Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. A thankful attitude is an essential component of the Christian Life. There is always enough in God. There's always enough in Christ to make us thankful, even in the most difficult of circumstances. Welcome to the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe.
Have you noticed that some people never have anything positive to say? It's amazing how quick we are to complain when we're inconvenienced or things aren't exactly as we'd prefer.
Well, today on the verdict, we're being very practical and learning how to be thankful regardless of our circumstances.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe with today's message simply titled, Be thankful. When I was a wee boy, I was taught by my parents to say thank you. My dad would remind me of the words of the Lord Jesus who said, It's more blessed to give. than to receive. And while I loved to receive things, I had to learn to be thankful.
Followers of Jesus Christ should be the most thankful of people. Paul began this letter to the Colossians by writing, We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. And now he gives this challenge. That we are to be a people who gives thanks to God the Father through Jesus Christ. Listen now as we look at Colossians 3 verses 15, 16 and 17 and consider the importance of thankfulness.
Mark Titt tells this story. An old man showed up at the back door of the house we were renting. Opening the door a few cautious inches, we saw his eyes were glassy and his. furrowed face glistened with silver stubble. He clutched a wicker basket holding a few Unappealing vegetables.
He bid us good morning and offered his produce for sale. We were uneasy enough that we made a quick purchase to alleviate both our pity and our fear. To our chagrin, he returned the next day, or the next week rather, introducing himself as mister Roth, the man who lived in the shack down the road. As our fears subsided, we got close enough to realize it wasn't alcohol. but cataracts that marblesed his eyes.
On subsequent visits, he would shuffle in wearing two mismatched right shoes and pull out the harmonica. With glazed eyes set on a future glory, he'd puff out old gospel tunes between conversations about vegetables and religion. On one visit he exclaimed, The Lord is so good. I came out of my shack this morning and found a bag full of shoes and clothing on my porch. That's wonderful, Mr.
Rothwe said. We're happy for you. You know what's even more wonderful, he asked? Just yesterday, I met some people. Who could use them?
An attitude of thankfulness. In 2 Timothy 3, verse 2, Paul says that one of the characteristics of the last days. is that people will be ungrateful. that there will be unthankful. Never saying Thanks.
As I thought about that this week, It seems to me that very sadly Such a spirit can impact us.
So here's the convicting question at the beginning. of this message Are you the kind of individual who's quick? to complain. Quick to grumble. Quick to point out the faults of others.
But slow To give thanks. slow to encourage. slow to express appreciation. This spirit of unthankfulness is very insidious, isn't it? Even in the church, it's amazing the petty things people complain about when their comfort zones are challenged a little.
Or when the unexpected happens, or when their personal preferences are not catered to, someday when I have nothing else to do, I'm going to write a book about them all. Sadly, even in the church, some people only speak to a pastor when they've got a complaint. And so I ask you. Are you a chronic complainer? Or are you a joyful Praiser.
We call our children's choirs the we Praisers. W E E Scottish for little. I wonder if we are big praisers. Or are we big? Complainers.
Two women who were good friends met after not seeing one another for some time. One said, since we last met, I got married.
Well, that's good, said the other. Not really, said the other. He's much older than me. Oh, that's bad. The other replied, Not really, he's very rich.
Oh, that's good, said the friend. Not really. Said the other one. He's very tight with his money. Oh, that's bad, said the other.
Not really. He's built a very huge house. Oh, that's good. Not really. It was destroyed by fire.
Oh, that's bad. Not really. He was in it. Yeah. One way of getting rid of a husband, right?
But there are always things for which we can thank. Got. Do you say thank you? Lord, not only in these catchy little songs that we're singing. But privately.
before God to say thank you. Lord. Do you say thank you for old friends, for new friends? For our children, for our teens, for each person. Do we have a spirit of thankfulness to God for all that He is doing?
Do we tend to focus on the negatives? Are you thankful? For your home. Husbands, are you thankful for your wives? Wives, are you thankful for your husbands?
We're not perfect, we admit that. But are you thankful? Are you thankful for your children? Thankful for your food. Give us this day our daily bread.
Thankful for your friends. Thankful for your work, which I understand is not perfect. I can relate to that. Are you truly Thankful. Do you say Thank you, Lord.
This message today is very simple, it's very direct, it's very practical. It comes from Colossians chapter 3, verses 15 through 17. And I've given the title to this message. The words of Colossians 3, verse 15, be Thankful. Paul ends verse 15 by saying, and be Thankful.
Perhaps you're wondering this evening how you can be thankful in your circumstances, which are very difficult. Let me say this. There is always enough in God. There's always enough in Christ to make us thankful, even in the most difficult of circumstances. Just think.
of what God has done in your life. Just think of what he's doing in your life and in the life of others around you. Are you thankful for the great, eternal, and unchangeable truths of the Word of God? Are you thankful, as we were singing, for salvation itself? Can you really say thank you, Lord, for saving my So In Luke chapter 10, verse 20, Jesus said to his disciples, Rejoice.
That your names are recorded in heaven. What a great thing to give thanks for. Life is difficult. Life is tough. Often.
