saying

is that what,

the text is saying

is that you're not giving

thanks to God

for everything that's happened

to you,

but whatever your situation is,

you turn to God

and talk to him

and there's going to be

maybe a whole range of things

that you're going to have to say.

Maybe you're going to have to say,

you know,

forgive me for this

and forgive me for this

and help me with this

and show me this

and give me wisdom about this.

But out of all of the things

that you say,

one of the things

that you must say

is give thanks.

In light of your situation,

but it's not the only thing,

but it's one thing,

it's an important thing

in terms of your relationship

and my relationship with God,

is to give thanks.

You see,

this is really,

really helpful for us.

You know,

the Bible,

just like a brief bit of a thing,

but the Bible tells you

lots of things about,

has a very,

very rich and nuanced

understanding of suffering

and trials

and things like that

that go on in lives.

There's a whole range of stories

and the Bible is very deep

and very,

very wise

and it's,

you can spend your whole life

studying the Bible

and the Bible,

God will continue to speak

into your life

in new ways

as you open the scriptures

and you go from cover to cover.

And,

you know,

sometimes we're in a period

of just things

that are happening to us

or just very bad

and it might just be

that we have to call out to God

and one of the things

that we might have to say to God

is,

Father,

is this happening to me

because I've sinned?

Are these things happening to me

because,

you know,

that I've sinned?

Father,

do I have to come to you

or is it a sin of commission

or a sin of omission?

Father,

please reveal that to me

and Father,

if it is something going on

in my life

that,

you know,

I in a sense am bringing on

because of what I've done,

show it to me,

Father,

and then,

Father,

please help me,

help me to understand,

help me to seek amendment of life

and to say that I'm sorry

or,

or Father,

are you showing me

that,

is this happening to me

because there's something

you want me to know?

Is this happening to me

because there's something

that you want me to become?

Is this happening to me

because there's some new thing

you want me to do

in a new direction in my life

and,

Father,

and here's,

and here's,

you see,

maybe,

so you see all these things,

you pour out your heart to God.

God wants us

in the middle of every situation

and every circumstance

to stop in a sense

at least at one time

during this situation,

this circumstance,

and turn to him

and speak as God.

And in the midst of the range

of questions

and requests

that you say to God,

one of the things,

and,

you know,

in terms of,

it might be this.

You might then have to say something,

Father,

I thank you

that I don't have to deal

with this alone.

I thank you

that you are with me.

I thank you

that you are wise.

I thank you

that you are power.

And I don't,

I don't,

I'm going to try to list

the things

that you're to thank God for.

Pour out your circumstance,

your heart to God

and your circumstance.

And I'm not just giving you

bad things.

It could be good things

as well,

you know,

and it could be good things

to go,

Father,

thank you so much

for blessing me with this.

Father,

please,

please deliver me

from any type of pride

or vanity

or arrogance about this.

But Father,

thank you.

You've been so kind to me.

I'm so thankful for you,

to you,

for what you've done.

So it's not only

just bad situations,

it's in every circumstance

to turn to God.

And you know,

when we're depressed

or we're despondent

or we're in pain

or we're just unbelievably sad

or we're in mourning,

it might be very hard

because we don't feel thankful

to think of what we

can say thank you

to God for.

And that's what is so important

because it calls us

to think about who God is

and what he's done for us.

And often that,

that's very,

very important

because,

you know,

our self is talking to us

and saying all of these things

and in a sense

that God is just saying

that comes a time,

George,

where you've just got to stop

and in a sense

try to shut off

all that conversation

that's coming into your head

and turn and look to me

and think of who I am

and what I've done

and just think of me.

And as you think of me

and as you think of all

of who I am,

I want you to also

be thankful

for some of who I am.

And that's what the Bible

is telling us to do.

If you put up the text again,

oh, sorry,

there,

let's say it together.

Give thanks in all circumstances

for this is the will of God

in Christ Jesus for you.

Now,

what I've just described

of stopping

and giving thanks to God

is always very hard.

