What Jesus Was Thankful For | 1 Thessalonians 5:18 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Well, today's a special Sunday because, as you know, we are

setting apart this service to recognize and celebrate God's

faithfulness to us as a church family.

And I want to let you know that taking the time to dedicate a

Sunday to turn our attention to that and reflect on the

beginnings of this ministry and how the Lord has guided us step

by step over the years is not just an excuse to add another

event to our calendars. More than that, it is an

occasion for us to worship because the Bible tells us that

when a community, people come for heartfelt, intentional

adoration for what God has done, that is worship.

But Thanksgiving is not limited to a service.

It's not limited to a celebration.

The possibility of glorifying God in that attitude and that

act has been granted to each of us as individuals.

Private gratitude, heartfelt individual Thanksgiving.

And so I want to take this day where we are obviously thanking

the Lord as a body to instill and to strengthen that

conviction in our hearts to be a thankful people.

And so that the celebration and the joy that we are tasting

today would join us and go with us for the long haul leaving

this place this evening. And so I began earlier this week

to just think about the Scriptures, the verses, the

examples of Thanksgiving. And strangely, it was this verse

that was brought to my attention.

You don't have to turn there. You know it very well where Paul

commands the Philippian church in Philippians 25.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.

Now you might be wondering, OK, that's a wonderful verse, but

what does that have to do with gratitude?

Well, here's how you can translate Paul's command there

by the Spirit. Think like Jesus thinks.

Think like Jesus thinks. And then it dawned on me, when

you read the Gospels, you don't only find the Lord preaching,

delivering, healing, serving, abstaining, over all, obeying

the Father. If you read carefully, you will

find the Lord Jesus Christ thanking the Father.

And there are actually 4 distinct occasions where we find

the Son of God expressing gratitude to God.

And we're going to look at those four occasions in a moment here.

But I want to tell you upfront what the goal of this message

is. And this is where I'm going to

ask you to turn to the Epistle to the Colossians in chapter 2.

Consider with me two verses about why we need to focus a

message on Thanksgiving. Colossians chapter 2 beginning

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

in verse 6. The scripture says Therefore as

you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and

built up in Him, and established in the faith, just as you were

taught. 3 very important words abounding in Thanksgiving.

Don't just be thankful. I want you to abound in

Thanksgiving. Do you know what it means to

abound in something? Do you know when something is

abounding? The original word here is to

overflow, to not even just meet a certain measure for it to

spill over what one might consider a standard overflow in

Thanksgiving. So Paul is talking about the

lifestyle of a Christian that doesn't just express

appreciation here and there. Now he's talking about a way

that our faith can connect to certain truths, and those truths

feed the heart to the point that it becomes swollen and enlarged

and even overflowing with this constant awareness of the

goodness of God that then naturally expresses itself in

Thanksgiving. See, Paul is not saying abound

in Thanksgiving as a way to force Christians to just act in

a thankful way. That's never, that's never the

goal of any command in the Scripture.

What he's saying here instead is that you should turn your

attention on certain realities and revelations that will then

result in this. And yes, like any spiritual

discipline, there is a level of training and exercise and

intentionality, but there is also this promise that the

Spirit is able to carry us in it.

So understand this. Listen, the thing that should

mark us as believers in the realm of gratitude is that we

should be abounding in it. And I wasn't planning to say

this until earlier this morning came to my mind because I'm

concerned that with a message on Thanksgiving and looking at

different reasons why we should be grateful to God that we would

hear that and the response at the end of the service would be

all right, thanks brother. I'll be a little bit more

positive this week than I was last week.

Thanksgiving is much more serious than that.

Implementing it, understanding it, when you actually look

carefully in the Scriptures, there's much more at stake of

being a thankful people. It's just not a matter of you

being a little bit more chippy on a Monday has different

factors at play that I think most Christians don't even

realize. Let me give you an example.

Do you know that the scriptures describe Thanksgiving as a light

to the soul that will keep your heart from growing dark?

Listen, a lack of gratitude is like leaving a city gate wide

open, leaving darkness to enter more easily.

And once it's in, it will become the breeding ground for

uninvited vices and sins to take over.

You might think that's an exaggeration, and I'm here to

tell you this is not me, this is the scripture.

So you're in the New Testament, me in the book of Romans chapter

Romans 1 · chapter mention

1, and look up Paul's words there in verse 21 of Romans one.

