Gratitude's Context
If you would turn to the letter of Colossians.
Colossians chapter 1 1 and will be in verses 9 through 14 this morning.
When we consider the subject of Thanksgiving. And the normal contacts within the world that we live Thanksgiving is often relegated to a day. We could say compartmentalised fenced-in to a day or maybe a season. and then we move on as a culture. In fact, I believe in this doesn't concern me as far as the body of Christ goes because Bryce is going to build his church. But what what I see even happening now is that Thanksgiving is being covered up by the giving and the buying and the getting of the way we have made Christmas. What used to be reserved for the day after Thanksgiving is now being pressed forward into the the time of Thanksgiving. Once again, I I don't I just see that is reflective. The church is going to fight against that and going to work through that and overcome that but it is indicative. It is a defining descriptor of this idea that Thanksgiving is often seen as a a day or a season or it it's something that you can do, but it it's only really something you do when things are going really well. The impact really think about it. Nobody ever says I'm so thankful that my car broke down.
do they Even though God says what be thankful in all circumstances, I don't think in a sense. We are thankful that we send. Or something like that, but we're thankful that God carries us through the highs and the lows of life and it's not Thanksgiving is not simply circumstantial or situational and what I want to do this morning from the book of this passage in Colossians is show you the context of Thanksgiving and I want to say this very clearly to to start is that true Thanksgiving is only Christian in context. I do not believe that an unbeliever a person that is rebellious against God that rejects Jesus Christ can really be thankful for anything. Because Thanksgiving comes from a vital interaction and knowledge of our creator and Our Redeemer. The the the heart of what I want to communicate this morning is that Thanksgiving is an essential part of being a Christian.
It's who we are we're to be thankful people.
So let's read chapter 1 verse 9 through 14 and will dig in this morning for a few minutes.
And so from the day we heard. We have not cease to pray for you asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord fully pleasing to him bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for all endurance and patience with joy giving thanks to the father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the Saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son in whom we have Redemption. and or the Forgiveness of sins Let's pray together. Heavenly Father we thank you Lord for the the deposit of gray. Should you given to us in your word? Oh Lord, you have put into our account as your people a full a full deposit Lord deposit in which we can come and make withdrawals until we die and even into eternity will be withdrawing from the depository of your word. And so Lord. I pray that we would make good withdrawal this morning a withdrawal in such a way that will allow us to live the Christian Life. For Your Glory and for our good we pray amen the first thing that I want you to notice in verse 9 first part of verse 9 is an intense intercession make make note that Paul the Apostle Paul had never met these colossian Christian. She eat never been there. In fact, a man was converted under his ministry and then went back to colossae and started a church begin to evangelize in the church was established show whenever he hears about their knowledge of God and their salvation them coming to Faith he prays for them. It's a intense intercession he prays because he's heard of their faith and their love for all the saints. It's just I have not seen To give prayer for you. And this idea of I haven't seized is that the the constant drift of the Apostle Paul and the group of people that are ministering with him. The constant drift of their lives was prayer for the church at colossae. In fact Paul pray for all the churches that he knew of and all the people of God that he knew of shutters up a constant Devotion to prayer to remember the heart of prayer is talking to God it bearing our hearts to God communicating our inward desires to God and prayer in its basic is what its dependence mean God help. And we we pray for ourselves and we pray for others God help me and then we also say God help others and that's what the Apostle Paul is doing here. Cuz he's praying God will you do something powerfully in the lives of this church at colossae? Do something that we cannot do and you begin to ask the question. Why does the Apostle Paul always stay in this posture of prayer? This is lowness of prayer this sense of humble dependence upon God. Why does he do that? And I think if you compare scripture with scripture, there's other places that the Apostle Paul would communicate but I think about 1st Peter. Chapter 5 verses 8 and 9 listen to what the Apostle Peter rights to this group of Christians. He says Be sober-minded.
Be watchful
Be sober-minded. Be watchful be awake be alert don't be hindered by any other thoughts other than these thoughts and I'm about to why why do we need to be sober-minded? Why do we need to Be watchful? your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
Do you realize that?
