Giving Thanks Always for All Things -- 11/25/07

Sunday, November 25, 2007

GIVING THANKS ALWAYS FOR ALL THINGS
Eph. 5:20

Toward the end of the first chapter of Romans we are confronted by a list of some of the worst sins mentioned in all the Bible. Some see in this list a particular application to our day. While that is true, the application is much more general. Remember that Paul is writing in the past tense. The big question is this: How could man, who was created by God, go so far astray? We are given a clue in verse 21: "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." The verses before 21 assure us that God has revealed Himself to man, even in His creation and in man’s conscience.. Nevertheless, men who received this knowledge of God did not glorify Him as God and they were not thankful.

Is there any sin worse than ingratitude? What is worse than not being thankful for what we have received? How a parent’s heart breaks when he sees that his son or daughter isn’t grateful for the fact that his parents have poured out their lives to him or her. How God must be grieved when He watches the people He created go merrily on their way with very little thanksgiving to their Creator.

Of course, this past Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving, as did people all across our nation. Praise God that there were people in our nation who saw a need to set aside a day to give thanks to God for all He has done. My purpose is not to criticize that action in any way. On the other hand, I must say that Thanksgiving Day is not the real test of thanksgiving. As Jesus tells us that it is no big deal to love those who love us, so it is no big deal to give thanks when we sit down to a bountiful meal with those we love.

Please come with me to Eph. 5:18-21. Let’s read it… (Eph. 5:18-21)
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

The command is that we be filled with the Spirit. It isn’t a one time thing, but we are to keep on being filled with the Spirit. Closely associated with that filling of the Spirit are four characteristics within the life of the believer. I want us to focus on the thrid, which is given in verse 20, "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus." Exactly how this attitude fits with being filled with the Spirit is understood differently by different believers. This much is very clear – being filled with the Spirit and giving thanks always for all things in the name of Jesus are very closely related. Where you find one you will find the other.

But let’s be honest this morning. This kind of attitude seems too high (that is why it is associated with the work of the Spirit, who is able to do what we cannot). Is this just a lofty statement? Or, can this be true in the lives of people like you and I? While this is only possible through the work of the Spirit, are there good reasons for us to give thanks for all things? Can we have some understanding of the wisdom of such an attitude? Indeed, we can.
This morning I would like to remind us of why it is perfectly fitting that we should give thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I. In Light of the Self-Sufficient God

When we think of giving thanks, we often think of how much we have received. For example, consider Thanksgiving in our nation. We are encouraged to give thanks abundantly because of the abundant blessing we have received. We have plenty to eat. Materially, we have more than we could ask for. When we complain—whether it be about gas prices or something else—our hardship is relative. Yes, gasoline costs much more than it did a year ago, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t blessed. The great majority of people in this world don’t even own a car, much less have the money to operate one. Not only have we Americans been blessed materially, but we have great freedom, even the freedom to worship together openly this morning. Because we have been so blessed, it is only fitting that we pour out our thanksgiving.

Now let’s move from national thanksgiving to the idea of thanking our God. We know that our Creator has done much for us, but I would like for you to think with me for a little while this morning about "the self-sufficient God." I will explain what I mean by that term. Let me ask you a question: "Why did God create man?" When we read the account of creation, we are not given a reason. God made man in His own image, but He doesn’t tell us why. So why did God create mankind? One of the most common answers goes like this: "God created man because He needed someone with whom to have fellowship." Some would even further explain that God was lonely and created man for companionship.

Brothers and sisters, friends, that is absolute heresy. God did not create man because of any need in Himself. God is not dependent upon man in any way. God is absolutely complete within Himself. He needs nothing; He needs no one. Man is totally dependent upon God; God is not dependent upon man.

You may say, "Where do you find that in the scriptures?" We find God’s self-sufficiency from cover to cover, but we will not find any hint that God needs man. Let’s read that lofty passage from Isaiah 40:12-31…
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? 13. Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? 14. With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding? 15. Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. 16. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. 17. All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. 18. To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? 19. The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains. 20. He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved. 21. Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22. It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: 23. That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. 24. Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. 25. To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. 26. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. 27. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? 28. Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31. But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Someone will say, "Yes, God has great power, but didn’t He need relationship?" He has been in relationship from eternity. The scripture reveals that He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That is why we read that God said, "Let us make man in our image." Our God was never lonely, for He is trinity. We can only get a glimpse of the relationship between Father, Son, and Spirit. It is beyond us. Hear the Father when He cries from heaven, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And then the Spirit descended upon the Son in the form of a dove. How foolish to think that God needs man. Better to say with the Psalmist, "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that thou visitest him?" (Ps. 8:3-4).

