Authentic - The Transforming Power of Giving Thanks

Is your life not going the way you want?

Are you desperate for change? Well, stay with me. I'm going to give you a little nugget of wisdom, a profound secret that God showed me years ago that completely transformed my perspective, especially when things weren't going very well.

That's today. Don't go away. Welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. The mission of these daily programs is to intentionally disciple Christians through the Bible teaching of Chip Ingram.

I'm Dave Gruy. In just a minute, we're going to highlight a single program from our popular series, Authentic, how to be a Christian without being religious. Today, Chip will share an important lesson he learned that radically changed his life and unpack how you can apply that truth to your Christian walk.

So with that, let's join Chip for his talk. I have a passage I'd like to read. It's a very familiar passage, but one that I think we sort of skip over. It's out of Luke chapter 17, beginning of verse 11, it says, As Jesus continued toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. And as he entered a village there, the ten lepers stood at a distance, and they were crying out, Jesus, master, have mercy on us. He looked at them and said, go show yourself to the priests. And as they went, their leprosy disappeared. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, praise God, I'm healed. He fell on his face, down on the ground at Jesus' feet, thanking him for what he'd done. This man was a Samaritan.

The author adds that. They were the mix breed. They were the despised.

They were the group that a good Jew would walk 50 miles out of his way to not even go through their land. And then Jesus asked three questions. In this brief little story, question number one, the facts. Didn't I heal ten men? Answer, yep. Second question of amazement. Where are the other nine?

Third question, his commentary. Does only this foreigner return to give glory to God? And Jesus said to the man, stand up and go. Your faith has made you well. Quick story, as you're reading through the New Testament, maybe, or reading through the Bible in a year, you can, you know, five, six, seven verses, read that, yeah, ought to be more thankful, I guess. You know, I don't know what those other nine were thinking, and you just go right on.

But let's take a minute and just play it out. A leper was a despised, alienated person. A social outcast.

The disease worked in such a way and still works, but because of the gnawing of the nervous system, often they would lose fingers, disfiguration of the face. They had a little bell around them in that day so that when a leper got near you, you had warning. They often lived in caves together in very despicable situations, totally set apart now from their family. Social outcasts.

Often their colonies were built near garbage dumps because that's the only place they could find food. And, you know, they've heard about Jesus. They've heard about the miracles. They've heard him maybe preach or heard people talk, I mean, from a distance. In my mind's eye, I'm not sure it happened like this, but, you know, how do you get close enough to a man like Jesus with all these followers and his fame is growing and he's raising people from the dead and the blind see, and they've got this need and they want to get close. And in my mind's eye, I'm thinking, maybe ten of them said, you know, okay, together guys, ready? He's over there on three. One, two, three, ready? Jesus, master, have mercy on us.

I mean, how would you get his attention? And then Jesus, out of his compassion, did what the law prescribed. If there was healing thought to have happened, you were to go to the priest and show him to authenticate what occurred.

And so the ten of them, you know, they're like us. When you have no other options, it's not really hard to have faith. And so they made their way toward the priest and as they were going, that act of faith, bam, miraculous, they were healed. And I can't help but think that some of them maybe had one or three or four fingers gone and as they're walking, boom, he's got a hand. Joe, Joe, look at this. This is amazing. I got a hand.

And I can hear Bill saying, forget your hand, you got a face too. I mean, if you've ever seen pictures of leopards' deterioration around the nose and the mouth, I mean, they were broken people, social outcasts. They had been totally healed. They'd been made whole.

I mean, I got this picture of people, if it was appropriate back then, to high five one another. I can't believe it. I can go home. I can see my family. I can eat at a good Jewish restaurant now.

No bell, take the bell, throw it on the ground. I'm a whole person. I'm changed. I have a whole new life. I was in the darkness and now I'm in the light. No more garbage dump eating.

No more hiding out in caves. But then the text says that only one came back. I like to suggest that all 10 felt thankful.

How could you not? They felt thankful. In our day, I think we think feeling thankful is the same as giving thanks.

And they're worlds apart. It takes energy. It takes intentionality. It takes a stopping of what's happening and saying, yes, I've received these gifts and I'm thankful for the gift. But see, thankfulness isn't a feeling.

It's an act where you go back from the gifts to the giver and you acknowledge he gave them the credit, the honor, the glory needs to go to the one who gave it. See, like in their day, I think often God does a lot for us, doesn't he? Most of you, you know, anybody worry about not eating this weekend? Probably not many. Most of you drove here. Many of you own homes. Although there's some that have great physical problems, the majority in this room, you're healthy. You actually have people that like you, people that love you.