Does that thought come into your your life in your mind on a Thursday at 2 that you have an adversary? That is way powerful than more powerful than you. And he has a legion of fallen angels that are against you at every turn and not only that he's working in the sons of Disobedience Ephesians 2. That's anybody that doesn't know Christ. He's working against God and his kingdom and if you are part of his kingdom, he's working against you personally.
Jesus Be watchful Be sober-minded, but because he's he's prowling like a roaring lion and that language is so vivid, especially if you watched any of the National Geographic sir videos, when does the lion roar?
No, not while he's prowling.
Whenever he's easing into position, he's quietly subtle. So what he works in our lives and against us, he's subtle. There's no there's no real Biblical picture of this red person that person that can read that has horns that comes with a pitchfork and has a little ponytail and it's obvious that oh, well, that's the devil. No, he comes subtly in The Tall Grass while we're doing things in the world the gazelles. Just eating not paying attention. Then when the line is close enough The Roaring takes place.
That's God's language for how dangerous the world is. When we are out in the world, that's what second place when we're here. That's what taking place we need to be sober-minded. Watchful because he's seeking someone to devour.
Brenda Christians Resist him. I am in your face knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your Brotherhood throughout the intersection is brought about Danger that's out there. And this is so hard for us in the United States because we are so blessed Kimberly. We have so much excess we have so much Freedom. We have so many things that we can do with 10 de go through life like we're a tourist We're taking pictures all in that wonderful look, so it's great. And we really is a Battlefield.
Triton boats to devour everything about you. He wants your marriage. He wants your children. He wants your soul and if you can't get yourself as a chinchilla of the Christian, he will do everything to hinder your gladness and the glorification of God in your life.
The second thing that I want you to know, this is a Redemptive request for the second part of nine asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. No remind remind yourself. This is to the church. This is not the pastor's this is not two people that are Apostles this just to Everyday Christians better to have what he's praying that they'll have they'll be filled with the knowledge of his will with all spiritual inside and understanding that means we as Believers all believers need to have the wisdom of God the skill of God the understanding of who God is and know the will of God.
It's a Redemptive request. It's not quite like this dear Lord. I pray that you would help so and so's big toe to heal. Have you noticed that that in scripture the prayers are spiritually Redemptive?
It's not a list about everybody's physical ailment or the need for a job or some stuff. It's spiritual that doesn't mean we can't pray for temporal things. I'm not saying that but what is the emphasis of scripture if we want to be biblical Christian then our pattern in our lives needs to Pat needs to mimic or follow what it is the pattern of scripture what the Apostle Paul wanted for this church in colossae was a Redemptive purpose in their lives. He wanted something powerful. That was otherworldly something that you could not explain by Common Grace. What is coming Grace? I mentioned it last week, and Grace is a Grace or a mercy that God gives to all men rain is a common Grace God causes the rain to fall on the righteous and the unrighteous hearts beating is a common Grace the love that mothers have torture children generally is a common Grace. It's the it's the image of God baumard the butt Rebuilding Humanity that there's a general care whenever there's a hurricane or earthquake or some type of natural disaster. A lot of people will just rise up and start doing good things towards their neighbor. That's a common Grace. But Paul is praying for Amazing Grace something that can only be explained by God intervening and doing something spiritually with the alot bigger. Then livening of God's word in the life the heart of a person that overflows into actuality and reality. That's what he's praying. He's praying that they will have a knowledge of the will of God that but first that they will excuse me. I lost my place that don't have they'll be filled with a knowledge of his will that that weren't filled is a beautiful work. It means to be filled to the fool and made overflowing with a knowledge of information about his wealth to be abundantly supplied with something to do in Port richly.
