Be Filled with the Spirit, Part 4: Spirit-Filled Thanksgiving B

See humility as part of being filled with the spirit, because you're only filled with the spirit.

When you deny yourself right when you set self aside and you respond to the spirit is an act of humility makes you feel the spirit is positive Thanksgiving which doesn't help you understand what your life should look like when you are controlled by the Holy Spirit, not by your own desires and today John wraps up his study living in the spirit with a look at the virtue that is really the main characteristic of a spirit filled life. Thankfulness.

Why is this virtue so important and how can you make sure you're practicing it the right way. John will answer those questions today in his lesson. He's going to look at three categories of thankful spirit filled people you saw the first category yesterday with some review before moving onto the next. Here's John. Let's look again at Ephesians chapter 5 and verses 18 to 21. The major truth of the passage is easy to identify the major truth of this brief passage is that all our Christian living. All this issue of living the Christian life. Walking the worthy walk the whole idea of the Christian's experiences based upon the concept of being filled with the spirit. Now I feel. Remember we talked about three points in this text to contrast the command of the consequences. The contrast in verse 18. Don't be drunk with wine and which is excess or so to you dissipation disease, leading to death but be filled with the spirit, the command, the being Continuously filled the spirit its continual thing people and the consequences were third remembered, we said there were three categories of consequence.

First, to ourselves second toward God and third toward others for ourselves singing toward God saying thanks and toward others.

What submitting but the point is that when you have a spirit filled life.

The overall consequences blessing compartmentalize first, there's a personal consequence singing. Let's go to the second category of consequence toward God. Verse 20. This is the second consequence giving thanks always for all things unto God and the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Another three categories of thankful people, see which one you fitting can you give yourself this test number one is the easy part.

There are those who are thankful after the blessing right down one of those that's easy part right sure after God is just blessed to your thankful let's go to set step two. This is the ability to give thanks before the battle began for the victory that you know is going to come right first is after-the-fact. Second is in anticipation of the fact this is where the people of faith come in. These are the people who believe God before anything happens. These are the people who were celebrating before the war. These are the people saying, Lord, I see a problem coming how wonderful I'm to believe you, for victory in the midst of this before it even gets her. This is Jesus.

This is Jesus in John chapter 11 as he stands by the tomb of Lazarus. Everybody around them is crying there all weeping, he says remove that stone and Martha gets all upset about doing that verse 41 then they took the stone from the place where the dead was laid.

And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said father I leave the ballast for me. Thank you for what you are going to do now that's faith is. And then he said Lazarus come out and he came out. Thanks in advance. Now people that's another level of spiritual maturity. That's the ability to say thanks before the thing really even unfolds. Are you one of those people… Thanks in advance. You see some coming and you can believe God for the victory before it even arrives. Now this is harder than after-the-fact, but God wants this to God wants your Thanksgiving before the battle even begins. And this is tough. This is the test of your spiritual maturity. When you crack up and fall apart in anticipation of the problem when you haven't reached this level you, thank God. After the blessing that's easy.

Thank God. Before the battle begins.

That's harder, but the hardest of all is ready for the third with the hardest of all is to thank God in the midst of the bad when it looks like you're losing that stuff you can do it after the fact that you can do it in anticipation that can you do it right in the middle of it. Well, God's choice.

People have. You know it says about Jonah. What a fantastic thing. Can you imagine if you are enjoying the situation. I mean you here it is a Bible story, but try to imagine what it would be like to be swallowed by a huge fish boat around the acid of his stomach worse than that to be alive and awake and Jonah in chapter 2, gets his act together and this is what he said this is amazing when my soul fainted within me. I remember the Lord and my prayer came in under the underlying holy temple in what was your prayer June why will offer the sacrifice unto the with the voice of Thanksgiving, I will pay that that I have found salvation is the on word here is Jonah in the middle of an acid filled stomach of some giant monster of the sea, saying thank you for Sadie's that's not faith that's to pity. No thank you, thank you know some God like that for so much. He put that big fish and it vomited out. Jonah here was a man who thank God in the midst of the belly of a great sea monster credible got on it, you never had it that way, did you read Hebrews chapter 11 about all those people. Thank God in the midst of those terrible trials and you hear the writer of Hebrews say you haven't had it so bad you haven't suffered in the blood yet. Have you in acts chapter 5 the early church is being terribly persecuted and it says next 540. They took them and they beat them in the beat and after they had beaten them.

