Day as well. Let's hear that again. Shout this morning, hallelujah!
You know, I read a certain place that a certain man said, "I was glad when they said unto me, it's time for church to start." Because this is the place we can lay it all aside. We can hear His word; we can worship Him in spirit and in truth.
So I'm going to ask you to join with us as we start the service, as we always do, in prayer that God will invade this space and do kingdom activity in our midst this morning. Hallelujah!
Father, there's something special in this moment right here. Years ago, I heard Norval Hayes say that the Lord had spoken to him and told him. He said, "The Lord said, I would do so much more for my people if they would praise me more and pray less."
And when you first hear that, you wonder why. Until sometimes you listen to ourselves pray. See, the most intensive and effective prayers you'll ever pray are when you focus on His goodness and not your need. And at that moment, your prayer becomes praise.
And through praise, you unleash the power of God. You unleash the power of God into your environment. So I want us to sing a little bit more of that. And I want you to do what David did. Arouse your own soul. Tell your soul. Don't let your soul dictate to you. You tell your soul, "I'm already here, so I may as well praise Him with everything I've got."
Because He gave me everything He is. So don't get shy on me, my soul.
I hear this in my heart, and I don't know exactly who this is for. Probably more than one, because people are people. But I hear the Spirit of Grace saying, "You're far too enamored with your problem."
Yeah, that's good. Don't measure and number and size up and be impressed by. Instead of measuring your enemy, shout at them. Because, listen, your problem is not the size of your problem. Your problem is the size of your God.
And if your God's big enough, your problem ain't big enough. I want to say that again for the two of you that caught it: If your God's big enough, then your problem ain't big enough.
So go ahead and give Him praise for what He's already done. For what He's already done. I firmly believe our shout ought to be loud enough that it concerns the neighbors and scares the devil.
I firmly believe. Do you know what that sounded like? It sounded like victory. It sounded like you've already won. It sounded like you put your problems in the ground. Hallelujah!
You know, I know we have a schedule, but I really don't care. If we've learned anything from those who went before us, and I'm talking about the saints of the Old Testament, if we've learned anything from them, what we've learned is this: It don't matter when He's on the throne.
Because He can do more in a moment than you and I can do in a lifetime. He can rout the enemy so violently and so thoroughly that it takes you days to pick up the spoil. It takes you days to go out and get what the enemy left behind.
But the secret is this: Don't try to do it in your own strength. Don't lean into your own understanding. But in all of your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct and guide your steps into a place called the winner's circle.
Hallelujah! I wouldn't ramble so much if y'all didn't do so well. Hallelujah, Father! One more time, just give the Lord a hand clap and praise.
And as a body of believers, we are not going to be satisfied until every member of our body wins. It'll never be enough just because I got mine. And it won't be enough just because you got yours.
We're going to join our arms. We're going to join our faith. And we're going to march together into a future that is so bright it blows our brains out. Hallelujah, Father!
Well, listen, it's that time, and I want to remind you, I ain't at all concerned about how it's been done before. We ain't sending ushers to come get you. Not that I'm looking in anyone's particular direction.
Listen, if the bus didn't drive over him, he wouldn't feel love, so don't get mad at me. But I want us to establish a culture in this place. I can't speak of any other place.
But I want us to establish a culture in this place where our offering is part of our praise. We got to divorce it from the mindset of being a religious duty. That this is something I gotta do.
Because if I don't do it, God's going to come get me. Now, we don't serve an angry God. And listen, if all it took to pay off God was 10%, He's pretty cheap.
But your nickels and dimes will never redeem you. Only the blood of Christ could do that. So we're not giving Him offerings in order to keep Him at bay.
We're giving unto Him what He has given unto us as an act of faith. And at RLC, we call it "share the love." Because what you give doesn't stay in coffers.
Because of your generosity, we were just able to send Tal at Mohammed $2,500. Amen. Thank you, David. And the more that comes in, the more we get to do.
So if you would put up on it, we have various ways that you can give. If you want to give the old-fashioned way, you can do that. If you want to use any one of these, you can text to give. You can take a picture of the QR code.
And I want to give you a verse because we know at RLC, if it's written, we don't have to wonder if God will back up the Bible.
