•A Thanksgiving Sermon
•Still Jesus
•On Thankfulness
• Foundation for Thankfulness
•For everything in our lives we have a foundation
• These foundations are often tested when hard things happen
• Tragedies in our lives and in other lives
• How do we respond to evil?
• Do we have a strong foundation?
• In our world we have seen a rise in dark powers
• It has been a long time since we’ve seen it manifest itself this way
• Perhaps we are only waking up to it?
• Perhaps this is a blessing of brazenness?
• Does it not cause us some amount of grief?
• Compared to us they have a hideous strength in this world
“20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
(Job 1:20-21, ESV)
•On Thankfulness
• Foundation for Thankfulness (2)
•Jobs reaction gives us evidence of something about him, what his foundation is
• When he was confronted with tragedy and sorrow, the end result was not that he was shaken
• Instead, he remained firmly entrenched on what he had known
• There are two lessons to be made
• The first, we notice Job clearly was sorrowful
• He showed all signs of sorrow and suffering
• In all of these things we see a man who is in agony
•On Thankfulness
• Foundation for Thankfulness (3)
• Yet, even though he experiences the sorrow, what does it say he does?
• “he worshipped”
• Often we can get into this state of mind that we are unable to be thankful in times of grief
• We can’t have gratitude or thanksgiving during tumultuous times
• Maybe it is because when we show thanksgiving, then it will negate the feelings we have
• Maybe it makes us feel hypocritical
• How can I give thanks, when my heart is breaking?
• How can I have thanks, when my heart is scarred?
•On Thankfulness
• Foundation for Thankfulness (4)
• In Job we have an example of someone who is able to show thankfulness despite the sorrow
• He is able to worship God
• From Job we learn it is alright to feel the emotions of pain and sorrow, while also being thankful
• That it is not hypocritical to feel sorrow, while being thankful
• It is alright to feel pain
• Being thankful doesn’t negate the pain which we feel
• Job shows us that it is possible, and alright, to feel this way
• But at the same time, he shows us that there is possible hope for thankfulness even in sorrow
•On Thankfulness
• Foundation for Thankfulness (5)
• This leads us back to our original discussion, concerning foundations
• His foundation allowed two things
• The first is it was strong enough to shoulder his sorrow (he didn’t have to hide it)
• The second is that it was strong enough to cause him to have thankfulness even in his sorrow
• What kind of a foundation would allow him this reaction?
• We find the answer in the second verse, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
•On Thankfulness
• Foundation for Thankfulness (6)
• God was his foundation
• Because Job had his foundation on God he was able to have both sorrow and joy…knowing God could bear both
• What allowed him to express thankfulness is his knowing God
• He knew who God was, how God had given so much, and how it was God’s to take away as well
• Our foundation can be no less
• Consider this from Colossians
“15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
(Colossians 3:15-17, ESV)
•Still Jesus
• Foundation for Thankfulness (7)
• What do we notice from these verses?
• What is the common theme?
