Oh, wow. Please, please, please, pray for me. I should always ask you that, but obviously today is a little bit different.
! I went out with my normal Saturday morning run, and I got back home and my wife said,
your phone has been going off. And I said, I know who it was, because I had actually talked to him on Friday, and he could barely speak.
And so I actually asked Connie to make a copy of his message that I could take home and look at.
And so yesterday afternoon and evening, I spent working on this. And some of you here will say,
wow, that sounds just like what Pastor Kenoya would have said. Well, he did, okay?
Other parts of it, maybe not so much. But so it's a combination. And one of the things I wanted to do was to keep the slides the same.
So the slides are all Pastor Kenoya's slides. So hopefully those will fit in with what I say.
But I started with those points and then filled in around it. So if you would pray for me. And I'm going to pray right now.
Gracious God and Father, we thank you so much. This is the day we celebrate or think about Thanksgiving.
It's easy to be thankful for all the things you've done, all the things you've given us.
Help us to be even more thankful for who you are.
Father, I do pray that you would be with me today, that I would stick to the text, that I would speak your words and not my own.
And Lord, that you would be honored and glorified. It's your name we pray. Amen.
Today we are here to celebrate Thanksgiving. It's a day set aside in the United States.
And it was actually done by Abraham Lincoln, right, in the midst of the Civil War.
And he said there needs to be a day to give thanks.
It's celebrated on, we actually, Connie and I looked this up because we were, thought we were missing something.
It's actually celebrated on the 4th, Thursday of the month of November.
And because of that, it can be as early as, I think it was the 22nd.
And as late as the 20, whatever today is, 24th.
And that doesn't make sense.
It can be some, it can be any, whatever the 4th Thursday is.
How about that?
Okay.
And so, and as I said before, Pastor Sethi, the overall plan for this.
And if that was the case, you knew it was going to be in one of two books.
And that is either the book of Ephesians, which is his current favorite book.
Or the book of John, which is his almost favorite book.
Because that's the one he's going to be doing next.
So we're going to look at Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 4.
Let me read it for you.
Let there be no filthiness, nor foolish talk, nor crude joking, which are out of place.
But instead, let there be thanksgiving.
It's that last part.
Instead, let there be thanksgiving.
That we're going to focus on today.
In the book of Ephesians, it's moved from what God has done to what his actions ought to call and encourage us to do.
And it starts in verse 1 of chapter 5.
He says, be imitators, walk in love.
And Paul gives them lots of examples of how not to do that in these first few verses of chapter 5.
And then he sets in contrast this one separate individual idea.
But let there be thanksgiving.
And so it's the nature of thanksgiving.
It's the chief reasons that we have for thanksgiving that we want to spend time thinking about and looking at today.
First one is the nature of thanksgiving.
The nature of thanksgiving.
In order to kind of think through it a little bit, I looked up thankfulness in the dictionary.
And it said, thankfulness is expressing or feeling appreciation or gratitude.
And I thought, well, that was real helpful.
Okay?
It's like, it's one of those words you look it up in the dictionary and it says that thankfulness is being thankful.
And again, you say, okay, now I know that much.
But one thing we can agree on with or without the dictionary, and that is that thankfulness is something that connects or relates us to some other person.
Or say it in a little different way.
Giving thanks usually happens because of someone else.
We're naturally thankful when we receive something from someone else.
Yesterday in the evening, I was sitting there and suddenly I decided, wow, I am really, really hungry.
And so my wife kindly stopped decorating the Christmas tree and went and fixed me dinner.
And I was very thankful.
I thought I was going to be famished.
I thought I was going to pass out or something.
I was so hungry.
And then I was thankful for that.
See, the thankfulness comes when there's somebody else connected to it.
We thank other people for doing something like that.
Sometimes you go to get on the freeway and you see there's this long line of cars.
And there's an ever-shortening on-ramp.
And you're thankful when someone opens up a little space and lets you pull into it.
When we receive something from other people, that's when our thankfulness comes out.
Being thankful, however, runs contrary to our nature.