So 2 Corinthians chapter 9, verse 10, we're going to read it. Then we're going to break into song again. And here's what I ask you to do. We'll have ushers on either side. And we have ushers up here.
And I ask you to bring your offerings. Because like I said, we ain't coming to get them. You need to bring them. And while you're down here, why not just pretend you're Pentecostal? And worship God with us.
Listen to this out of 2 Corinthians chapter 9, verse 10. "This generous God," what kind of God? Generous. "Who supplies abundance seed for the farmer, which becomes bread for our meals, is even more extravagant toward you. First, He supplies every need plus more. Then He multiplies the seed as you sow it. So that the harvest of your generosity will grow."
Verse 11: "You will be abundantly enriched in every way as you give generously on every occasion. For when we take your gifts to those in need, it causes many to give thanks to God." Amen and amen.
As we break into song, bring your offerings forward and let's worship the God of the Lord together. Hallelujah, Father! Would you stretch your hands? Would you stretch your hands this way?
We're going to pray over the offering. Father, we thank you. For you are our provider. We look to you and you alone. And we declare in the strong name of the Son of God, you are good at what you do.
So Father, we pray over this offering this morning. As it came not from hearts of fear, but of faith. We ask, Father, in faith that you would do what you have proclaimed you would do. Open up those windows. Pour out such a blessing that there's not even room enough to contain it.
May everyone see in our life the evidence of your goodness. That you are the God of abundance. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. And everyone said, amen. And amen.
Hallelujah! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Is that a? Thank you. Thank you.
So, y'all didn't hear anything I said? I was spouting some wisdom, man. That was like once-in-a-lifetime kind of wisdom.
So, there's something about you, Sox. You didn't hear that I brought some once upon a time. And you did hear that? Okay.
Let's go ahead and let me dig out of this hole and get into the word real quick. I'm looking forward to it. Is Stacy here? Is Stacy here anywhere?
No? Okay. Then I can say this: I am the undefeated reigning ugly sweater champion in my own mind. Because even when I lost, I should have won. Just saying. Amen.
So, since she ain't here to contest that, she doesn't think my Christmas suit is an ugly sweater because it was store-bought. But since she ain't here, I don't really care.
All right. Let's go ahead and get into the word this morning. I think this will really bless you, and we'll pray.
Father, we thank you for what you've already done in our midst. How grateful I am, Father, for a group of people who come not to be entertained, but to worship. Not to hear something fluffy, but to hear your word.
Yes. Right. And so, Holy Spirit, as always, we pray. We recognize you as the teacher. We are your students. So, I ask in Jesus' name that you would speak above, below, in between my words. And may you create wellness with words and bring hope to your people in Jesus' name. Amen?
So, today, I've got to, I want to, I got a message that I think— you can go ahead and put up that first slide, please. Because we're in the Thanksgiving season. Of course, I want to talk about Thanksgiving.
But before we get into the meat of the message, I want to make a preliminary statement. And if you catch this, I think the message will have a greater impact in your life. So, catch it.
And this is what I want you to hear: Listen, the wonder of Thanksgiving will never be known by those who only give thanks when they have something for which to give thanks.
That's right. That's right. Amen. The true wonder of Thanksgiving will only be known and experienced by those who will give thanks when they have no thing for which to give thanks.
That's right. Amen. And the reason is this: If we wait until there's something in the natural, then it's a reaction. That's right. And it's born of the same.
That's right. Because we can sit in it. We can drive it. We can eat it. We can spend it. We can. But those who will intentionally, not as a reaction, but intentionally, when they have no thing that the senses can touch, taste, feel, and they still give thanks, then it's an intentional act of faith.
That's right. Born of the spirit. That's right. Because we don't need to wait until we have something. We can see it to give God thanks for it. We don't need to wait until we can touch it. We give God praise preemptively.
That's right. Amen. So if we really want to understand the wonder of Thanksgiving, we've got to be of that weird, strange, freaky group who give God thanks when in the natural there's absolutely no reason to give Him thanks.
That's right. Amen. Okay. Yes, sir. So if you caught what I just said, today's message is going to help you. And I know you caught it because you're bright, sharp, quick, and on the ball.
So today I want to talk to you about the why of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is what, on Thursday, I believe? And for some of us, it'll be an absolutely wonderful day.
