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Giving Thanks for ALL Things
Eph. 5:19,20
Intro: Now, that’s quite a phrase in vs. 20 exhorting us to Give Thanks Always for All Things! That almost sounds like its too much to ask!
To give thanks Always?
To give thanks for All things?
Well that’s what it says, that we are to give thanks always for all things to God our Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. How can we make that happen in real life?
I. Give Thanks for Things that Have Already Happened.
If we are going to give thanks always and for all things it must include those things that have already happened in our life.
- How about the Earthly things that have happened that we need to give thanks for: Birth! Parents, Family, Childhood, Health, Material well being, Education, Vocation/Career/Job, Spouse, Children .... That’s a pretty good list to start with isn’t it?
- How about the Spiritual things that have happened that we need to give thanks for: SAVED! Cleansed from sin and made a new creation in Christ Jesus, the work of the HG in our salvation, in our sanctification, in our baptism, Experiences of healing, Peace of mind, Joy, Fulfillment and Contentment in your soul. That’s another great list and still there are numbers of things that have already happened to you in your life that you need to Give Thanks for.
II. Give Thanks for the Things that Have NOT Happened.
Do you ever give thanks to the Lord for the things that Could have happened but they have not?
Death could have happened already but you are alive. Poverty could have happened but it didn’t. Your house hasn’t burned to the ground. You have no terminal disease. If your children have not become alienated from you, its cause for giving thanks. If you have not suffered a divorce its cause for thanks giving. If you have suffered a divorce but you are still living faithfully for the Lord and did not become bitter, its cause for giving thanks to the Lord.
If you have never been audited by the IRS its cause for thanks giving!
I’m just saying, there are so many things that have Not happened to you that you should be giving thanks to God about.
III. Give Thanks for Things that WILL NOT Happen.
You say, how do you know what will not happen? It is true that none of us knows exactly what tomorrow will bring. I admit that I can’t be guaranteed that I won’t become sick or more poor or have trouble in a relationship of life; BUT there are some things I can guarantee you Will Not Happen and you should give thanks for them.
- God will never leave you or forsake you.
- Jesus will never fail; he will be with you always even to the end of the world
- The Holy Ghost will never abandon you; he is the Comforter who goes alongside you through life and into eternity.
- The Word of God will never fail; it is always true and will always be true; even when the heavens and earth pass away, God’s Word will stand and endure forever.
- God’s Grace will never cease.
- God’s love will never run out.
- The devil will never prevail! When it seems that the devil and evil are prevailing, remember that God has already decreed the End of Sin and God has already decreed the End of Satan. He will never prevail over God or God’s Church or God’s People or God’s Kingdom.
Give Thanks for things that Will Never Happen!
IV. Give Thanks for Things that WILL Happen.
How do you know what will happen? Well, I don’t know everything that will happen in my life or in your life but there are some things that I know will happen and we should give thanks for them.
- Jesus really will come in the clouds to take away his people.
- The dead in Christ will rise from the dead and we will join them as we are caught up to be with the Lord.
- Death will be forever defeated.
- We will be forever changed and will have glorified bodies that will never suffer sickness or affliction or death.
- We will stand on the golden streets of heaven and worship God around his throne.
- We will have a mansion prepared by Jesus Christ himself.
- We will be reunited with loved ones who loved the Lord and have gone on before us.
- We will be rewarded for our service for the Lord and his church and his kingdom.
- We will rule and reign with him in his kingdom on this earth for 1000 years.
- Then we will live in his glorious presence for ever!
WOW- Do we have a lot to thank the Lord for or not? Is it really too much to ask for us to give thanks Always for All Things? I don’t think so! Thank God for things that have already happened. Thank him for things that have Not happened. Thank him for things that Will not happen. Thank him for things that Will happen. Give Thanks!