Give Great Thanks

Today on Fellowship in the Word, Pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. Christians are always asking me, what's God's will for my wife? What's God's will for my life? What's my vocation to be?

Where's the location? Should we move? Should I get married? There's not much in the Bible about that as far as God's will. If you want to know what God's will is, here it is. In everything give thanks.

Now, how do I know that? For this is God's will. It's not a mystery here. God wills us. He wants us to give thanks. Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Fellowship in the Word with Pastor Bill Gebhardt. Fellowship in the Word is the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now as once again he shows us how God's Word meets our world.

Around 3000 years ago, Solomon said there's nothing new under the sun. This Thursday, we celebrate a national holiday called Thanksgiving. It was initiated by the pilgrims in 1623. It's been emphasized by presidents like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. But thanking God for his blessings is as old as Judeo Christianity. And the prevailing idea behind us giving thanks to God is that he deserves it. But not surprising. Being thankful is not only great for God.

But it's good for you. My wife gave me a book this last week written by TV personality Deborah Norville. The title of the book is Thank You Power. Making the science of gratitude work for you. I was very interested in the book because when I read the back jacket, those who had endorsed the book was interestingly strange bedfellows.

Max Lucado, Donald Trump, Joan Rivers. The premise of the book is this. That people who often and sincerely give thanks. Are people who most benefit from it. That science has even proved now that those who give thanks are better off in life than those who don't. She cites in the book a long term study that was done by Dr. Robert Emmons, the University of California, Davis. And Emmons conducts this study between two groups, one where they cultivate the idea of Thanksgiving and giving thanks.

And the other group leaving them alone pretty much the way they've been. Dr. Emmons says this. I have studied a lot of topics in the nearly twenty five years since I've been in graduate school. But there is no topic that's gotten more interest from the people than this. And it's exciting.

From the very beginning, when I started this research, I was so excited I couldn't sleep. The challenge, he said, is not to make it sound too corny or simplistic or superficial. He goes on and says study participants did not know why they were doing these exercises. Any changes they observed were simply conditions the participants noticed as simply being different.

And so he had this one group. And what they would do is they would journal. And what they were told is in their journal, they would write what they were thankful for each and every day. They were also told that when they met people and people did anything for them, they were to thank them. Every time they met a service person who did a service for them, they were to thank them. They were to send notes of thanks to family members and friends and just do this on a regular basis.

At the end of a long extended period of time, he then evaluated both groups. And concerning the group that gave thanks on a regular basis, these are his conclusions. He says they felt better about their lives as a whole. They were more optimistic. They were more energetic. They were more enthusiastic. They were more determined.

They were more interested. They were more joyful. They felt stronger about handling challenges. They had fewer illnesses. They got more sleep. They had more progress toward important personal goals.

They were more likely to have helped someone else. They were perceived by others as more generous and helpful. They were less envious of those with more possession. Their lives were less cluttered. They had clearer thinking and more creativity and openness of ideas. They had better resilience during tough times. They had a higher immune response. They had a less likelihood of being plagued by stress. And they also became closer in their family ties.

Norval writes, along with thinner thighs and six-pack abs, this is a fairly comprehensive list of what most of us wish we had in our lives. Professor Evans also says, he said, I think gratitude is a very demanding quality, a rigorous quality we need to work on. It is a discipline, an exercise. And it doesn't come easily to most people. And it never came easy to me also. What a novel idea. Or is it? Cultivate giving thanks.

Do it often. Solomon might have been right. There is nothing new under the sun. Open your Bible is the first Thessalonians Chapter five. And Paul was concluding his epistle to the Thessalonians. And remember, from the Paul's point of view, the Church of Thessalonica was, of all the churches, the most to be admired.

He felt that it was the solidest church that he had planted. And he comes near the end of this in the beginning in verse 16. Just a couple of little phrases that he says. He says, rejoice, always pray without ceasing in everything. Give thanks for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Last week, we looked at this idea of rejoicing always.