I mean, the table will be heavy, heavy, heavy laden. I mean, where the legs of the table are like, "Don't put another biscuit." And all the chairs will be full. All the loved ones will be in place, friends, family.
And we'll have lots of reasons to celebrate and give thanks. But that won't be the case for everybody. For some, this will be the very first Thanksgiving when the chair at the head of the table is empty.
That's right. Or the one who always made Thanksgiving dinner didn't make it this year. When the space is empty and it's the heart that's heavy laden, not the table.
Can we still give Him thanks? When it seems like we've got nothing to give Him thanks for. Because a tornado took our house. Or a tree fell through it. Or some crazy, angry storm named Helen took other stuff away.
Can we still give God thanks? I want to give you today three reasons to become a thankful person.
Reason number one is Thanksgiving is an act of faith. As I already said, if it's born of the senses, it doesn't take any faith to give God thanks when you've got something to thank Him for.
You hearing what I'm saying? But when in the natural, you've got nothing. In fact, you've got anti-reasons. And you still give Him thanks, then you are walking in faith.
And if we know anything about the way we're supposed to navigate through life, we're supposed to walk by faith and not by sight. Amen.
Let's get started by going to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 18. And I want to read it to you out of the New American Standard. The Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, wrote these words: "In everything."
In fact, let's read it together. And let's read it slow like we're struggling to read. You know, kind of like Brian does. Sorry. I hope the Lord don't speak to me again like He did last week.
In, let's read it together: "In everything, give thanks. For this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."
Now, I want to look at the latter. I've heard of that verse. Now, remember, this is the Holy Spirit writing this. For this is the will of God.
Probably the number one question any minister gets is, "Pastor, I just want to know what the will of God is." And usually when someone asks that, they're talking about how do I occupy the days and the months and the years of my life.
The will of God is multifaceted. And it has not only to do with occupation, but it also has to do with nature. Who we are as people.
Understand, the will of God is not just about what you do. The will of God is about who you are. And it's to that end that the Holy Spirit is saying, "This is."
We don't have to wonder about it. What is the will of God for me at this moment? Oh, baby, give thanks right now. Because this is the will of God for you.
And He said, "In everything." That means every moment of every day in every situation, give thanks.
You remember Jesus taught His disciples how to pray. And He said something along these lines: "Our Father, this is how you're supposed to pray, who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth even as it's done in heaven."
Now, I always, over the years, I've developed my prayer. When I pray along the line, "Father, thy will be done in my life, even as it's done in heaven," without compromise, without hesitation, and without distraction.
And so when we're praying for the will of God to be done in our lives, we can intentionally step into the will of God by giving thanks at that moment.
It doesn't matter how you feel. It doesn't matter what the senses say. It doesn't matter if every chair at the table is empty. In everything, give thanks.
And you see how this elevates it. This isn't a good suggestion. It's not like the Apostle Paul wrote, "In everything, give thanks because this would be really a better thing to do."
You know, it's a suggestion is when your doctor says you ought to eat more broccoli and less Twinkies. But this is elevated beyond that because the Holy Spirit is saying, "This is the will of God."
And so you and I, just by intentionally and deliberately choosing to give thanks in everything, at that moment that we're lifting our hands and saying thank you to God, no matter how we feel, the perfect will of God is being done at that moment in that situation in you, for you, and through you.
That would be worth the trip to church right there because now we know what the will of God is. The will of God is for me to give thanks when I feel like complaining.
I can intentionally and deliberately step right into the middle of the will of God just by giving Him thanks.
Now, let's go ahead and break this down a little bit more. Notice that Paul said through the Holy Spirit, "In everything." He didn't say "for everything," but he said "in everything."
And that makes that change it. I want to say it again. We're not reactionary. We're intentional. Reaction is when we wait for something to happen and then we react.
We respond to it, but Daniel said that those who know God, they will be strong and take preemptive action. Those who know God are not reactionary.
We're not waiting for the right person to get in office. We're not waiting for the worship team to sing the right song. We're not waiting for the next revival to happen. We're not waiting for a conference.
We're intentional. When we wake up in the morning, we say, "This is the day that the Lord has made." Even if there ain't no revival within a hundred miles, I'm going to have a revival in my bedroom.