Notice how he describes a people who are ensnared by a variety of

sins. Romans 121 For although they

knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him.

But they became futile in their thinking, And here it is, and

they're foolish. Hearts were darkened.

What led to their hearts being darkened?

A lack of gratitude, among other things.

So you see, there's something about thankfulness that protects

you. And in order for us to be kept

from a darkening taking place, a blackness blanketing our souls,

Thanksgiving is the repellent. It is the guard.

It is a shield. Because look what Paul describes

in the same context as the ugly consequences of a heart that is

not filled with ongoing thanks to God, among other things.

Look at verse 29. You're there in Romans one.

Look at verse 29. They the same people who did not

honour God, who give thanks to them.

They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil,

covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder,

strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers,

haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of

evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless,

ruthless. Do you see the connection and

the train of thought? These vicious qualities become

more possible when your heart is less aware and willing to

express Thanksgiving to God. In other words, if you want to

avoid being filled with all manner of unrighteousness, your

heart needs to abound in Thanksgiving.

Think about it. It's much more difficult to lust

when you're abounding at Thanksgiving.

Yeah, it's a lot harder to go out there and commit adultery

when you're grateful for your spouse.

Despite all the difficulties and challenges.

If you're grateful, if you, if you can see the gift, if you can

recognize God's Providence in that person, it's a lot more

hard to go out there and think that you're going to find

something better. It's a lot more difficult to

become covetousness when you're grateful for what God's

Providence and his perfect leadership has been granted you.

It's a lot more difficult to crave something that doesn't

belong to you. It's a lot more challenging to

slice up somebody's reputation with slander and gossip when you

are willing to recognize the good in them and the blessings

that God has brought to you through them.

Do you see the wisdom of Thanksgiving?

It's not a matter of you and I just being happier.

It's needed for effective spiritual warfare.

I don't think people teach that when it comes to spiritual

warfare. When's the last time I ever

heard? Be thankful if you want your

heart to be strong against sin, But I'm here to tell you it, and

I want to fuel our hearts today in the place of gratitude by

looking at our ultimate example in the Lord Jesus Christ and

considering 4 separate occasions where the Gospels tell us that

He said thank you, thank you the Lord Jesus #1 gave thanks for

God's immense grace. Let's turn to the first

scripture in Luke chapter 10, verse 21, Luke 1021.

Luke 10:21

Lord, train our hearts to be thankful today.

It says here in that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit

and said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that

you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding

and revealed them to little children.

Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will in all of the

gospel accounts. You want to know something

remarkable? This is the only place where

we're explicitly told that Jesus Christ rejoiced.

Not that he didn't express jubilation in other places,

surely he did. But this is the only place in

all of the Gospel accounts where we are explicitly told that

Jesus rejoiced. And it wasn't just a natural

joy, it was a joy that was supernaturally inspired, that it

sprung from the innermost part of his being because he rejoiced

in the Holy Spirit. This means many important

things, many things, one of which is the evidence of the

Spirit's work in your life and mind.

He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, which tells me one of the

clearest signs that the Holy Spirit is working in a

Christian's heart is that they desire to give thanks.

How do we know that? Because we told again, he

rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and the first words that come out of

Jesus mouth is what I thank you. I thank you Father, Lord of

heaven and earth. So if you're a person here who

should be, we all should be seeking the continuous infilling

of the Holy Spirit. I can guarantee you one thing

based on the Scripture that you will find yourself growing and

longing and yearning to express gratitude to God, and you'll

even find yourself spontaneously doing it.

So this is an encouragement. Why is it encouragement?

Because Thanksgiving is a work of the Holy Spirit.

He inspires that desire. He makes it a lifestyle.

The more we depend on him and long for Him to harness our

hearts and our tongues and our thinking.

Here's Jesus rejoicing in the Holy Spirit, and the first thing

that comes out of His mouth is I thank you.

Many people come up with strange ideas of the manifestations of

the Spirit, and the Bible is very plain and clear about them.

I don't think it's often brought up that if the Holy Spirit

really moves in you and me, then you're going to be moved to give

thanks. That's what it says.

He's our helper. The Lord has granted us this

gift to guide us in all matters and including this.

Can I point this out? Notice how Jesus addresses God.