And I said that victorious Christians are those who find joy in all the great moments of their life. And notice he says, rejoice always and then pray without ceasing. In everything, give thanks in Ponte in everything. Give thanks. How do you do this?

Why do you do this? Rejoice, always pray without ceasing in everything. Give thanks. It seems to me that what he comes to the conclusion is, look, our loving God is in control.

Our loving God is in control. Therefore, rejoice, always pray without ceasing in everything. Give thanks.

But, you know, it's hard to do that when I look at in everything. Give thanks. It's hard not to be cynical. I mean, you can almost see the average Christian having a difficult moment in their life and their wife looks at them and they go, I know.

Thank you. It's just thanks. We can become very cynical about gratitude. Paul says in Romans Chapter one concerning unsaved people and fallen men that he says that they would not honor God as God or would they give thanks to God.

In Second Timothy Chapter three, Paul said, and we looked at that last week when we said that realize this in the last days, difficult times will come. Men will be lovers of themselves. They'll be lovers of money. They'll be lovers of pleasure. And in that list, he says they will also have gratitude.

They'll not be thankful. You see, man was created to be thankful, and that is what he is telling us. He says in everything, give thanks.

And it's not only here in First Thessalonians Chapter five in Ephesians Chapter five. Paul said we need to be filled or controlled by the ministry of the Spirit of God in our life. We need the Holy Spirit to control us. And he says, and when we do, we give thanks in all things and for all things to God. That's what happens when the Spirit of God controls us. Remember, in Philippians Chapter four, Paul said, be anxious for nothing, but in everything with prayer and supplication.

Let your requests be made known to God. With Thanksgiving. You see, we are to be a thankful people because we have a supplying God and what God wants from us more than he wants anything else.

And at the very heart of worship. His gratitude, thankfulness, and so he says in everything. Give thanks. You might be saying, I don't know if I can do that.

Well, let me help you. I found this wonderful dear saint who wrote down some of their thoughts concerning their gratitude to God for things that often we don't think about when we give thanks. He writes, I am thankful for the taxes that I pay because it means I am employed. I am thankful for the clothes that fit too snug because it means that I have enough to eat. I am thankful for my shadow who watches me work because it means that I'm out in the sunshine. I am thankful for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing.

Because it means I have a home. I am thankful for the spot that I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I'm capable of walking. I am thankful for my huge heating bill because it means I am warm. I am thankful for all the complaining I hear about our government because it means we have freedom of speech. I am thankful for the lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means I can hear. I am thankful for the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby. I am thankful for the alarm that goes off every morning because it means I'm alive.

I am thankful for the weariness of aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I've been productive. It's a perspective. You see, what this comes down to is it's just a perspective. Do you see your life that way? Do you see this idea that you are thankful? Being thankful is good for you. People who are thankful are in a much better position than people who are not.

There's something else here. In everything, give thanks for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. There are very few places in the Word of God where something says it's specifically God's will. Christians are always asking me, what's God's will for my wife? What's God's will for my life? What's my vocation to be?

Where's the location? Should we move? Should I get married? There's not much in the Bible about that as far as God's will. If you want to know what God's will is, here it is. In everything, give thanks.

Now, how do I know that? For this is God's will. It's not a mystery here. God wills us. He wants us to give thanks.

The reason is that's what people were created for. Turn to Psalm 100 with me for a moment. Very short song. Wonderful Psalm. Five verses. Five commandments. These are important to God.

They're in a P.L. intensive stem in the verb in Hebrew. And it means this is important. These are commandments. And the kind of commandments you never think about being commanded to do.

Here's the first one. Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Shout. When you shout, what does that imply? I think it means you want to be heard.

Now, God knows our hearts and so does the writer of the Psalms. Let me ask you something. Considering how many times you shout. How many of them are joyful? You see, I hear people shout.

Move your car. We shout. But not joyfully.

You see, he's specific about this. He said shout joyfully. It's sort of like a Saturday night Tiger Stadium fourth quarter winning touchdown.

