Thankfulness

tonight though we are going to begin another series if i can get dear old computer working here i walked out of my house this afternoon in a big crisis and i didn't realize until i got here didn't have my glasses so i've had to make my font 79. i'm joking that ain't that bad you know like one letter at a time going over there the lord just said that anyway i have to back it away everybody knows pastor's long arm of the law right it's out here uh turn to your neighbor and say i love you tell somebody i love you brother dakota will you help me tyler will you help me everybody needs a card and a pen please last month we talked second coming these cards you may recognize i figure we'll put them to use so there everybody gets a card and a pen you may have to share but if you'll get the blank card flip it over and you'll see something very familiar yeah all right we're going to use them since somebody ordered them i'm not i'm not i'm not all right everybody get one all right they're coming around the mountain we got enough dakota's dragging his feet all right but uh the month of of uh november my custom is as i try to make the midweek pertinent to um where we are and as it turns out thankfulness thanksgiving and this month of november is where we're going to come from um to begin tonight first thessalonians these are this is a very familiar verse to all of us first thessalonians chapter 5 verse 18. you remember those somebody who had these cards made okay um see we're we're getting at him right all right um you ready can y'all read this with me everybody get something to write with something right on all right como salto with a loud voice let's read it you ready in everything give thanks for this is the will of god in christ jesus concerning you thanks thank you of course we're in the south so it'd be appreciate you all right on the card that you hold i want to give you just a moment okay um and now you got to listen to me carefully because we're we're gonna do some writing i would have you put it in your phone and text it to me but i don't have my phone so there um we are talking the foundational blocks of the church right in the month or in the year of 2021. uh we've talked dedication we've taught giving family god's word trust truth uh spiritual gifts and ministries several things that we have discussed and talked about at length and in depth if you will on how the church builds itself what we're founded upon okay this month we're going to talk about thankfulness next month we're going to december we're going to talk about the gift that's jesus the card that you've been handed tonight uh you can ignore the picture on the back the blank side is where i want you to be would you please down the left side everybody know left and right your left side one through five please one two three four five now i'm going to give you a minute or so this is not school i'm just simply trying to help you with an object lesson here did you write one through five okay could somebody go over and check his work i'm joking oh he's hiding yeah on the card that you got i want you to take a minute from the heart from from who you are not what someone else around you is i want you to write down five things that you are thankful for take a moment and think about it okay i want you to write down five different things that you're thankful for i'll give you some space here right five things that you are thankful for if you're at home watching get out a piece of paper you're welcome to join us one through five i want you to list from your heart think about it five things that you're thankful for now if you're driving please keep your hands on the wheel all right no arguing some are like you better write that not right there come on from your heart you done over there finished are you finished okay you got yours already why didn't you get a card oh all right you can share as tear shine as we tear it out all right you got it this is one of the foundational building blocks of the church as being thankful now don't ask somebody how to spell their name they're not going to write it anyway want any more time okay now over the last minute or so you've thought a few things and and and how many found it easy to write five things how many find it a challenge i mean because sometimes you know it's you just you just want to write everything usually on all things right but that wouldn't be true because the last time that you had a flat tire and you ran out of gas and somebody smacked you in your head you had a black eye you probably weren't very thankful so not all things am i right you with me now the list that you just wrote if you could and if there's space on this card underline that so you separated a little bit or a place where you can write some more uh i want you to write down 700 words joking of those three or those five words or things people actions play whatever you wrote i want you to write down why you're thankful for it hang on to me a minute why did you write what you wrote in one two three four five what caused you to say to yourself i'm thankful for this person this action this thing this what day whatever it is why did you write it go ahead number one this is why i wrote it number two this is why i wrote it i'll give you another minute or two what what made you write those five things um now if you write on there because he told me to her because she told me to we'll we'll have a discussion later right okay you wrote one through five now you may have a list of a thousand but i'm i appreciate you picking five and then then i wanted you to think you got you've had a couple of minutes to think why why did i put that what was my purpose my reasoning to be thankful for that needs more time another minute then we'll move on all right