He addresses God as Father while simultaneously honoring him with

the highest title that you can ascribe to anybody with majesty

and power. He says you are the Lord of

heaven and earth. What do I take from that?

Well, you know, you have some Christians who see God as

Father, but they don't see him as King.

And you have some Christians who see him as King, all sovereign,

but not as an intimate, loving Father.

But here's Jesus filled with the Holy Spirit, and he says, I

thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.

Do you see how the Holy Spirit helps us in everything, not just

in how you thank God, but in how you view God?

But what was it that Jesus was thankful for at this moment?

Look again at this verse. He says that you have hidden

these things from the wise and understanding and reveal them to

little children. What are these things?

What is he talking about? Well, as usual, context provides

clarity. When did the Lord Jesus rejoice

in the Holy Spirit? Look back at the beginning of

verse 21 in that same hour. So something took place recently

that served as a catalyst for Him to outburst with this prayer

of thanks. And all you have to do is read

the preceding verses to realize what he's Speaking of.

So look back here and look at verse 17 of Luke 10 and you'll

see what he's talking about when He says these things.

The 72 returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons

are subject to us in your name. And he said to them, I saw Satan

fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you

authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the

power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this that the spirits are

subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in

heaven. Ah, there it is.

So these things that Jesus said were hidden to some yet revealed

to others include the empowerment of His disciples,

their experience of the authority of His name, divine

protection from the evil 1 and their names being written in

heaven. And when the Lord saw the 72

disciples relishing in those realities, he could not help but

turn to the Father and say Thank you, Father, that you are

willing to unleash these graces to little children.

In other words, what Jesus is saying is thank you Father, for

being willing to give such blessings to those who are the

least deserving. You know, you don't have to do

much investigation or studies to look at how the world treats

people. And it's common knowledge that

those who are wealthy and those who are intelligent and those

who are beautiful and attractive tend to get more respect than

others. But that's not how God's Kingdom

operates. God reserves his rewards not

necessarily to the powerful and to the wise, but to those who

operate in childlike faith characterized by dependency and

humility. In fact, what he means by this

is that those who are boastful right when he says these things

are hidden from the wise and understanding.

What he means by that is that those who are boastful and

reliant on their strength and their thinking, they are barred

from such blessings. But God has opened his arms to

those who acknowledge their weakness and their ignorance.

So what is Jesus ultimately really giving thanks to God for?

God's grace. And I wonder if as followers of

Jesus, we have ever taken the personal time to to thank God

that when he redeems sinners and that when he recruits servants,

he does so with boundless grace because Jesus does.

Can I ask you something? I want, I want this to be really

practical here. When was the last time not in a

service? Not because the worship team or

the praise team or the preacher told you to?

When was the last time you just on your own have paused and

meditated that there is a final day coming where you will stand

before God and the record of your sin will be pulled out with

100% accuracy and what's on that record will determine your

eternal fate? When was the last time that you

breathe out a thanks because on your record, because of your

faith, will be stamped boldly, forgiven?

Not because of you being part of a superior race, not because you

passed an exam for eternity, or that you impress God with your

amount of sacrifices, but simply because you trusted in the Lord

Jesus Christ? May we never come to a point in

our faith where the good news becomes old news.

Beyond that, when's the last time have I thank God that when

He uses people, he's willing to use the foolish things according

to the world, the weak things, things that are despised, even

the things that are not, so that they would become something so

that no man may boast. When that means that means that

we all qualify to be used by God.

I have no reason to live besides being used by God.

Honestly, to be with Christ is better.

And like Paul, I, I wrestle because Paul says I want to go

be with Christ, but the only thing that I got going for me is

staying here and bearing fruit for his Kingdom.

I don't ever have to worry or fear that there is something

outside of my control that will limit me from being used by the

Lord. That's what we're here to do

today, to really recognize that God has used this church for his

glory and nobody can take credit for it.

Nobody. The first instance that we look

together here is that Jesus gave thanks to the Father for his

boundless grace. But here's the second place.

Turn with me to John chapter 6 #2 The Lord Jesus gave thanks

John 6 · chapter mention

for physical needs being met. We see the Lord doing this at

both the feeding of the 5000 and the feeding of the 4000, but we

can merge them in the same thought.

