Giving Thanks in Everything

Thanksgiving is the essence of Christian living and attitude when a person becomes a Christian is characteristic of that believer to thank God for everything. All of a sudden, there is a new heart and a new soul new in her life that newness is a heart of Thanksgiving cries out in gratitude to God, your child is born, what about when bad things happen when you lose your job when you have a family crisis or the doctor says you have cancer.

What then, here's a hint, God wants the same response today on grace to you. John MacArthur's going to show you what that response is as he looks at what it takes to thrive spiritually and to strengthen your local congregation. It's part of John's current study titled, the Bible driven church. Now here's John.

First Thessalonians 518 Paul writes in everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Paul simply says very directly in everything give thanks.

No exceptions, no excuses. Nothing is outside those parameters. In everything give thanks that little phrase and ponte in the Greek means in connection with everything that occurs in connection with everything in life.

Give thanks. No matter what it might be, with obvious exceptions of personal sin, he is saying no matter what happens to you in life. Be thankful no matter what lot no matter what circumstance, no matter what, struggle, vicissitudes, trial testing, be thankful. Give thanks matter what the situation we are to find reason to thank God.

This is not some nebulous thanks fired off into space. It is a Thanksgiving directly to God. By the way, we should remind ourselves that Thanksgiving is the essence of Christian living and attitude, and being unthankful is the very essence of the unregenerate heart. The apostle Paul in Romans chapter 1 identifies the ungodly with some very direct words in verse 21 he says they knew God, that is through conscience and creation, God was visibly manifest to them and experientially manifest to them. But even though they knew God through creation and conscience. He says they did not honor him as God or give thanks there is the indictment on unregenerate man. There is the indictment on the non-Christian. He refuses to do what is basic and that is to thank God for everything, but when a person becomes a Christian is characteristic of that believer that Christian to thank God for everything. All of a sudden, there is a new heart and a new soul, new inner life of there's something different about the inner man and and and build into that newness is is is a heart of Thanksgiving to cries out in gratitude to God.

It's so hard to find someone more thankful than a brand-new Christian Thanksgiving becomes a part of the fabric of our new life is a fruit of the grace of the work of the spirit within us. What is an interesting how even Christians can become unthankful for unregenerate person to be unthankful is normal for a Christian to be unthankful is abnormal.

That's the cut across the grain of your new life. Your new nature.

Your new person. The the new you. So because we can fault of the sin of ingratitude. The New Testament repeatedly calls us to thankfulness. I don't have the time to go through all of the text of the New Testament that enjoin us to be thankful. I just share a few with you that I hope will build a little bit of a theology of thankfulness that may help to encourage you. The overarching principle that sets it all in places.

Romans 828 we know that all things work together for good to them that love God with them or the called according to his purpose naturally to the overarching umbrella that covers every issue of life no matter what happens, it all falls under the umbrella of Romans 828 and it will be by God working together for our good. It made itself not be good but God will take a bad thing and turn it to a good purpose for our good and our eternal glory. If you live believing that God is at work, sovereignly controlling all of the contingencies of life, blending them all together each component to lead to a sovereignly designed goal for your good and glory. Then you can handle anything in life and be thankful because you know it fits into the ultimate plan I can be thankful for the pain that I go through in a surgery if I know that there's healing coming because of it. I can be thankful for the difficulty I go through in preparation if I know that the product of that preparation is going to change lives. I can be thankful for the process of pain that I might inflict on my body if I know that in the end I'm going to be healthier because I exercise there are many things in life that involved that as long as you look at the end result. You can be thankful even for a process that's less than happy, joyful when we see the end result of what God is doing blending everything in our lives for ultimate good, and glory, then we can in everything give thanks, but is noticing how we somehow failed to be thankful. We live in a day today where it's very difficult for us to rise above the creeping encroaching powerful culture that surrounds us and we live in a thankless age.

This is got to be the most thankless age there ever was. On the one hand you have people have more than they've ever had, but you also have people who know there's more. Yet that they don't have and so no matter what they have. They don't have everything that could happen so they don't have everything they want.

And so it breeds a terrible kind of thankless in this. Consequently, the New Testament injunctions for us to be thankful in this culture need to be reminded over and over again to the people of God so that we don't follow the patterns of those around us in Ephesians chapter 5 the apostle Paul writing at the beginning of the chapter and verse three says don't let immorality or impurity or greed be named among you, and he's talking there about deeds.

Then in verse four he says there shouldn't be filthiness, silly talk core suggesting, but rather giving of thanks and there is talking about speech he say when you open your mouth.

Nothing dirty.