Almost always very hard.

It's hard to sustain it.

And the reason is,

if you could put up the point,

here's the reason is,

I am not a God in process.

I am a fallen creature.

In our culture,

it makes worse

something that already goes on

in every one of our souls

and minds

and hearts and wills.

It's easy for us to think

that we are like a God

in process,

but we are not

a God in process.

We are fallen creatures.

I'll give you an example

and then I'll show you

how it fits in

with this text.

One of the common pieces

of advice that you see,

I read lots of novels

and stuff,

read newspapers,

watch movies

and all that.

And one of the very common

things you say,

and I've actually heard

Christians say this

to other Christians,

is that you need to learn

to forgive yourself.

Okay?

I'm going to shock you all

right now,

but I'm going to tell you this.

Don't forgive yourself.

In fact,

I'm going to make you

even more shocked.

Never forgive yourself.

Never forgive yourself.

Now I got your attention.

It's completely opposite

of what the world says.

Let me tell you this.

Do it as an experiment.

Go all the way

through the Bible.

Look every time

that the word forgiveness

is or forgive

and see if it ever

in the Bible

tells you to forgive yourself.

Not once.

Never tells you

to do that.

Why doesn't it tell you

to do that?

God,

you're not a God.

You're not God.

I don't want to depress you.

You're not God.

I'm not God.

My sin

is against God

and against the person

I've wronged.

And I might have to go

to the person I've wronged

and I might have to ask

them for forgiveness

because I've wronged.

And every act

of wrongdoing

against another person

or against myself

is also an act

of wrongdoing

against God

and I need to get

his forgiveness.

I am not a God

to give myself forgiveness.

And you see,

this is how it fits in

with gratitude

and thankfulness.

I am not a God.

I'm not supposed

to come before God

and say,

oh God,

I thank you so much

that I have the right views

on eschatology.

I'm not like

all those foolish,

fill in the blank,

premillennialists,

dispensationalists,

amillennialists,

postmillennialists.

I thank you, God,

that I have the right view

on abortion.

I have the right view

on same-sex marriage.

I give you thanks

and praise God

that I have the correct views

on politics.

And you know,

really all of these things,

what you're doing

is actually what you're doing

is congratulating yourself.

And just as the Bible

doesn't tell us

to forgive ourselves,

the Bible doesn't tell us

to congratulate ourselves.

If we congratulate ourselves,

it's because we think

that we're a God

in process.

And I don't want

to depress you,

but the truth

is never depressing.

The fact of the matter

is you and I

are not gods

in process.

Process.

We are fallen creatures.

Fallen creatures.

This has a very

important consequence,

but let's look

at the text again,

Andrew.

Put it up, please.

Say it with me.

Give thanks

in all circumstances,

for this is the will

of God

in Christ Jesus

for you.

What the text

is saying

about being,

about,

when I said earlier

that we're not

a God in process

but fallen creatures,

what it's telling us,

the Bible is,

it's so deeply

imbued in the Bible.

I mean,

it's taught in

Genesis chapter 1

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

and 2

and 3,

but it's so deeply

throughout the Bible

that we miss it

because nothing

in the Bible

makes sense without it.

I could have you

read Genesis 1 and 2,

but it's all the way

through the Bible

that we're creatures.

We're creatures.

We're completely

and utterly dependent.

I'm dependent

upon the earth

spinning on its axis

at a precise rate.

I'm dependent

upon the sun

spinning around,

the earth spinning

around the sun

at a precise speed.

I'm dependent

upon the earth

being a specific

distance from the sun.

I am dependent

upon air.

I'm dependent

upon the chemicals

in my head

being correctly balanced.

I'm dependent

upon the little neurons

firing in the right order

in the right way.

There's not a single thing

in me

that is not dependent

on something else

and external

because

I am a creature

and so are you.

And our culture

wants to make us

think that we are

like gods,

but we're not.

I'm not.

You're not.

