 Tonight, what we would do being that Thanksgiving is coming up this week, that we would just have a little fun tonight. Going through some texts, looking at Thanksgiving throughout Scripture. Just the thankful heart, sort of where the thankful heart comes from and some characteristics of the thankful heart. And we'll look at various texts. We'll do this in sort of Bible drill fashion. So if you've got your Bible handy, we'll take a look at a lot of texts. You can feverishly write some notes and try to keep up. There's just a lot in Scripture with respect to thankfulness, thankfulness. And we are to be thankful. It's interesting. I'll give you a baker's dozen. We've got about 13 points that we'll walk through and take a look at quality or characteristics of thankfulness throughout Scripture. And the first one that I've got here, interestingly enough, is that thankfulness from the heart is one of the clearest and most profound characteristics of the new creation in Christ Jesus. When the Lord saves someone, gives them a new heart, just a bounding out of that new heart. Overflowing out of that new heart is thankfulness. It's a mark of conversion. And so tonight it's just a joy to be able to look at this subject. And it might help you this week as you, you know, host fellowships at your house for Thanksgiving. Just take a look at some texts and be able to encourage those that come over for Thanksgiving lunch, right? So let's pray and then we'll get started. Father in heaven, God, thank you for this time together. Thank you for my dear brothers and sisters here. Just so grateful to you, God, for the church. And just to take a look at this subject tonight and thinking about Thanksgiving coming up this week that, Lord, we've got so much to be thankful for. And we know, Lord, often it's when I hear the brothers pray, hear a sister pray. It's always just overflowing with Thanksgiving towards you. And we're grateful to you, God, for all that you have done for us in Christ Jesus. This redemption, God, that you've secured for us in Christ is a multifaceted diamond. Just so many beautiful qualities and aspects to it. And Lord, we are so undeserving and that you're so gracious to us. You don't just drip out of a dropper grace on us, God. You lavish grace on us from a fire hose. And we are so grateful to you for that. It just gives us cause to be constantly grateful to you. And so it gives us great joy tonight, Lord, to be able to look through your word together. Thank you for that time that we have in your word. And I pray, God, that you'd bless it. Bless this reality to our hearts, God, and by your spirit cause us to be faithful in thankfulness to you. Thankful for Christ. Thankful for salvation. Thank you that although we were sinners, God, you shed blood on Calvary to redeem us as worshipers of the Lamb for all eternity. So thank you for this time together. Pray that you'd bless it. God, attend the preaching of your word with your spirit. And pierce our hearts with conviction where we aren't grateful, God, and help us to be mindful of this for your glory, God, and for all that you've done for us in Christ. And we pray these things in His name. Amen. All right. Well, let's take a look at this. The thankful heart and the thankful heart throughout Scripture, characteristics of thankfulness from the Bible. Like I said, the first point that we want to cover, just point one, if you want to start there, is thankfulness from the heart is a mark of conversion. That thankfulness is one of the clearest and most profound characteristics of the new creation in Christ Jesus. You know, today with much of evangelicalism trapped in what is one version or another of what we call decisional regeneration. You know, I got saved because I made a decision to get saved. I got saved because I chose to walk an aisle. I chose to say a prayer. I did this, that, or the other thing. I got baptized, whatever that may be, that the new birth or salvation is wrapped up in some action or will of man. This idea of marks of conversion has largely been lost on the professing church. Largely been lost to many professing Christians. But if you want to know that you're saved, you want to have assurance that you're right with God, you look at what God in Christ has produced in your heart when He saves you. Do you have any work of grace in your heart? Well, I can tell you as a Christian, one of the greatest, most profound works of grace in your heart is just this overflowing thankfulness to the Lord for what He's done. You, like we talked about this morning, come to sense your great need in Christ for a Savior. Destitute, without hope apart from Christ and how wicked your sin is and how offensive you are before Christ, before God, such that when the Lord saves you, you just abound in thanksgiving. Just thankful to God for what He's done. When He once before, before you were saved, you walked in, you just sort of lived in complaining, right? Grumbling, discontentment. And now those who are grumbling, discontent complainers are now overwhelmed, abounding with overflowing with thanksgiving towards God. Being unthankful is at the very core of an unregenerate heart. And the first place we'll go in Scripture is Romans chapter one. Romans chapter one. Being unthankful is in the very nature of the unregenerate heart. Just live in a state of unthankfulness, a lack of gratitude. We see that in Romans chapter one. And look beginning in verse 18. Romans chapter one, verse 18. Here the Bible says, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power in Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Verse 21. Because although they knew God, listen, this is the truth, this reality written on the heart. Although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were, what, nor were thankful. They weren't thankful, but became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened. This is a mark of an unconverted heart. But when God gives you a new heart in Christ, there's a compulsion in you to give thanks to the Lord. And there's much to be thankful for, right? Point number two. First, thankfulness is a mark of conversion. Point number