the letter that went to the church at thessalonia thessalonica excuse me um there's there's several things if you'll notice in first thessalonians 5 and everything give thanks you know rejoice ever more pray without ceasing there's just a lot of uh it's almost as if as i as when we went into the letters before we talked about it's almost as if it's like okay i've got to get all this in but it's as good as it goes wrong right but there is a paramount foundational understanding of a thankful attitude and thankful heart of the five things people things dates places i don't know what you wrote then i asked you to to identify the why what what caused you to think of that by and large if you'll take a moment to really consider it there are three things that cause you to be thankful for something someone an event and a date whatever it is typically what does that person or that date or that thing or that situation what does it do for me what did it do for me an example how many here's put on there that you're thankful for your mom come on don't be embarrassed raise your hand why did you write that no doubt you thought about the times that she was there for you the day that she helped you the day that she did something and you were there or you you realized the the in the investment that she made in you a lot of times when we're thankful for things it's because of what they have done for us or what it did for us because as humans we tend to be very selfish that okay now i'm not saying it's wrong it's just what it is another one we we're thankful for something because of what you did in that situation for that person how many anybody here put you're thankful for your children nobody i'm joking um you probably may have identified then with your thankfulness for that child i'm using that as an example because of times or things that you did for them i know i know for an example my grandmother she loved to cook and there was no greater joy i don't know of any greater joy for her than for you to go to her house and sit down and eat a sandwich i had a job that i worked about six blocks from them that was my first job and so i couldn't drive my dad would drop me off i'd work and then afterwards he'd come by and pick me up so for lunch or when i got a break i would walk to my grandmother's and she always fix me bologna cheese sandwich and potato chips if i was real good they'd be pringles yeah they stacked and everything and then good old sweet tea and she just loved it she wouldn't eat but she just thought that was about i'm gonna fix you with damage and here she go and guess what i would do would thank you i would eat it and i'd spend a few minutes with him i'd get up and walk back i know that on sundays when she fixed the meal for all 500 of us coming over there man she was in her zone her kitchen getting after it anybody identifying talking about they they felt better doing things for others they were thankful to do it you knew they they they they were hurting in their back or their leg or whatever because they're getting older but you just knew joy would come to them when they did anybody someone say okay so first of all you're thankful for what things or people do for you and then there's also there could be the opportunity that it's what you do or did for that person the third thing is sometimes you're thankful for things for people because of the simple possibilities how many of you were thankful for wrote down i was thankful for a vacation i took time out of town anybody nobody's thankful for vacations i'm surprised you didn't write hawaii or whatever because of the possibilities somebody just blurt one out what would give me one of them that you wrote down jokes thankful for jokes what's your favorite one okay don't answer it i'm thankful for jokes as well because you all know i like to laugh anybody else throwing out thankful for your wife why because of what she does for you because of what you do for her and the possibilities of the two becoming one now if you knew that he was thankful for you would that change the way you treat him no because you remind him you better be thankful oh she's like oh how does he know he read my card from over there he he can see through the car boy that's all i put on the spot he's unanswered anybody else thankful for praying friends why would you write down because it's important for for you and you know they're thinking of you and so you're probably doing what praying for them so why does that matter because you know that's a reciprocation it's a back and forth now i know this this probably is so very elementary to all of us so listen to me carefully we live in a world where thankfulness is being snuffed out every day and if you're not thankful then the opposite of that would simply be you're entitled because he's your husband he's entitled oh look at you oh that attitude she just my eyebrow went up like i better not feel on the blank he's why why why is that the case and i'm just saying because if somebody feels entitled to something how does that make us feel about them harvest that's nice ain't it when somebody feels yeah you owed me this you may be glad you said that huh it may know what entitlement means what's it mean deserve it you know who i am well of course you would bring this to me or you would give me that or you would fix this for me why wouldn't you it is your privilege to be able to do that for me now how far will that get you can i say it 2021 we live in a world listen to me carefully this month we're going to talk about thankfulness now i know you got other things on your card there and i appreciate you you you tolerating this for a few moments i think a lot of time when it comes to thankfulness we simply take it for granted and we assume that everybody knows that