He wants them to be to have a full knowledge of God's will he wants them to be abundantly supplied in the in God's revealed. Will he we know that the Apostle Paul does not simply want some kind of mystical mysterious vision of what God desires because he uses the term knowledge. It's attached to understanding. It's attached to biblical information. When when the Apostle Paul generally talks about the will of God. It's not something mystical or mysterious. It's something that scripture specifically details. Think about this you cannot turn to a chapter or verse that says it was God's will for me to marry so answer. You just can't do it. Billy said not even a Biblical name. It's not even there carrots just out. Because she can't find any place where it says you need to marry Billy. So when when Paul talks about the will of God it's not those things now, I believe there is a way that we can determine what we're free to do based upon certain realities when it comes to those things that are less clear. But what are what are the things that are will have got the will of God that you be holy because he's holy see that's cleared playing that husbands love their wives as Christ loved the church. That's the will of God that wives should submit to their husbands as to the Lord that we would all submit to one another as brothers in Christ that we would we would forgive one another as we have been forgiven that we would grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's all plain clear real distinctive. That's the purpose that is the will of God. Let me let me give you an example.
1st Thessalonians, 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances. This is going to be really easy for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you when it says that that's for sure of the will of God. No doubts give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ for you 1st. Peter 4 1 and 2 since therefore Christ suffered In the Flesh arm yourselves in the same way of thinking for whoever has suffered In the Flesh has ceased from sin. So as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions, but for the will of God So what so what is living for the will of God? What is he praying for that we would no longer live in Fallen human passions, but for the will of God on early spiritual mindedness Colossians talks about set your mind on things above and not the things of the Earth.
So he wants them to have all wisdom. So it's not just about knowledge. It's also in all wisdom wisdom. We didn't we see that this morning. It's just amazing. Isn't it how things just dovetail together wisdom is the ability to use knowledge to produce correct Behavior.
How do you know when someone has wisdom?
They can take the information that God gives us in the scriptures and they can fly apply that to their lives. No action no real application to the lines. No wisdom. I don't care if they have a PhD in theology.
Wisdom is the skill. I believe our book says it's the rightly right ordering of life. according to proper knowledge So he's praying that we would have that what was that so necessary. Well because it's Christians. We have a fallen man a flash that remains in us that pulls against that that tears away against we have we're living in the context where the world is against that there's nobody really in the world to live for God. Don't do those evil wicked things live for God. It's just the opposite, isn't it? It's Godless until they need to have this spiritual understanding is the next phrase he uses which is an inside granted by the spirit of God.
That's why we need prayer to accomplish that I cannot Grant myself spiritual Insight, but I can go to the one who gives it. Spiritual inside the ability to see past the physical into the spiritual realities of life.
The decision behind the form the heart behind the form. He wants them to objectively know the will of God in order to do it. What's the purpose of a dimension it by accident? The passionate purpose is this verse 10? So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord fully pleasing to him? The purpose is to live life. That's worthy of God.
pleasing show that. That's a purpose statement. We want he wants their conduct to match the worthiness of God. That's a high calling, isn't it? He wants the the actions of their lives to correspond to the weight of the glory of God. And that's the challenge in the blessing of the Christian life is to know the worthiness of God in such a way that our lives are change and transform to reflect that same weight in that same Glory. It Grieves me to think.
That the best thing we can do to influence the world as Christians is to make a movie. or an album
Is that all we got? Besides the fact God never used that kind of means to accomplish any type of spiritual ends.
Walk into a voting booth and push a button and think we've changed the world. We've held back the darkness of evil. Is that really all we got?
worthy that talk about our everyday lives is talking about the that the day and the day out the garage and we need some Christian that can sit out for the glory of God Christian a Christian that can go to the the sink with a pile of dirty dishes and sing Amazing Grace How Sweet the Sound MP3 so enraptured by the glory of God in the weight of his majesty and who he is and what he's going to go. Thank you for these dirty dishes because they represent children that they were getting nervous that I've been given to my care. They represent life in my home. We we need we need bosses that can can give give instruction without being hard and mean that the that the grace of God can flow from our lips. To walk worthy of the Lord Whitney people that have backbones for truth. Absolutely. What God Says is What God Says and that's what he says
That's what we need that's walking worthy of the Lord and when we walk worthy of the Lord would happens fully pleasing to him. That's amazing when you think about it because you and I are at our very best still have lives that are stained. I mean Paul says in Romans 7 when I seek to do good sin is crouching at my door. Our repentance needs repentance. Are good deeds need the cleansing of the righteousness of Christ. But yet look at the beauty of this as we grow in wisdom and knowledge and the application of living God's Will and living worthy to the Lord we please
We please him when you get up in the morning and you. Getting his word. Nobody else is around. It's just you and the Lord pleases him.