Because before my feet hit the floor, I will rejoice and be glad in it. So we're not being reactionary. We're being intentional.
And that transforms our hearts. And it invites God into our circumstances. See, I need to get going. I'm chasing far too many rabbits this morning.
But something that we got to understand is God does not inhabit the complaints of His people. He doesn't. Actually, murmuring and complaining is repulsive to God.
Praise is what pulls Him in. Thanksgiving, He finds very attractive. And so if we want or we need God in the middle of our trouble, we don't get God to show up by murmuring and complaining.
We get God to show up by raising our hands and our voices and stomping our feet and talking about how good He is in the middle of an unpleasant situation. Amen.
I wrote this down. This means that gratitude isn't about pretending that everything is perfect, but about seeing God's hand at work, even when things are not.
I want to say it's not about pretending that everything's good. You've heard me say it to you before. Faith is not a denial of pain. Faith is not a denial of storms.
Faith is a proclamation that there's a truth greater than my reality. That's when I have the ability to say, "Yes, it hurts. But Jesus is my healer."
"Yes, this situation stinks, but Jesus is still my provider." I'm not denying anything except for the enemy's right to win.
And I'm proclaiming a greater truth in the midst of the situation. Go with me to Psalm chapter 46, verse one. I want to read three verses. I want to read this to you out of the Passion Translation.
Psalm 46, verse one: "God, you're such a safe and powerful place to find refuge. You're a proven help in time of trouble. More than enough and always available whenever I need you."
Verse two: "So we will never fear." Listen to this: "Even when every structure of support were to crumble away."
Yes. That's good. "We will not fear even when the earth quakes and shakes, moving mountains and casting them into the sea. For the roaring and raging of stormy winds and crashing waves cannot erode our faith in you."
We will not fear even when every structure of support were to crumble away. We will not fear even when every structure of support were to crumble away.
We will not fear. You see what the Psalmist is saying? It doesn't matter if everybody goes away, if everything falls apart. Nothing in this natural realm can erode your goodness and your faithfulness and your love.
And it's like I said before the service. The most intensive times of prayer you and I'll ever have are times when we go before God focused on His goodness, not our need.
When we go before God and our proclamation and our declaration and even the very moments of our prayer are rehearsing His goodness in our lives, not going before God complaining about what we don't have and what we need.
And that's right. Giving thanks in tough times is an act of faith, trusting that God is with us and working.
Look at Exodus chapter 15, verse 11: "Who is like you among the gods, Lord? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?"
Jesus said, I think it was in John chapter 5, He said, "My Father works." What Jesus is saying is, "My Father is still at work."
And we know from here in Exodus what type of work does He do? Wondrous works. They're wonderful. Jesus said, "My Father works, I work."
What I'm trying to say to you is this: No matter what you're going through, God is working for you. And God ain't doing mediocre things for you.
God is not doing mundane things for you. God is doing wondrous things for you because wondrous things are the only works He does.
Go to the book of Philippians. Look at this. Philippians chapter 2, verse 13 and 14: "For it is God who is at work." Not God who worked. It is God who is at work.
That means God's working right now. I want to say that again for the half of you that didn't hear it: God is working right now.
And He's working on your behalf. And He's doing things that if He were to tell you the totality of what He's doing, you wouldn't even believe Him.
Because it's too great to believe. Too grand, too big, too good, too wondrous. "For it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure."
Now go down to verse 14 and look at this. Now notice verse 14 comes after verse 13. Which means if we know God is at work and He does wonderful things, verse 14 says, "Do all things without complaining or arguments."
Why? Because you don't complain when you know God is at work. I mean, from time to time. Is this okay this morning?
From time to time we sing a song about how God is at work even when we don't see Him. Even when we don't feel Him. Even when we don't comprehend it.
God is always at work causing all things to work together for our good. Say this with me: God is doing wonderful things for me.
Your eyes don't even got to see it. That don't change nothing. Now listen to this. Some folks are quick to see the devil at work.
I mean, they see the devil behind every bush and every tree. You talk to them, that's all they talk about what the devil did, devil did, devil did, devil did, devil did.
You've heard me share this story with you. When I first, right after about six months after I got saved, I found myself as an associate slash youth pastor slash janitor slash vacuumer slash toilet bowl cleaner at this little Pentecostal church in Greenwell Springs, Louisiana.