two, Thanksgiving toward God is commanded. It's interesting from Scripture to think about thankfulness that way. But thankfulness to God is commanded. If the Lord commands it, that makes it right, right? That settles it, and we're to give thanksgiving toward God. But this thanksgiving is commanded. Psalm 50, verse 14 says this. Offer to God thanksgiving and pay your vows to the most high. You owe a vow of thankfulness to the Lord. That's not difficult, is it? You think about it. Think about all that God has done for you. This morning we spent a little bit of time thinking about common grace. Mentioning that, like Paul in Acts 9, preaching to Pagan, saying that the Lord gave us fruit in their seasons, gave us rain, gave us hearts full of food and gladness, and that the Lord did good. God gave us a witness of himself in Scripture, in that he did good. We have much to be thankful for. Philippians chapter 4, in verse 6 says this. Be anxious for nothing. Here's a command. He says, But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. In Colossians chapter 3, verse 17, we'll go to some of these here in a little bit. Colossians chapter 3, verse 17 says, And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, beginning in verse 16, the Bible says, Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. So 1, thankfulness is a mark of conversion. 2, thanksgiving toward God as commanded. 3, thanksgiving is how we are to worship him. Thanksgiving is associated with praise, with the praise and worship of God, praising the Lord. In Hebrews chapter 13, verse 15, the Bible says this. Therefore, by him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name. There from Hebrews, they knew well what sacrifices to God were all about. And it's a reference to the sacrificial system. But here, the author of Hebrews is saying that our sacrifice, the acceptable sacrifice to God now, is the fruit of our lips, the fruit of our worship, which is giving thanks to his name. It's a sacrifice of praise to God. So when you praise God, praise and thanksgiving toward God are very closely, very intimately related. When you praise God, you thank him. Sometimes in your prayer, when you think about praying to God, Lord, I want to praise you. I want to worship you. Well, how do you do that? And one of the ways that you do that is be thankful toward him. Give him thanks. The fruit of our lips, in thankfulness toward God, is praise and worship of him. So you think to yourself, there's an acronym. I've taught the girls this when we teach the kids to pray. The ax acronym, A-C-T-S. That when you pray to God, A is adoration. You adore him for all that he is, right? Adore him. Praising him for his attributes, his perfections, his excellencies. And there's confession, confession of sin. And out of confession of sin, knowing that we have an advocate with a father, Jesus Christ the Righteous, knowing that God is a forgiving God for those who are in Christ, the T, Thanksgiving. Doesn't it just when you pray and you ask the Lord for forgiveness, you confess your sin, you adore him for his excellencies and his attributes, doesn't that just pour into it? You don't even need to know the acronym. It's just going to end up in Thanksgiving, right? And then we put needs, supplications, A-C-T-S supplications at the end. Just the heart is in the new heart, the new nature, bent toward Thanksgiving, toward God as a result of all that he's done for us in Christ. So it's how we are to worship him. We worship him, examples of that, privately. You can do this in the privacy of your own home and you should be. Private worship. In Daniel, chapter 6, we see an example of this in Daniel. And in verse 10, the Bible says, Now in Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. But not just in private worship, we give thankfulness to God in public worship. In public worship, Psalm 35, verse 18 says, I will give you thanks in the great assembly and I will praise you among many people. You see there again, don't you, how Thanksgiving and praise are closely related? Intimately related there, praise and Thanksgiving. But it's also how we as Christians, as adopted sons into the family of God, will worship God for all eternity in heaven together. Turn with me to Revelation chapter 4. Revelation chapter 4. And we will worship God for all eternity in heaven, giving thanks to him. There's just a glimpse of this and, man, if you're a Christian and you just, you have this hope in him, you are awaiting the day when we will get to participate in this kind of worship, unfettered by sin, unhindered by the flesh, with the angels in heaven worshiping God. That is an awesome thought. And you're like, me, man, you can't wait. Is this going to be awesome? But we see a glimpse of this in Revelation chapter 4 and look at beginning at verse 1. Let's just walk through a few passages here. This is worship of God in heaven. Our thanksgiving will be a sacrifice of praise to him for all eternity. It will be worshiping him in this way. So we'll get Revelation chapter 4 beginning in verse 1. After these things, the Bible says, I looked and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And this door now opened to us. We're going to catch a glimpse of what this worship looks like. And the first voice, which I heard, was like a trumpet speaking with me saying, come up here and I'll show you the things which must take place after this. And immediately, John was in the spirit and behold, a throne set in heaven and one sat on the throne. And he who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance. And there was a rainbow around the throne in appearance like an emerald. And around the throne were 24 thrones. And on the thrones I saw 24 elders sitting clothed in white robes. And they had crowns of gold on their heads and from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. And before the throne, there was a sea of glass like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion. The second living creature like a calf. The third living creature had a face like a man. And the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. And you think about the