They said don't preach anymore and they went out of there and they thank God that they were town worthy to suffer for his name. They were thankful right in the middle of the beatings, then you find Paul and Silas the 16th chapter of acts in their feeder stretch as far as they could be locked in stocks.

The muscles are taught in their and unbelievable pain, and what are they doing saying thanks and praise to God. Listen, it's indicative of your character. How you give thanks because you worship God in connection with your heart and if the only time you can worship God and thank God is after the blessing in your down on the first level. If however you can move a little bit higher and you can get. You can thank God. Before the battle even begins. In anticipation of the victory.

He's going to give that's better. But if you can thank God in the midst of the pain in the midst of the trial. Then you reach the level of maturity that very few Christians really know Johnny Erickson was written wonderful book tells about her life and accident which paralyzed her body makes a statement giving thanks is not a matter of feeling thankful it's a matter of obedience to see you don't always have to feel thankful but it's a matter of Thanksgiving is recognition that my life and my circumstances and my destiny is in God's sovereign hand and that everything that happens is working to the purpose of conforming me to Jesus Christ and will have a profound effect on your attitude. You want us to have a profound effect on your attitude. So when are you give thanks always for what for what giving thanks always for what all think you see for all for everything, even stuff that's troublesome and difficult. Sure, count it all joy when you fall into divers trial why because that's the way God perfection. I'm looking to give you a big long list. I haven't written down or will take the time to do it but I listed about 40 things that the Bible specifically says you to be thankful for and they're not just individual things there categories in which you can be thankful for 100 different things within that category where it would be thankful for everything for everything for everything. There is no limit to just the fullness of all the things that God has done for us. All of his attributes are listed all the things he's done were to be thankful you know the Bible tells us to be thankful for all men, for all people. It tells us to be thankful for all things to be thankful to God for Christ for our salvation for the Holy Spirit for everything we had to be thankful in the midst of difficulty as well and is in the midst of prosperity to be thankful for all things only Tyson is only one kind of person to be thankful for everything that's a humble person we say what you mean by that justice was a humble person knows you don't deserve anything right so the smallest thing for him is a cause of Thanksgiving. If you have probably like being thankful the problem is not a lack of Thanksgiving. That's the symptom. The problem is pride. You're saying God I just can't be thankful because I think I'm not getting what I deserve.

But if you know you deserve nothing. If you see yourself as a center for whom nothing is really deserved this for anything that God would give you, there can be nothing but sleep pride problem thankful person always has a humble heart.

And by the way people see humility as part of being filled with the spirit, because you're only filled with the spirit. When you deny yourself right when you die to self. When you crucify cell when you set self aside and you respond to the spirit is an act of humility that makes you feel the spirit therefore is an act of humility that causes the Thanksgiving which proceeds from that filling with them right back to the first sin of all sins which corrupts the whole system and that is the sin of pride right.

That's what Satan started with right looked around heaven and he said God shouldn't have all this, I should have a choice and I will do this and I will exalt myself and I will so forceful for so it was III and even even the garden she knew that she could be like God, I always that way.

Pride is the key to sin. So if you aren't thankful isn't really a that you need to sort of sure to stir up Thanksgiving. It's that you need to experience humility and humility back you up to the concept of being filled with the spirit, because it's only as you crucify self and deny self and yield to the spirit. Humility can be a reality. But if you're a humble person then you be thankful for everything, everything you say. Well, so we will so I'll boy my husband is in perfect I get stuck with him. Husband says my wife.