These were the churches back when they still did testimonies. Y'all been in those churches where they let everyone testify? We ain't never doing that.
I will allow testimonies on video, and that's so I can edit it when you give the devil all the credit. Because I was at this church and everyone was testifying, and I mean, I was like, "Why'd I even give my life to Jesus?"
Because Jesus ain't got His act together. He can't do nothing. You listen to these people, and the devil was all that and a bag of chips.
And God was like pulling up a long second place. And one day they asked me to testify. And this was my testimony.
I said, "I am very grateful that I gave my life to Jesus before I came to this church." I'm much more tactful now.
I said, "I'm so glad I gave my life to Jesus before I came to this church because if I had heard all of you before I'd gotten saved, I'd have never given my life to Jesus."
Oh, I did. Yes, I did. That's probably why I'm not the pastor at that little Pentecostal church.
But some folks, they're just quick to see the devil at work everywhere doing everything. And you and I cannot be like that. We've got to be like those others who are quick to see God at work.
See God behind every church. See God in front of every tree, in front of every tree, atop of every tree. See God working in every—see God doing things in your life.
Thanksgiving, listen to this, Thanksgiving turns what we have into enough and more. Look at Matthew chapter 15.
Matthew chapter 15, you know this story. If you'd allow me to say it this way, Jesus kind of had His back up against the wall, right? There were about 4,000 people there.
They had been three days. You want to talk about the chicken getting dry in the Baptist beating you to the buffet? This was a three-day meeting.
You got 4,000 people, and they're hungry? That turns into a mob real quick. And so Jesus said, "You know, I'm kind of concerned about these people. They've been out here for three days.
There's nothing in the vicinity. They're not going to make it to town. It's Sunday, so Chick-fil-A is closed."
And so we come to verse 36. Listen to this. So this is the setting. There ain't nothing out here. You got 4,000 plus people. Been three days.
Verse 36: "And He, being Jesus, took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks."
I mean, the need is huge. But Jesus took the little that was there and gave thanks.
Now see, I've been a missionary, and I know I've heard missionaries, and my wife and I always strive to be different than this, but I've heard, "Lord, I moved across the world. I dragged my wife, my wife and my children to this foreign land. The least you could do is meet our needs."
That's not the model that our model gave us. He took the little and gave thanks, not complaints. He didn't say, "Now, Father, I've been out here preaching to this mob for three days and they hungry. The least you could do. Yo, bro, manna. You remember how to do it?"
He could have complained, but that wasn't His way, and it's not our way. Instead, He took the little bit that He had and He gave thanks.
And He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
Now, it didn't only work for Jesus. How many of you ever heard of this man named George Mueller? George Mueller started a bunch of orphanages, and I think he took care of over like 10,000 kids ultimately.
But the story—and this is not a unique story; this happened repeatedly—because George Mueller, when he started the orphanage, made a decision. He would always operate by faith and he would never tell a human being what his need was. Never.
And there was this particular story when it was morning time, the, I guess you'd call her the stewardess or the maid of the house came in and told George, "George, there's absolutely nothing in the pantries. We have nothing but 300 hungry kids."
And George Mueller said, "Get them dressed and sit them at the table."
Listen to what I'm saying: 300 kids, nothing in the pantry, nothing in the house. George made them all sit down, and he gave thanks.
He had no thing, and he gave thanks. And before he was done praying, the story said there was a knock on the orphanage door.
And it was a baker who said, "Mr. Mueller, last night I couldn't sleep. I had this nagging feeling that in the morning you were going to need bread. So I brought carts of loaves, loaves of bread."
Before he was done praying, as the bread man was bringing in the bread, another knock on the door. It was the milkman.
And the milkman said, "My wagon broke down right in front of your orphanage. And before my milk would spoil before I could get the wagon fixed, do you by chance need milk? Enough milk for 300 thirsty children."
Listen, giving of thanks when you have nothing to give thanks for. It worked for Jesus. It worked for Paul. It worked for George. It works for Cleve. It works for Jimmy. It'll work for you.
Giving God thanks, it's all about focus. Listen to this: If you focus at all times on God and His constant working of grace and goodness in your life, it will manifest in your lips as thanksgiving.