You live in the most prosperous nation in the world. If you're a Christian, your sins have been forgiven. As far as the east is from the west, the Holy Spirit dwells in you. You've been given spiritual gifts. God is actually using your life. You get a whole new life. But the danger is that we get moving out on the gifts instead of going back to the giver. I'd like to suggest that our response to this passage and Jesus is very different.

As I read this initially, I read it through my cultural American New Testament eyes. And as I saw the problem here, I thought to myself, my response would be, oops, shucks. You know, those nine really should have come back. I mean, it's the least they could have done. What they did was impolite, inconsistent, not very nice, and socially inappropriate.

Why? Because in our culture, we've grown up thinking that Thanksgiving is either just a day to remember once a year, or it's sort of social etiquette. It's important. It's something that's taught to young children. You know, like your Uncle Ned or Aunt Judy, you're three years old. They give you a piece of candy. What did your parents say? Chip, what do you say to Uncle Ned?

Thank you, Uncle Ned. Then you get a little pat on the head, right? Or then you get a little bit older and someone sends you a gift. Call your grandparents. Tell them you're thankful. Okay. You get a little bit older and get married. And what do you have to do? Write out the thank you cards.

Why? Because we know it's very socially inappropriate not to give thanks. But that flows more from a sense of violating a social standard than much theology, than much sense of a deep meaning. Now, what I'd like to suggest is that when those nine did not return, Jesus was not thinking, oops. He wasn't thinking, oh shucks. One out of ten.

That's not bad. I want to suggest that he was disturbed. That he was shocked. That he was flabbergasted. That that statement, does only one foreigner come back and give glory to God?

That he was actually angry? And the theological statement he made is that when we fail to come back to the giver and give credit where credit's due, according to Jesus, the lack of giving of thanks is robbing God of his glory. See, to Jesus, accepting the gift and neglecting the giver was robbery. To Jesus, the failure of the nine was spiritually scandalous. To Jesus, the giving of thanks is very serious business. Now, I can sort of read some of your minds. You're thinking, you know what, I didn't listen real carefully, Chip, or I did as carefully as I could, but in those six or seven verses, I think you got a lot more out of there than is there. I mean, he's angry, spiritually scandalous. Those are really strong words. Do you get all that? I mean, are you really telling me that thanksgiving and the giving of thanks is that important to God? Aren't you pushing it maybe, Ingram? You know, a little hyperbole here, a little exaggeration to help us. My answer?

No. In fact, a brief summary of the New Testament reveals that God takes the giving of thanks very, very seriously. In just a few minutes, here's what I'd like to do. I want to give you sort of a New Testament survey. I'm going to go to four passages very briefly, and I want to give you exhibit A, exhibit B, exhibit C, exhibit D, okay?

Boom, boom, boom. And I want you to hear, just a taste, just taste, what the New Testament says about thanksgiving and see if my evaluation of Jesus' serious view of thanksgiving is inaccurate, okay? And then I think there's implications for us. First passage is in Romans chapter 1, exhibit A. It says, for since the creation of the world, God's invisible attributes or qualities, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen being understood from that which was made so that men are without excuse.

Now, notice verse 21. For although they knew God, general revelation, they could see God in creation, although they knew there was someone bigger than themselves, that there was a creator, they neither glorified Him as God nor, look at the little phrase, gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Did you notice that their thinking became futile when they didn't honor Him as creator and they didn't give thanks? They enjoyed the gifts of life, but they didn't, look, they didn't give thanks. The theologians talk about the total depravity of man. I want to suggest that the lack of thanking God and recognizing that He's our creator is paired with this concept of the rejecting of who He is.

That's serious. Second passage is in Ephesians chapter 5, verses 1 to 4. It says, be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Now this passage opens up with the book of Ephesians is how to live this brand new life. First three chapters are doctrine and truth.

Beginning in chapter 4, it says, walk in a manner worthy of Christ. Live up to this new calling. You're brand new. Your old man's died.

You've been co-resurrected, co-buried. You have a brand new life to live a supernatural, holy, pure life. And so He's given them a number of instructions in chapter 4. And then in chapter 5, it says, walk in love. That's relationally.

Walk in light. That's morally. You ought to be pure. You ought to live in a way that reflects the nature and the holiness of God. Notice now, verse 3 and verse 4, but among you, brand new born again Christians who should live a new life, there must not even be a hint of one, sexual immorality, or of any kind of two, impurity, or three, greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.

It doesn't even make any sense. But notice it goes on, nor should there be obscenity for foolish talk, it means foolish sexual talk, or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather, did you get it? The giving of thanks. You see, it seems in scripture that when we're told to walk in this new way of life, that when we're said, provide these sins, six things, pretty heavy duty ones.

