Sermon for Sunday November 23, 2003
Thinking About Thanking by Mike Turner
Colossians 3:15-17
Thinking About Thanking
Colossians 3:15-17
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in
one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly in all
wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in
word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God and the
Father by him.
Joke: A man dreamed of joining a monastery. His goal in life was to become a
monk. So one day he went to a monastery and talked to the head monk and said,
"What do I need to do to join." Was told that it was more difficult
that what he thought. In our monastery monks are only allowed to say two words
every year." He said, "That sounds a bit extreme, but I’ve wanted to
be a monk for so long, I’m going to give it a try." So he was shown to
his room. And so for the next twelve months the man never said a word. At the
end of his first year he was taken to the head monk, and was told he could now
say his two words. Guy said, "Food’s bad." He went back to his room,
and was silent for another twelve months. At the end of his second year he again
was taken to the head monk for his two words. This time his two words were,
"Bed’s hard." Head monk said, "OK." And the man went back
to his room. Another twelve months of silence passed, and he was brought again
to the head monk for his annual two words. This time the guy said, "I
quit." The head monk said, "Well, it doesn’t surprise me. All
you’ve done is complain ever since you got here."
It’s easy to complain ! All you’ve got to do is get frustrated and
irritated.....and the mouth is ignited to complain. It’s so easy. I would say
that the average person spends more time complaining than being thankful. Would
you agree with that ? Yet, which one of those is the most productive !
Complaining doesn’t get you much. It raises your blood pressure.....makes you
look bad in front of other people......and for the most part is a waste of
energy ! It’s pretty much like worry......it’s a waste of time ! Being
thankful, however, is productive ! Yet, being thankful is something we often
fail or forget to be ! The word think & thank come from the same root word.
This tells us that we have to spend time thinking about thanking ! We have to be
thoughtful before being thankful ! We have to remember.....to recall ! We have
to re-focus from the negative to the positive ! We have to transfer our thoughts
from the blights, and the burdens to the blessings !
Illus.. A famous stress researcher claims that two attitudes more than any other
influence the quality of everyday life, and on these two emotions.....he
says.....depend our peace of mind, our feelings of security or insecurity, of
frustration, in short, the extent to which we can make a success of life. The
most destructive emotion is "revenge". But in contrast, "among
all the emotions, there is one which more than any other, accounts for the
absence or presence of stress in human relations: this is the feeling of
gratitude.
Someone else has said...."It’s impossible to be anxious and thankful at
the same time."
Thanksgiving is productive because he makes us forget our problems.....the
negative things, and focus on the positive..the good ! Perhaps...the next time
we’re all keyed up, and stressed out....we should start thinking about
thanking.
Story: The devotional book Springs in the Valley tells of a man who found a barn
where Satan kept his seeds ready to be sown in the human heart. He found that
the seeds of discouragement were more numerous than the others and he learned
that those seeds could be made to grow almost anywhere. But when Satan was
questioned, he reluctantly admitted that there was one place in which he could
never get them to thrive. "And where is that?" asked the man. Satan
replied sadly, "In the heart of a grateful person."
Perhaps....there’s a lesson to be learned from this story. Could it be that
one of the biggest causes of depression, discouragement, discontent, and despair
is ingratitude !
Story: A preacher went to preach revival at a old country church. When the
offering for him was taken up, they had to borrow his hat ! They passed his hat
around the congregation, and then brought it back to him empty ! Upon receiving
his hat, he shouted "thank you Jesus".....the pastor then asked him
why he was thankful since he didn’t receive any money......His reply, I’m
thankful I got my hat back !!!!
Even in the worst of times.....we have so much to be thankful for ! During times
of stress, and pressure...we have so much to be thankful for ! Amid time of
storms, we have much to be thankful for ! Yet far too often we choose to become
negative....to complain......and we become bitter ! We forget or fail to spend
time thinking about thanking ! Sometimes we miss out on so many things because
of this !
Story: Sigmund Freud suffered from a horrible cancer to his mouth, and in 1926
developed heart trouble, and even spent some time in a sanatorium. He returned
to his home with a yearning for morning drives, and for the first time
experienced the glories of springtime in Vienna. "What a pity, he wrote,
that one has to grow old and ill before making this discovery"
Folks....let’s not waste precious time being grumpy and bitter ! Being
negative handicaps us, and hinders those around us ! Spend time thinking about
thanking ! One teenage girl who was depressed begin to record in her journal
things that she was thankful for.....and 20 years later, and many journals later
she published a book...."14,000 Things To Be Happy About".
Illus.. Preacher baptizing man in river
Those that have been saved by the grace of God should be the most thankful
people on the planet. We shouldn’t just give thanks, but we should be thankful
! We should live a life that reflects thanksgiving !