It's all a matter of focus. Whether you complain or whether you give thanks, it ain't nothing but a matter of focus.
If you focus at all times on how bad things are, how disappointed you are, it will always manifest as complaining.
And this brings us to reason number two to give thanks: because thanksgiving shifts our focus. It's very hard to give God thanks and complain at the same time.
That's right. This is the reason why praise is often more powerful than prayer, because you can pray in doubt and unbelief, but you can't praise in doubt and unbelief. Amen.
Amen. Giving thanks helps shift our focus. And instead of staring at the problems, we begin to see the blessings, even the small ones that God has placed around us.
Psalm 107, verse one and two. Again, out of the Passion Translation: "Let everyone give all their praise and thanks to the Lord. Here's why: He's better than anyone could ever imagine. Yes, He's always loving and kind, and His faithful love never ends."
So listen to the next verse: "So go ahead. Let everyone know it." That's—let everyone know. What? That God is good. That God is kind. That His faithful love never ends.
The song is saying, "Go ahead and tell everyone. Tell the world how He broke through and delivered you from the power of darkness and has gathered us together from all over the world. He has set us free to be His very own."
Yes, sir. Go ahead and tell it. That's the power of thanksgiving. That's right. Amen.
This powerful reminder is that God's goodness and love are constants in our lives. Can I chase another rabbit real quick?
You know, if you read, Paul said, "Rejoice always, be constant in prayer, give thanks in everything." If we were to actually take that to heart, here's God's will for us, you and me: that we are a people of joy and constant praise.
Unending joy and constant praise. Amen. Unending joy. Yes, sir.
Oh, listen. Life will do this. That's right. But not our faith. Our faith does this. That's right.
So when life's doing this, we're not getting seasick. Because we're not reactionary. We're not like that man in James who's up on the top of the wave and down between the waves and up on top of the wave and down between the waves.
"Oh, my Sunday. God is good." "Monday, let me tell you. My life stinks."
Wait, you were just praising Him yesterday. I know, but that was Sunday. That's what I'm supposed to do. Yes.
And James said, "Let that man, that man in particular, expect to receive nothing from God." That's right.
Why? Because he's completely reactionary. Yes. That's right.
But when we walk by faith, it doesn't matter what's going on around us. No one can tell whether we're walking through hell because of smiles on our face.
They can't tell if we're in the perfect storm because we're still singing the praises of Zion. That's right. Amen.
Every time the pressure squeezes us, what comes out is, "God is good. God is good. God is good. God is good."
The devil says, "I'm going to squeeze a cuss out of them." God is good. God is good.
Nothing comes out of us but praise because that's what we're focused on. That's God's will for us: constant praise, constant thanksgiving to where the people in our lives think you must be mentally unstable.
And you are. You're mentally unstable because you're in your spirit, your mind.
Another rabbit. If you want to live life perfectly logical, you'll never walk by faith. Because there's many things that faith requires of us that are completely illogical.
Thanksgiving's one of them. That's right. Hmm. Hmm.
Even when everything seems to change, God's love remains steady and gives us reason to give thanks. When we choose gratitude—and it's a choice, it's intentional—we stop dwelling on the negative and start seeing God's unwavering goodness.
I'm going to repeat that: When we choose gratitude, I'm going to shift. I'm going to shift my focus. I want to see God's goodness in the land of the living.
So I'm going to call for it. I'm going to talk about it. I'm going to dwell on it. Gratitude changes our perspective before it ever alters our environment and allows us to experience peace in the middle of trouble.
Isn't that good? Listen to what Charles Spurgeon said: "Praise is the rehearsal for our eternal song, and thanksgiving is the prelude to our eternal feast."
Psalm 100, verse 4 says this: "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name."
Point number three, reason number three: Thanksgiving aligns us with God's will. You think of consider Jesus on the night before He was betrayed, knowing what was coming.
Knowing the season He was about to go into, knowing the pain He was about to endure. Luke chapter 22, verse 19 says this: "And when He had taken some bread and given thanks."
He knew what the next season of His life was going to be. He knew the pain that was coming. He knew the betrayal that was at hand.
But even then, Jesus would not complain. When He had taken some bread and given, say it together, thanks.