I'm a creature.

In fact,

if you put this up,

one way that we could

rename ourselves

as human beings,

Andrew,

is to say,

who am I?

I am only need.

That's who I am.

I'm only need.

I need oxygen.

I need food.

I need water.

I need my body

to work right.

I need the planet

to spin.

I need the stars

to be where they are.

I am only need.

And who is God?

What's another name

you could have for God?

God,

another name for God

is never need,

only give,

only love.

It's another name

for God.

Never need,

only give,

only love.

God has no environment.

He has nothing

that he needs.

But he only gives

because he's only love

in it as of the nature

of love to give.

And that's why,

you see,

when the Bible

is saying that

it's to give thanks

because it's the will

of God in Christ Jesus

for you,

it's because it's just

the Bible's telling us

not to become

some type of,

as I've already said,

you know,

to feel a certain way

all the time.

Drugs make you feel

the same way

all the time,

and drugs ruin you

if you take drugs

to make you feel

the same way

all the time.

Right?

That's what they do.

And it's not telling us

to be a masochist,

and it's not telling us

to tell lies,

and it's not telling us

to be self-congratulatory.

The Bible's assuming

that we understand

that we're creatures

and that we're fallen creatures,

and that who we are

is only need

because I am creature.

And who is God?

God is never need,

only give,

only love.

That's who God is.

And so,

in a sense,

the deepest sense,

since I am only need

and God is never need,

it means that in truth,

I should be always grateful.

And there should be

an almost limitless number

of things

that I could give thanks for.

The physicists amongst us

could literally say

in their prayers,

Father,

thank you that the earth is,

and you actually know

the distance from the sun,

thank you that the earth

is traveling at this speed,

thank you that the earth

rotates at this rate,

thank you for the ozone layer,

and scientists could take

all the scientific stuff

we know about

what it means to be creatures

and what it means

to have life on earth,

and that could be

a list of thanks to God.

Let's say the biblical text

again together.

Give with me,

give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is the will of God

in Christ Jesus for you.

My wife is a dog walker,

she walks her dogs,

and I'm a runner.

And here's one of the differences

between runners and dog walkers,

is runners don't talk

to each other.

I mean, maybe if you have

a running buddy

and you run with your buddy,

you talk with that,

but runners don't talk

to each other,

because you're running.

And actually,

between trying to fight

for breath,

and trying to deal

with the pain

all over your body

from running,

you wouldn't even be able

to have much of a conversation

anyway,

because you're trying

to deal with all those things.

But things about dog walkers,

is dog walkers meet each other,

the dogs,

you know,

sniff and all that stuff.

And then the people talk.

So one day,

my wife was telling me

this afterwards.

She was out walking to the dog.

She met this older lady.

They spent some time talking.

And she was really worried

about her son,

who was estranged from her.

And not only was her son

estranged from her,

like not close to her

and sort of ignoring her.

And I'm not making

a political comment

on this, by the way.

I'm just,

it's just a story,

a true story.

So I'm not making

a political point.

But one of her complaints

about her son

and worries about her son

is that he'd become

very right wing.

And he viewed himself

as a self-made man.

And he looked down his nose

on other people

who he thought

didn't work hard enough

and try hard enough.

And she said to my wife,

but you know what?

He grew up

in a stable,

secure home

with books.

We gave him

every type of opportunity

to learn and develop.

We sent him to a really

good university.

And while he was at

that good university,

we paid for every penny

for his tuition,

every penny for his residence,

every penny for things

in between school years,

so that he could have

every opportunity.

And that when he was

starting out,

we paid every penny

for him to get set up

and established.

And here he thinks

that he's a self-made man

and looks down his nose

on people

who maybe don't have

much money

and aren't as successful

as he is.

And he thinks

that if they just tried

like he tried,

they would be successful.

And as the woman

told the story,

it's a very, very,

and we can understand it.

But here's the thing.

In a sense,

I am,

you and I

are that young man,

no longer a young man.