• Jesus is mentioned in each verse
• In verse 15 the “peace of Christ”
• Verse 16, “Word of Christ”
• Verse 17, “everything in the name of the Lord Jesus”
• He is the foundation of our peace, knowledge of God through His Word, and our entire lives
•Still Jesus
• Foundation for Thankfulness (8)
• Yet, along with each mention of Christ there is also one final thought added to each verse
• Verse 15, “And be thankful”
• Verse 16, “with thankfulness in your hearts to God”
• Verse 17, “giving thanks to God the Father through Him”
• Thankfulness can be found in Christ, it dwells in Him because of what He has accomplished
• When we consider our foundations, Christ must be that foundation
• He is the foundation for our lives, He is the foundation for our thankfulness
•Still Jesus
• Foundation for Thankfulness (9)
• When we consider our circumstances in this life we are bombarded by sorrows of all kinds
• It can be hard for us to turn toward God in thanks when so much can go wrong
• Each us knows just how hard it can be to continue forward when such sorrows invade our hearts
• Yet, there is hope
• We are able to give thanks because we know God
• Our God has revealed Himself through Jesus, and promised to wipe away every tear of our eyes
• In Christ that promise has begun to be fulfilled
• His name is Emmanuel, God with us
•Still Jesus
• Foundation for Thankfulness (10)
• We also know of other attributes of God
• We have experienced His grace
• When we consider the grace of life itself
• The community of believers which are brought together
• So much grace has been given, and I can give thanks for this grace
• Then we consider His goodness
• As I encounter my own struggles against the rabid dog of depression, the goodness of God is my foundation
• I know how goodness itself comes from God
• I know He is able to bring about good from even the darkest of places, and because of this I can give thanks even in my darkest nights
•Still Jesus
• Foundation for Thankfulness (11)
• This causes one to think about His Sovereignty
• He is a good Sovereign
• He is a King who is good, and because of this we know He moves the course of history toward goodness
• This causes me to give thanks for His sovereignty and His might
• Finally, all of these things are seen in the event of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus
• In Jesus we find God’s grace, goodness, sovereignty, and love
• We are given the foundation of grace, goodness, sovereignty, all through Jesus
• For the in Jesus the sovereign God defeated all other powers
•Still Jesus
• Foundation for Thankfulness (12)
• It is fitting for Paul and Timothy to write about Jesus and thankfulness in the same breath
• In Jesus I find the perfect source of true delight
• In Jesus I find salvation, the greatest joys, but also my greatest sorrows
• For it was my sin which nailed my beloved Jesus to the cross
• Along with all my shame, guilt, and sorrows
• I know that things will happen, and sorrows will come aplenty
• There will be times when the powers of darkness say to me, “You have nothing to be thankful for! Look at your situation! Look at your sorrow! Curse God and die!”
•Still Jesus
• Foundation for Thankfulness (13)
• I know what this is what they’ll say, because they say it in every circumstance when thankfulness is sought to be destroyed
• I am thankful for my wife, yet there are times when she makes mistakes
• How quickly they come on those moments of failure or weakness of my wife and say, “Why be thankful for her? She brings nothing but sorrow and misunderstanding! She burns cakes way too easily anyway! Don’t be thankful for her!”
• Isn’t it the way of darkness that when something bad happens darkness wants to take away any recollection of good
• Not just with our spouses, but friends, family, possessions
• As soon as a relationship was in pain, it was always in pain
•Still Jesus
• Foundation for Thankfulness (14)
•What will keep me thankful during this?
• What will allow me to have thanks while at the same time pain?
• The answer is still Jesus
• For in Him is my foundation, and in Him I know what I know about God, and I know that my God is good
• This week as we celebrate Thanksgiving, my hope is that you would know that if we are in Christ we have the greatest reason to be thankful
• While the world is wasting away, Jesus is mine
• As such, cling to Jesus
• In Him we find one who bears both our sorrows and thanksgivings
• For he has taken our sorrows, and given us a reason to be thankful
•Still Jesus
• Foundation for Thankfulness (15)
• So rejoice in thanksgiving
• Be thankful for heartbreaks, because it means you have been given a heart
• Be thankful for the hard times, because we know God has a reason and rhyme for them
• Have thankful hearts to God for all the ways He has blessed you
• Your family, your friends, your time to rest
• Above all, be thankful for Jesus Christ the Son of God
• He is our foundation, and upon Him we will never be moved
•Psalm 111:1-10
Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
•Psalm 111:1-10
Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.
•Psalm 111:1-10
Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
•Psalm 111:1-10
He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
•Psalm 111:1-10
He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
•Psalm 111:1-10
He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
•Psalm 111:1-10
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy;
•Psalm 111:1-10
they are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
•Psalm 111:1-10
He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name!
•Psalm 111:1-10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have fa good understanding.
His praise endures forever!