It brings glory to him. You didn't get to do that. I get to do that when we call or text or invite a brother-sister over to our homes in order to encourage him spiritually that pleases the Lord we may not have a nice house. We may not be able to put a Martha Stewart spread on the table, but it pleases the Lord when we give out of our life financially and spiritually and temporally it pleases the Lord. Remember the Widow's Mite that right. There is what I want you to do. She came home so she did not have much. We can please the Lord 2nd Corinthians 5:9. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please the Lord. About Collier yesterday. I bought him a bow and arrow if you haven't heard he was going to tell you anyway, so I'm just but the bow and arrow you stand. You hold it and you what? You make it your aim. It's making you nervous in it. You make it you write you a name.
Don't don't let it be said of us that we spend more energy aiming at things that are a miss. Then something that's a sure thing. Aim to please the Lord.
success in the wrong thing Is a failure.
Is that not right?
This well, pleasing is not to be sectional but to be uniform and unbounded. It is not difficult to please him men are not left with uncertainty to study the best method of ensuring his Blessing nor are there any moons or forms of Caprice in him? So God's not willy nilly with what pleases him hit his highest pleasure is to see his own likeness in those who own his lordship in all their thoughts purposes and actions. There should be a pervading and Paramount desire to walk worthy of him as to secure his approval John Ed. The third thing this morning is a distinct or this is the fourth a distinct description. What it what does walking worthy of the Lord look like with Paul doesn't leave us in limbo. Once again, he tells us bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God being strengthened with all power according to his glorious my for all endurance and patience with joy giving thanks to the father. Now, you see the context of Thanksgiving for there are four participles and what they describe is what pleases the lord they're bearing fruit increasing increasing strength and being strengthened and giving thanks. That's what pleases the Lord where to live a life. or a worthy life bears fruit
The implication is good fruit. It's fruit that God does in our lives. He produces it in our life. The only way for us to have fruit that brings glory to God is to be connected to the life-giving vine. Jesus says, there's John 15:16. You did not choose me. But I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that fruit should abide. So whatever you ask in my name he and in the end ask the father in my name. He may give it to you.
weather without a connection to the vine apart from me you can do nothing. Let me apply that this morning. Is there fruit on the God in your life. That's unexplainable except for God's going to work in you.
That's the same thing as saying are you a true Christian? A true Christian will bear fruit. We all bear different different amounts of fruit. But a true Christian will bear fruit. The first route is the the fruit of repentance if you turn from your sin to follow Christ Alone. to trust him as Lord This is not something you work up on your own. This is something you ask God. God have mercy on me. I turn to you. I trust you. Do a work in me.
The fruit overflows in every good work good Activities The Graces of Christianity each are in its place adorning and adorned not as happy not as sickly. The entire assemblage is a in perfect order and symmetry A Beautiful abundance of one kind of fruit is no compensation for the absence of another it says in every good work.
God is able II Corinthians 9:8. God is able to make all grace abound to you so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times. You may abound in every good work. Does that sound like a defeatist mentality of the Christian Louis me? I'm a Christian and I'm still struggling. What was me? I just can't do anything. But yeah, you're right. You can't do anything. That's the point Christ. Does it in US listen to that again 2nd Corinthians? 9:8 God is able to make all grace abound to you. So having all sufficiency in all things at all times. You may abound in every good work. Maybe just maybe the reason why we don't see that fruit-bearing is because we're self-sufficient.
We're not under what God wants to do for us where we're seeking to accomplish things on our own. It all God wants to do is he wants to bring you to a point of need so he can show up and glorify himself. Check Italy under this bearing a life that brings pleasure to God is there's a growth and understanding it says increasing. It's a continual increasing in the knowledge of God. You mean Billy? You've been a Christian since 1993 and you still read your Bible everyday? Yes. Because I need to know God. I need to be increasing in the knowledge of God that the test is life. I can't apply something. I don't know.