picture of this from Isaiah chapter six. Holy, Holy, Holy. When Isaiah was in the temple and he saw the glory of God in the temple. And you think about this worship. You've got these four living creatures that do not rest day or night. You think they get bored singing, Holy, continuously in no way. It's just, right? Pan, I can't help it. It gets choked up about it. Just thinking about it. Worshiping the Lord. There's no boredom in that. That is glorious for all eternity. Holy, Holy, Holy. Night and day worthy as the Lamb. Just awesome, awesome thought. And so this is worship in heaven. It says whenever the living creatures in verse nine give glory and honor and thanks to him who sit on the throne who lives forever and ever. Even the worship in those words, right? He who sits on the throne who lives forever and ever. He says the 24 elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. And they cast their crowns before the throne saying you are worthy, oh Lord, to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things and by your will they exist and were created. It's giving thanks to God. Flip the page over to chapter seven, Revelation chapter seven. The same kind of thing here. If you read from chapter four into chapter five, this worship of God just continuously expands. You have the four living creatures and then you have an expanding choir. More that are added and then instruments are added and more are added. And before you know it, you've got an innumerable multitude worshiping the Lamb here in chapter seven. Look down at verse 11. And the Bible says here in verse 11, all the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures and fell on their face before the throne and worshiped God saying amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom. And here it is. Thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen. Just continuous worship. Flip the page again to Revelation chapter 11. Revelation chapter 11. And look at verse 15. Again, just worship the praise of God from thankful hearts. Chapter 11 verse 15. Then the seventh angel sounded. And there were loud voices in heaven saying, the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. And He shall reign forever and ever and the 24 elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God. Boy, just right heaven is full of worship. Just worship, worship, worship. Man, if you get bored worshiping God, you've got a problem. Heaven is going to be eternal worship, praise, and glory to God. This is, and the converted heart, the heart that has been changed by God rejoices in that. It's a heart that desires. It's right. One of the greatest desires as a Christian is to be able to worship God free from sin, free from the flesh. So that's what we're going to be doing in heaven is worshiping God. Verse 17. They're worshiping Him saying, we give you thanks, oh Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who was and who is to come because you have taken your great power and reign. Listen to that. We give you thanks, oh Lord God, because you've taken your great power and reigned. Praise God. Right? Verse 18. The nations were angry and your wrath has come. And the time of the dead that they should be judged and that you should reward your servants, the prophets and the saints, and those who fear your name small and great and should destroy those who destroy the earth. There's an element in worship in heaven. We see it throughout Revelation. Worshiping the Lord and thankfulness of the Lord for His judgment, for His justice, and judging those who have offended the King will be very like-minded with the Lord when it comes to judgment in heaven over unrighteousness, over those who here should destroy the earth. Verse 19. And the temple of God was opened in heaven and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple and there were lightnings, noises, thunderings and earthquake and great hail. You see that associated with worship in Revelation 4. You see it here again in Revelation 11. The power of God. Sometimes I think about Mount Sinai. You know, in hearing the thundering voice of Almighty God, seeing the thunderings and the flashes of lightning and the power of God. It's an awesome thought and it should provoke worship, should provoke thankfulness too. That we're not under the wrath of God. That's the scene in heaven. This great scene in heaven just culminates in thankfulness towards God in worship of Him. And we gloriously will be a part of that one day in heaven. So we've got 3.4. This thankfulness is motivated by God Himself, by His character, His attributes. When you look at God, look who God is, that should motivate you to abound with thanksgiving toward God. Psalm 136, verse 1 says this. O give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. O give thanks to the God of gods, for His mercy endures forever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords, His mercy endures forever. It's just thanksgiving motivated by who God is, His attributes, His goodness, His mercy, His grace motivates again thanksgiving toward God. The point number 5. Point number 5, thanksgiving is a fruit of the Spirit. Thanksgiving is a fruit of the Spirit. In Ephesians chapter 5, verse 18, let's turn there together. Ephesians chapter 5 and in verse 18, let's back up to verse 15. Ephesians chapter 5 verse 15, here the Bible says, See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, worthlessness, waste, right? But be filled with the Spirit. And after being filled with the Spirit, verse 9, you're going to be speaking to one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father. You can't take that lightly in verse 20. That is a profound statement. Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father. Is he just speaking with hyperbole there? No, we're to give thanks in all things, always. When Scripture says to pray without ceasing, it's supposed to, we're to have an attitude of unceasing prayer towards God. That is, not only it's a fruit of the Spirit, but it needs to be cultivated in the Christian life. The more that you learn of God from the Scriptures, the more that you learn of Christ from the Scriptures, the more that you understand your need from the Scriptures, the more that you understand your dependence on Him, grace that is found in Him, strength and support and hope and encouragement and comfort that is found in Him, the more that you'll commune with Him in prayer. It's just, you'll find reason throughout the day, constantly, to thank the Lord. You'll find reason to pray to Him. That's just cultivated. The closer that you get, the more that you're conformed into the image of Christ, the more that you're matured in the faith, the more that you're going to express that mature faith in prayer to Him. And so here it's not, we can't make light of this, giving thanks always. That we should always have a thankful heart toward God and we should be expressing our thanks to Him always for all things. That's obviously not talking about sin there or evil, the sins out of your own flesh. You don't give thanks for the sins out of your own flesh. But giving thanks in all things, to Him all things, trials, difficulties, struggles, those are all things that in Christ, we'll talk about in a moment, that we can give thanks for and we should. We need to give thanks for all things. And it says in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God, it is, this is a fruit of being filled with the Spirit, a fruit of the Spirit, His thankfulness toward God. But back up to Ephesians chapter five and look at verse, we'll start in verse one. Ephesians chapter five, verse one. Another mark here, mark six, is that thankfulness represents a contrast with the world or a contrast with sin. And I'll tell you, in practical Christian living, your Christian life, one of the means that God uses to separate you from sin, to sanctify you, to give you power over sin, to give you victory over sin in your life, is thankfulness from the heart. It's being thankful. And if you think about that, you fill your heart with thankfulness toward God, trusting and depending on Him, it is helpful to you in the battle against sin. It is contrasted with the world, contrasted with the sin. Look at Ephesians chapter five beginning in verse one. It says here, therefore be imitators of God as dear children. Walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us and offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma. There is reason to be thankful, right? Verse three. But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you as is fitting for saints, neither filthiness nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting which are not fitting, but rather than all these things in place of all these things giving of thanks. For this you know that no fornicator, no unclean person nor covetous man who is an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God that no one deceive you with empty words for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. But all those sins, right, sins of the heart there, sins and words, sins and action contrasted with giving of thanks. Put off all that stuff and in place of all that filth, put on a giving of thanks and thankfulness. Amazing, again in the grace and wisdom of God that just a heart full of thankfulness towards God is a great means, a great battle tool, a great weapon in the war against your own sin. Be thankful, be thankful. But point seven, point seven is that thankfulness is woven into the very fabric of the new creation. Thankfulness woven into the very fabric of what it means to be a Christian, the new man, the new creation. And I want to look at one text in particular for this and that's First Thessalonians chapter five. So if you'll turn there with me, First Thessalonians chapter five and beginning with verse 16, just thankfulness permeating the new life in Christ is woven into the very fabric of what it means to be a Christian, everything to do with your Christian life. First Thessalonians chapter five, beginning in verse 16. Here the Bible says rejoice always. Again, here's this always, right? Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. We're to give thanks in everything. We're to pray without ceasing. We're to rejoice always. Now think about it for a moment. In everything give thanks. In this one little statement, any excuse for being ungrateful is abolished, is wiped out. You have no excuse. It says in everything, you'd have to give thanks in my trial. Yes. I have to give thanks when the dry cleaner put iron spots on all my clothes. Yes. I ran out of gas. I have a flat tire. Do I have to give thanks? Yes. Give thanks in everything. You feel like even the dog hates you. Give thanks. Everything's going rotten in your life. You suppose we're to be thankful and there's a reason. It's not a vain hope or an empty kind of pie in the sky. Thankfulness. There's real reason to be thankful here. Any excuse for being ungrateful is abolished. It's wiped out in every trial, in every struggle, in every difficulty of life. You are to give thanks. Let me give you some examples. Turn with me to Acts chapter 5. Acts chapter 5. Oftentimes, you know, discontentment, complaining, grumbling comes because somehow you feel as though you've gotten a raw deal. You haven't gotten what you deserve. You better be thankful you don't get what you deserve, right? But somehow we don't put our circumstances in the context of God's sovereignty. If you're a Christian, you've turned from your sin, you put your faith in Christ and you say you're living for Him, then the Lord says, Romans 8, He works all things together for your good, even the difficulties that you face. If that's true and it is because it comes from God's Word and God's Word is true, then you need to trust that. And you trusted to the point such that James in chapter 1 can say, you can be joyful in trial because the Lord uses the means of your trials, uses the means of your struggle, uses the means of your suffering in order to teach you patience. In order to preserve you in the faith, in order to mature you in Christ, even those difficulties are for your good. Listen, it's exactly what you need because God's plan is perfect. We cannot argue against it. We cannot grumble against it. In everything, give