Whatever else Romans 1 says about the unbeliever and about the world,
one of the things that's key in that is that the person is not thankful.
Thanksgiving is an expression of unselfishness.
The selfish and unloving person doesn't give thanks because they think they deserve it.
They think they've got it coming.
So when someone gives it to them, they say, okay, yeah, they just do what they were supposed to.
It's that selfishness that marks our nature.
We're children of our father and mother, Adam and Eve,
who didn't see all the blessings and weren't thankful for all the blessings that God had given them,
but instead saw the one thing that they didn't have that they thought,
wow, that's what I really need to be happy.
It's that same kind of attitude that marks each and every one of us.
We see it in children.
We need as parents to be consistently reminding our children both to be thankful and to express thankfulness.
If we want it to happen, we have to over and over encourage them.
Now say thank you.
Now tell the person thank you.
Over and over, we have to tell them that.
Sometimes we need to tell ourselves that.
Not only do we need to be thankful for what they receive,
but they need to be thankful even if it's something that they don't want.
If we go to a restaurant that they would not prefer to go to.
Not too long ago, we were traveling to Indiana regularly for cross-country meets.
And at the last meet of the year, we went over and we went out to dinner with them afterward,
and then we're going to come back here real quick.
And we went to the place that Joseph, who was the runner, got to choose which place he would want to go to.
Well, the place he chose was at the bottom of the list for his brother, who said, oh.
And Samuel, in his very engineering-like way, when Peggy was trying to make him happy or be glad about being at Chipotle,
he said, well, at least it's fuel for the fire.
He said, well, at least he was being thankful.
At least he was getting to eat that day.
But it's something we have to teach our kids.
We have to help them do that.
This is going to fall off, so it's okay.
And we need to continually to work at them with that.
Or otherwise, they will not be thankful,
because giving thanks is something that we are taught to do.
Well, if that's true, then Scripture teaches us to be thankful to one,
and that one is God.
When I looked up thankfulness and didn't find much help there,
I looked up thanksgiving.
And I actually am going to read to you what the dictionary is.
The dictionary comes on my iPad, so it's not a Christian dictionary.
It's just some app that was free.
But I want to read it to you, because it's interesting what it says.
It says,
The act of giving thanks, grateful acknowledgement of benefits or favors,
especially to God.
An expression of thanks, especially to God.
A public celebration in acknowledgement of divine favor or kindness.
A day set apart for giving thanks to God.
I found it interesting that even our secular society recognizes that the issue of thanksgiving
is at the center of our view of God, and who God is, and what He does.
What perhaps the secular world doesn't understand,
is that thanksgiving is rooted in our view of God, and His undeserved kindness.
It's the nature of true salvation that draws thanksgiving out of us.
If Christians are known for anything,
it should be that we're known for love expressed toward God and others by unceasing thankfulness.
I want to just read another passage, a very similar one to you.
1 Thessalonians 5, verse 18 says,
In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
You think about that, and so oftentimes, no matter what age we are,
but especially when we're younger, maybe a college age or that kind of thing,
one of the things that we focus in on, what's God's will for my life?
Life.
What's God's will for my life?
I just want to know what God wants for me.
And the passage tells us,
In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Your and my lives should demonstrate the consistent nature and characteristic of thanksgiving.
Of course, that begs the question,
is thanksgiving a characteristic of your lifestyle?
Something that you're known for?
Or is it something that needs to be prompted, like we have to do with children?
We're going to talk about what we as believers ought to really be thankful for,
and what we need to be thankful for.
Before we do, though, I'm going to take this coat off,
not because I'm too hot, because I'm just comfortable,
but it's fiddling with my microphone, and it's going to fall off.
The pastor and I don't have the same ear,
and so I need to make an adjustment here.
Otherwise, I'm going to be thinking about it all the time.
First of all, I want you to think about causes from our past.
Being thankful and thanksgiving flows out of a need.
You know, if I don't have a need for anything,
if I'm not hungry or thirsty,
if I'm not trying to get on the freeway and it's packed with cars,
then I really don't have any interest or any need in being thankful.