He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
It wasn't because He was looking forward to the suffering. The Bible tells us that for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross.
But He would not allow the suffering of the season to break His fellowship with the Father. In moments of trial, giving thanks becomes a defile.
I like this. Listen to this. I ought to give a pat on the back to the guy that wrote it. In moments of trial, giving thanks becomes a defiant act of faith.
In moments of trial, tribulation, storm, pain, disease, poverty, lack. In moments of trial, give thanks.
Giving thanks becomes a defiant act of faith. It tells the world and it tells the enemy, "I ain't giving into this. I refuse to recognize the authority of death in my life.
So I will speak life, and I will give praise, and I will give thanks. Even when the chairs are empty and there's nothing on the table and I can't find a morsel to eat, I will give thanks to God."
When we express gratitude, we align our hearts with God's will and recognize His supremacy over our environment and over every situation.
Gratitude draws us closer to God and opens the door for His blessings to flow. I'm going to say it again: Listen. Our complaints don't draw.
It's supernatural to us. Murmuring and complaining does not make God say, "Well, I really want to come to their help." Never has, and it never does.
But when the praisers go out in front of the army, when before we draw back the bow, when before we throw the shaft, when before we wind up the sling, we give God praise.
Then when the bow flies, there'll be no one for it to hit because God will have already taken care of the situation.
The book of Romans tells us that that which was written before time, that was written for our instruction.
So you and I are going to win the same way they won in days of old. That's right. We praise. Yes. Before we battle.
We give thanks before we engage the enemy. And when we run at the enemy, we're running at him with praise on our lips.
Listen to this quote from Henry Ward Beecher: "The unthankful heart discovers no mercies. But the thankful heart will find in every hour heavenly blessings."
The unthankful heart discovers no mercies. It's the fool that has said in his heart, "God is not."
I don't want to chase this rabbit too much, but a little bit. Just touch its tail. What the fool is saying, he doesn't—it's not the fool who says God does not exist.
It's the fool who said in his heart. He says one thing with his mouth, but in his heart, he says, "God is not." Not what? Not able, not present, not concerned, not working.
A fool says in his heart, "God ain't involved in my life. God has left me alone to face this situation all by myself."
That's what a fool does. A fool looks at their life and says, "I've got nothing to give Him thanks for. My car is broken down. My dog is ugly. My house needs..."
I've seen some of your dogs. I wasn't even looking at him, but he knew who I was talking about.
I remember the first time I went to Keisha's house. I thought, "Is that a dog or is that a mutant?" She said, "Don't talk that way about my dog."
I said, "You sure that's a dog?" I had one ugly dog. I don't even need a shovel to get in a hole, Woody.
I got to get that picture of that dog out of my head. But when you can look at what appears to be a broken-down life and still see the goodness of God.
Because you know that the story's not done. God's still working. And God is going to do what only God can do.
He's going to get me from this place to that place. He's going to heal my body. He's going to take care of my wayward children.
And you begin to stand in the middle of famine and lack and scarcity and give God praise. And you thank Him for rain that ain't no one seen in months.
You thank Him for provision when all the world says we're in the middle of a recession bordering on a depression.
And you think depression don't come from heaven, and every good and perfect gift comes down from my Father who is up above.
And I begin to lift my hands and give Him praise for those good and perfect things that draw God into our situation.
And it's as if the God of heaven, Adonai Yahweh, says, "I will not let this kind of faith go unanswered."
In a pre-conclusion, why give thanks? Because gratitude changes us. That's right.
Listen, it even changes us to people—not even, yes, to God, but even to other people. How many of you like being in the presence of somebody who constantly complains?
None of us do. I mean, sometimes we leave the presence of someone and think, "I gotta take a shower." There was so much negativity being voiced.
But we love being around grateful people. People who give us thanks, who say thanks, who are grateful when they run out the—you know, you're in the drive-thru and they run out, you say thank you.
So why give thanks? Because it changes us. It fills our souls with peace, draws us closer to the heart of God, and opens up the door for His blessings to flow.
So whether we find ourselves in abundance or lack, in joy or sorrow, we are grateful to God for His blessings, and we are grateful to God for His grace that corrodes the pain and sorrow.
Giving thanks is a powerful way to invite God into every single moment of our lives.
