Sermon Notes

November 24, 2024

“An Attitude of Gratitude”

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

John W. Montgomery, D.D

 

.Edward Spencer was a ministerial student in Evanston, Illinois, and a member of a life-saving squad. In 1860, a ship went aground on the shore of Lake Michigan near Evanston, and Spencer waded repeatedly into the frigid waters to rescue seventeen passengers. In the process, his health was permanently damaged. Some years later at his funeral, it was noted that none of the people he rescued ever bothered to thank him. These people displayed a gross lack of gratitude. Especially as believers, we need to be aware that gratitude opens up our lives for God’s will to be done in and through us. Next to Christmas, my favorite holiday of the year is Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has one single purpose – to express thanks. However, gratitude is a 24-7 attitude - not just a One Day holiday on the fourth Thursday in November.James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” Being thankful is best understood as a door or a portal through which God can lead us to experience His perfect will. Without thankfulness, we will miss what God has in store for us.It is important to understand where gratitude and being thankful “fit in”.1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, in EVERYTHING we are to give thanks, “for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”A 24-7 attitude of gratitude is God’s desire for our lives. Today’s task is to determine your G.Q. - your Gratitude Quotient. Do YOU have an attitude of gratitude?The Bible tells us that there are five specific areas in our lives that we should be thankful. First we are to be thankful:1. In Our Blessings. James 1:17 - “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”A few years ago, a man and woman gave a generous donation to their church in honor of the memory of their son who lost his life in the war. When the announcement was made during a worship service, a woman in the service whispered to her husband: “Let’s give the same amount for our son.” Her husband was incredulous. “What are you talking about,” he replied, “Our son wasn’t killed!” The woman looked at him and said, “That’s just the point! Let’s give it as an expression of our gratitude to God for sparing our son’s life.”Similarly, an anonymous writer said it this way in a poem: “Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely maid with golden hair; I envied her, she seemed so happy, and how I wished I were so fair. When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle; she had one foot and wore a crutch, but as she passed, a smile. O God, forgive me when I whine: I have two feet, the world is mine! And when I stopped to buy some sweets, the lad who served me had such charm; he seemed to radiate good cheer, and his manner was so kind and warm; I said, “It’s nice to deal with you, such courtesy I seldom find;” he turned, and said, “O thank you, sir.” And then I saw that he was blind. O God, forgive me when I whine: I have two eyes, the world is mine! - Then, while walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue; he stood and watched the others play, it seemed he knew not what to do; I stopped a moment, then I said, “Why don’t you join the others, dear?” He looked ahead without a word, and then I knew he could not hear. O God, forgive me when I whine: I have two ears, the world is mine! - With feet to take me where I’d go, with eyes to see the sunsets glow, with ears to hear what I would know, I’m blessed indeed. The world is mine. O God, forgive me when I whine.Expressing thankfulness to God for the blessings He has allowed into our lives is the STARTING PLACE for an attitude of gratitude. But an attitude of gratitude goes far beyond that alone.2. IN OUR PRAYERS. -- Being thankful as we bring our requests to God.Philippians 4:6 says - “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”One of the keys to an effective prayer life is understanding that prayer is to be entered into with an attitude of gratitude. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us “in everything give thanks,” and Philippians 4:6 tells us that we are to “pray without ceasing.” These two ideas are very much connected.Unfortunately, many people, especially new Christians, view prayer as a “wish list” of “gimme, gimme, gimme stuff” we present to God. It’s like we’re coming to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him all the things we want. “Give me health, give me wealth, give me obedient children, give me a promotion at work, give me a miracle cure, give me a boyfriend, let me win the lottery, etc.”And although we ARE instructed to bring our burdens, our concerns, and our felt needs to the Lord, that’s NOT ALL THAT PRAYER IS.Philippians 4:6 says two words are often overlooked - “With Thanksgiving”We are to be thankful for the very privilege of prayer. It didn’t come without a high cost. Jesus shed His precious blood to allow us into the presence of the Father. It’s an honor and privilege that we need to be thankful for. Every prayer we pray needs to be voiced with remembrance of what Jesus did to make our relationship with the Father possible.We’re also to be thankful for past answers to prayer. We need to recall how He has been faithful. We need to not be like the rescued passengers who never acknowledged the great gift they received. We need to not be like the nine lepers who never returned to say thank you to Jesus for their healing. We need to be possessors and displayers of an attitude of gratitude.And, we’re to be thankful in advance for how God will work all things together for the good.We are to pray with faith and assurance that God’s power and sovereignty will bring about God’s will. We are to be thankful that He loves us and He wants to give us what is best, His good and perfect will.3. In Our Worship. We are to be thankful as we connect with God in worship. Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.”Colossians 3:16 says, “...singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”Worship not only begins with a sense of reverence toward God, but it begins by expressing it from our lips in thanksgiving.Look at the words and lyrics of Psalm 100: “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing....Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name.”Psalm 100 was called a Psalm of Ascension. It’s the song the Jewish people sang as they ascended the Temple Mount. It’s the song they’d be singing as they entered through the gates of the city of Jerusalem. Then they would sing songs of praise as they entered into the inner courts of the temple area.Unless you have a heart that is thankful to God, you can’t worship Him. Before we can praise Him, there must be an attitude of gratitude in our hearts for what He’s already given us. There must be a sense of thanksgiving for the privilege of knowing God and being allowed to be a part of His unfolding mission on earth.Being thankful then leads us into the more personal and heart-stretching area of praise. So we enter His gates with thanksgiving, which then leads us into His inner courts with praise.4. In Our Fellowship. Being thankful for the other believers God has brought into our lives.Colossians 1:3 says, “We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you.”It is reported that Howard Hughes, who was worth approximately $4 billion, said, “I’d give it all for one good friend.”UCLA football coach Pepper Rodgers in the early 1970’s came under intense criticism and pressure from alumni and fans. Things got so bad, he remembered, with a smile, that friends became hard to find. He described it this way: “My dog was my only true friend. I told my wife that every man needs at least two good friends...and she bought me another dog.”But for us, God has given us Christian friends as a gift from His grace and goodness and as part of His plan for our lives. Our view of one another as fellow believers should be one of gratitude, thanks to God for bringing each other into our lives.5. In Our Suffering. We are to be thankful in every circumstance.Ephesians 5:20 says - “always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.”Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”Ac16:25 says, “But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.”In our natural nature, we are self-seeking and self-centered. So, when things are tough, or don’t go as we had planned, we tend to complain and grumble. We get upset and even ask God why he Has handed us such an unfair hand.One day two men walking through a field spotted an enraged bull. Instantly, they darted toward the nearest fence. The storming bull followed in hot pursuit, and it was soon apparent that they wouldn’t make it. Terrified, one of the men shouted to the other, “Put up a prayer, John! We’re in for it!” John answered back, “I can’t. I never made a public prayer in my life.” The first man responded, saying, “But you must! The bull is catching up to us!” So, John replied, “All right...I’ll say the only prayer I know...the one my father used to repeat at the table.” With that, he began to pray, “O Lord, for what we are to receive, make us truly thankful.”Well, prayer IS an integral part of expressing gratitude, but it’s to be more than just words or simply reciting some set of words we repeat over and over.An attitude of gratitude brings about a CHANGED PERSPECTIVE in our lives. It affects how we look at, how we perceive, and how we view difficult times that we encounter.A mom and dad brought their son into the living room to discuss their boy’s report card. Showing all “F’s” on the card, the dad asked the son, “What do you have to say about this, son?” The son replied, “Well, you COULD be proud of me, father!” The father, taken aback, asked: “Proud?! Why would I be proud of you when you bring home a report card like this?!” The son then answered, “Well, one thing you know for sure - I didn’t cheat!” When Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison for preaching the gospel, we might have expected them to feel sorry for themselves and complain about it. After all, they were unfairly treated, they were brutally beaten for trying to do something good. But instead, they were praying and singing hymns, praising God in their prison cell. When Peter and John were arrested and thrown into prison, placed in the darkest part of the dungeon, and threatened with their lives if they ever were to talk of Jesus again, they refused to remain silent. Then, when they were released the following day, they thanked God for the honor of being persecuted as believers, and for being identified as followers of Jesus. How could each of these pairs do it? How could they be thankful in the middle of what had to be the worst day and night of their lives to that point? The key is that they learned the secret of having an attitude of gratitude. An attitude that isn’t stymied by bad circumstances. An attitude that takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Philippians 4:13 says, “I CAN DO ALL THINGS through Christ who strengthens me. ”In other words, I am confident God will bring me through to victory, regardless of what things look like! Are you practicing 1 Thessalonians 5:18? “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you?” If gratitude is not a 24-7 attitude in your life, I invite you to pray right now and ask God to change your perspective, to stir up within you what He wants to bring with you - an ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE.

 

Message Preached at Cedar Creek Baptist Church Jacksonville, Florida 32205November 24, 2024Sermon Notes is a Ministry of the Cedar Creek Baptist Church,1372 Lane Avenue South, Jacksonville, Florida 32205 Live Stream our Worship – YouTube@CedarCreekBaptistChurch