thanks. In Acts chapter 5, we've got the disciples here in a pretty precarious situation. Look down at verse 40. This is Acts chapter 5 beginning in verse 40. And here the Bible says, And they agreed with him. And when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. How many of you, I mean, think about that for a moment, they knew. They knew they were facing trials. They were facing beatings. They were facing prison. And yet they continued to preach Christ. They're just faithful going out despite what it was going to cost them. They knew they were going to pay a high price here. You know, they went out. They preached Christ. They were arrested, taken in. They were beaten. And then they commanded, it says there in verse 40, that they should not speak in the name of Jesus. And then they were let go. Verse 41. So after they're beating, they departed from the presence of the council. What? Rejoicing. Rejoicing. They were rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. Do you think that they were grateful for that? Yes. Man, grateful to God. Counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. I, you know, I love the story of Wesley. You know, Wesley out preaching. And everywhere Wesley went, he had rotten tomatoes, rotten fruit, all kinds of rotten stuff thrown at him. He'd go into a house and preach, get rotten food thrown at him, ride his horse off to the next town, go into preach, get rotten fruit thrown at him, get back on his horse, ride to the next town, rotten fruit thrown at him. Well, Wesley goes into a house to preach one time and he left. And where are the rotten tomatoes? There's no rotten cabbage. I mean, what he's driving along. He comes to realize that he just left preaching and wasn't persecuted, didn't get anything rotten thrown at him. And immediately Wesley stops his horse, gets off, goes to the side of the road and prays to God. Please forgive me if I've, you know, in his mind, compromise the gospel or done something wrong, because I didn't get persecuted at the last house. And immediately a farmer that was said that was in the field overheard Wesley pray and so picked up a rock and threw it at Wesley. But you think that Wesley was thankful right for that affirmation from God in his persecution that he was preaching Christ. And right, that was affirmation to Wesley. I'm doing something right for the Lord here and the Lord is affirming this because I'm being persecuted. Thankful to suffer shame for his name, even in trial, even in great difficulty. Look over at 1 Peter, 1 Peter chapter 1. See another example of this, 1 Peter chapter 1. Thankfulness just woven into the very fabric of the new creation, woven into the fabric of the Christian life, such that we can be thankful in everything, in everything giving thanks. 1 Peter chapter 1 and look down in verse 6. You know, these trials, these difficulties, these struggles, didn't come about because they were, you know, jerks, or because they had a, you know, terrible personality that no one could get along with or because they were hard to work with on the job. No, the persecution came around because they were witnessing for Christ, because they were preaching the gospel, because they were being faithful to the Lord. And look at 1 Peter chapter 1, beginning in verse 6. In this, you greatly, what? You rejoice. In this, you greatly rejoice. Though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love, though now you do not see him, yet believing you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Just thankful to God, rejoicing in God, even in the midst of trial, in the midst of difficulty. We are, in that sense, to be thankful in everything. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 18, and everything give thanks. It permeates every aspect of our lives in every way, in a consistent way. And then he goes on to finish verse 18 by saying, back in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, for this, this being thankful in everything, this praying without ceasing, this rejoicing always, this, these three things, is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. This statement, that statement refers to all three commands in the passage. It's God's will that you should be constantly joyful. It's the will of God for you. It's God's will that you should be in constant prayer. It's God's will that you express constant thanksgiving, constant thanksgiving. And it is God's spirit, right, at work in us, at work through us, through his word, that enables us and empowers us to do that. You think about that for a moment. The Christian life, all the difficulties that you face, the challenges that you face, the people that you come across, the circumstances that you find yourself in. Imagine how you would have responded to a vast majority of those when you were lost. Not only with no thankfulness, but with anger, right, or with contention, with ugly, wicked, dark, black heart. But now in Christ, it's the fruit of his spirit, the fruit of God's at work in you that produces thankfulness in those same situations that you would have once blasphemed God in the midst of. It's just, it's a fruit of being a Christian. That's someone who loves the Lord, whose heart has been changed. It's God's spirit that works through his word in you that enables that kind of thankfulness. And that should be a prayer to the Lord. Lord, God, mature my faith, strengthen my trust in you. God, inflame my thankfulness toward you for all that you've done for me in Christ and help me live a life that is just filled with gratefulness to you for all that you've done. We need to pray that the Lord would mature that in us as he matures us and matures our faith. All right, point eight on your notes. Point eight, thankfulness will get us through these trials and difficulties. Thankfulness, we're to be thankful in everything. It's in our very fabric. It's in our Christian DNA, so to speak. And it's thankfulness. It's that heart of thankfulness. It's the fruit of God's spirit that is going to get us through it. Turn to Philippians chapter four, Philippians chapter four. So not only is it a fruit of the spirit that's going