Now I know that these miracles of provision are very familiar

to us, but I want us to consider carefully John's perspective on

the feeding of the 5000, because we're going to learn something

about the what and the when of the Lord's Thanksgiving in this

manner. Look at John 6 beginning in

verse 9. There is a boy here who has five

barley loaves and two fish. But what are they for?

So many Jesus said, had the people sit down.

Now there was much grass in the place, so the men sat down about

5000 in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and

when he had given thanks, there it is.

When he had given thanks, He distributed them to those who

were seated, so also the fish as much as they wanted.

I want you to look at what Jesus gave thanks to God for.

And when he gave thanks for the what is clear, right?

Jesus took the loaves from the little boy that he donated, and

he had given thanks for those loaves.

But what are 5 loaves for 12 grown men, let alone 5000?

And those are just men. Then you have their wives and

their children. What are you?

This is more of an opportunity to worry than to worship 5

loaves. So here you are.

You have a need. We need a we need to feed a few

1000 people. Anybody want to make a donation?

And the only donation that came in was 5 pieces of bread.

That's it. That's all we can cough up here.

That's not what the Lord does. He takes the bread.

He gives thanks. The average person would panic,

but we're considering the mind of Christ here.

Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus.

Jesus Christ truly gave thanks to God because He had this

awareness of God's perfect wisdom manifesting in His

perfect provision. You know, Thanksgiving is not

always about responding to seeing what you desire to come

to pass. We reserve our Thanksgiving for

that right. We have these goals and these

longings, and we have these expectations.

And only when those things transpire do we say God is

faithful. Look what He did.

He answered exactly what I was looking for, exactly what I laid

out before him. God came through.

You should rejoice when your prayers are answered.

But Thanksgiving should not be kept solely for those

testimonies. It should equally be offered as

a declaration of trust and contentment in God's gradual

leading. That's what Jesus does here.

You know, Matthew Henry, the great English Bible scholar, was

reported to have been robbed by thieves at some point in his

life. And many of us have benefited

from Matthew Henry's writings. They're available online for

free. One of the greatest scholars in

church history. But they found an entry in his

diary of that fearful occasion when he was robbed.

And let me quote and read to you what he wrote in his diary.

Quote Matthew Henry says let me be thankful right there.

I'm like what do you mean let me be thankful you had your purse

taken from you? No, he says let me be thankful

1st that I was never robbed before. 2nd although they took

my purse so they didn't take my life.

Third, although they took my all, it was not much.

This is my favorite. 1/4 Let me be thankful because it was I who

was robbed and not I who was doing the robbing.

You see, the strength of your Thanksgiving is very much

dependent on the accuracy of your perception of who God is.

And the more comfortable and the more firmly you grasp the

character of God, the nature of God, the promises of God, the

better you and I are able to sincerely walk in a place where

we can give Thanksgiving. And it will be an aroma to the

Lord, and it will be a fragrance before men.

And that's why Paul could say something like give thanks in

all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus

for you. First Thessalonians 518 which

leads me to the when? When did Jesus give thanks?

He took the bread. And when he had given thanks,

people might think that he took the bread, he multiplied and

gave it. And then he gave thanks for the

miracle. He gave thanks before the

miracle. And we see here that this is a

principle for us, that God's worthiness of Thanksgiving

should be granted even before what we hope comes to pass.

And how fitting is that example for us as a church?

Do we have a need for a bigger place?

Yes. If you don't know it, just come

downstairs after the service. You'll feel it a little bit.

We do. But what are you going to do?

Wait to give our songs of praise and thanks until God comes

through for us? No, that's not what I see in my

Jesus. I consider us being in this

physical place a miracle. I don't doubt that for a moment.

I don't. But I also like to consider this

place in our situation as 5 loaves in our situation and

circumstances. 2 fishes that were provided through the

selflessness of another church body called Church of Our Savior

who extended and donated their love to us.

And here we are. We are waiting for God to do

more, but we also are, by way of example, charged to give thanks

that Providence has placed this in our hands.

He deserves glory for what he's done in these past three years.

It's my genuine hope that when you and I go home tonight, you

will go home with a renewed sense of purpose and strength to

be grateful for what God placed over your head.

For the kind of car that He allowed you to drive, For the

kind of clothes that He afforded you.

For the things that are in your cupboards.

For the meal, every meal that He sets before you as a continuous

acknowledgement of His perfect leadership in your life.

Do you might have dreams and desires and hopes?