It's when I'm running out of the ramp.
It's when I'm actually hungry and need something to eat
and need someone to help me with it that those are the times.
And so we want to look at our past,
not because so much the things that we have to be thankful for,
but things that drive us or give us that need for being thankful.
Ephesians chapter 2.
They're almost all in Ephesians,
so you can actually flip over to each one of them as I do.
And I think they'll be on the slides as David puts them up,
although David is also being stressed this morning.
So a different set of notes that wasn't written for these slides.
Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1 to 3 says,
I was dead.
I walked in the course of the world.
I willingly, willingly followed Satan.
I lived out what my own flesh desired.
I was a child of wrath.
I was in deep trouble.
And it was all my own doing.
Not only that, same thing is true for you.
You were in deep trouble.
And it was all of your own doing.
You know, being hopeless is much worse than simply being hungry.
It's much worse than simply trying to get someplace.
It is saying that there is nothing, nothing, nothing that you can do.
Ephesians chapter 2, verse 19.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,
but you are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God.
So then it says you are no longer strangers and aliens.
I was lined up on the wrong side.
I was on the side opposite of God.
It's like picking the wrong team.
It's much worse than picking the wrong team in sports.
It's being on the wrong side of the creator.
Saying, God, I know that you created the whole universe,
but I want to pick a fight.
It's like saying, I know that you know the end of times from the very beginning,
but I want to challenge you to a little mental game.
Let's play a game of chess.
We don't fit.
We're on the wrong side.
It's like being an OSU fan in the big house
or being a Michigan fan at the horseshoe.
I saw a quote yesterday that Tom Parsons had.
He said, this is as close to hell as the believer will ever get
and as close to heaven that the unbeliever will ever get.
Yeah, I enjoy life.
I enjoy so many things.
I've already announced my upcoming retirement,
and I'm thinking, wow, I'm going to do this,
and I'm going to do this, and I'm going to do this,
and I'm kind of running out of time,
and I haven't even started yet.
There are so many things I enjoy doing,
but you know what?
None of those things, none of this place,
is any better than heaven.
They don't even compare with heaven.
I told you I was out yesterday running,
and I love to run.
And so I was out, and I was just going along,
and I thought, you know what?
I don't know if I'll be able to run when I'm in heaven,
but I really do enjoy it, so maybe I will get to run.
But what I do know is that the wind will be behind you in both directions.
And I won't sound like a wheezing steam engine anymore.
Some of you might wonder why it would go like that.
But I recognize there will be a lot of different things.
All the things I like to do,
they will be so much better even if I do them.
I was an alien.
I was an outcast.
I was also darkness.
Ephesians 5.8.
I do want you to look at this one.
It's close to where we were anyway.
Ephesians 5.8.
For at one time you were darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light.
You know what?
It doesn't say we were in darkness.
If it just said we were in darkness,
it would be like Paul saying,
you know, you were used to be in darkness,
and you couldn't really,
you couldn't see very well,
but you know,
I can kind of maneuver around the chair
that sits in the middle of our bedroom floor
because Peggy usually leaves it in the same place.
So even when it's dark,
I know how to avoid that.
She ever moves it,
I'm in trouble, okay?
But I can make my way around that.
But that's not what this says.
It's not that I was just in darkness.
It says that I was darkness.
Scripture doesn't support the kind of victim outlook
that our world today sees.
It's not our broken families.
It's not our broken neighborhood.
It's not what our parents did or didn't do.
It's not your social, economic level.
It's not your education.
It's that you're darkness.
Until you know the Lord.
And you know,
that doesn't seem like a list of wonderful things
that we ought to be thankful for at this Thanksgiving.
I don't think that Thanksgiving Day
is we're all sharing what things we're thankful for.
It's probably not the list that you'll come up with.
But what it does
is it leads us to Thanksgiving.
Because it tells us
just where we really were.
And the second two of those,
you will notice in each one of those,
it says,
but now you.
The change that takes place.
These point to the present.