Now this is a Thanksgiving Day message, so I can't very well not talk about the pilgrims. So that was my pre-closing; this is my almost closing.
But I want to talk about the redemptive qualities of Thanksgiving Day. If you put up that last slide, please. My creativity knows no bounds.
Imagine a bleak winter's day, cold and gray, with trees stripped bare of their leaves. This is how the early pilgrims must have felt as they faced their first harsh New England winter.
After enduring disease, hunger, the loss of loved ones, their future seemed uncertain and their hearts likely heavy with sorrow.
But then a shift occurred, not in their circumstances, but in their spirits. Despite their trials, they gathered together for what we now know as the first Thanksgiving.
They chose to focus not on what they lacked, but on the blessings they had. Surviving the voyage, building shelter, and forming bonds with the local tribes.
Their act of thanksgiving transformed their grief into hope and despair into joy. It was as if gratitude opened a window in their souls, letting in the light of God's grace and promises.
Thanksgiving has the same redemptive power for us today. When life feels barren, like that winter's day, gratitude breathes life into our weary hearts.
A single whispered thank you to God can change the atmosphere of our minds, just as it did for Paul and Silas in prison.
As they sang praises, chains were broken, and doors swung open, literally and spiritually. On Thanksgiving Day, remember, gratitude is not just an acknowledgment of what we have.
It's an act of faith in what God will continue to do. When we give thanks, we take part in God's redemptive work. I like that.
Turning even our struggles into seeds of His glory and provision. This Thanksgiving, let's practice giving thanks, not just for the obvious things, but also for the challenges that some of you are going through.
I know what some of you are going through—challenges. But instead of giving thanks, let's practice giving thanks for the things that we have.
Instead of focusing on the challenges and letting the challenges defeat us and ruin our attitude, let's use the power of thanksgiving and connect with that one who is a very present help in times of trouble.
God remains good, and that alone is worth giving thanks for. Go ahead and give the Lord a hand clap of praise.
One more quote I want to share with you. This is from John Milton. He said, "Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter every day the blessings of God and living transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life in the world."
We all got to go through this thing called life. Why don't you and I? It doesn't matter what anyone else does.
There are going to be some people the Lord could show up in all of His splendor and majesty and glory, and they would still complain.
But let's not focus on them, and let's certainly not try to be like them. Let's make a decision. That don't cost nothing.
Let's make a decision to be people of gratitude, of constant joy. So no matter what, let's not focus on them.
Let's not focus on them. No matter what we're going through, we can lift our hands even if it's only half-mast.
I mean, Elvis rock and rolled with just his finger. If we can just lift a little bit and say, "God, I'm so grateful. Your goodness is so amazing."
I just choose at this moment, Father, to tell you I am grateful for life. I'm grateful for my wife. I'm grateful for all the things you've done.
And as we do that, just enter into that, and we're focusing on His goodness. As the old song says, "The things of earth will grow strangely dim in the glory of His majesty and His grace."
Can you stand to your feet this morning? Hallelujah, Father! If we can have our prayer team come forward, please.
I say this at the end of every service. If you're here this morning and you don't know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, there's a resounding question I have for you: Why?
He's not religious. He's not trying to strip you of the joys of life. What He wants to do is take the blinders off your eyes so you can see His goodness and take the sin out of His heart so you can be with Him forever.
Let today be the day of your salvation. It's the best decision you'll ever make.
If you're here this morning and you've already given your life to Christ, but you just need someone to join their hands with you, I want to say this to you: Your success in life is our honor.
Let us join our faith with you and pray with you, whatever the need is. These folks up here know how to pray, and they're anointed to know how to kick down walls and give the devil a black eye.
So if you need prayer this morning, we're here for you. For the rest of you, Thanksgiving will be over before I see you again.
Go get some pants with elastic bands. It'll all be good. Because starting in the new year, we'll do the Daniel fast. You'll lose it all. Don't worry about it.
So what I'm saying to you is you have divine permission to eat both pumpkin and lemon meringue pie. For He's the God of more than enough. Thus saith the Lord God Almighty.
Hallelujah! All right, let's close the service. Help me get out of this hole, Jackie. If you need prayer, come forward.
on Nov 24, 2024