Absolutely. Will they be realized

immediately? That's not how God works.

But He's still worthy of thanks. You know, we're trying to do

this in our home from time to time.

I'll look up my wife it just random times of the day and I'll

say love. Tell me three things you're

thankful for. And we can do this all the time.

Sometimes we do it while we're talking in bed.

Sometimes we're in the kitchen cleaning things up.

And I'll say, tell me three things you're thankful for.

And she'll say things she'll tell me, OK, what are you

thankful for? And I'll say some things.

It's impossible to do something like that and be in a bad mood

after unless you're just doing it mindlessly.

And in that little practice, I'm telling you, conversations pop

up. And so now we're switching it up

a little bit, OK, Not the obvious things, you know, like

family, one another and stuff. Tell me other things that you're

thankful for. And then you get more specific.

And then now you're, you're, you're broadening your

understanding of how God is blessing you beyond what he, he

does plain and clear before your sight.

Jesus expressed thanks for how God met his needs step by step.

Let's follow him in that. Let's go to the Third Point,

John Chapter 11. The Lord Jesus gave thanks for

John 11 · chapter mention

his access in prayer. This is the testimony, the

miracle of the raising of Lazarus from the dead in John

John 11:41

11, verse 41, as he's ready to call out Lazarus, His name.

And as many have noted before, if Jesus did not call out

Lazarus his name, everybody would have raised from the dead

of that grave site. But notice what happens before.

This moved me so tremendously, right?

He says here in verse 41. So they took away the stone, and

Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that

you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me,

but I said this on account of the people standing around, that

they may believe that you sent me.

Read carefully. Look again what he says Thanks

for, Father, I thank you that you have heard me.

So through Jesus's words, you know what I gained from this?

That Jesus believed that prayer was a gift.

And the sooner you and I believe that about prayer, the sooner we

will understand prayer, something we get to do, and

that's something we have to do. Now here's what moved me.

If Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God while on earth, took the

time to give thanks to the Father for having this kind of

channel to him, how much more IA mere creature susceptible to

inconsistencies and failures. Give thanks to God that that

throne room of His and that courtyard of His is always

available to me 24/7. Here's what I'm trying to get

across. Jesus shows us that we shouldn't

only be thankful in prayer, we should be thankful for prayer.

I thank you that you have heard me.

Now this is fascinating because it shows that Lazarus's miracle

was the result of prayer. Notice what he says.

I thank you that you have heard me.

Past tense meaning that at some point undisclosed to us, Jesus

Christ came before the Father and acquired his wisdom and his

guidance about what to do with Lazarus case.

And at some point in secret, the Father directed him, directed

him about the timing of when to go to the tomb and how to do it.

Everything was supplied by the Father to the Son through

prayer, and that teaches me what what prayer is to the Lord

Jesus. At least.

That it was His source of power, that it was the means for his

fellowship with the Father, that it was the channel of guidance

that he utilized day by day, moment by moment.

Yes, Christ was unique in many ways, but these blessings are no

less available to us in prayer. One of the most convicting

examples and I love to use illustrations from the Bible.

One of my most admired individuals in the Scriptures.

Not because of his name. Trust me, if he was named

somebody else, I would still say the same.

Daniel. OK, Daniel was a man of prayer

and one of my favorite stories there is in chapter 6 when a

decree went out that it was illegal to pray to anybody

except the king. You know what Daniel does?

We're told that at the moment he heard about that document being

signed, he went home, got on his knees, open the window, prayed

three times a day like nothing had happened.

You know what that tells me? That Daniel rather have died,

did not pray for a month. What do you know about prayer?

What have you experienced in prayer?

Where you, without any hesitation said to yourself, I'd

rather die than not use this gift called prayer.

And it makes sense. You read Daniel chapter 1 to

Daniel 1 · chapter mention

chapter 6 and you see what prayer has done in this man's

life. You read it after chapter 6.

You see how prayer provided all these experiences and these

revelations and these provisions.

So to Daniel, he thought, to not pray is not to live at least

abundantly, at least to the fullest.

Yeah, many people are going about their day without prayer.

But all the heights that you are missing because you don't see it

the way you're supposed to see it.

And I can spend, which I will not do on the pulpit.

I can use the next 30 minutes to just give testimony after

testimony about how God has come through by no other way but

through prayer in such a way that if I had not prayed, I

should have no reason to believe that he would have come through.