we're thankful or we assume that it is unspoken but it's understood here's the thing as humans so many times we demonstrate our selfishness by our lack of thankfulness we're happy and we are content when everything's going our way they brought the right sandwich the coffee was the right way uh i got the i got to park at the front parking space instead of the one at the very back you know anybody hear a complainer anybody oh y'all you only want to identify with that why don't look at her get in trouble when you feel like everything's going your way but all of a sudden when there is no parking space and you got to park in the last one how does that make you feel thankful when the rain starts and the umbrella is at home you know what you know i'm saying how bad this goes okay here here's my point stay with me when when when when everything's going our way we're happy we're content things are okay we'll even tell somebody how blessed we are how thankful you know what things are good now yeah i got a couple meal in the bank gas in the car new tires you know got new clothes uh brand new house paid for got food coming out you know i got sponsorship from all my favorite restaurants i only have to go fix it they bring me you know sam or you're you're taking notes right you okay because she's looking at you again here's the truth we enjoy ourselves because when we're satisfied we're less likely to look at the complaint side when the tough times come when the questions arise when circumstances don't go our way what tends to happen we become pitiful was that the word you just used we become pitiful which word did you use bitter i thought he said pitiful and i went wow that even said he said it we do become pitiful thank you thankfulness stay with me when we have to do without something when we have to go the other way or go around another time or we have to do something a little the hard way then we begin to gripe and complain and moan correct here's here's my point when it comes to thankfulness the bottom line to thankfulness is this you have to have an understanding of what you call valuable it has to have value thankfulness comes from the position of value if you don't place value on your spouse or your children or relationships or whatever guess what you are not going to be thankful for it listen to me carefully if you don't put value on your salvation if you don't put value on the blessings and the mercy and grace of god if you don't put value on the provision of god and the protection of god and the angels of the lord if you don't value those things you'll not be thankful for them but in this month of november we're going to talk about things because if it's worth something i have to be thankful for it because here's the point is anybody thankful for for something that a memory or a place you win or whatever but now it's no longer in your life i'm thankful for parents but my dad's been gone 30 almost 35 years i miss him in my life my grandmother i mentioned she's been gone a long time valuable to me but she's no longer there i can say to you though that i am thankful that i had a family that was very near and dear to my heart although they're not here now i have to decide its value how do you feel about what you wrote down on those five things if they are no longer dependable you can't depend on them you can't trust them you got a bad feeling about anybody write something down on your card about i'm thankful for this and tomorrow it could be gone and then you wouldn't have it would you still be thankful for it that means thankful for your job anybody write that down what happens if you don't have that job tomorrow i'm just thankful for their health you write that down anybody what happens tomorrow if your health goes south are you still thankful so why did you write those five things out of the thousands that you could have written why did you choose those well because they were sitting next to me reading over my shoulder so i had to make sure i put them down the evidently they had value since because they had value you give thanks for it listen to me careful i'm going to read another scripture for you colossians again this is another letter written another church colossians chapter 3 verse number 12. put on therefore as the elect of god holy and beloved bowels of mercies kindness humbleness of mind meekness long-suffering forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrel against any even as christ forgave you so also do ye and above all these things put on charity love right which is the bond of perfectness and let the peace of god rule in your hearts to the which also ye are called in one body notice this there's a pause here in the grammar and be you thankful you would have thought that when paul was writing to the church and he was telling them to to to have their bowels their their their heart their mercy and inside of them the kindness that they show to folk their humbleness and saying i just i'm just glad i know you're i'm glad i'm involved in your life their meekness and their long-suffering in those attitudes and actions you would think that he would not have to say and be thankful you would think it would be understood because to be humble to be meek to be long-suffering and all of these things it is an attitude of submission an attitude of understanding position is there any boss out there that is thankful for those who work for him why because it makes the job easier correct is there anybody who works for a boss that's thankful for the boss by and large that's the challenge why because we feel like we're not appreciated like we're misunderstood come on i hear some of you guys talk man at work had a rough day this week because so-and-so said as usual did and all the if they just do what they were