1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. What makes you thankful? So what makes you thankful? And are you only thankful in the good times or are you thankful even when the bad comes? When life seems completely out of control and the way ahead seems so unclear? Or when it all seems to be going our way? Are we more interested in the gifts or in the Giver? Think of Job 2:10. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil? Verse 16 tells us to: 16 Rejoice always, - Have joy. And notice too, unlike the way I actually do it in my own life, the verse says Rejoice always. Not sometimes. Not only when my bank account is full. Not only when things are going my way, or my health or my spouses or children s health is good. Or there s food in the pantry or gas in the car. It says, Rejoice always. Rejoice always. Hard to do when things around seem difficult don t they? But you see that s the trouble here. My joy comes not from someone or something. My joy rests in God. Chuck Swindoll say that joy is an inner sense of contentment that flows from a deep assurance that all God s purposes are good and he s in complete control of every situation. Or as I will continue to say: God working all things out for His glory and our good. Circumstances or people. What robs you of your joy? I can t control either the circumstances or people that come into my life, but I can control my response to them. I have a simple phrase that helps me when it comes to dealing with people. Everyone bring joy to my life. Some when entering. Others when leaving. And the same is true of our circumstances. There is a play on words in the Greek in these verses, that is probably only interesting to Greek geeks, but 1
the phrase in verse 18, give thanks - eucharisteo - has at its root the same word used for rejoice in verse 16. The idea here then is that the only way that I am going to have joy in my life is by giving thanks. We think and say, that as soon as these circumstances change, then I ll have joy. God s Word says that as soon as I give thanks, the joy will come, even if my circumstances don t change. But my heart, my attitude is going to change. As long as I look at the things that come into my life to determine my joy. As long as I look at the people who affect my life. I am more interested in what I receive than in the Giver of all life. You want to have joy all the time? Then focus on the One who is in control and is orchestrating all things for His glory and our good rather than what I have been handed. Because if I can t see past the gift, then all I ll see is a can of coke. Paul goes on in verse 17 to say that we are to: 17 pray without ceasing, Now this doesn t mean that we are to remain in our prayers closets all day or on our knees praying, doing nothing else. It means to have a constant attitude of prayer about everything. To set our minds on things above, rather than things on the earth. We ve spoken a lot about listening prayer over these past few weeks and we are going to keep on emphasizing this because we are absolutely convinced that apart from prayer nothing is possible. James 5:16 tells us: The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. As it is working. Not prayers lifted without hope that perhaps, sort of, maybe, God will hear. The power it says is as it is working. As our prayers are lifted to the throne room of grace. As we stop to listen to what God will say to us. As we rest in fellowship with Him. If we Rejoice Always, and Pray Without Ceasing then I submit that we will then be able to Give Thanks in All Circumstances Thanking God focuses our attention on Him rather than our circumstances. The key to a grateful heart begins with understanding the Lord s character 2
because knowing His awesome attributes should motivate trust and gratitude in us. He knows exactly what we are going through. He loves us unconditionally and understands us perfectly. When we thank Him in tough times, He gets bigger and the circumstances become smaller. The issue isn t that my problem or my sin is too big. The issue is that my view of God is too small. When we are able to give thanks in all circumstances and for every person it gives us an eternal perspective. We are able to see life from God s perspective. Seeing from the floor versus the ceiling. It is a heart issue really. Giving thanks, serving in the church, leading our families as God requires, being the husband or wife that God desires, being the child that honors our parents these are issues of the heart. And the only way to have a heart like this is to first surrender our will, our lives to Him. To get over ourselves and begin thanking the One who gives all things. Our attitudes, our lives, are a direct reflection of where we are in Christ. And anything that takes the place of that is an idol that we need to lay down. If I am consumed with worry, with pain, with grief, with troubles, with people if those things occupy my mind s attention and heart s affection, then these are things that I worship. These are things that are idols in my life. And they need to go away. They are obstacles to the very life so many of us desire. The life God desires for us! Notice too that the verse doesn t say: In everything give thanks when you feel like it. This command has nothing to do with feelings. It s a choice to do what God says. Whenever He gives us a command in the Bible it is there for our benefit. So we should obey. The choice isn t always easy. Most of the time, we d rather get out of difficulties than thank God through them. But have you ever considered that He may actually want you to stay in a painful situation for a time? I know this may not sound like something a loving God would ever do, but remember, His 3
goal is to do what is best for you, not what s comfortable, convenient, and enjoyable. Giving thanks to God prepares the way for Him to reveal his plans. Psalm 50:23 says this: [God speaking] He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God. This idea of preparing the way calls to mind one of the mundane things that get done here every week. Just like this morning, a few hours before the service starts, a group of incredible servants arrives to do such spiritual work as setting up chairs, hauling in the sound and children s ministry equipment, and making coffee and snacks for you. They pray for our time together and they pray over each and every chair. They dedicate this gym as a tabernacle to God. These servants prepare the way so that the MAIN EVENT of the worship service can happen. If you were to arrive and there was no sound system set up, the musicians hadn t rehearsed, there were no chairs to sit on, and so on, it would be very difficult for anyone to experience the work of the Lord in their life. There would just be too many distractions. Well, what does this verse say about how we can see what God wants to do in our lives? It says that those who offer sacrifices of thanksgiving prepare the way for God to show his salvation to them. Just like the work of those on the set up team, our acts of thanksgiving prepare the way for the Lord to reveal his salvation his way of delivering us from whatever situation we re facing. It s as if God is just waiting for us to say, in our thanksgiving to Him, God I know that all I have is yours and comes from you and I trust that just as your word says it, You are good! I choose to trust you and thank you! Giving thanks to God ushers in the peace of God to guard our hearts and minds. Philippians 4:6-7. 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made 4