This doesn't make it. She's connection with the other women in the world people are really happy with how to I ever get into this. People say, well, my job is what to build see me the way out to my family doesn't treat me the way they are to be people understand me there and kind man get a bitter sour right the kind of approach to life and you know why because they think they deserve better right what I should have the perfect person I so perfect up. I superbly treat me just will not be treated.

See, it's all pride. See, as long as we proudly will never be thankful to break the back of your pride in it grumbles in the dirt. Then you can experience what it is to be thankful for everything. So when we be thankful always for what we be thankful all things, how to get this fabulous statement. How are we to be thankful. Look at it in verse 20 again it says that's giving thanks always for all things unto God and the father here comes in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. All this is so fantastic list. It simply means in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ means consistent with who he is consistent with what he has done in other words matter what happens to me I can give thanks because of who Christ is and what he has done no matter what happens in my life. It'll turn out to my good and his glory right. That's the fabulous truth a little lesson I couldn't be thankful for everything. The one for Christ because of Christ the good things and even the bad things in my life all have a part in conforming me to the image that God wants me to bear the image of his son.

See, I can't just say give thanks for everything. If you're not a Christian, you're not in Christ and you don't have the Christ, interceding at the right hand of God on your behalf and you have Christ indwelling in your life you have the son ship and the joint airship that he promised if you don't have that and you can't give thanks for everything, because what you're going to get you don't need to be thankful for.

But on the other hand, if my life is in the control of Christ and I'm his son I'm his child and I'm a joint heir with him in his kingdom, and if he is conforming me to his own image of all that's going on all the time.

Then I have cause to be thankful to God for everything you know were by nature so self-seeking because we think so highly of ourselves and if we don't get the we want to get it. Then we get upset about it and we get on thankful, but Christ wasn't that way all listen we are to give thanks this verse the same. Also, the way Christ gave thanks. If it's him giving thanks through us will be the way his thanks was given you know he was thankful to God.

Matthew 1124 five pieces. I think the O father John 611.

I think the John 623 I think the John 1141. I thank the he was thankful all through his life and you look at his life. And you gotta wonder why right. I mean, he who had everything in glory came to this earth since humbled himself, became a servant was spit on and scorned and despised and rejected and crucified, and he didn't deserve any of it.

And yet he was thankful thankful listen to this though we deserve glory got humility, though we deserve love. He received hate, though we deserve worship you receive rejection.

Though we deserve praise. He got scorn though we deserve riches. It was poor and so and he never lost sight of thankfulness to God because he could see the end in view, it was the joy that was set before him.

That allowed them to endure the cross and look at us some. We deserve humility and we receive glory.

We deserve we receive divine love. We deserve rejection but God gives a son ship. We deserve scorn, but we receive affection.

We deserve poverty and he gives us riches and we deserve sins person.

He gives us his righteousness, and then if everything doesn't go right in our lives we gripe is make any sense doesn't.

According to a medieval legend to angels were sent to earth one had the task from the Lord of gathering together all the petitions and the other had the task of gathering the Thanksgiving Angela went together. The petitions couldn't carry the load back. Angela went to get the parts. The thanksgivings came back with a few in his hand.

Well that's a legend legends can be far-fetched and fantastic but I'm afraid that was not too far-fetched at all were so long on request.

Certainly, which is like signing your name. Your self-indulgent servant John and were very short on thanks maybe that's the most common sin of all the saints. When we give thanks always for what to give thanks all things. How do we give thanks in Christ name. Finally, to whom to give thanks God the father. Verse 20 again unto God and the father and I love the fact that he uses the word father because it's the benevolent attitude of God that is being seen here is God and his fatherly nest as he bestows upon us the gifts of his love is always always giving us gifts. He is the father of lights in whom there is no variableness nor shadow of turning from whom every good and perfect gift decisions.