What do 80,000 people do? Shout joyfully. He says, yeah, and that's nice, but that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying shout joyfully to the Lord. What would that sound like? You see, what would that sound like? Hold your place here and go with me to Revelation Chapter five.

And we'll get an idea. Revelation Chapter five. John, the apostle, is being led into a vision of the future. And he's seeing the throne of God.

It's in a future heavenly state. And notice what is said here, starting in verse 11. John writes, And then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders. And the number of them was myriads and myriads, thousands of thousands. We would say millions and millions, perhaps billions and billions.

What is going on? Saying with a loud voice, how could it not be loud? That many people with that kind of enthusiasm, the angelic world. Worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessings. And every created thing.

Notice that. And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea and all things in them. I heard saying to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever. And the four living creatures kept saying, amen. And the elders fell down and worshiped. That's what it means to shout joyfully all the earth.

You imagine that scene, that kind of enthusiasm. Notice just the loudness. You see, God loves to hear that kind of sound because it reveals the heart. Of gratitude.

Back to the song. Serve the Lord. With gladness. Again, it's almost like God knows us.

You see, again, we can take all the gratitude out of something like this. Serve the Lord. Well, I have to. It's my duty. You just got to serve the Lord.

You see, he said, don't do that. Don't serve me out of duty. Serve me out of gladness. You see, serve the Lord out of gladness. And notice it didn't say serve mankind. It didn't say serve the church. It said serve the Lord. Serve the Lord with gladness.

Third. Come before him with joyful singing. Are you catching a theme? Shout joyfully. Serve with gladness.

Come before him with joyful singing. It sounds a little upbeat to me. It sounds enthusiastic. It sounds like he actually expects us to be happy. To really be happy about what's going on. He doesn't stop there. He says in the next verse, he tells us why.

Know that the Lord himself is God. Let me say it this way. If you're going to get all excited and all happy. All joyful about something. Wouldn't it just make sense. To be excited and happy and joyful about God.

I mean, everything else pales in comparison. Everything else is temporal and vanishes. He says, look, if you're really going to come and sing and be joyful and shout.

How about me? Notice in the Psalms and in the prophets, he says, you know, it makes sense because there is no other God. I am the one, the true God.

There is no other one like me. Then he gives us more reason in verse three. He said, It is he who has made us and not we ourselves.

Isn't it amazing how much energy mankind is spending to disprove that? Boy, we just want to be sure that we tell everybody God did not make us. We are a cosmic accident. We are manure and protoplasm.

And that's about it. The reason we're doing that, by the way, is we have an agenda. We're not accountable to anybody either. We'll do what we want to do. And if there's any gratitude, we'll thank ourselves. God says, no, that's not the way it is. He then goes on and says something else. He said, We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

Notice the digression. The Lord is our God transcendent there. He is transcendent. He is the only God. The Lord is our creator. He's omnipotent. The Lord is our shepherd. That's personal. He's relational.

The transcendent, omnipotent God who is relational. He says, Well, you know, that excites me. That's why I sing joyfully. That's why I serve gladly. That's why I implore everybody shout to the Lord all the earth.

Now, if something is building up in you at that stage, something is about to be explode out of you because you feel it so deeply in your soul, what would that be? And that's what we find in the next verse. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him. Bless his name. Gratitude. Enter his gates with thanksgiving.

You know what? I think so often I hear people say things that are short-sighted, especially when it comes to when they go to heaven. Because normally what we do is when I get to heaven, I got a few questions to ask. I'll bet you don't. By the way, the Bible says you will know as you are known, so I'm pretty sure you won't.

C.S. Lewis, of course, is my favorite when he says when he entered the gates of heaven, the first thing you'll say is, Of course. I believe that's very thoughtful.

But you know what? I look at this psalm and I sort of see it this way. I don't know who's all going to be there, but I kind of believe that when I enter, it's going to be like this. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

I'd like to thank God. Enter his gates with thanksgiving. See, I'm going to have so much gratitude and you should, too, because I know I don't deserve to go. Somebody else did the work.