In my mind, it ought to be balanced. He should have told us six different things that we should do positively to walk in the light, but he didn't, did he? The giving of thanks is paired over and against walking according to the flesh. Immorality is tied with the lack of a thankful heart.

You know why? It's pretty hard to commit immoral acts of any kind if you're presently giving thanks for who you are and what you have right where you're at. Take the list, it's pretty hard to lust after someone else or commit adultery if you're married when you're saying, God, thank you for this great woman every day.

Thank you for this great man. Oh, he's got problems, she's got problems, we've got struggles, yeah. Welcome to life. But thank you, thank you, thank you. When that's your attitude, you don't end up in bed with someone else. When that's your attitude, you're not trying to surf the net to find out what images can satisfy a lack of intimacy in your heart. When that's your attitude, you're not looking for what the world can offer. But the moment you stop giving thanks for what you do have, where's your focus go? To what you don't have, for what you think will satisfy. So the giving of thanks not only is paired with a rejection of God in Romans 1, it's paired with living a holy life.

It's the beginning point of the slide. Third passage, Ephesians chapter 5. Verse 18 to 20, it says, don't be drunk with wine, for that is debauchery or leads to debauchery. Instead be filled, controlled, or literally the idea is be drunk, be saturated, be controlled by what? The Holy Spirit. Be filled with the Spirit, be controlled by the Spirit, be saturated by the Spirit. In other words, let him control your life, your thoughts, your motives, your money, your time. Let the Spirit who lives inside of you live out Christ in you. Moment by moment, every day, it's in the present tense.

And then it says there's evidence when this is occurring. Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. Always giving thanks to God the Father for just the good times. For everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. See in Romans 1, when I give thanks, I honor God as creator. In Ephesians 5, the first portion, when I honor God by thanks, he's my provider. When the Spirit of God is reigning in my heart in your life, the overflow will be thanksgiving because he's your Lord.

He's calling the shots. And the lack of thankfulness in your heart will let you know he's not Lord right now. And it's hard to do sometimes, isn't it? But the Bible pushes it even farther theologically. Notice Thessalonians 5, 16-18. It says rejoice always. Not sometimes, rejoice always. It's a choice.

It doesn't mean you always feel happy, but it's a choice. Pray about everything. In everything, give thanks.

Why? For it is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. And this isn't a slap happy, you know, praise God, praise the Lord, you know, I have a good friend who has cancer, oh praise God, I thank God.

No, no, no. This is that sense that you can only do in your heart as you walk intimately with your Savior where you say, my marriage isn't what I'd like it to be. My finances aren't where I would like it to be. Some of my children aren't where I want them to be. I would like to be married and I'm not.

My body isn't working the way I wish it would. But I understand that I am made for eternity, not simply time. And by an act of the will, knowing that God is good, knowing He's sovereign and in control, and knowing that He is faithful, He will give me grace to endure. And He will deliver me through this, or He'll deliver me out of it, or He'll deliver me unto Himself. Because His primary role in my life is not to make me happy, to not make me a successful American, to not get me ahead in middle class American life.

His primary objective is to cultivate intimacy between me and the Father, and to make my character, my heart, and my motives more like His Son, Jesus. That's what God's up to in your life. And therefore, by faith, at any given moment, regardless of your circumstances, and regardless of mine, to say, thank you, God, is an evidence of not only being under His Lordship, but saying, God, it is a fallen world. I hurt. This is difficult. But I trust you.

I thank you for this cancer, no, but that you'll work in it. For this marriage, it's hard to right now, but I want you to change me, and I'm staying in it. For this son or daughter, yes, because you're a sovereign God.

As I pray, you're going to work in their heart, and they're a grownup, and they'll have to make decisions. Life isn't easy. It's not a fairy book.

It doesn't always come out. We're not made just for time. We're made for eternity. And so giving a thanks, according to Jesus and the New Testament, is serious business.

Why? Let me do a brief review. First, it acknowledges that all that we are and all that we have comes from God. When I say thank you, it honors God as Creator. Second, it keeps us from evil because it forces us to focus on what we do have instead of on what we don't have.

Thank you for that bummer of a car you have. It'll keep you from envying other people's cars. Third, it reveals in every circumstance the extent to which the Spirit is in control of my life. It honors the Lord as your Lord and Master. And fourth, it demands we live by faith in every and all circumstance.

In summary, according to Jesus, thankfulness is the barometer of your soul. It's not your church attendance. It's important. It's not your prayers.

It's important. It's not your gifts. It's not your activities.

It's not your service. If you want to know where you're at with God at any given moment of any day, you can, just like you put your finger up and test where the wind's coming from, you can ask this question and know where your heart is with God. How thankful am I right now in my situation?