known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. So, the Apostle Paul writes, get rid of your anxiety and replace it with a lifestyle of prayer bringing all your needs before God WITH THANKSGIVING. And if we ll do this, we re promised something that no amount of money can purchase. Peace. Guarding our hearts and minds beyond anything that the human mind can understand. In addition to the peace promised to those who learn to give thanks in all circumstances, and the way doing so sets the stage for God to show us his salvation, there is a third reason that God asks us to develop this discipline of giving thanks in all things. Giving thanks reminds us that God uses all our circumstances to make us more like Him. Romans 8:28-29. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Here again we see one of the most incredible promises of the Bible for you and me. It clearly states that for those who love God, every circumstance of their lives is being used for their ultimate good. God working all things out for His glory and our good. Now this takes incredible patience and understanding, because the good promised may be very far off in human terms. Yet even to those of you who are in the midst of pain, crisis, or grief, God says TRUST ME I m STILL IN CONTROL, AND I M WORKING FOR YOUR GOOD. What good you ask? Verse 29 tells us the good of being conformed into the likeness of His Son. That some day we might be able to stand before Him and hear Him say, Well done, good and faithful servant! You had some hard lessons in your time on earth, but you see now how they ALL shaped you into who I had created you to become. Welcome and enter into your rest! 5
Scripture says: We walk by faith, not by sight. So when sight says, There is no God look at all the suffering! Faith says, Even in this I believe God is good and his love endures forever. Giving thanks to God prepares the way for Him to reveal his plans. Giving thanks to God ushers in the peace of God to guard our hearts and minds. Giving thanks reminds us that God uses all our circumstances to make us more like Him. Corrie & Betsie ten Boom The Hiding Place fleas In The Hiding Place, Dutch woman Corrie ten Boom wrote of her family s experience undergoing the trial of concentration camps under the Third Reich in World War II. Though not Jews themselves, she, her father, and her sister, Betsie, were sent to a series of prison camps for harboring Jews in their Netherlands home. At one point, the two sisters are sent to their third camp, Ravensbruck, and upon their arrival at the barracks, they realize that among other horrors of the camp their barracks are completely infested with fleas. Fleas! I cried. Betsie, the place is swarming with them! how can we live in such a place? Show us. Show us how. It was said so matter of factly it took me a second to realize she was praying. More and more the distinction between prayer and the rest of life seemed to be vanishing for Betsie. Corrie! she said excitedly. He s given us the answer! Before we asked, as He always does! In the Bible this morning. Where was it? Read that part again! I glanced down the long dim aisle to make sure no guard was in sight, then drew the Bible from its pouch. It was in First Thessalonians, I said. Here it is; Comfort the frightened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all It seemed written expressly to Ravensbruck. Go on, said Betsie. That wasn t all. 6
Oh yes; to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus That s it, Corrie! That s His answer. Give thanks in all circumstances! That s what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks! I stared at her, then around me at the dark, foul-aired room. Such as? I said. Such as being assigned here together. I bit my lip, Oh yes, Lord Jesus! Such as what you re holding in your hands. I looked down at the Bible. Yes! Thank You, dear Lord, that there was no inspection when we entered here! Thank You for all the women, here in this room, who will meet You in these pages. Yes, said Betsie. Thank You for the very crowding here. Since we re packed so close, that many more will hear! She looked at me expectantly. Corrie! she pleaded. Oh, all right. Thank You for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed, suffocating crowds. Thank You, Betsie went on serenely, for the fleas and for The fleas! This was too much. Betsie, there s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea. Give thanks in all circumstances, she quoted. It doesn t say, in pleasant circumstances. Fleas are part of this place where God has put us. And so we stood between piers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong. 7
Well a couple months later something happened that proved who was right and who was wrong. Corrie writes One evening I got back to the barracks late from a wood-gathering foray outside the walls. A light snow lay on the ground and it was hard to find the sticks and twigs with which a small stove was kept going in each room. Betsie was waiting for me, as always, so that we could wait through the food line together. Her eyes were twinkling. You re looking extraordinarily pleased with yourself, I told her. You know we ve never understood why we had so much freedom in the big room, she said (referring to the fact that they had been free to have Bible studies and even sing hymns in the barracks together in the evenings..) Well, I ve found out. That afternoon, she said, there d been confusion in her knitting group about sock sizes and they d asked the supervisor to come and settle it. But she wouldn t. She wouldn t step through the door and neither would the guards. And you know why? Betsie could not keep the triumph from her voice: Because of the fleas! That s what she said, That place is crawling with fleas! My mind rushed back to our first hour in this place. I remembered Betsie s bowed head, remembered her thanks to God for creatures I could see no use for. Today, may we learn what Betsie and Corrie ten Boom had come to learn - that when we trust God enough to thank Him in all circumstances - even for the creatures and circumstances we can see no use for - He will bless us in ways that surprise us and fill our lives with a peace and a joy that we never knew we could experience. 8