Thank you. Enter his gates with thanksgiving. That's why we set aside this transcendent, omnipotent God that we know is personal and relational, has done it for us. And so we thank him. 1789, George Washington made his public proclamation.

This is what he said. By the president of the United States of America proclamation, whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will and to be grateful for his benefits and humbly to implore his protection and favor. And whereas, he says, and this is really interesting, both houses of Congress, did you hear that? Both houses of Congress have by their joint committee requested me to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public Thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts that many signal favors of Almighty God. That's what we were created for. Shout joyfully all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord himself is God. Enter his gates with thanksgiving.

You see the analogies. We are the sheep. He is the shepherd. We enter his courts. He is the king. We serve him. He is the master. We've been created. He's the creator. All that we can say is thank you.

See, that's important. Giving thanks is good for God and it's good for us. Give thanks. It's God's will for you. And it's why you were created. And God deserves it. Notice verse five. For the Lord. It's good. I love that word that Hebrew word means intrinsically good, which means he doesn't have to do something good to be good.

He's already good. That's why he does things that are good. The Lord is good. His loving kindness. And you know, that's my favorite word in the Old Testament. He said his grace, mercy, patience, forgiveness, love.

It's all in that one word. His loving kindness is everlasting. And his faithfulness to all generations. I thought of the people who heard that psalm for the first time three thousand years ago.

And they said, you're right. God is faithful to us. And then I think of the people who were believers at the time of Christ two thousand years ago. And they said, God is faithful to us. And I think a man like St. and Psalm a thousand years ago and he said, God is faithful to us. Here we are in Metairie, Louisiana, three thousand years later, and we say God is faithful to us. His faithfulness is to all generations. It's good for us. It's God's will for us. It's why we were created and God deserves it.

He is good. His grace is eternal and his faithfulness is forever. Deborah Norville ends her book by writing the following paragraphs. She ends it by writing Psalm 118 one. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his loving kindness is everlasting.

Interesting. She said, Whenever I talk with God, he's listened and he has always answered. I may not have heard the answer or may not have liked the one I got, but it was there. Since I began trying to incorporate thank you power into my own life, it somehow seems that the conversations with God go easier.

I am sure the differences with me, not him. Whether in my spiritual journey or just in my struggles to get through yet another action packed day, she says, with more to do than there is time to do it. Thank you. Power seems to help me. It's the emery board that smooths off my rough edges.

It's the grease that makes the wheels spin more smoothly. It's the deep breath of crisp, clean air that makes me think more clearly in the early morning. It all starts for me each day with two words.

Thank you. If you think that life has something more to offer you than it is now giving you, take time to enjoy all life's blessings and then say thank you. If you long to experience greater joy each day, a deeper peace during the quiet moments and a much closer fulfilling relationship with your loved ones than you have right now. I say to you, say thank you. If you want to enjoy all the joy and happiness, not only that which you are entitled, but also that which God wants you to have, say thank you.

The power to have it all is right in those two little words. For that, I join you in saying thank you. And I implore you, not just today and not just this Thursday, but every day for us is Thanksgiving.

And every day we should say, God, thank you. You've been listening to Pastor Bill Gebhardt on the Radio Ministry of Fellowship in the Word. If you ever miss one of our broadcasts or maybe you would just like to listen to the message one more time, remember that you can go to a great website called oneplace.com. That's oneplace.com, and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online.

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That's fbcnola.org. At our website, you will find hundreds of Pastor Bill's sermons. You can browse through our sermon archives to find the sermon series you are looking for, or you can search by title. Once you find the message you are looking for, you can listen online, or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own convenience. And remember, you can do all of this absolutely free of charge. Once again, our website is fbcnola.org. For Pastor Bill Gebhardt, I'm Jason Gebhardt, thanking you for listening to Fellowship in the Word.