And there's no power when I don't know what to do when I don't know who can do it in my life.
The knowledge of God is something that God teaches us. It's something that he does in our lives. If God does not teach us though. We study we will not know anything so that it's not simply about being able to quote scripture or do a thing here. And there be the college fix a logical. It's about God teaching you something in your heart. That changes you it also carries the idea that it's the knowledge of God that produces the growth increasing in the knowledge of God growing in the knowledge of God as we grow or increase in the knowledge of God that brings about further growth. Here is the way of thinking about it. There's no way.
There's absolutely no way that a Christian can come before the presence of God see God for who he is and walk away the same person. It's like saying and I used to Sheila stration before it's like me telling you. Well. Yeah this morning. I was walking down the road and I got hit by an 18-wheeler and it knocked me over into a ditch and now here I am. But you're looking at me going. You got hit by a truck and you look good. Nobody gets hit by truck without there being some evidence that they got hit by a truck. Likewise no one meets God without there being evidence that they met God when when Moses came down from the mountain. What happened his face shone? in glory the third thing under this life that pleases God is a life worthy of the Lord and possesses alien power of already alluded to this but being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might be strengthened to to have Austrian or to be empowered with all power. It means to have the ability to accomplish the things that God has intended for us. What's the source of the strength of the power? It is tough person and the work of the Lord Jesus in his radiant power in us. It's interesting that word is all from the same root. It's that you could almost say this to be strengthened with all strength according to his glorious strength. Drill repetitive so that you get the point there's power in the Christian.
Notice where the power works though, doesn't it? It works in the everyday? It works in the mundane. It works in the live walking worthy of the calling. What does power what power does Christ possess good think with me? It is in the world Darkness has dominated the Redemptive history Darkness has dominated the scene for Generations only a light flickers throughout history here and there God would show a little light about what was to come there was a promise that one would come in the pier the power of the spirit, but it was long delayed for thousands of years from Genesis to the end of Malachi. The promised one didn't come he was there but not there when it seemed too late a teacher came out of Nazareth. I don't know where can anything good come from Nazareth. That's what that was the same when it comes out of nowhere and he talked with power Steve talk with authority. Nobody had seen a thority like this and power like this he seem to be Market to be made his game, but he claimed to be the Messiah the anointed one. He's stirred up the religious leaders and they would consent to his execution by the Romans. That was it. It was over right? Rock Roll very very wrong though. He was crucified. No, he died that. We was very he was raised on the third day from the death. He fulfilled prophecy after prophecy. It was impossible for the grave to hold him. His resurrection proves that he is. In fact, the long-awaited Messiah by the power of His indestructible live. He has conquered the power of death. Now bring that down to your ZIP code to your address if you are in Christ Christ is in you that same power resides. in yourself
divorce thing in this life that pleases God or worthy of God is giving thanks. The life worthy of the Lord is saturated with gratitude giving thanks a Perpetual regular giving thanks just an appreciation to God and what he's done for us. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love. Oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his steadfast love endures forever an attitude of gratitude a saturation of Thanksgiving.
For what? Or to whom a giving thanks to the father. She wanna said that non-christians can't do this. Because God's not there father. I know we hear that a lot Gods aren't you know, we all but we're all children of God. No, we're not.
The back scripture teaches that the unbeliever are all of us are children of Satan until God brings us into his family.
God is Father lie in his disposition towards all of creation, but he has not only father to those that are truly Christian giving thanks to the father. Ava Daddy
remember the last thing here is the Glorious grounding. What is it that the father is done for which the child of God is so thankful for what is it? The Apostle Paul wants to understand that he's praying this for them. God the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the Saints in the light. Done that just dismantle Works based salvation right there. God who qualified you to share in the inheritance. Let's face it. About trying to work my way to heaven if I could ever get there. I would just lose it.