And if we consider the present,
we have so much to be thankful for.
1 John 3, verse 1.
So see what kind of love the Father has given us
that we should be called children of God.
And so we are.
We are sons,
daughters of the Most High.
It's like John is,
the wording there is just so interesting,
so fascinating to me.
It's like John saying,
wow, can you believe it?
I mean, what kind of love does God have
after all?
I mean, He's taken us
and actually made us His sons.
It's mind-blowing.
It's also an encouragement to Thanksgiving.
That God, in His mercy,
in His grace,
has chosen us
to be His very children.
were accepted in the Beloved.
Ephesians chapter,
back to Ephesians,
Ephesians chapter 1, verse 6.
I'm going to read out of the New King James,
because I like the wording a little bit better,
and I'll point that out to you in a second.
To the praise of the glory of His grace,
by which He made us accepted.
The ESV says,
blessing in the Beloved.
The word blessing,
or the translation that I read,
the word accepted,
is the Greek word for favored.
It's the same word
that's used by the angel
in Luke chapter 1, verse 28,
when the angel is speaking to Mary
and says,
O favored one.
Accepted one.
It just doesn't,
almost doesn't seem like it's enough.
It's not like God just saying,
well, you know,
I've got to let some people in,
and hey,
I guess I'll have to let you in.
It's not that.
God has chosen you,
and He desires
to have you in His presence.
He desires
to have a relationship with you.
It goes beyond just,
you know,
kind of God
just relenting and saying,
well, I've got to have some people
filling in heaven,
so I guess
you're not worse than anybody else.
You were worse than anybody else,
and God said,
despite that,
I want you
in my eternal presence.
When I dwelt with the Spirit,
and empowered,
Ephesians 1, 3,
Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly places.
Not only are we no longer doomed
to follow Satan,
the desires of the flesh,
but we have every spiritual blessing.
And there's a parallel passage
over in 1 Peter,
or 2 Peter,
that says,
we have all we need
for life and godliness.
God didn't shortchange us.
He didn't save us,
but then leave us out on a rope.
He didn't say,
well, you know what,
I'm going to go ahead
and forgive you,
but from now on,
just try a little harder,
and maybe you'll please me.
He gave us the ability to change.
He gave us the indwelling Holy Spirit
so that we could change
from the people that we were,
hopeless, corrupt, sinful,
and we could be,
act as the sons of God,
accepted in the beloved,
indwelt, empowered.
That gives us great confidence
in the future.
not only in this life.
It says that next week
can be different.
It says the week after that
can be different.
It says next month
can be different.
But it's not just that.
It also gives us
even more comfort
for the future.
Turn over with me
to 1 John chapter 3.
1 John chapter 3.
Verse 2.
Beloved,
we are God's children now,
and yet what we will be
has not yet appeared.
But we know
that when He appears,
we shall be like Him
because we shall see Him
as He is.
That passage,
if you just think about
that passage for a moment,
it's so encouraging.
It's so much
to be thankful for.
It says that we will be
like Him.
I don't know what that means.
I do not believe
that we will be gods
like the Mormons believe.
But I do know
that we will put on
eternality.
We'll have heavenly bodies.
There'll be no more pain,
no more sickness,
no more sorrow,
no more need.
We will be like Him.
We will see Him.
You know,
you think about the Old Testament
and how often
people were protected.
Moses.
Moses wanted to see
the glory of God,
and what did God say?
No, Moses,
you can't do that.
You couldn't take it.
But what I'll let you do
is I'll let you stand
here in this little
inlet in the rock,
and I'll put my hand
over you,
keep your face away
from me,
and I'll pass by,
and you'll just be able
to kind of catch
a little glimpse
of me as I pass by.
And what did Moses say?
That's enough.
Book of Isaiah.
And we were just doing
the grip by the greatness
of God
in our small group.
And James MacDonald
pointed out
a really fascinating idea.
He pointed out
that in Isaiah chapter 6,
when the prophet
is going,
is there
in the throne room,
okay,
it says that
the throne room
was filled with smoke.