You and I

are that man.

Andrew put up

the next theory.

I am completely

dependent upon God

and completely estranged

from God.

Remember,

my first point

was that

I am not

a God in process,

but I am

a fallen creature.

and on one hand,

I am only need

and God

is never need,

only give,

only love.

And the great mystery

of my existence

is that

I am completely

and utterly

dependent upon God

and yet at the same time

in my flesh

I am estranged

from him.

God is the one

who has the neurons

fire

and the brain

work properly

and I use my brain

to tell him

to stay out

of my affairs.

God is the one

that gives me

the will

and the mind

to work

and provides

an environment

and maybe has me.

I could have been

born in Iraq.

I could have been

born in North Korea,

but I'm born

here in Canada.

I had nothing

to do with that.

And I have

all these advantages

and at the same time

that I receive

advantage after advantage

and gift after gift

and need is met

after need is met

and I say,

God,

how dare you,

how dare you

have those views?

How dare you ask me

to do this?

Stay away from me,

God.

I'm not interested

in you, God.

I don't think

you exist, God.

And every single thing

that I do like that,

even if it's just

ignoring God,

I'm dependent

upon God

to ignore him.

And so are you.

You see,

that's why

when we turn to God

in every circumstance,

in every situation,

it's not just important

that we turn to God

in every situation

and that we say

a variety of things

to him,

but what needs

to form us

as we turn to him

is not just

an acknowledgement

that God is great

and that he's full

of glory,

that God is never need,

only good,

only love,

and that he provides

for me,

he gives me the gift

of existence,

he,

you couldn't list

all of the things

that we're dependent

upon that God gives,

but it's not just

that we do that,

that would just be

like deism,

it's also that I,

I need to turn

to him

in light

of what God,

see,

here's the mystery

of the gospel,

that the same God

who even as I am

estranged from him

provides me air

and food

and just,

he,

all of my,

he just provides

at the same time

when I'm estranged

from him,

he provides

for that truth,

that too,

and he provides

it all

with nothing

left over,

with nothing

added by me.

In 1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 5:9

5 verses 9 and 10

which sort of

frames this text,

it says,

for God has not

destined us

for wrath,

but to obtain

salvation

through our Lord

Jesus Christ

who died for us

so that whether

we are awake

or asleep

we might live

with him.

And notice

what it says,

for God has not

destined us

for wrath,

but to obtain

salvation.

salvation.

It's something

we receive

that God

who gives

all things,

he,

through the death

of his son

upon the cross,

gives salvation

and it's something

that I am

to obtain,

that I am

to receive.

And as the hymn

said at the beginning,

you might have missed it,

but it's not in part,

but in whole.

The salvation

that God

is going to give

is whole

and complete.

Why?

I am

only need.

And even

when I rebel

against him

and even

though I think

that he doesn't

exist and I'm

estranged from him,

I never am

anything other

than only need.

So even

salvation

has to be

something

that the one

who needs

nothing

and only

gives

and only

loves,

he has

to do it

all.

And he does

it all

through the gift

of his son

who dies

upon the cross

that I am

estranged from him

and he

comes to me.

He crosses

that infinite

distance

that I cannot

begin to cross

and he

comes

to me.

and what

Jesus does

for me

on the cross

is something

complete and

utter that God

does in Jesus

for me.

And I

can only

obtain it.

I can only

receive it.

I can never

earn it or

accomplish it

or work for it.

I can never

be a self

made man.

I can only

receive what

Jesus does

on the cross

because that

is the means

by which God

can give

salvation.

And at the end

of all these

practical disciples

disciplines,

how is the text

framed verses

23 and 24

to bring the

point home

again?

Now may the

God of peace

himself

sanctify you

completely

and may your

whole spirit

and soul

and body

be kept

blameless

at the coming

of our Lord

Jesus Christ.

God keeps it

blameless.

God sanctifies.

He who calls

you is faithful.

He will surely

do it.

And so it is.