supposed to do paul understands that notice in the instructions that he gave to the church the humbleness the meekness your attitude your spirit towards others others towards you how you interact how you how you respond your actions and reactions and interactions matter and then he finishes this let the peace of god rule in your hearts you've been called to one body hey be thankful here's the thing the month of november we're talking thankfulness now we realize that thanksgiving is a time to where pilgrims and indians came together and ate turkey and it happens every year right well understand but thanksgiving what has happened has anybody dared venture into a store a retail store of recent days anybody was anybody in the mall the last several days or whatever anybody home depot what did you discover when you walked in the door that was there to the left christmas trees very intriguing to me to see christmas trees and all their glitter and lights and glamour standing up next to a big haunted castle with spooky ghosts and then on the other side of that hearts because february will be here soon you laugh but it's sure listen to me carefully our world our society has taken what should be an understanding in everything i need to be thankful and we have glamorized it and we have commercialized it to the point that it no longer even matters the value that we put in the things in our lives but instead we are looking right in the eyes of greed selfishness and pride the lust of the eyes the lust of the flesh the pride of life those are the enemies to your soul and if we're not careful listen to me we can walk into this church cross the doors come in here shake hands and be friendly and the last thing on our minds is to be thankful for the good things god's given us because we disregard the value of what's happened to us every breath that comes into your body and exhales out of your body is a gift from god should we not be thankful who are we to be prideful and jealous of the things of this world that are so very temporary that job that you have that you're thankful for you know why you're thankful for it because it's providing for you correct you're thankful that it's put food on your table right you're thankful for that but if you lost that job tomorrow would you still be thankful to the fact that god gave you the strength to work let me tell you something god has been very gracious to me and to my wife there there were times in our marriage early on that employment was it was a struggle we were tough times she was in school working 12 hours a week i was working whatever i could find because my job they come in and said go home and i did and then i had to find something to do but god was good to us checkbook might have looked red not like we read it but the coloring does anybody know what a checkbook is i'm sorry i gotta start now i forget the generation sister cathy they may or may not get it right but god always provided i learned very early on that if i will have a thankful heart a heart of gratitude and thankfulness that god will provide for me because he knows that i thank him for it there is nothing more degrading to me nothing more despondent to me than for me to do something for or with someone and them not say thank you you know what i'm saying uh you asked my kids what did i tell you before you get up from that table what do you say why to this day she still does it my son to this day when i get up from the table that's i fixed for her i mean she fixed for boy baby i'm sorry it it just came out here thank you why because parents you are not doing yourself any good favor at all if you don't tell teach your children you better be thankful because i know what it's like to look in somebody's eyes and them not have food now we're an american this is the land of plenty even the homeless have food but i've looked in the eyes of the little fat belly kids because they don't have anything literally i've been in the pastor's homes when they wanted to feed us and they brought out a casserole of potatoes and something and set it down in front of us and they scooped it out and they gave my wife and me and my two kids a spoonful of it and we ate it and we were still very hungry and we said i said to my kids before we went in you will be satisfied with one helping yes daddy and when it was over and we pushed away from the table eat real slow fellowship and half of that casserole was left that the three kids that was of the pastor were sitting in the other room waiting on us to finish tell me that i better not be thankful i won't ever forget pastor his wife did not have but when he got his payment from his work he went and bought groceries he bought soap he bought what he needed and he came to church that next week and he saw me and he walks up to me and hands me a plastic bag and inside of it is a half a bar of soap a handful of rice half of a vegetable and a little bit of oil and i said what is this and he said pastor god told me to pay my tithe and he would bless me i said well why are you giving it to me he said because you're my pastor i was the missionary at the time so what do i do with a half a bar of soap cut in half with a knife vegetables cut in half a handful of red what do i do brother gibson i don't need that i don't like that food i took it and i hugged him and i wept with him because i was thankful that his heart was following god i would be foolish to say no i'm good you understand me why because the goodness of god can spoil us to where we no longer are thankful for the blessings of god um give me just a minute let me look around here me no no i don't i'd say pretty much all of us in here or mighty blessed let me hang on let me make sure i don't know that there's a whole no i wouldn't no i don't i'm not sure anybody