Got to come out would come out of Thanksgiving. Christians are to be known by their Thanksgiving. It's just constant when they open their mouth there expressing gratitude to God over and chapter 5 verse 18 same chapter, Ephesians, verse 18. Listen to this. He says don't be drunk with wine that is dissipation be filled with the spirit and what will happen. Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord. That's joy rejoicing, prayer, praise will happen then verse 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the father a spirit filled believer is a normal believer is a thankful believer is a joyful believer is a praying believer's what he saying if you're filled with the spirit you going to be giving thanks for everything, but just cannot gush out of you. You should be giving thanks because of your salvation you should be giving thanks because of God's outpouring of all the necessities of your spiritual life and you will be giving thanks. If you're filled with the spirit even in the times of trouble. Paul says be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with what thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Even in the times of great anxiety in the times of great fear and worry and stress.

Your to be characterized as thankful now this is the third component, by the way, in our text go back to first Thessalonians chapter 5. This is 1/3 component here in the attitude of the sheep to the great Shepherd first one was joy.

Second one was prayer third one is. Thanks. Versus 1617 18. Here we find the responsibility of the believer before the Lord in terms of this part attitude. He is to have inward incessant joy, continual unceasing prayer constant daily. Thanks that's to be the character in the pattern of our life and by the way these three commands rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks. These three commands penetrate the innermost recesses of the redeemed heart.

They penetrate the innermost recesses of the redeemed heart to worry me but they're the best gauge on a person's spiritual condition. Did you get that they are the best gauge on a person's spiritual condition. There are a lot of folks who can carry out the functions on the outside and hypocritical way. If you want to get in touch with the reality of your spiritual condition.

If you want to know whether you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then all you need to do is ask yourself do I rejoice always do I constantly pray and I might increasingly thankful because that's the spring from within. That's what's coming out from the inside it will lead to a right attitude and all the duties that you do and all the responsibilities and ministries, but the innermost recesses of the redeemed heart are touched when there is constant joy, constant prayer and constant Thanksgiving. If you're not a joyful, prayerful, thankful person you're struggling with the flesh when you're controlled by the spirit those things fall into place. Then he says in verse 18 for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. This is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

By the way, that attaches to all three of those commands, not just to the last one, God's will in Christ Jesus is that you would have constant joy, constant prayer and constant thanks. That's his will and what is it mean when it says this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. The in Christ Jesus modifies you. You were Christians, you who are in Christ Jesus for you.

This is God's will.

There's no point in God willing it for the world. They can't be truly and constantly joyful they cannot be in constant communion with the Lord don't even have a relationship under certainly not gonna be thankful but for you who are in Christ Jesus you are in the body of Christ.

You have been joined to him. This will of God is placed on you as a mandate single after drum it myself know it is not only God's will to will and it is God's will to work it. Philippians 213. It is God's pleasure to will and to do of his own goodwill.

He knew right so we Wells and he works it by his Holy Spirit. That's why say, if you're filled with the spirit you going to speak to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs why that's rejoicing and you can offer that to the Lord why that's prayer and you going to be giving thanks because that's the essence of the flow out from the inward spiritual control. Those who are members of the body of Christ, then, are to be characterized by unceasing joy, prayer and thanksgiving that's common that's normal. That's routine because we should be filled with the spirit.

As a matter of the course of life I would look at our life we say wait a minute I wish it were true. I wish I wish I just went around all time gushing seeing songs of praise and offering prayer to the Lord and thanking him for everything no matter what it was but I always do that.

Well, it's because your sinful and because the flesh is still there but we need to get a little bit better grip on that how we can deal with it. What is it that corrupts those innerspring so that I'm not always joyful, prayerful and thankful. What corrupts that we give the list seven of seven things that will corrupt the spring of your innermost heart and hinder joy.

Prayer and thinks number one is doubt. Doubt we mean by that I mean doubt about God doubt about the character of God you not sure. First of all that God's word can be trusted when he says that all things work together for good to them that love God and the called according to his purpose when he says that his heart and desire for us is for our good and not evil when he says that he wills the benefits of his love upon us. I don't know much, or we can trust when he says that he is faithful in his mercies are new every morning. You may not be telling us the truth. If you doubt God's truthfulness. If you doubt God's character. You can have trouble being thankful because you're not going to be necessarily sure that he's really going to keep his promise to make it work for your good or if you doubt his sovereign power. Maybe you think he means well. He just can't pull off. You can sure trust his word is good, good intentions. He doesn't have the power to deal with it. It's beyond them too complex to difficulty can't work this one out his neck to pull this off so you doubt his sovereign power. Or maybe you doubt his wisdom is to tell you what he wants to keep his word.

You get the ability to keep his word, just not too smart. So when he works it all out is really very good. E if you would just consult me.

I write could clear some things up for him because I got this deal laid out and if it works my way. He'll be perfect and you can see by the way it's working that God's plan is certainly not up to the standard of mine for questioning his wisdom and then somewhat even question is love, say, well, God would never let this happen.

If you really love me certainly can't love me and be letting this go on any of those kinds of doubts that attach themselves to the character.