Jesus says I thank you, Father, that you have heard me.

And I always say this. Forgive me if I'm repeating

myself, but we're creatures of repetition.

Apart from salvation, there is no greater spiritual thrill than

to know that God in heaven hears my prayers and when he actually

answers them. What did the psalmist say?

I love the Lord because He has heard my plea and has answered

my cry. Therefore, I will call upon them

all the days of my life. When you actually see a prayer

answered in a way that it can't be brushed off as coincidence

or, you know, I think this would have happened even if I didn't

pray. No, no, like real prayer being

answered, you'll never be the same.

You can't. And I'm afraid so many

Christians don't believe this about prayer that they're

missing out on that opportunity. Walk in it enough so that when

God actually comes through, you'll be marked for the rest of

your life. And you can say like Jesus,

Father, I thank you that you have heard me, heard me.

Shall we come to our last point? Let's turn to Matthew together

in chapter 26. The Lord Jesus not only gave

thanks for God's immense grace, not only for his physical needs

being met, not only because God had an open heaven over his

head. Lastly, the Lord Jesus gave

thanks for the fellowship made possible by his sacrifice.

Do you know what we do here? Every single Sunday?

We partake of the Lord's Supper together.

And I'm not sure if you noticed that, but when Pastor Bennett

leads us in the breaking of the bread and and the cup, we give

thanks for each element separately.

And the reason why we do that is because Jesus modeled that at

the Last Supper. So it encourages us to take time

to consider the distinct elements that have purchased our

salvation, at least what they represent.

And what do we find here? Let's read Matthew 2626 to 29.

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread and after blessing

it, broke it and gave it to his disciples and said, take, eat,

this is my body. And he took a cup, and we had

given thanks. He gave it to them, saying,

drink of it, all of you. For this is my blood of the

covenant, which is poured out from many for the forgiveness of

sins. I tell you, I will not drink

again of this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it

new with you and my Father's Kingdom.

So what can we say here? We can say with complete

validity that Jesus is in fact giving thanks for the new

covenant. Absolutely.

That's not wrong. But I think it's more precise

than that, at least in this context.

Not only is He thanking the Father that the new Covenant now

is about to be inaugurated, I believe that He is thanking the

Father about what the New Covenant would bring about.

And in this case, what He is eagerly looking forward to is

that because of His impending sacrifice, He will one day be

reunited with His disciples in eternity.

I believe that was part of His Thanksgiving.

You're saying really? I'm saying really?

Why else mention what we see here in verse 29 where He says I

will not drink of this fruit of the vine until I drink it anew

with you and my Father's Kingdom.

So think about it. The moment he establishes this

communion, he he right away says, I want to let you know

that we're going to be reunited again that we're going to have

fellowship forever. You cannot tell me that the Lord

did not have this longing and this yearning even as he was

laying out this ordinance for the church.

He did, and that sets the seal of what this table is about

every single month when we celebrate, at least in its

fullness, that we're not just rehearsing what the Lord has

done, but what He will do to return and reunite us to be with

Him everlastingly. And it would be unwise for us to

celebrate our eternal fellowship with a Savior and the Saints

only once a month. Extend your Thanksgiving about

what has been made possible through the cross as a daily

realization. Paul does this over and over

when he thinks about his relationship, yes, with Christ,

but with the believers. Years ago, we studied the book

of Ephesians. We might revisit in years to

come, but I remember to this day that early in our study of the

book of Ephesians, there was something that Paul says that he

did for the church that cut my heart and it's still bleeding in

a good way. The way this man thought and

thanked God for Christians was mind boggling to me.

So you don't have to turn there, but please just lean in because

we're almost done here. I want to read these verses to

you. Just listen to this man's

language of how he gave thanks not for the bread that

represents the body, but the actual spiritual body of Jesus

Christ. Namely, the church doesn't know

what he says in Ephesians one, verse 15.

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord

Jesus and your love toward all the Saints, I do not cease to

give thanks for you remembering you in my prayers.

Now this was years ago when this was unpacked to me in great

detail and I sat back in my chair and this is the thought

that came to me and I remember it so clearly like it was

yesterday. When was the last time I took

the time to come before the Lord and identify people based on

their fervent devotion to God and their service to the Church

of Jesus Christ and to thank you for such people?