But for this, we give thanks that God in His grace has saved us and that our names are recorded in heaven for sins forgiven. for eternal life, for our soon coming Lord. For physical and spiritual life, we do say thank you. Lord. Now, this evening we're going to consider three truths which will promote thankfulness and they come.
From our passage. Let's read it together. Colossians 3. Verse. Fifteen.
Reading from the English Standard Version. And let the peace of Christ And as we read it, Look out for the words thanks and thankfulness. And let the peace of Christ Rule in your hearts. to which indeed you were called in one body, and be Thankful. Verse sixteen.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you ritually, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do. In word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Notice the theme of giving thanks, of being. Thankful.
Look back at chapter one of Colossians, verse three. Where Paul says, as he begins his prayer as a prayer of thanksgiving, he says, We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we pray for you. Verse 12. Of chapter 1, giving thanks to the Father.
who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints. Enlighten. Chapter 2, verse 7. Rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in. Thanksgiving.
And then in the three verses that we've read. Chapter four, verse two. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with. Thanksgiving. A thankful Attitude is an essential component of the Christian Life.
Now let's look a little closer at verse 15. Where we will learn that we give thanks. For Christ's peace. which rules us. We give thanks.
For Christ's peace, which rules us and let the peace of Christ Rule in your hearts. to which indeed you were called in one body and be Thankful. Peace with God is an incredible Blessing. We live in a world of stress. A world of unrest.
A world Where often there is a lack of peace in the home. in society, in the workplace, even in the church. One of the great truths of the Christian faith is this. That we have peace with God. Every single one of us wants peace.
We want to live in harmony. in our home, at work, in the church, in our relationships. To go to bed at night and put our head on the pillow, knowing that we have peace with God and we're at peace with others. The truth of the Bible is that the world can't give you that lasting peace. The unbeliever is restless, searching, unfulfilled, always thinking there's something else out there.
But Jesus Christ came to give us peace. Paul writes in Romans 5, verse 1: Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace with God. Peace with others. One of the greatest blessings of being a follower of Jesus Christ.
And the peace that Jesus gives is Unique. Listen to his words, for example. in John chapter Fourteen. John 14, verse 27. Here are words that I want us to take personally tonight.
Some of you are troubled.
Some of you have had a tough week?
Some of you have inner turmoil.
Some of you have turmoil in your home at work. Personal issues, perhaps in ministry, some turmoil, listen to Jesus. John 14, verse 27, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. There is a special peace that comes from Jesus. My peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Our hearts are often troubled. Our hearts are often restless. Jesus comes.
This peace which is to rule and gives us his special peace. Chapter 16. There's Thirty-three at the end of the verse. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart.
I have overcome the world. Let me read the whole verse. Verse 33: I've said these things to you that in me You may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world. In me, Jesus is saying, in Jesus, you may have.
Peace. Jesus gives his special kind of peace. Therefore, we are not to be anxious. We're not to be fretful. We're not to worry, Jesus says over and over again, and the Gospels repeat it.
And the epistles teach it. Philippians 4:6 and 7: When we're anxious, when we're fretting, what are we to do? We're to let all of our requests be made known to God. And his peace That peace which passes all understanding will act As A garrison around us. Isaiah twenty-six, verses three and four.
Isaiah says, To the Lord, you will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you. Trust in the Lord forever. For in the Lord There is an everlasting rock. The old King James says, the Lord is the rock of ages. Trouble in the world?
Trouble in our hearts, trouble in our home, trouble in the church. Yes, that is the case. But we have this rock, this unchanging and unchangeable rock. We trust in the Lord. And we take our burdens, our anxieties, our fears, and give them to the Lord, and in exchange, He gives us this peace.
Now he says Paul here in Colossians 3 verse 15, this peace, the peace of Christ. Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. Arts. The peace of Christ, then, is to be a ruling principle in our lives. Christ's peace.
To rule in the church and in our relationships. The context here in Colossians 3 is corporate. In verse 13, he talks about one another. In verse 14, he talks about the bond of perfect harmony. In verse 15, he talks about the one body.
The point is that we, as individuals, followers of Jesus, know Christ, who is the great peacemaker. No We should be at peace. with others. Christ is to be the ruler. The arbiter, the umpire who resolves disputes in the body.
And then I fell this afternoon. There were disputes between players, between the coach and the referees. The umpire comes. And he adjudicates. He brings, as it were, peace.
He says, No, that's the end of it. This is the ruling. This is how it's going to be. That's what Christ does. Dispute in your home?
Husband and wife arguing. Dispute between children and parents. Dispute between brothers and sisters. Disputes between colleagues. Disputes between elders and pastors or people working in the church.
What's going to resolve it? It is the peace of Christ. He is the arbiter. He is the ruler. He resolves the disputes in the body.
So, in our relationships, in our home, at work, and certainly in the church, peace. is to be the decisive factor. A church. A home. Friendships.
where there's strife, where there's division, is out of touch. With Christ. The peacemaker. Wouldn't it be wonderful here at church? When there was a dispute.