I mean just the saint of impatience disqualifies has
we would be perpetually disqualified. But it is God who qualifies us. He's made us adequate or sufficient to share to have a portion to have a seat at the table. Do you realize that there's a inheritance? Reserved in heaven for us your name, is that a place at the table? It's got your name on it specific particular. He has made us qualify. These writers qualify adequate to have a portion of this eternal reward.
What what do we what does he mean by adequate? What does he mean by qualified?
Well, he says it in verse 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son. He has delivered us delivered means what rescued?
Snatch out of the Dominion of Darkness the rule and the reign of Darkness the rule in the reign of evil. He has snatched us. How does he do that? He's snatched Us by the work of Christ and by the power of the spirit giving the new birth. We no longer walk in utter Darkness, but we have seen a great light, but we have been delivered and then transferred into the kingdom of his beloved Son. There's a new address that you have. A new address that you have as a child of God you live in a new new location. It's called in Christ. That's your address when God looks at you. He sees you in the address of Christ you are where he is seated with the father on high. He doesn't see your sin and rebellion. And your wicked is he sees what Christ has done for you?
That word transferred. Could you could almost translate it Translate? When you translate something you take one language and you translate that same meaning into another language. What what what what does that say about who we are it says we're to be distinct would be different the translation from light or Darkness to light is different. That's why we cannot ever take on the thinking that a person can be a Christian and live the same way. Everybody else lives in the way that they used to live before. They became a Christian there has to be a translation a transfer. And that transfer is evident by the life that we live.
We've been translated to the kingdom of his beloved Son and in whom we have Redemption freedom. That's what redeem to means to be fought back to be purchased to be set free and we have us well the Forgiveness of sins. We've talked about that this morning, too.
Did one of the blessings of the New Covenant is that God will remember our Lawless Deeds no more.
He knows all of our Lawless Deeds, but he will count them against us no more when he sees us he sees what Christ has done for us. We have an Absolution of all of our transgressions. It's described this way. As far as the East is from the West so far has he cast our sins away from us? He has put our sins into the ocean. And that's a good descriptor because there are places in the ocean that man has never been nor never will be. He buried our sins in the ocean. a price blood
so as we try to land the plane here.
practical application Is your life flavored with gratitude? flavored with gratitude
we can and should be thankful.
We need to be growing in Thanksgiving.
You say it like this thankfulness is a barometer. a godling
complaining is a barometer of ungodliness. Malcontent is a barometer of ungodliness thankfulness is a test the temp test the pressure of godliness in your life.
godly people or are thankful people We all grow in this I don't want us to I want to do a couple of things here. I want to say yes, we have to be thankful and we should be thankful and we are going to be thankful. If we're Christians at the same time. We're never going to be as thankful as we ought to be. We're not even going to Beastie Boys we want to be but we can always try to be more thankful that we are so I want to have that tension. It's a beautiful tension its attention that test our hearts when you will you find in gratitude bubbling out of your soul. That's an indicator. That's God blinking of lights and caution caution weight guard your heart. You're missing it. You're missing me. Look at Christ.
Remember that thankfulness is not the end. God is but every time you get God you get thankful. It's a barometer. The other thing is are we looking with these new covenant eyes at the world?
The salvation of your soul and gender massive Thanksgiving.
Once your enemy now seated at your table.
massive Thanksgiving How do you grow in that? Well, it's the same thing. It's grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We grow their Thanksgiving. increases Aren't you thankful? that we have something for which to be Thankful. Something that's never going to fade.
So many things to be thankful for even in the temple rain realm, but they're all going to fade.
a place in heaven reserved for us an inheritance unfading undefiled that I'll never pass away. brothers and sisters Abounding in it with Thanksgiving.
Heavenly Father
Thank you Lord for your grace. or we ask Lord that you would use the Simplicity of your word to encourage us to strengthen us or I can never say enough or even say it the right way to meet all the needs of our heart not even my own.
So Lord, I ask that you would work in our hearts. working our hearts to be thankful because we know you cuz we've seen the white of your majesty and your glory cuz we've tasted if you're good. Oh Lord, help us to a band overflow. Angie's