The Bible reveals to us the importance of "thanksgiving and
thanksliving" in our everyday lives. It is said that there are 138 passages
in the Bible that deal directly with the subject of thanksgiving !
The word "thank" or "thanks" appears at approx 100 times in
scripture.
The phrase "give thanks" appears 40 times while the phrases
"giving thanks or giving of thanks appear 9 times.
This morning I want to share three principles from our scripture which will help
us to be a more thankful people !
I. Allow His Peace To Rule You! V. 15
I believe that allowing his peace to rule in us will allow us to be more
thankful !
The word "peace" is a beautiful word. In this text it means "to
be at one again."
a. Peace is a gift to us.
John 14:7 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world
giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid.
The Bible speaks of "peace with God" in Romans 5:1 Therefore being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
"Peace with God" is obtained by receiving Christ.
Acts 10:36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace
by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all)
The Bible speaks of the "Peace of God" both here in this verse and
also in Phil 4:7 And let the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall
keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
The "Peace of God" occurs as we "remain" (abide) in Christ.
b. Peace is a guide to us.
Paul says "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts,.." The word
"rule" is literally "sat as umpire" The term is used to
describe those who umpired or served as judges at the Greek Olympics. The peace
of God is to be our umpire. He is to keep us under control. He is to guide us,
and help us in decision making ! He is to keep the peace, maintain order !
The presence of his peace in our life is like a compass that let’s us know
that we are in his will, and traveling in the right direction.
The loss of peace may be indicative of our being out of his will or the presence
of something in our life that shouldn’t be.
c. Peace is a goal for us.
When we have made peace with God through his son Jesus Christ, we can have the
peace of God in our lives ! That peace will help us in times of trouble. It will
keep us focused, and calm under pressure, and we will be reminded to be
thankful. Making peace with God enables us to be at peace with one another. It
should be the goal of every child of God to live at peace with those around us.
In fact, when we are not at peace with others, I believe it is evident that we
are being ruled by the peace of God !
II. Allow His Promises To Reside In You. V. 16
If we allow his word to reside in us, and meditate upon it, we will become a
more thankful people.
a. The word reminds us of our past.
The children of Israel were constantly reminded of where God had brought them
from. By allowing his word to inhabit us abundantly, we will be reminded of our
past.
b. The word reminds us of his provision.
When we allow his word to dwell in our hearts, we are taken back to Calvary, and
what Jesus did with out past ! He nailed it to the cross !
c. The word reminds us of his presence.
No matter what comes our way....his promises are true. He will never leave us
nor forsake us !
d. The word reminds us of his protection.
How safer can we be than in the hand of God ? No man is able to pluck us out of
his hand ! His grace is sufficient for all of our needs !
e. The word reminds us of our prospect.
When we let his word dwell in us....we are reminded of our future ! We know
where we’re going ! We know what awaits us !We know who awaits us !
The reminders from the word of God allowed to dwell in us will help us to be
thoughtful about being thankful !
III. Allow His Purpose To Regulate You ! V. 17
If we realize that God has a purpose in our lives, and wants to be part of our
every thought, our every word, our every act, then our lives take on more
meaning ! We will be a more thankful people !
Understanding God’s purpose, and plan for our lives will cause us to rejoice,
and be thankful ! If we learn to be regulated by these principles, it would
transform our lives ! Paul says.....that our words, which by the way, in this
word include our thoughts, and our deeds or works should be done in the name of
the Lord Jesus.
a. His purpose should regulate my words.
Want to live a life of thanksliving, then allow him to be in control of our
thoughts, and our words. The tongue is filled with deadly poison, and we often
allow it to spew it’s venom. Let Jesus be in control of this instrument of
pain, and let him speak through you. Let your words be filled with praise, and
thanksgiving instead of complaining, and criticizing !
b. His purpose should regulate my works.
We will be more productive, and therefore more thankful if we act in Jesus name.
His purpose for us is to glorify him !
c. His purpose should regulate my worship.
When we allow him to regulate our words, and our works, then the result will be
worship.....thanksgiving. We will sing praises in hymns, and spiritual songs to
one another !
Psa 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with
praise: be thankful unto him and bless his name !
When we come into his house, we should do so with thankful hearts ! Have you
ever tried to worship with a bitter spirit ? Have you ever tried to worship when
you’re angry ? It just can’t happen ! Our lives need to manifest
"thanksliving" ! When you’re prone to worry, think about your
blessings, and you will be thankful !
Have you made peace with God by receiving his Son as your Savior ? If you are a
child of God, is your life being ruled by his peace ?