And James MacDonald
said,
and I think he may be right,
he said the reason
it was filled with smoke
was to protect
the life of the prophet.
Because seeing God
would mean
that he died.
And so God
in his mercy
filled the temple
with smoke
so that Isaiah
could see through it
and he could see
the grandeur
but without
being impacted by it.
It was God's protection.
And here
it says
that when he comes
we shall see him
as he is.
We no longer
need protection.
We no longer
need for God
to cover himself
so that we
don't
aren't impacted
by his presence.
It says
that we will be
with him
forever.
Not just
a brief visit.
Not just
stop in
for a little while.
But we will be able
to be
with God
for all
eternity.
Do you ever
have times
where it feels
like God's
not very close?
I do.
Usually
it's my own fault.
In fact
it's always
my own fault.
But for all
eternity
we will be
in the very
presence
of God.
God's
God
how do we
come
to be
thankful?
How do we
have all
these
precious
and great
promises?
We each
have to
come to
the place
of saying
I
am a
sinner.
It's not
just that
the world
is dark
it's that
I am
darkness.
I have
to come
to the
place
of recognizing
that it
is my
own
sin
that is
causing
the
challenges
and the
difficulties
in my
life.
It's my
own sin
that is
making the
division
between me
and God
and why
isn't God
seen very
close right
now.
Recognizing
that sin
and that
that sin
provides not
only currently
but it
provides for
all eternity
damnation
if I don't
turn to
him.
Second
it requires
that I
come before
God and
I say
and I
believe in
the Lord
Jesus
Christ.
He gave
the penalty
he paid
the price
for us
but it's
up to us
to accept
the gift
that he
has actually
provided.
We have
to actually
accept.
We have
to say
yes
Jesus
Christ
paid the
penalty
for me
I accept
that
and I
ask that
God
you would
save me
from my
sin.
It then
takes
from that
point
forward
believing
in the
Lord Jesus
Christ
and what
he has
done.
It's not
enough to
just say
well I
know all
the facts.
I have
to actually
make it
personal
by accepting
what Christ
has done
for me.
If you've
done those
things
then the
issue of
thankfulness
ought to be
the natural
outcome
of your
heart.
If not
then all
you have
to do
is
all you
have to
go on
in this
time of
thankfulness
is
well I'm
thankful
that nothing
bad happened
this week
or at
least nothing
worse than
it could
have been.
So that's
where each
one of us
has to come
down to
where are
we in
terms of
our
thanksgiving.
Do we
have
thanksgiving
for the
right things?
Is it
directed to
the right
direction?
Let's
pray.
If you've
never come
to the
place
where you
have
something
to be
thankful
to God
for
I would
encourage
you
to
in your
mind
before
God
that you
would
say
the
same
things
that I'm
just
going
to
say.
Father I
know I'm
a sinner.
I know
that my
sins
cause a
separation
between
you
and me
and there's
nothing I
can do
about it.
But I
do reach
out to
your son
Jesus Christ
who paid
the penalty
for my
sin
and I
rely upon
him to
provide the
forgiveness.
I ask
that you
would save
me.
If you've
done that
I just
ask that
you would
encourage you
to raise
your hand
and just
ask someone
to pray
for you.
maybe I've
done those
things
and yet
thankfulness
is not
something that
you can
recognize
that marks
your life.
It's a
consistent
problem of
being unhappy.
Consistent
attitude of
sadness.
And I
would call on
you to
recognize
the great
promises that
God has
given to
you.
That he
has already
fulfilled.
And you
would cry
out to
him asking
for his
forgiveness
for overlooking
the great
gifts that
you've been
given.
And asking
him to
help you
to grow
in your
thankfulness.
Father,
you know
our hearts.
You know
whether our
thankfulness is
external from
our heart.
You know
whether our
thankfulness is
for the
things that
you've
provided or
from you.
And Lord,
we ask that
you would
bring about
the change
in our
hearts and
our lives
that we
might be
able to
grow in
our
thankfulness
to you.
For it's in
Christ's name
we pray.
Amen.