to show up in the midst of that, but God in his grace and in his wisdom uses that thankfulness to get us through it. And get us through those difficulties in life. Philippians chapter four and look beginning in verse six. Philippians chapter four, verse six, here be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Here prayer is the primary thing being spoken. It's the primary action that is at concern here in this passage. But thankfulness in prayer is the primary attitude that's being talked about. Thankfulness in prayer. Now, if you understand the sovereignty of God, God is in control of all things. You can think about your plans and devise your plans and attempt to work your plans, but it's God who directs your steps. God is in control of everything, right? Understanding God's sovereignty, again, back to that statement, is such a powerful promise that God and His sovereignty works every detail. I don't know how an Arminian gets through much of the day when it comes to trials and difficulties and struggles and those circumstances of life, apart from understanding and appreciating and grateful for the sovereignty of God. In every aspect of life, in every detail of your every day existence, God is at work and God is in control and God is sovereign and He works every one of those details together for your good. In that sense, you think about it now, God's not a far off. He's not distant. He is near. He is right there in everything, in every circumstance, in every situation. He is near. Now, this should cause the Christian, that understanding, should inflame and bolden the Christian to react to trials with a thankful heart in prayer, right? Thankful prayer, an attitude of thankfulness in prayer. Now, prayer, again, being faith, dependence, and trust expressed. Prayer is an expression of faith. It's an expression of your trust, your dependence on God. Understanding of all of that, and understanding that prayer is faith expressed, then prayer, thanksgiving in your prayer, will be the antidote to anxiety, to worry. How can it not be if you trust the Lord? If you trust the Lord in those circumstances, how can you worry in those circumstances if you understand God's sovereignty and you're trusting Him in it? How can there be anxiety when you just rest in God for all that He does? I tell you where anxiety and worry should come from. Anxiety and worry should come from you when you're not in Christ. If you're living apart from Christ, I don't know how you make it. I don't remember how I made it when I was a lost person. I was just ignorant, blissfully unaware. But when you're in Christ, you can trust in all of that, and be thankful. And the thankfulness gets you through the trial. The Christian approaches all of this in faith with an attitude of thanksgiving. Thankfulness, think about it now, thankfulness dispels doubt. Let me give you an example of that. Lord, I'm so grateful. What are you grateful for, right? You're going to pray in thankfulness to God. Like I'm so grateful that I can trust you. So grateful, God, that you are sovereign and controlled of all things. So grateful, Lord, that I know that you intend this trial for my good. So grateful, God, that you've orchestrated all things that come to pass and that I can trust you and depend on you and worship you and praise you. Thank you, God. Thank you, thank... But God, I doubt this. Those two things can't coexist, right? Lord, I'm doubtful. I'm worried about this over here. God, thank you for being in control of all things. I'm not sure what's going to happen over here. And it's giving me cause for worry. Giving me cause for doubt. Give me... See what I'm saying? A thankful heart here dispels doubt. Thankfulness for God's sovereignty. Thankful for God's... Thankfulness for God's working dispels worry. Dispels fear. It dispels anger or blame shifting. God, thank you for helping me through this trial that so and so over here made happen. Now, when you understand that God's in control of everything, you know exactly where the trial and the struggle comes from. Thankfulness dispels anger. Dispels blame shifting. Thankfulness cultivates faith. When you pray and you pray with a thankful heart, it bolsters your trust, bolsters your dependence on God. It bolsters your faith. God, thank you. Again, it goes back to, what are you going to thank him for when you pray? You're going to thank him for taking care of you. Well, that's faith, trusting him to take care of you. God, thank you for this, that, and the other thing. Well, that's you trusting, expressing faith in God for having done this, that, or the other thing. Thankfulness just cultivates our faith in God. Here's an example. God has made a promise to you, to me, in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 13. And here's the promise. It says there, No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man. But God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. But with the temptation, we'll also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it. So now, question comes. Do you trust in God's promise? Do you take him at his word? Do you believe what he just said? He's not going to give you anything you can't bear. He's not going to give you any temptation. It's going to tempt you beyond what you are able to withstand. And in the temptation, he's going to give you a way of escape. God made you a promise in that. So do you take him at his word? Do you believe him? All right. So when you pray, you pray in thankfulness to God for his promise, and you bolster your faith being thankful to God for the promise, and you live according to that. You give thanks for it. In that, praying with thankfulness to God for his promise to you in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13, that should dispel in you any doubt. It should dispel fear. It should dispel anxiety. It should dispel worry. And it should build in you faith. God, I'm trusting you. I can't trust anything else. I can't trust my own flesh. I can't trust my own deceitful heart. I can't trust this wicked world. I can't trust this wicked world system. It's under this way of the wicked one. I can't trust