in here that's missed a bunch of meals and stuff because you just didn't have no no you understand i'm saying this listen to me if you don't have a thankful heart a heart of gratitude why would god then feel obligated to bless you and to take care of you but if you'll have a heart of thankfulness an attitude of thankfulness and out of humility and joy give to god what is due him thank you lord for the breath in my body thank you for the peace that whatever it is thank you that list of five things that you wrote i'm sure that list could have been a hundred things or more correct but you picked those because it's something came to your mind and so many times we are selfish about it we thank i i'm never ever understood the cliche the saying the little thing that people say i like that guy that's a good guy he'd give you the shirt off his back and i'm going so his clothes determine whether he's good or not and the fact that i could wear the shirt if he gave it to me now i understand what they're saying he's a giving person i do why don't we do do we associate it with that why why wouldn't it be you know what that's a good guy that do praise and heaven shakes huh hmm there's some people that that that i find it very interesting that they have a hard time being thankful when god has been so good to them there are some of you sitting under the sound of my voice right now that you should be dead and in a grave and i'm telling the truth you should lost everything that you have owned you should have lost everything that you every dream and every hope and every ambition you should have done lost it because you didn't deserve it but god bless you you've got a job that you're not capable of doing but god's blessed you you've got a family that you don't even deserve but god's ble understand what i'm saying you better give thanks every day because god is in your life working and if you ever take it for granted do not be surprised if it's gone and then what thankfulness that's what we're talking about sometimes it's hard to be thankful do you agree huh i mean it's one of the challenges of humanity how can you be thankful when they just smacked you in the jaw and then the lord knew that that that's how we would respond right so what did he say about it if they hit you on one cheek hit him back no what's it say turn wait a minute in everything give thanks and i got to be thankful for both punches because if it were up to us josh what would we do are you with me i don't care how big you were well i i do in fact i'm pretty scared but anyway you see my point and and the lord knew that with with us but he blesses us and he's good to us i'm watching my clock my time's ticking away very quick listen to me carefully when i mention to you often the safest place to be is in the altar you know why i say that because it's at the altar where sacrifice is made it's at the altar where sacrifice is accepted or denied come on don't think that you can take something to the altar and it's always accepted some of some of us have forgotten the instruction that we were given if you have ought with your brother what do you need to do with your offering now what do you do leave it get up go make it right come back lord i've come to just thank you and love you today and here's my sacrifice and the lord said no because you have ought with your brother you've got an issue and you expect for me to receive this when you're not forgiving them no he won't and we want to get all stood up and mad with god hand on the hip popping our neck like it's his fault and the lord is saying i give you a way to fix this leave it get up and go fix it here's the problem we come to an altar and we want to offer sacrifice to god but he checks our heart and the lord saying i'm not going to receive it and we instantly get upset and what do we do with our offering we pick it up it is ours and we walk away and we'll never bring it back to the altar we'll never get it back there because it's ours you want to know why that the master says you bring it and you leave it and you go because he said i don't want anything in your hand you've already decided what you're going to give but i can't accept it until you go with your open hands and make it right with that one what would it be like if the lord were to say you bring your own offering take it now because you got an issue you go and you fix it with your brother and we were to go with our hands full to our brother hey sorry buddy that i offended you sorry that that i did say you know i mean i apologize you know how it is we good now what is our friend looking at what has our friend got his eyes on what we're holding the lord said i don't want anything in your way because when you make it right this is the plan of forgiveness you make it right then you embrace and the lord sees what you're doing and your attitude and your thankfulness and your gratitude and now when you come back to the altar what do you simply have to do now oh jesus i'm sorry for the mess but i thank you for the grace to let me go and make it right listen friend if you can't forgive why would you expect him to forgive thankfulness if you can't let something go why would you expect for him to if you truly got what you deserve none of us would be sitting here tonight would we somebody says lord i'm thankful come on say it i'm thankful come on if you got what you deserved every single one of us in here would be all bruised battered and beaten up and have no way whatsoever to make things right tonight we're talking thankful this is our first session we've got some more coming the premise here tonight is simply this you you you know what you're thankful for that's why i had you write it down not just think of it but actually jot it down and there's a reason you put value