So if God didn’t create man out of need, then why did He create man? I can only answer that by saying that it is God’s nature to give. So we find it in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave…" God owed nothing to man, for man was not. God did not need to create man, and yet we owe everything to Him. Man’s love is often flawed by impure motives. How many people love others for what they can get out of them? None of us are above that temptation. I think I could safely say that no one here has totally avoided that flaw. But the Son of God, through whom everything in the universe was made, loved us and gave Himself for us (Eph. 5:2).

Can we not give thanks to a God like that, a God who owes us nothing but has given us Himself so freely?

II. In Light of Romans 8:28-29…

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Now let’s be honest, it is more difficult to give thanks for some things than for others. We can list dozens of things for which we are thankful. No, let’s make that hundreds of things. But in our list of things for which we are thankful how many of us include our arthritis, our loss of a job, our broken relationship with a friend? At first, we want to say, "God doesn’t expect us to be thankfuf for those things." But I ask you the question: "What does the Word say?" Then we say, "But God doesn’t bring bad things into our lives. He is a loving God."

I ask you this question: "What is it that God is trying to do in your life?" Let’s answer that question by looking at these words of Paul here in Rom. 8:28-29. We have been through this a number of times before; I trust that these truths are taking deep root in us. Yes, God does indeed work all things together for good to them that love Him and are the called according to His purpose. Praise His name for that, but that isn’t the end of the story. We have to ask the additional questions: "What is His purpose? And what is our good?" Because of the influence of the world, we are tempted to immediately conclude that our good is what we think is best. No, our good and what we think best are often far apart. That is because He is the only wise God, and He alone knows what is best for us.

So now let’s come to that crucial question again: "What is our good?" The answer is in verse 29. Let’s read verses 28 and 29 together: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." Those of us who are in Christ have been predestined to be conformed to the image of God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This the definition of "good" in verse 28.

This helps us to understand why it is right for us to thank God for all things. Though we don’t understand why the Lord brings us into a certain difficult circumstance, He is our Father who is working to conform us to the image of Christ. If you and I were able to engineer our own circumstances, we would never be conformed to Christ’s image. We don’t have the wisdom to understand what we need, what it takes to mold us into His image. But the God who created us, who sustains life in us, who redeemed us, and who gave Himself for us knows exactly how to accomplish this work. Do you believe that? If you do, then can you trust Him to only bring into your life that which will conform you to the image of Christ?

If you have great difficulty with thanking God for all things, you might want to ask yourself this basic question: "Is my greatest desire in life to be conformed to the image of Christ, no matter what the cost?" Hear me – this is the Christian life. To want anything less is to miss the great purpose of what God wants to do in you.

When a parent disciplines his child, is it pleasant? Of course, not. It isn’t any fun for the child or for the parent. The child will sometimes even beg the parent not to carry out the discipline. So what does the parent do? He can try to explain to the child that this spanking is for his own good, but his explanation is not always understood. Even if the child doesn’t understand, the loving and purposeful parent goes ahead with the discipline. A wise child will take it to heart and will even be thankful that his mom or dad loves him enough to spank him. Wise parents understand well that they are not trying to gain the approval of the child for the moment; they are not trying to make him happy. Rather, they are doing what is best for him in the long run. Let me remind us of God’s faithful discipline by reading Heb. 12:9-11…
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10. For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

With these concepts in mind, consider again that passage we know so well. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Prov. 3:5). When "tragic circumstances" come into your life, don’t lean to your own understanding. You are not capable at that time of understanding how God is able to use this in conforming you to the image of Christ. Instead of leaning to your own understanding, trust Him. You can have confidence that the God who had the wisdom and power to create this universe is more than capable of using these events to make you like Jesus. Trust Him.

III. In Light of God’s Great Purpose in All the Universe – that He Be Glorified

This goes hand in hand with God’s design to conform us to the image of Christ, but now we are looking at it in an even more comprehensive way. God’s plan to conform us to Christ’s image is part of an even larger design – that of bringing glory to Himself. Let me put it this way: "What will you be like, as you are more and more molded into the image of Christ?" Let’s answer that question by turning once again to that familiar passage in John 12:23-28a…
And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. 26. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. 27. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28. Father, glorify thy name.