The word, the love, the wisdom, the power of character of God are going to take away your thankfulness, those are going to poison the springs of your redeemed heart that should be gushing forth and overflowing gratitude.

Secondly, selfishness.

You can add to doubt selfishness. This will really poison the springs of gratitude. This is the attitude that says luck.

I don't want it the way it is. I wanted the way I want. I am not content with the way God is working out my life.

I am not content with the circumstances in which I find myself presently I am not content with the things are going on in my little world. I do not want it this way. It's not what I desire that selfishness and selfishness basically says God get off the throne and put me on it. I want to be in charge. I want to run my life.

I want to call the shots.

Self-will is more important than God's will. My plan is more important than God's plan. Selfishness I want my life this way. I want my job this way. I want my church. This way I want my spouse this way want my kids this way.

I want my career. This way I want I want I want I want and if God doesn't come in and fit the picture perfectly.

Then self-will begins to run roughshod over the plan of God in a thankless spirit is the result. Third, the third hindrance to a thankful heart would be worldliness, worldliness, the love of the world you say what you mean by that.

Well, someone whose vision is filled with trivial things.

Someone whose vision is filled with pleasure, prominence, popularity, prestige, people, places, possessions pursuits, I can think of anymore peas offhand. Somebody whose vision is all filled up with the trivia of the world, the stuff that is passing away and they're so consumed with all that stuff that if that all doesn't work out the way they want it there not to be thankful when they had their eye on a relationship with a person they had their eye on a certain pleasurable achievement accomplishment or experience.

They had their eye on a place they wanted to be RX certain a possession they wanted to have more or a certain pursuit. They wanted to accomplish.

They had their eye on some kind of prestige. They wanted to gain or some popularity. They want to achieve and it didn't happen. And because it didn't happen. Their whole life is in the dumps and you and I know people like that.

There are people in our world who because they didn't get somewhere along the line what they what they wanted.

They took their ball spiritually and went home and they spend the rest of their life with a thankless attitude. They never ever see the blessing of God is are not looking at it, you know that great old hymn, be thou my vision old Lord of my heart that's the heart of the Christian's vision, be thou my vision, Lord of my heart it's you I see it's you I want it you will. I long for, and as long as that your vision you're going to see the blessing of God pouring into your life.

But if your vision is the material world that you miss all of that and so you have no cause for Thanksgiving because everything that you attached your affection to the doesn't work out causes you to be thankless and ungrateful number four critical spirit a critical spirit here again is something that will steal thankfulness blind.

A critical spirit. A person was bitter, a person who is negative, who has a sour life attitude can be produced by a number of things. But if it is running unchecked, it will destroy a thankful heart. It will blind your vision. It will warp your understanding. It will make you useless to God and a pain in the proverbial neck everybody around it'll corrode your spirituality. It'll corrode your love this critical spirit this over analysis of everything. This need to criticize everything that isn't exactly the way it ought to be critical spirit makes a bitter negative thankless person that again rises from pride rises from an enlarged ego that says I deserve better than this. I'm worthy of better than this or it says I want people to think I'm better than I really am. So I want stuff around me to make me look good, and it's not making me look as good as I want to look and so I get sour and bitter or I've been hurt or I've been wounded by somebody and I'm just going to take the pain and I'm in a run it through the course of the rest of my life that kind of critical attitude destroys thankfulness. Number five, impatience, impatience, some people don't give thanks, simply because their discontent over the perception that God doesn't move on their daytime or God doesn't operate according to their schedule.

God is it working by their clock, they they just can't take process you know people like that. They want instant gratification, instant gratification, they can't deal with process. They can't say thank you Lord. I can see your hand at work. The process is slow, I see. I thank you for it. I praise you, for they say God is like the child of the tantrum I wanted I wanted now no process my time, not yours. They want everything fixed in their world they want it fixed immediately. They cannot patiently wait they cannot patiently thank God for an unfinished process. They want God to work for them to accomplish all their goals and their own timeframe. Impatience will just destroy thankfulness learned to thank God for the process and learn if you're looking at your partner in life, or your children or whatever it is for the little signals of process for which you can thank God he's accomplishing his great purpose.

Don't be in a hurry to see the things happen that are happening perfectly on time. In his economy what Rob's gratitude, doubt, selfishness, worldliness, critical spirit impatience to more coldness spiritual coldness could call it apathy you could call it lethargy. I use the word coldness in thinking about the lukewarm heart of the Laodiceans are thinking about the Ephesian church in Revelation. Also that had left its first love is a lack of zeal for Christian service. There's a lack of love for Christ is a lack of diligence in the study of Scripture is a lack of passion and worship is a neglect of the Bible and neglect of prayer.