When there is a difference. When there is an argument. The same in our homes, in our relationships. If the peace of Christ was always Ruling. Romans 14, verse 19, Paul says, So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual up.
Building.
Sometimes, when I meet with couples, they're very anxious to point out the faults of the other person. And I understand that. If I went for counseling, that's what I would do: point out the faults of my wife.
So I understand that very well. And quite often, after I listen to the husband and I listen to the wife, I say, Now, are we looking for a solution here? See, Paul is saying we are to pursue peace. We are to pursue that which makes for mutual upbuilding. Not so that one is right and one is wrong as it were.
Not so that one l wins and one loses. But so that there is mutual upbuilding. The peace of Christ Really? Isn't it great to be with people? When there's a dispute.
And we allow the peace of Christ. Terrible. In Witnesses of a Third Way, A Fresh Look at Evangelism, Robert Neff tells the story. about visiting a church service. He said it was one of those mornings when the tenor didn't get out of bed on the right side.
And Nev says, as I listened to this faltering voice, I looked around. People were pulling out hymnals to locate the hymn being sung by the soloist. By the second verse the congregation had joined the soloist in the hymn. And by the third verse, the tenor was beginning to find the range. And by the fourth verse, it was beautiful.
And on the fifth verse, the congregation was absolutely silent, and the tenor sang the most beautiful solo of his life. Says Robert Neff. This is life in the body of Christ. Isn't that beautiful? Enabling one another to sing the tune Christ has given us.
Isn't that wonderful? If you see a brother, you see a sister stumbling. Instead of criticizing them, instead of gossiping about them. to help and encourage. We would do that with our children, wouldn't we?
Very easy to point out the faults. We would encourage, we would help, we would act as a coach. And so it is in our home, with our own relationships, with our spouses, with our children, with our brothers and sisters, wherever we are. This is peace in action. It is the peace of Christ ruling, says Paul.
This indeed is to what you were called in one body. We're members of the one body. We're the one family. Why on earth would you do something to ruin that, to rip it asunder, to put someone down, to point out all of their mistakes so that that individual is devastated rather than allowing This peace. of Christ.
True.
Now for The peace of Christ ruling. In our hearts. In our homes, in our relationships in the church we give. Thanks. Not that we ever experienced this perfectly.
but we give thanks. And I thank God for the peace and harmony which rules at church.
So verse 15, we give thanks for Christ's peace. which rules us. In verse 16, We give thanks for Christ's word, which guides and instructs us. We give thanks for Christ's word. Which guides and instructs us, verse 16.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. The word, the logos, the word of Christ. It is to be central in our lives and in the church. A love for peace and harmony doesn't mean we disregard the word or doctrine. That's the false premise of churches coming together irrespective of their fundamental doctrinal differences.
No. Again, the context here is corporate. The word, says Paul, the word of Christ. This is the word about Christ. This is the message proclaiming Christ.
It is to dwell in us ritually, a powerful force. This is a present imperative, which means that the command is to be ongoing. We can say when we come together at church that the word of Christ is to dwell in us. Richly. O'Brien, in his commentary on these verses, writes: The gospel is to have its glorious and gracious way.
in their lives. That is, whenever we come together on Sunday mornings or evenings, Christ's word is to be supreme. If you say that doesn't sound like much fun, I must question whether the peace of Christ is ruling in your heart. You see, the peace of Christ creates a supernatural appetite for the word of Christ. We submit to the word.
And we have an attitude of humility that helps in Christ peace ruling. In our arrogance, Peace is dispelled. But the word is to dwell richly in us. It is to take its home in us. Extravagantly is the point.
It dwells in us richly. The way in which the word dwells ritually is by teaching and admonishing one another. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom. It's to be done in all wisdom, not done in a casual, flippant manner. The word must be handled accurately.
Paul has said in chapter 1, verse 28, that we proclaim Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may present everyone mature in Christ. This is our goal at church: that each one of us would be mature in Christ. This is the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us. From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever.
but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World. Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity. Get your copy today by visiting our website at theverdict.org. While you're there, consider making an investment in this Bible teaching ministry.
Whether it's $5, $50, or more, your gift today helps cover the cost of sharing these gospel messages to listeners around the world. And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the Verdict Podcast, featuring John's weekly podcast exclusive called Avizandam. It's available wherever you get your podcasts, or simply go to our website. Again, that's theverdict.org. The verdict is a ministry of Calvary Church in South Charlotte.
We're located on the corner of Highway 51 and Ray Road. If you've been looking for a church home or a community to help you grow in your walk with Christ, We invite you to join us for our Sunday services. For more details about Calvary and our service times, visit theverdict.org.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Are you a thankful person? I realize your life is not perfect, but as you think on all that God has done and is doing in your life through Jesus Christ, I know you'll agree that you have many reasons to be thankful. Take a minute today and thank God for all the blessings you have received. Thank God for what He's doing in your life.
Surprise those around you, thank them and see the impact.
Next time, we'll continue looking at these verses, which inspire us to be thankful. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