Everything comes from even the things it comes through come through other people do you come from him as he works through other people. It's Christ singing through us, Christ thanking God through us in Christ giving through us had occasion recently to give something to someone they had a need and I had the wonderful joy of giving something to meet that need. And I always like to see the response. When you do that and how people respond and I received a lovely note and it was most interesting to me that the entire note simply thanked God just was refreshing all the know to thank the Lord never said anything about me just thank the Lord and see there is the person recognizing God as the source of all things. We start to think each other kind of borders on flattery little bit, but we see God is the source of everything we have the perspective of Ephesians 520 listen for film of the spirit toward yourself, you'll sing for God to say thanks or listen. The Old Testament calls on this over and over again. Psalm 30 Psalm 50 Psalm 69 Psalm 92, 95, 100, 1051 16 and more just calls us to thank God and thank God and thank says in Romans 121 that the heathen are characterized this way when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful see that that is a characteristic of an unregenerate world faithlessness. God wants his people to be thankful.

Paul says to the Philippians be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication make your requests known of the God with thanksgiving in the Old Testament. Certain orders of the Levitical priest had no other job than to lead the people in Thanksgiving.

You know that all the feasts and festivals of Israel were set for Thanksgiving.

The whole purpose of every commemorative feast feast of weeks in tabernacles and trumpets and Pentecost and Passover. All were great national acts of thanksgiving to God, who had served his people so lovingly and graciously Nellis. On the closest point by saying that you have three possible ways to respond. There are three kinds of people when it comes Thanksgiving. We can look at. In closing, I want to look at the book of Luke to see them. Chapter 12 Luke chapter 12 first, some people never give thanks that this is the category of people who never thank God for anything they think they've done it all themselves. They think they've made their own hay. Luke 1216 he spoke a parable under them, saying, the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully and he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do, because I have no place to bestow my crops and he said this will I do I'll pull down my barns and build greater and there will I bestow all my crops and my goods, or the guy that I'm gone this tremendous crop the wonderful comedy store all out and I will say to my soul soul has much goods laid up for many years. Take Guyanese eat drink and be merry.

Just take the rest of your life to consume all the stuff you've got God set a name you fool, this night thy soul shall be required of the then whose shall those things be, which thou has provided so is he that lay up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. So what's the point. This is the point. He didn't think y'all got anything because he didn't think God is the source of anything. See he thought he set out I'll spend the rest of my life consuming my own accomplishments and he said you died in a die tonight because you didn't recognize. Nothing grows anywhere unless God makes a grow. There's no ground and there's no grain was God makes it and you have not been rich toward God. You have not recognized God as the source of everything, therefore you lose it all. See, these are people who are think of anything they think they did they or their own fortune. They made their own way of life. They grab their own gusto.

They did their own thing. God is even involved. That's one option you can just be one of those people who never give thanks and then there are others who give thanks, but it's hypocritical. Look at chapter 18 of Luke. This is the hypocritical thanks, Luke 18 verse nine.

And here's another parable given to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous.

These are the self-righteous. Two men went to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. Notice he's talking to himself and he says God worships himself.

He's really identifying himself. I think the Nellis and this guy has got an ounce of Thanksgiving in his heart. He's not thanking anybody but himself. He's saying I'm so thankful to me for what I have accomplished.

He sort of tries to make it appear as if this is worship of God. The other man, tax collector, standing afar off, would lift up his eyes to heaven, but Simone's breast, saying God be merciful to me a sinner.

Jesus said, I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone that exalts himself should be abased, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted. See, there are some people who never give thanks in all other other people to just go around thanking themselves under the guise of their thanking got there self-righteous that separate hypocritical is 1/3 category in Luke 17. The truly thankful this a beautiful story. Marita very rapidly. Verse 11 of Luke 17 it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

Does he enter into a certain village, there met him 10 men that were lepers who stood afar off, and they lifted up their voices and said Jesus master, have mercy on us, and when he saw them he said under them, go show yourselves of the priests came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed and one of them.

How many one of them.