There's a waste of time on the trivia of life and leaves people empty. They just become spiritually indifferent, lethargic, apathetic people are very aware that there is an apathy that did exist among many Christian people, and it is the kind of coldness that steals Thanksgiving not even looking at things for which to be thankful. They've lost that intimacy with the Lord. They've lost that intense joy in the study of the word. Consequently, their hearts have no gratitude and lastly is rebellion. And by this I simply mean just downright outright flat out rebellion.

I'm not thankful, because I'm angry with God. I'm not thankful because I don't like what he's doing in my life. I'm mad and I'm unthankful and I know want unthankful and I want to stay on think just plain rebellious there. People like that. It's amazing their lot in life is what they want and they purposely withhold thanks because they're just flat out unthankful in any form, any of the seven you have gross sin you're defying the command of God in everything to give thanks.

You're defying the instruction of the New Testament that you ought to be always thankful for your salvation. For the on ending blessings of God you want to be thankful for the unspeakable gift of Christ.

You want to be thankful for salvation.

Thankful for victory over sin and death want to be thankful for divine guidance for complete provision for all your needs, your to be thankful for the hope of glory ought to be thankful for the power of the word. The power of prayer. The goodness of God the mercy of God, the holiness of God that never errors you want to be thankful for life and breath thankful for having thankful for everything and if you're not thankful that sin you're not thankful, because you're rebellious because you're cold and indifferent because you're impatient because your critical because your worldly because you're selfish or because you're doubting God that sin and everything give thanks to result of the spirit filled life.

As I said in Philippians 2 you can't drum it up yourself. That's why God works to will and to do his own good pleasure in you. He's working to make you thankful and it's happening through the power of the spirit of God. If you're filled with the spirit he produces it.

What happens when you're thankful God is glorified.

Your blessed churches built up in the lost are reached tremendous impact tremendous impact when you are thankful. What does God ask in a growing flock.

What does he ask of the sheep in terms of being related to him.

He asks that they rejoice all the time.

Pray all the time and give thanks all the time. That's their spiritual duty, and that's a duty that is energized by the power of the Holy Spirit, dwelling in us as we yield to the spirit God produces the that's John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary today. He showed you how to give thanks to God for any and every circumstance you face.

It's part of his current series on grace to you titled, the Bible driven church John in your five decades as a pastor I know you've seen and said a lot about churches that claim to be Bible driven, but they downplay preaching in the pulpit and instead they go for gimmicks and fads that they think are going to be more attractive to unbelievers and now there's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to reach out to unbelievers in the community right well know me that's very important. Although the church gathered is for worship and edification. It scatters to evangelize, it gathers to worship and beatified and the reason the worship and edification is so important is because that builds strong believers who then scatter and their transformed lives are manifest. If you have a church that doesn't feed and nurture the saints with the word of God, then there then I can have a high impact testimony so the church strengthens believers so that the life they live is manifestly godly and that calls attention to the transforming power of the gospel, but the church seems to lean so very frequently in the direction of gearing up its meetings for nonbelievers.

I don't know whether this is like trying to fill the gap of people not being willing to evangelize. But again, this is not solving the problem because they're not doing it because they're not prepared to do it. They're not fed so they become strong in their lives become a testimony and people ask questions. What's the difference in your life and give you opportunity to do that.

It's not good when a pastor takes over the responsibility of evangelism because that's the job of the people shepherds feed sheep and sheep have sheep so that this trend is constantly happening and it caused me to write a book actually called ashamed of the gospel.

It's been a book that's hung around for a long time. As you know gradebook yeah it's become out in several iterations it keeps coming back because the problem doesn't go away if it did, examines the issue of what should the church really believe and be sure the church be designed for non-Christians to appeal to them that does the church need entertainment and worldly behavior to attract unbelievers and then try to bait and switch them over to serious biblical sanctification just exactly what should the church be again the title, ashamed of the gospel 250 pages very important book for you. And here's the good news free to anyone contacting us for the first time and this is a great deal free to anyone who's contacting us for the first time this book is our gift to you.

If you've never contacted us before, so pick up your free copy of ashamed of the gospel by getting in touch with us today.

Call us at 855 grace or go to our website TTY.org. John's book ashamed of the gospel will help you answer questions like what is the purpose of the local church. Falcon my church resist the temptation to compromise the hard truth of the gospel and how can my church effectively and biblically reach the community again will send you ashamed of the gospel for free. If you never contacted us before. Just call us at 855 grace or visit our website TTY.org. Also remember, you can download John's current series, the Bible driven church at our website.

All eight lessons are free to download@tty.org and if you'd like to review any recent series you heard on the radio and you will find it, along with 3500 other messages from John all free to download@tty.org now for John MacArthur and the grace to you staff, I'm Phil Johnson, thanks for starting your week off with Grace to you and be back tomorrow. As John helps you avoid the devastating effects of quenching the Holy Spirit. John will continue to study the Bible driven church with another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to you