Lord, thank you for such people. When was the last time that I

thank God for his work, not in me, but in somebody else?

This is what Paul is saying. I can't help but give thanks

because I'm witnessing something of God's glory in you and I want

to honor and acknowledge God for that.

Now here's another place in Philippians one verse three, I

thank God, I thank my God and all my remembrance of you always

and every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy.

Can you imagine that? Can you imagine having such an

awareness of people in your life that when you pray for them or

about them, you get excited? This is biblical Christianity.

I'm just telling you what it's saying here.

And I'm like, if this is possible, give it to me.

Here's Paul who says, when I think about you and I pray for

you, I get giddy. But he doesn't end there.

Why is he praying with joy? Verse 5, because of your

partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

So here again, thinking to myself, looking at this, this is

how we should read our Bibles. When was the last time that I

came before the Lord and I identified people in my life who

enrich my ministry and make my walk with Jesus Christ that much

sweeter? When have I given thanks for

that? Might be thinking, I didn't know

a message on Thanksgiving can be so convicting.

I'll tell you why it's convicting because it's not our

disposition. It's not our disposition and

that's why the Scripture is absolutely sprinkled with it.

So we would be reminded you have so much to give thanks, yes, so

much to be grateful for. And the Bible has been given to

us as a mirror to be like this is you're missing this, you're

not seeing this. And that's why we have every

right to come before the Lord saying, Lord, help me see what I

can't see. You know, there's a testimony in

the book of Genesis where where God opens people's eyes to

things that are before them. Come to Genesis 21.

Her and her son Ishmael are out in the wilderness.

They run out of water. And notice what verse 17 says of

Genesis 21. And God heard the voice of the

boy, and the Angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to

her, What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the

voice of the boy where he is up. Lift up the boy and hold him

fast with your hand, for I'll make him into a great nation.

This is it, this is it. I'm telling you we're not going

further than this. Verse 19.

Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.

She went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a

drink. People debate, did God create

the well and then show it to her, or was it always there but

she couldn't see it? I leaned to the latter.

And it reveals something about us and our humanity, especially

in our troubles and our trials, that we often cannot see what

things are right before us that can rescue us, that can bless

us, that God has supplied for us.

So I bring this up in closing, that we would ask God for that

same miracle. There are things that we should

be thankful for that are right under our noses and we just

can't see it. But God is so gracious enough to

open our eyes so that we can give thanks.

Can I give you a final thought from Jesus giving thanks to the

Last Supper? It was on the night that he

would be arrested and put to death, which tells me something

about his gratitude. He was thankful until his dying

day. I want to follow my Jesus in

that way. You know, sometimes as people

get older in life, they become more cynical.

They get grumpier because they've sailed through life and

they've seen the fickleness of people and the evil in the world

and they just become jaded. That's not your destiny if

you're a spirit filled Christian.

I see my Jesus and I see him. Even on the night that he was

going to be betrayed by one of his own, he just finished

washing his feet. The devil had entered him

according to John 13, and yet he can still have the presence of

mind and the heart filled of the Holy Spirit to give thanks.

I need that. Can we pray and ask God to help

us? Lord, we thank you for the

service. A simple message Lord, but all

one that convicts us all, including the one who shared it.

Lord, help us be a people who know the great protection and

provision of Thanksgiving. Heal our hearts from murmuring

and grumbling. Help us be like Hagar who is

able to see things that she missed.

Even if our eyes are filled with tears, Lord, even if our eyes

can't seem to pull away from the things that trouble us or

disturb us, Help us see what you want us to see that can save us

and sustain us. Lord, from our hearts we say

thank you for Maranatha Bible Church and as Paul gave thanks

for the church, as we give thanks to you for this one.

Thank you for every single believer here who makes this

ministry possible. Thank you for every servant

behind the scenes. Thank you for every person who

sacrificed time and energy for the gospel to go out, for

believers to be strengthened and encouraged.

People who have sacrificed their money, people have sacrificed

their gas, people who sacrificed their homes, their meals.

Lord, we are grateful and we trust, oh God, that it will be

rewarded. Lord, we pray that as a church

moving forward, we would abound in Thanksgiving.

May that be our portion by your Spirit's help.

In Jesus mighty name we pray Amen and Amen, Amen.

We're going to celebrate downstairs in a moment, but

let's give God a final Thanksgiving and praise and in

song and worship.