anything else, God, but I can trust you. And I can trust your promise. You have promised it. You've said it in your word. I can take it to the bank. It is true, and I know it. And so, Lord, I'm trusting you. Doesn't that dispel, shouldn't that dispel anxiety? Should it dispel worry and, I mean, doubt? And, yeah. So thankfulness, the very thankfulness that is woven into your Christian DNA that rises up in you even during the midst of trial is the same thankfulness that will get you through the trial by trusting in him and building on his promises and depending on him and cultivating your faith. It is an awesome thing, right? Let's cultivate thankfulness in your heart. Point nine. Point nine of your notes is thankfulness is to be given upon every remembrance of him, every remembrance of God. Every time you think about God, every time the Lord comes to mind, God's thank you, Lord, thank you. Psalm 30, verse four says, sing praise to the Lord, you saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holy name. In Psalm 97, verse 12, rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holy name. Which is in every remembrance of God's name. Give thanks. Point 10 on your notes. Point 10, thankfulness is rightly placed with God rather than men. It's got to be God-centered. Thankfulness is God-focused. It's not man-centered or man-focused. You're not going to thank man, in that sense, for anything. Your thankfulness ultimately is aimed directly at God. And it's for God. It's for God's glory, for his exaltation. First Thessalonians chapter two, verse 13 says this, for this reason, we also thank God. We don't thank you. We thank God. For this reason, we also thank God without ceasing. Because when you receive the word of God, which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. So it's not right, right? Is it to, boy, I'm so thankful to you for all the work that you do in your sanctification to mature yourself in Christ and to make you more like Christ. That's foolishness, right? I'm bound to give thanks for you, always brethren, beloved by God. The thankfulness is toward God, for all that God does in you. The thankfulness is for God. I think about you all the time. I love this church. I love my brothers and sisters. And many of you often, you just come to mind and like, God, thank you. I'm thanking God for you, because you're such a good brother, because you're such a good sister. I see your faithfulness of the Lord, or I see your service to the brothers and sisters around here. I see your service to God. And so it's like, we go up touch it. Thank you so much, brother, for helping me out with that. And thank you so much, sister, for having that conversation with her. We thank one another. But ultimately, when we think of one another, thank you, God. Thank you, God, for that brother. Thank you, God, for that sister. Thank you for their service to the body, for you, through you, because of you. We give thankfulness. Our thankfulness is directed toward God. It's got to be God focused. Point 11, point 11, is you must be resolved to give thankfulness. You got to be resolved to be thankful. It goes along with, I believe it was the second point that we made, that thankfulness is commanded. Understanding that thankfulness is commanded, you also need to be resolved to be thankful. Again, this is something that, although it is a gift of God, it is a work of His Spirit in you, it's something that in your Christian life, you must cultivate in your own sanctification. The Lord uses means. The Lord's going to do His work in you, and He's going to have victory for that work that He's doing in you. It is the Lord's work in you. The Lord works in you, both to do and to will, according to His good pleasure, right? So it's His work, His victory, His sanctification, right? His conforming you into the image of Christ. But He uses the means of your work to see to it that that happens. And so oftentimes, if you feel like I do sometimes, that the work that I'm doing seems to be standing in the way of everything He's trying to do. The only thing I'm contributing to my sanctification is the holding up of it. But nevertheless, you work. You work in your Christian life, and you do those things that you need to do to cultivate Thanksgiving in your heart. Now, what are some things that you can do to cultivate that? You can pray. When you pray, I mean, are you going to spend all your time praying for grandma's gout, or all your time praying for so-and-so who, you know, had a bad day? No. Out of a Christian's heart, again, prayer is going to express thankfulness to God. So you can cultivate a thankful heart, thankful spirit by praying. You can cultivate thankfulness in your heart by pouring yourself into the Scripture. The thankfulness to God is just oozing out of every page of Scripture. You read through the Psalms, and man, it's going to, it should motivate in you great thankfulness to God. Just read the Bible. You're going to be thankful. All kinds of ways that you can cultivate thankfulness in your life, but you got to be resolved to do it. Resolve yourself to be thankful. And pray to God, God, please make me more thankful. We would all readily admit that we don't see our sin nearly as clearly as God does. We need to have a greater sense of our sin. We don't see his glory, his holiness, his attributes, his excellencies nearly as clearly and as we should. We look through a dark glass darkly. We are hindered by our own flesh, by our own wicked deceitful hearts, by our own sin. But we can pray the Lord would bring more clarity, bring more light, bring more revelation of himself, bring more revelation of us. You know, we need that. And in that, cultivate thankfulness to God for all he's done. Turn with me on that point. This resolved this resolution to give thanks. Turn with me to Psalm 18. Psalm 18. Just being resolved to give thankfulness to the Lord. And Psalm 18. Look down beginning in verse 46. 