Title: Thanks for Everything
Purpose: To move the congregation to be thankful in both good and bad times


Intro:

  1. We teach children how to be thankful to God (especially at Thanksgiving)
  2. Maybe we need to teach ourselves more
  3. Text Eph 4:15-20
  4. We need to always be thankful to God


I. By being filled with the Spirit

  1. This is not the "gift of the Holy Spirit", it is a command, not something done for us.
  2. Questions
    1. How are you filled with the Holy Spirit
      1. This is a figure of speech
      2. What comes out of mouth and from hands tells what you full of
    2. Being filled begins with heart and mind (Col. 3:1-3; Rom 12:2)
    3. But I don’t FEEL different after becoming a Christian
      1. Don’t trust you feelings, they fickle
      2. How were Children of Israel feeling in wilderness? Elijah? Job?
      3. Feelings can make you doubt God
    4. May not FEEL like thanking God
      1. Thank him anyway
      2. 2 Cor. 10:5 - "We are taking every thought captive to Christ"
      3. Don’t wait till feel good and thank, thank self into feeling good
      4. Are you led by God or by your emotions?
    5. What is being filled with the Spirit?
      1. Eph 4:22-24; Titus 3:5; *Rom 8:5 - Set ming on things of the Spirit
      2. John 3:3-5 - Born again (from above) = born of Water and Spirit
      3. A renewal takes place
  3. Born of Water & Spirit === Physical and Heavenly come together
    1. ILL: The engineers who designed our machines came to tour our Avionics shop
    2. We teased them (We always would say crawling in the plane, -who designed this? because it was not designed to get at easily for repairs)
    3. They couldn’t do maintenance
    4. We couldn’t design equipment
    5. Took both of us working together to make it work
  4. Takes both the Spiritual and the Physical working together to improve our thanksgiving
    1. We have to be filled with the Spirit
      • Can you still be thankful without the Spirit? (Yes, but for the wrong things)
    2. What physical goes with Spiritual? Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22)


II. Be filled with Spiritual Singing

  1. It is a natural result of being filled with Spirit
  2. This passage describes it
    1. Speaking to one another
      1. Can’t be thankful or filled with spirit if not speaking
      2. how does it feel when come and there is tension?
      3. Goes right along with (Rom 12:10-11)- Fervent in Spirit
    2. In Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs
      1. We usually just concentrate on not using instruments, but miss that fact there is so much more
      2. These are message of praise we SHARE WITH EACH OTHER
  3. A Man was sick with Cancer, three months to live
    1. He bought every joke book, comedy videos and funny item he could get his hands on
    2. His days were filled with "wise guy" "nyuck nyuck nyuck"
    3. Lived for years because of all of the positive feedback he was receiving
  4. We need to be giving positive feedback
    1. Be positive, mention things to be thankful for and reasons to praise God
    2. Idea of doing testimonials in church?


III. Fill your time with Thankfulness, not complaints

  1. Always have a thankful attitude
  2. Text:
    1. Give thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
    2. Give thank to God even our Father
      1. We have a God that comes near, he is our Father
      2. Old Testament uses the phrase that God "inclines his ear" to us
      3. God almighty is out FATHER
        • A Father loves his children
        • A Father cares for his children
        • A Father Disciplines his children
    3. Give thanks for all the good things God has given us
      1. Is that what this passage says?
      2. Give thanks for ALL things!
      3. You mean when I’m sick, can’t make ends meet, enemies persecute....
      4. Phil 4:6 - With thankfulness make requests to God
      5. Paul rejoiced about his thorn in the flesh with the answer he received from God (2 Cor 12:7-10)
  3. ILL: Lord’s Supper (Early Christians called it Eucharites)
    1. Means thanksgiving
    2. This is high point of worship, central to our faith
    3. IT IS NOT A FUNERAL. We serve a risen Lord!
    4. He’s coming back!
    5. So don’t get so caught up or comfortable with this place - Set mind on things above
  4. What have you complained about last week?
    1. Is there some way you could make requests to God in thankfulness
    2. Will you commit to this?


Conclusion:

  1. We need to be thankful
    1. by being filled with the Spirit
    2. by being filled with spiritual singing (share)
    3. by filling time with thankfulness, not complaining
  2. What happened to children of Israel because of complaining?
    1. Because they didn’t know God could deliver them?
    2. Because didn’t know if God was still with them?
    3. No, because they did not choose to trust
  3. Bottom line for being thankful and setting mind on things above--DO YOU TRUST GOD?