I. Introduction
A. Skipping Thanksgiving
B. Giving Thanks
1. In the Bible, there are many passages encouraging us to give thanks to God.
a. One reason for the abundance of passages reminding us to give thanks to God is that we tend to forget who truly provides our blessings. (Romans 1:21)
b. As Paul finishes this first letter to the Thessalonians, he includes several brief reminders.
2. These are habits seen in the attitudes and actions of Christians that characterize our relationship with God.
a. Among those reminders is the need to give thanks in all circumstances.
b. Notice, also, that Paul writes to tell them that this is the will of God for them—that they should be able to give thanks in all circumstances.
3. Paul provides a trilogy of thankfulness that can equip us to give thanks all the time.
4. This morning, let’s examine this idea in detail to help us approach not only this season, but all the seasons of life with thanksgiving.
II. The Trilogy of Thanksgiving
A. Always
1. We can be full of joy because of our in the God who is over all.
a. Philippians 4:4
b. If my rejoicing is about what the Lord has done, will do, and is doing, I will always find joy in this life, even among the most challenging of circumstances.
c. The Thessalonians had already expressed their joy by both receiving and sharing the gospel, even though they had experienced affliction doing so (1 Thess 1:6-7).
d. Paul was not admonishing them; he was encouraging them to continue in that joy.
2. Other religions of the day were not religions of joy, but of burden, pessimism, fear, and indifference. The gospel is infused with hope.
3. The gospel is the good news that God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us, even though we are undeserving. That should humble us and fill our hearts with joy at all times.
4. To be equipped for thanksgiving, we should count the blessings God has provided every day.
B. Without Ceasing
1. This imperative is not a command to spend every waking moment in prayer because that would be impossible.
2. The command here is not to fall to the temptation of our prayer life to select occasions (e.g., worship, before a meal, etc.).
a. Prayer should be “…a and element…” in the day-to-day life of a Christian.
b. Paul reminds us in Romans 12:12 to, “…be constant in prayer.”
3. Prayers can be short and quiet or long and loud; it all depends on what is needed in the moment.
a. Jesus reminds us that we should never pray for “show” (Matthew 6:5) but rather for need (Matthew 6:6-15).
b. Abraham Lincoln, who first proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving in 1863, reportedly once said, “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day.”
4. Our prayer life should not be relegated to times of trial. God wants us to speak with Him often. He wants us to share the good along with the bad, the triumphs and the challenges, our hopes and our fears.
a. Illustration: Our family tries to have a “conference call” at least once a week. When we talk to our children, we ask lots of questions. We usually laugh with them, offer advice and counsel, and feel their pain from afar. I think God does that, too.
b. Earl Edwards observes, “…in the midst of difficulties the true Christian will want to have communion with his God…a Christian should always have a constant sense of God’s presence and sense of depending on God which would cause him to desire regularly to talk with his Father in heaven.”
5. To be equipped for thanksgiving, we must make prayer a habit we do not hinder.
C. Giving Thanks
1. Our worship and service to God are not dependent on whether life is ; we worship God regardless of circumstances. We thank God simply because He is worthy of our .
2. Pagan religions of the day focused on the law of reciprocity. Worshippers sought to give gifts to the gods in order to receive favors from them.
3. The Christian does not serve God to receive good gifts; we serve God because He has already given us the best gift—.
III. Conclusion
A. Don’t Skip Thanksgiving
1. We tend to focus on the negative. Thanksgiving is a time to set aside those negatives and focus on the positives.
2. When we focus on giving thanks to God in our continual prayers, it aids us in learning to rejoice even in the trials of life.
B. Invitation