Whether I'm

having it

fantastic

circumstances

right now,

things are going

really, really

well, or maybe

there's things

that are really

not going

very well,

the Bible

is inviting

us in every

circumstance

and in every

situation

to turn to

God.

And as we

turn to God,

we're to dwell

on his greatness

and his glory.

And we are to

dwell on the

fact that even

when we are

estranged,

Jesus Christ

crucified is the

means provided

by God

completely,

utterly,

thoroughly,

with nothing

left over,

that provides

the means by

which I can

become God's.

The estrangement

is removed.

And all I can

do is receive it,

never earn it,

never attain it,

never work for it,

just receive it.

And as I am in

my circumstances,

as I'm praying

about my

circumstances,

as I'm asking

for wisdom,

as I'm asking

for help,

as I'm asking

for direction,

as I'm repenting

in the midst

of all of these

things,

I'm to still

turn and thank

him in light

of his greatness

and glory and

in light of what

his son has done

for me on the

cross.

And here's this

final thing.

Let's say the text

and then I'll show

you the final point.

Let's say it

together.

Give thanks in

all circumstances

for this is the

will of God in

Christ Jesus for

you.

Here's the thing

that we are to

understand when we

turn to God in

whatever situation

we're in.

If you put it

up on the screen,

Andrew,

God is unchangeably

wise and powerful.

Sorry, God is

unchangeable.

He's wise and

powerful, kind and

good, true and

loving, wild and

untamed.

Who knows what

he's going to do?

Can't put him in a

box, can't tame him,

can't put him on a

leash, can't pat him

on the head, say he's

a good boy.

And on one hand,

it's the most

frightening thing in

the world to think

that when you

turn to God in

your circumstances

and your

situations, you're

turning to the

God who has no

needs and is

completely and

utterly wild and

untamed.

And our only

confidence is that

he's wise and

powerful, kind and

good, true and

loving.

And that he sent

his son to die

upon the cross.

He himself provides

all of salvation and

we are to receive it.

God.

And so it is, that

is the God and

that is the context

that we are to turn

to in every

circumstance and

situation.

And amongst the

many things we say,

one of them is thank

you.

And his greatness and

his glory and the

gift of Jesus and

him being wild and

untamed is the

context of our

thankfulness to him.

Please stand.

Let's just bow our

heads in prayer.

Father, we give you

thanks and praise that

you know every single

person here in this

room and you know us

completely and utterly

perfectly.

We thank you,

Father, that you

know, not only do

you see the mask we're

wearing right now, you

know every mask we

have in our arsenal.

You know how, you

know even the way we

go from mask to mask

to mask to mask.

You see every mask,

every maneuver, and

you see us as we

really are.

You see us, Father,

and you know even the

dreams at night that we

don't remember.

Father, you know all of

those.

You know us perfectly.

And still you love us.

And still you sent your

son to die upon the

cross for us.

And still, Father, when

we come to Jesus and

accept him as our

Savior and Lord and

receive what he has

done for us, what only

you can accomplish and

what you accomplish in

your son.

Father, we thank you

for this.

We thank you for it.

And we ask, Father, that

your Holy Spirit would

move and work deeply in

our lives so that in

every circumstance and

situation that we would

pause and turn to you

and that we would dwell on

your greatness, that we

would dwell on your

glory, that we would

dwell on your wisdom,

and we would dwell on

your power, and we

would dwell on what your

son did for us on the

cross, what he won for

us on the cross, and

what you offer us through

the cross and through

your son.

And, Father, we ask that

that would form us as we

turn to you and talk to

you.

And in all of our pouring

out of our heart to you,

Father, and we ask that

you would teach us and

help us to pour out our

heart to you.

We ask as well, Father,

that we would give you

thanks in our different

circumstances.

Father, make us a

prayerful people.

Make us disciples gripped

by the gospel, living for

your glory.

And this we ask in Jesus'

name.

Amen.

Please take a posture of

prayer as we enter into a

time of intercession.