on that now before you go home tonight i'll ask you this that list of five things 50 whatever you wrote what if god never ever again blessed or touched or did anything with that list of five but you had to come up with five new things to be thankful for what would be your criteria now the five you wrote swipe sideswipe gone now you got five more new things would you write them on your paper what are you on right now you just shot you just shot it yeah okay i got it all five right here okay now though you can't say those any longer those no longer have any value they're already been mentioned now five more now after we've talked for 45 minutes some of you are sitting there going man i don't know because i mean i wrapped it all up you know in my family or my mom or you know my job or my health or and there we go but now that those are wiped away now you got to get into some details lord i'm thankful for the bad days because it makes me thankful for the good days i'm thankful lord for the trials because it makes me appreciate the blessings thankful lord when i stumble because then i know your hands reaching for me to pick me up see now you got to dig a little deeper and figure out things that that might be a little harder to deal with brother heard would you come please thankfulness some things happen in our lives and they are way past our control do you agree yeah but somehow someway we have to still be thankful because it says in everything give thanks have to check our motive and we have to check our method something something that that as parents we teach our kids now you you tell her thank you you tell him thank you and what happens when they you give him a sucker or you give them a candy bar and they go and they're looking at it he said wait before you can have it you got to say thank you and they're like what i tell you you say thank you trying to hurry up before they take it right and then what i saw i saw this on sunday y'all y'all thought i wasn't watching right sunday evening when these kids had candy out there because i mean they had a whole bag full if they didn't get to eat that one guess what they're the whole bag now you say thank you took for granted brother roger that there was still candy in the bag but what if the bag was taken away what if he never blessed you again what if he never provided for you again what if he never opened an opportunity for you again would you still thank him for it in everything and everything i've tried to and i'm not i'm not i haven't perfected it i haven't i'm but i'm i've tried i've tried for the last several years and myself when i wake up in the morning and i catch my breath because you know you lose your breath at night right my wife says i'm fighting for you know trying to go get it okay but in the morning when i wake up and my my sense comes back to me i've tried to discipline myself the first words out of my mouth thank you jesus for another day second i love you because very quickly life can end very quickly i let my children know when i love you i let my wife know i love you you know why because i might not ever get a chance to say it again y'all know pastor i want all y'all to know i love you and i believe in you why do i say that because i may not ever see you again and heaven forbid the next words that i would ever say to you were we're here today to pay memory to so and so you're not there to hear it thankfulness it's hard josh sometimes give thanks for everything it's hard because we we deserve and we feel and you know we're who we are and the truth is is we're but vapers just stand with me please tonight check your motives this week check your methods this week it's okay to to have to dwell a minute on what god's done in your life but please give him thanks for it why don't you do that right now for the next couple of minutes just lift your hands lord oh my life you have been faithful in all my life you've been so so good with all my breath that i am able i will sing the goodness of god come on would you think come on put a praise in your mouth right now of thankfulness and give it to god in everything it's right to give you thanks jesus and for what your blessings are in our lives and for what your grace and your love is working in us we we are thankful lord we are thankful above everything lord we must be grateful for the mercy and the grace the love that you show us daily thank you for our families our friends our loved ones for the struggles the trials the good the bad the ugly thank you somehow lord you're working it out and somehow lord things are connecting because it's your plan come on somebody thank him lift a hand to him lift your voice thought i thank you i put value on it lord i thank you for it i put value on it lord i am thankful it means something to me god your mercy love your grace it's it means something to me lord i thank you for that your provision your protection it means something to me i thank you for it lord god go with us this week let the hand of the lord be upon us every step we take let us ever be thankful for your mercy and your love your provision and your goodness to us i love you lord come on somebody needs to just love him right now come on you're gonna get through your hard time by just loving the lord and thanking him you're gonna get through your challenges by loving the lord and thanking him thank you jesus come on that's right come on you're gonna get through it come on god it's with you he's an on-time god yes his hand is on your life god i know that you're making a way i know that you are and i thank you lord for every step that you give me i plead your blood over us as a church lord go with us let us ever lord god be grateful to you we love you lord and we trust you in the name of jesus somebody say in jesus day