I submit to you that Jesus thanked His Father for the cross. No, we are not told specifically that Jesus thanked the Father for the experience of the cross, but the overall message of the scriptures will lead us to that conclusion. Remember what we are told in Heb. 12:2, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Does not that joy imply thankfulness?

Now back to our question: "What will you be like, as you are more and more molded into the image of Christ?" You will be like Jesus Himself. And Jesus’ prayer in the face of the greatest injustice of all time was, "Father, glorify thy name." He knew full well what it would cost Him, as He stated in verse 24, "Except a kernel of wheat all into the ground and die, it remains alone; but if it die, it brings forth much fruit." Jesus was talking about His own death on the cross.
Please hear me well. None of us will ever be called on to give thanks for what Jesus faced. We will never face the cross that He endured. But even when it meant taking on Himself your sins and mine, He said, "Father, glorify your name."

In light of this truth, I ask you, "Is there anything for which you cannot give thanks?" The key is the desire of our heart. If I desire comfort and little pain, I won’t be able to thank God for all things. If I desire what I think is best, I won’t be able to give thanks for all things. But if I long to bring glory to the God who is all wise and who is working constantly to glorify Himself, then I can face every circumstance with the attitude that says, "Father, I thank you in the name of Jesus Christ. Father, be glorified even in this."

Come back to Eph. 5:20 again for a moment. "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Notice those words "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." We have a tendency to take those words lightly, as if they were just part of a formula to be said at the end of a prayer. No, these words have great meaning. We can only give thanks for all things, as we do so in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The "name" speaks of the character of our Lord Jesus. When we give thanks for all things, we are living in consistency with Christ, who is our life. This is exactly what He did. As we thank God for that which seems to be tragic, we are acknowledging that we long for the glory of God in and through our lives, even as Jesus did.

Can we not give thanks for all things, when we realize the great and eternal purpose which God is accomplishing – the giving of glory to Himself? My Psalm this morning was 115. The first verse reads: "Not unto me, O Lord, not unto me; but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy and for thy truth’s sake." O that we might be able to pray that prayer. When that is truly the prayer of our hearts, we will begin to find ourselves giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

If we wanted to add another "in light of," I would say, "We can give thanks always for all things in light of the cross of Jesus Christ," but that truth has permeated everything we have said, especially concerning God bringing glory to Himself. The climax of all the acts that have ever glorified God was the cross, where Jesus became our substitute, where God magnified both His justice and His love – His justice, in that our sins were punished; His love, in that we didn’t have to bear that punishment.

Do you see why this lifestyle of always giving thanks for all things is associated so closely with being filled with the Spirit? It is because this kind of life isn’t natural; it’s supernatural. It comes only from God. It was demonstrated perfectly only in the life of Jesus. But praise God that we can indeed be filled with the Spirit and can even give thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And as we do that, God is glorified!

Sometimes we fall into the trap of wanting to do something really big. If there were just something we could do that would bring great glory and honor to our Father. Brothers and sisters, giving thanks always for all things may not seem big, but it is bigger than we realize. This is the kind of life that does indeed bring great glory and honor to our Father. And the lack of it will be a hindrance to those grandiose activities that we think we bring great glory to God.
In reality, this is a wonderful test for the believer. Don’t fall into the trap of saying, "Tomorrow I am going to do better at giving thanks always in all things." Neither you nor I can do this. This is the work of the Spirit within us. The key is being filled with the Spirit, letting the Spirit guide our lives. And how do we do that? That is another subject, but let me leave you with two verses.
The first is the parallel to Eph. 5:18. We mentioned it last Sunday evening. Ephesians and Colossians are often called "parallel epistles," because Paul covers a lot of the same territory in each of these letters. In Colossians 3:16, where we would expect to hear, "Be filled with the Spirit," instead we find these words: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." There is a very close relationship between being filled with the Spirit and letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly. They go together. Let no one think he is being filled with the Spirit, if the Word of Christ is not dwelling in him richly.

The other passage doesn’t appear to be so directly related to being filled with the Spirit, but it really is. It is Psalm 37:4, "Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Surely we understand that God is not saying that if we delight ourselves in Him, He will give us everything we want. No, as we delight in Him, He will purify the desires of our heart. Instead of wanting a comfortable life, we will begin to long for His glory. Instead of wanting control of our circumstances, we will increasingly desire that we be filled with His Spirit. Our Lord is eager to fulfill such holy desires.