46. Listen to David here. Verse 46. The Lord lives. Blessed be my rock. Let the God of my salvation be exalted. It is God who avenges me and subdues the peoples under me. He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me. You have delivered me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks to you. It's a resolve of David. For all that God has done, the resolve of David to give thanks. I will give thanks to you. It's a resolution on his part to give thanks to God. Therefore I will give thanks to you O Lord among the Gentiles and sing praises to your name. Great deliverance he gives to his king and shows mercy to his anointed to David and his descendants forevermore. Just resolve to give thanks. In Psalm 30 beginning in verse 11, the Bible says, You have turned for me my morning into dancing. You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness to the end that my glory may sing praise to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever. And one of the ways to cultivate thankfulness in your heart is just to think on all that God has done. It was often in Scripture, speaking of God. It was God who delivered us out of bondage in Egypt. It was God who took us took us across the Red Sea on dry land. It was God who destroyed our enemies. It was God who gave us the victory. It was God who sent rain. It was God who ended the famine. It was God just that thinking on all the mighty works that God has done cultivates thankfulness in the heart. And we must be abounding in faith with Thanksgiving. Point 12 quickly. Thanksgiving is an attitude. And that attitude of Thanksgiving is because of Christ. It's because of Christ. In Colossians chapter 2, beginning in verse 6, the Bible says, As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with Thanksgiving. When you see there walking in him, that word walk, means a daily life. It's your daily conduct. It's how you live the Christian life. And in that walk, you're to stand in the sufficiency of Christ through every part of your life. It's resolute. It's unwavering. It's faithful. It's a forward stepping walk. And that walk is also a means of describing our union with him. We say we walk with Christ. In our Christian walk, it's a way of describing our union with him. And in our union with him, we're to be like him. I love this hymn. This hymn says, O to be like thee, blessed Redeemer, this is my constant longing and prayer. Gladly, all forfeit, all of earth's treasures, Jesus, thy perfect likeness to wear. O to be like thee, to be like thee, blessed Redeemer, pure as thou art, come in thy sweetness, come in thy fullness, stamp thine own image deep on my heart. It's to be like Christ. And the more that the Lord conforms us in the image of Christ, the more thankful we become, the more thankful we are in Christ. It's our thankfulness, this attitude of thankfulness is because of Christ. Because of Christ in every way, because of what Christ has done, but because of the work that Christ does in us, because it is His image that we're being conformed into it informs and it matures and it strengthens that heart attitude of thankfulness toward Him. It finishes up that statement in verse 7 saying that we are to be abounding in it, having been rooted and built up in Him. So you think about it, again that thankfulness, that being in Him is like a tree with deep roots planted in rich soil, right? Christ becomes the source of our walk, the strength of our walk, the growth of our walk, the nourishment of our walk, day by day being built up, becoming more and more like Him. That Christ is everything in this. By studying the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, believers will grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and they will come, as it says in Ephesians 4, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. It's in this, this being built, being rooted, being established that believers are established in their faith, giving them a firm foundation. And in that firm foundation then, we abound in it with thanksgiving. A believer who are grounded, rooted, established in Christ will abound in thanksgiving to Him. And the blessings that flow to us, think about this this way, the blessings that flow to us in Christ Jesus from the heart of the Christian flow back to Him in worship of thankfulness, in praise, the praise of thankfulness. It's the blessings that come to us in Christ then get turned back and given to Him in worship and praise out of a thankful heart for all that He's done for us in Christ. It's our sacrifice of praise to Him of thankful heart. And then lastly, our baker's dozen, 13, Thanksgiving should be given to Christ. Thanksgiving should be given to Christ. In Revelation chapter 11, verse 17, the Bible says, We give you thanks, O Lord. And can you say this? Can you, from your heart, worship this way? We give you thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who was and who is to come because you have taken your great power and reigned. It's just thankfulness in the heart for God's reign, for the reign of Christ, for His triumph, for His praise and worship. Let's pray. A Father in heaven, God, you have given us an infinite number of things to be grateful for and in Christ, praise you an infinite amount of time to praise you for them, to thank you for them, God, to worship you, to praise you, to exalt Christ. I thank you, Lord, for this indescribable gift. We praise you and worship you and God, we desire from the heart to be thankful to you in a way that is worthy of you and we look forward to the day when we'll be with the saints in heaven, worshiping you free from fully and finally, free from sin, free from this body of death where we can offer a sacrifice of our praise to you and thankfulness for all that you've done in Christ and worship you. For your great salvation, worship you for all you are and worship you for all you've done and praise your name forever. So thank you for this time together. I pray that, Lord, you'd bless my brothers and sisters here, God, you would inflame their heart by your spirit to be grateful to you and that gratefulness, that thankfulness toward you would overflow into joyful service, fervent labor for you, God, that would overflow in heartfelt praise and worship and more that you would be glorified in it. Thank you for our time together in Jesus' name. Amen.