Only 1/10 when he saw that he was healed, turned back in with a loud voice glorified God, it fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks mean only one is thankful out of 10 and he was a Samaritan halfbreed, an outcast and Jesus answering said, were there not 10 cleansed where the nine there are not found that returned to give glory to God except the stranger and he said unto him, arise, go thy way, thy faith have saved the I think it's saying in other words, the 10 got healing but only one got salvation. Listen, that's true.

Thanks that's true.

Thanks.

The rest got what they wanted and what they wanted. Was there selfishness fulfilled. They wanted to get rid of their disease, but made them a social outcast. The other one the magnificent minority gave Christ what Christ wanted glory see the difference. Some of us are satisfied to get what we want and we don't even think about Christ.

Others are concerned with the glory that he wants and deserves gratitude. Beloved is man it is best in gratitude is man at his David said thus I will publish with the voice of Thanksgiving until all thy wonders. We of all people should be thankful you know if we never had anything but Jesus Christ.

We should be thankful because of having Christ, we have everything for you, grace to you with John MacArthur thanks for tuning in today.

John is Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary and his current study is titled living in the spirit John you are teaching on Ephesians is what got me really excited about that book.

First of all, and I love every chapter of it, but I have to say chapter 5 is my favorite in this material and living in the spirit absolutely amazing and revolutionary to help our listeners get their arms around what you've just finished summarize for us this thing called living in the spirit.

What is it really what how does it change a person's life. Well II think sometimes in the contemporary Christian world. We think that living in the spirit is some kind of mystical transcendental experience. Some some almost supernatural miracle or mystical intuitive voice from heaven. The fact of the matter is that living in the spirit simply means walking one step at a time in obedience to the Holy Spirit. It's not that you're going to feel the Holy Spirit. There is no mechanism by which you can feel the Holy Spirit.

It's not that you're going to have some kind of a demonstrable recognition some mechanism inside of you.

That's going to say while the Holy Spirit is at work in me now.

It is simply living life. One step at a time walking in the spirit simply means living life consistently with the will of the Spirit.

How do you know the will of the spirit. You know the will of the spirit because he revealed his will on the pages of holy Scripture sold don't think of being filled with the spirit as some kind of one-time event or some kind of repeated event. It's the way we are to live every single day. Love you like spiritual breathing to take your next step in obedience to the will of the spirit. Ephesians 5 says that we are to be filled with the spirit and speak to ourselves in Psalms him spiritual songs and so forth. Colossians 3 says let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, and then speak to yourselves in Psalms him spiritual songs. So if you have the same outcome. Then the cause of those outcomes is the same rights are being filled with the Spirit in Ephesians is exactly the same as letting the word of Christ dwell in you richly in Colossians. So what is that the word of Christ is divine revelation being filled with the spirit means you walk consistently in obedience to the will of God revealed in the Scripture that is a spirit filled life. Now look, the series is been wrapped up we said a lot need to go back and listen to it again and you're able to do that we can provide for you living in the spirit series on seven CDs if you would like to get the CDs to use in a Bible study or any other way that you would choose they are available from Grace to you, reasonably priced, the whole series living in the spirit package and seven CDs.

This really incredibly important message for every believer is available through grace to you and this material is crucial for any believer who wants to grow spiritually through the spirit you experience victory over sin and other incredible blessings that God has promised to his children to make sure you know how the Holy Spirit works in your life pick up the study. John just wrapped up living in the spirit.

Contact us today. You can call our toll-free number 855 grace or go to our website Jide TY.org living in the spirit comes in a seven CD album it's affordably priced and shipping is free and if you'd like to put this series on your smart phone you can download every message for free at our website. In fact, all of John's sermons 3500 of them total are free to download at TY.also friend if you are benefiting from these lessons know that's happening across the globe. People are benefiting because men and women like you support us financially.

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Call 855 grace or go to Jide TY.that's our website one more time. Jide TY.org and now for John MacArthur in the entire Greece team staff. I'm Phil Johnson inviting you back for tomorrow's broadcast the series. John will start tomorrow shows you how to avoid distractions, how to keep your focus on Christ.

It's titled reaching for the prize. Don't miss the next 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on wasting