Honestly, from the heart. Francis Schaeffer said, a quiet disposition and a heart-giving thanks at any given moment is the real test to the extent to which I love God in that moment. And so we're going to come as that leper and we're going to say to God, we're literally going to get on our knees before God and say, God, all that we are, all that we have, the hard, the good, the wonderful, the work in us and the work through us.

We want to give you the glory. You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Chip will be right back with his application for this message, The Transforming Power of Giving Thanks, which is from his series Authentic, How to Be a Christian Without Being Religious. For more information about this ministry or our many resources, go to livingontheedge.org or call 888-333-6003. That's 888-333-6003 or livingontheedge.org.

Chip's with me in studio now. Chip, before we hear your application, talk to the person out there who connected with what you taught today and is interested in learning more about the Bible and God, but doesn't know where to begin. Would you take a minute and highlight a tool we've developed that will help them get started? Well, thanks, Dave.

I would love to do that. If you have a difficult time studying the Bible, honestly, I think you're liking the great majority of Christians that I know. And often I hear people say, I don't know what it means. I don't know where to start. I mean, it's a really thick book and there's a lot of names I can't pronounce and there's a lot of different countries and times. And let me just tell you, the Word of God was written by the Holy Spirit through the apostles and the prophets.

And it was designed for everyday people just like you and me. And so here's my offer. I will teach you how to study the Bible for yourself. I'll meet with you individually. It's called Daily Discipleship with Chip. And it's not just going through some passages of the Bible. I'm going to go through them in a way where you'll actually learn to study the Bible, to make observations, to discover that, you know, just like a piece of literature, you can know what was happening in the author's life and when did he write it and what was the purpose to the first century and what are the principles that apply today. And more importantly, you're going to hear God speak directly to you. And so join me one-on-one and let's learn to study the Scriptures together. Now let me tell you how this works. For each series, I begin with a short teaching video, no longer the 10 minutes. And then there's a little assignment that I'm going to ask you to take 10 minutes on your own and do some study.

And here's what I know. People that have done this with me who make it a habit just to spend 20 minutes with me day after day for somewhere between 10 days to a couple weeks, they learn to hear God's voice. They learn to discern the Spirit. God begins to change them from the inside out.

This is a habit that you cannot afford not to develop. Thanks, Chip. Well, if you're looking for a practical way to deepen your faith, let me encourage you to sign up for daily discipleship with Chip. This free video resource will really help you learn more about God and His Word. To sign up for any of our daily discipleship sessions, just go to livingontheedge.org.

Have listeners tap discipleship. Well, now here's Chip with some final thoughts to share. As we close today's program, I don't know if you've ever thought about how important it is to be thankful. But boy, oh boy, when we go through those passages here in the New Testament, you realize like I did.

I mean, the first time I studied this, it was like, are you kidding me? I mean, to me, literally, thankfulness was like what you say before you eat a meal. And at Thanksgiving, it's really important. But it's a lifestyle.

And here's the thing. This kind of a lifestyle not only gives God glory, He wants to be thanked for what He's done. It is the biggest attitudinal changer. I mean, it will revolutionize your lives. When you start thanking God for what you do have, I don't care where you're at, what's going on, you start thanking Him for what you do have instead of inwardly or even outwardly whining about what you don't have.

Your circumstances won't necessarily change, but you will change. The testimony of thousands and thousands of people as I've shared this with them was, I had one guy, I mean, he told me the saddest longest story of, I mean, schooling and health loss and financial loss and a mate that walked out on him. I mean, it was like I was about crying by the time I got to it. And he goes, no, no, you don't understand. And he gets to the end of his email with me and he said, you know, I heard this message on thankfulness and I realized all I did was focus on what I didn't have. And it was a choice and I didn't feel like it. I didn't want to, but I started thanking God for every situation, the good, the bad, the hard, the ugly, God your sovereign, God your good. And he said, you know what? I'm not going to tell you that everything completely turned around, but I'm telling you I'm a completely new man. And I just want to encourage you, if God is good and He is, if He's in absolute control and He is, regardless of the evil, regardless of why or how you are where you are, if you will habitually by faith say, Lord, I want to thank you for what I do have, the car I do have, the health I do have, the job I do have, or where I'm at without that, the grace I do have. God will begin today to work in your heart and your life, maybe like never before. Let's end by saying, Lord, thank you. Great word, Chip.

Thanks. Well, before we go, you know, a great way to get more out of every program is to use Chip's message notes while you listen. They include his outline, all of his scripture references, and lots of fill-ins to help you remember what you're learning. Use them personally or even with your small group. They're a quick download at livingontheedge.org under the broadcasts tab. App listeners, tap fill-in notes. Well, until next time, this is Dave Drouin saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge.