Why Thanksgiving Changes Everything Part 2

Weavers were told to give thanks in everything.

Some will say you mean the mom to be thankful for calamity today will sharpen our focus on why we can and must be thankful why and how we can rejoice, no matter what the circumstances.

With the Moody Church in Chicago this morning to win with Dr. Sir, whose clear teaching sauce make it across the finish line. Sometimes it's tough to be thankful help us learn to rejoice rather than become better day. One of the things that we have to do and I frequently have experiences in my own life is to simply reject those feelings of ungratefulness. My unwillingness to be thankful and to choose to obey God and in everything give thanks.

It's amazing how that that kind of thanksgiving does indeed change everything will today. Of course, is a very special day of Thanksgiving and I want to simply express from my heart to yours. Our appreciation for the many of you who are part of this ministry. Those who listen. Those who contribute together we are making a difference. And even as we give thanks to God. Today I'm going to be thanking God for you, for all who are listening and for all those who have a part as we are committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ want you to listen carefully now because I really do believe that Thanksgiving does change everything you rejoice not because of what is happening to you necessarily, you don't rejoice in the pain and the hard they're not the source of your joy. In fact, as we mentioned there.

Oftentimes, the source of our complaint, but rather what you do is you rejoice in the Lord now appear here today and you're investigating Christianity or maybe you're a visitor and maybe you're a regular attender but you do not know Jesus personally.

You may be religious but you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ you can't understand that phrase because it is only when we know them personally when we can come into his presence. When we connect with him and we know that we are connecting with him because he's forgiven our sins and we belong to him forever. It is in that set of circumstances, we rejoice in the Lord, we rejoice in who is, and we rejoice at times when rejoicing seems to be the last thing in the world. We as Christians should be like an oasis in the desert. I've been in a desert I did in the Sinai Peninsula many years ago you go day after day and then suddenly you see some trees and because you see trees you know that there is an oasis.

There because there must be hidden streams feeding that clump of trees and there are streams feeding very same way your circumstances at work in the office are just like everybody else's, but you're not overcome by them. You don't complain like the others. Why because you have a hidden source of strength and faith in you. Rejoice in the Lord always. That's what the text says now then also it says let your reasonableness be known unto all men reasonableness.

We could also use the word patience. Let your patience be known to all because you see you don't always have to get your way you don't always have to win at the stresses off because you have resources inner resources you know God and so as a result of that you can be patient and then you'll notice it says do not be anxious about anything.

Well, I have to read that again does it say that it does. Don't be anxious about anything you say anything. I don't know I'm just reading the text. It includes your circumstances, your health, your relationship, your future.

That's what the text says. And then it says with prayer and supplication and appreciation Thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And that piece of God, which surpasses all understanding. It doesn't make sense. You should be tied up in a knot just like everyone else should be you should be filled with anxiety like all of the people of the world should be filled with anxiety and you're not. So it surpasses all understanding and pulses, it may keep your heart and your mind in Jesus Christ. It guards actually that's the word. It guards now you've seen, I'm sure.

Perhaps you've been in cities that have walls and that's the imagery that's here and in Europe.

Today there are still some cities like that even though they've outgrown their walls.

The walls are often times there and they would have centuries of soldiers that were looking out or what her enemies they were guarding the place that the peace of the city might be maintained and they were guarding it against enemies. How does giving thanks to God with prayers and supplications, with thanksgiving, how does it guard our minds from does it guard our mind. It guards it from the enemies of the mind and the enemies are fear and dread. Because of the future anger because of circumstances, and in justice, guilt can destroy you if you don't take care of it and then accept God's forgiveness and God's peace and so what happens is the peace of God, acts as a guard to keep us from all of the things that want to disrupt us in the midst of circumstances that we can't control that break in upon us without warning and there's nothing we can do about it and notice the thoroughness of it all. I love it.

It says he will keep your hearts your heart so that you may feel the right things and not feel the wrong things and your mind so that you might not think of the wrong things and there you are as a bird nestled in the barrel of a Canon with your nest surrounded by circumstances that you do not understand, and you can control, but you are at peace. I'm ever going through a trial in which my peace was disrupted hugely disrupted, but the verse that kept coming back to me.

Is this that thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on the and this is what I discovered what I discovered was that if I gave thanks to God for what was happening even though what was happening was, I believe, unjust. As long as I was giving thanks peace came giving thanks was difficult because because of the unpredictability of God. Just because you're trusting God doesn't mean how that you know how it's going to turn out. That's why the apostle Paul here doesn't say that you pray and supplicate and give thanks to God and whatever it is you ask God for you'll get not out in the text is going to give you peace but is not necessarily going to give you what you ask for, and this unpredictability of God can destroy us and as a result of that we can find ourselves filled with fear and anger and all of those other things that erode the soul, but the bottom line is, when we give ask, we are affirming the sovereignty of God.

We are affirming the wisdom of God.

We are affirming as we've learned the goodness of God, and in that changes our entire perspective, it changes everything you're going through a trial first thing you want to do first thing just about to say thank you father for this, and then live that way now couple of practical observations. Your number one you know what if your complainer and your there's some people who are I don't want to pick on women but I do remember one said pastor. She said if I gave myself to God like you're speaking about and get rid of all of my anger and all of my complaining. She said my problem is I that nothing to think about all that some of you it is in your DNA.

It is it is part of who you are. It's your personal I dented complain complain complain complain. We can take care that right here. I'm serious. Here's what you do every time you hear complain come out of your mouth. Ask the Holy Spirit to rebuke you and you turn it into a praise always everything that happens you don't like the food.

Remember Israel in the desert.

God says your complaining against me. This is what I gave you don't like it. Hey, don't complain your complaining against me now what you need to do is every time you want to complain, even about the weather in Chicago that's common what you say is the Lord.

Thank you and then fill in the blank you fill in the blank I given this illustration before but it is so good that you need to hear it again. I needed to hear it again. Remember, Matthew Henry was a commentator, wrote a commentary on the whole Bible, but he was robbed of one night and a thief grabbed his wallet and when Henry got home that night he wrote in his diary for things to be thankful for number one. This is the first time I've been robbed. That's good to be thankful for number two, even though he took my wallet.

He did not take my life. That's something to be thankful for number three. Even though he took all that I had. It wasn't much, and then he said most profoundly, I think God that was I was robbed and I was not the robber in that great Lisa Beamer is a name that you'll all be familiar with. It was her husband Todd you member as the plane was going across Pennsylvania that her husband Todd evidently said let's roll and it was some people on the plane that overcame the hijackers so that the plane went down in the fields of Pennsylvania rather than hitting the White House or some other building in Washington.

She wrote a book entitled, let's roll based on experience and her husband endured in the interviews that she gave later. She said that when Todd's birthday came around she was very sad and we could understand that. So she decided to take her children to a play just to do something a little bit lighthearted for Todd's birthday and then as she was coming home. Her son David and I don't know how old he was maybe seven or eight she he said to her mommy why are you so sad and she's why I'm so sad because your daddy isn't here so that we could celebrate his birthday together. And David said, as only a child would, but mom we can still have cake can't wait. I'm speaking today to some of you have lost a loved one, you don't know how you're going to go on you miss them very deeply and well, you might and you don't thank God that they're gone. At least I hope that you don't thank God that they're gone, but maybe you can still have some cake. There's always something for which we can thank God, the Bible does not say for everything give thanks, but in everything give thanks, best illustration, Joe loses 10 children, 10 fresh graves on the hillside.

Imagine that praise that night and says the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Christians are a thankful people they thank God they aren't a bunch of whiners and complainers. They thank God.

Just this morning I was think of all the things that I could thank God and I just ran out just just thinking about that I could get up in the morning that I'd close to where that I'd food to eat any. You just begin to praise God and you begin to realize we have more things to thank God for.

And yet do we do we complain Thanksgiving changes everything. Also what we need to do is to look beyond the present. This is the Christian hope we look beyond the present to the future and that's why we are able to endure that which comes to us because we believe that eternity is coming and Paul says that the sufferings of this present world are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.

And so, no matter how hard it is. Eternity is coming. Time is short eternity as long so we are up. Thank you.

People because we know things that perhaps others don't.

That in God's word. It has been revealed to us what God will do and we are grateful because we have so committed ourselves to him. We are living for his glory and the peace of God which passes all understanding, shall keep our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.

Perhaps the name Martin ring Kurt doesn't mean much to you, but he was a pastor in Germany during the 30 years war in the 1600 for some time.

He was the only pastor in the Walden city of Island Bird, Saxony. Many people in the city were casualties of the war are victims of hunger and illness during the great pestilence of 1637 ring Kurt ministered to the people of the city and it is believed catch this. I can't get my mind around it that he conducted as many as 4500 funerals sometimes as many as 40 or 50 a day. One of them was for his wife.

He was a man of frail body but heroic character ring. Kurt faithfully served the people of his congregation and community there in Bielenberg from 1617 until his death in 1649. One day he wanted to write some words for his children for devotions at supper time these the words that he wrote now thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices who wondrous things happen. John, in whom this world rejoices from our mother's arms have blessed us on our way with countless gifts of love and still is ours today and we still sing the words.

Why could he write that he believed in a God who could be trusted with power and goodness, wisdom, and he also believed that eternity is coming Thanksgiving changes everything. It'll lift your burden's it'll free you from anger from fear and everything give thanks that are some of you.

You need to begin at the beginning of this because you say why this is more than I can handle that. You don't talk to God like I'm suggesting that we as believers do what you need to do is to thank God for something you need to begin by thanking him that Jesus died on the cross for sinners, so that our sins could be taken away so that we can be reconciled to God. And in that reconciliation to know him so personally that we can thank him and rejoice in him, even when things go bad and Frank, and we know her story that I do not think and dwell on the Ms. array but on the glory that remains.

She was thankful in the midst of her persecution in the midst of her story in the midst of her death Thanksgiving changes everything. Let's pray receive now, Lord God, our Thanksgiving we have nothing to say to you, except thank you, thank you for Jesus, thank you for your grace. Thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you that you bear burdens. Thank you that you care about us.

Thank you that you don't forget about us when were going through hard times. Thank you thank you thank you for the reversals because when things are going bad. We thank you that for the Christian they're actually going very good because you're working them to your purpose. Thank you and thank you that you're trustworthy. We thank you for your faithfulness in Jesus name.

This is pastor listen I can't help but think that there is some of you who have listened to this message you've gone through a very difficult season in your life. Maybe you've lost a loved one.

Maybe a child has wandered away from God and you are spending your time often in prayer and in tears so you're asking the question, how can I give thanks to God for an accident that may have happened for illness for all of these challenges of life. So let me explain to you that being thankful is not contrary to sorrow it's possible for us to go through a time of sorrow.

But even in that sorrow. We still have reason to give thanks to God. So I want you to take this message about Thanksgiving very seriously, because when God said in everything give thanks.

What he meant was, we have the privilege of seeing things from God's standpoint because he does work all things for our good. Want to close today in prayer. Once again, giving thanks to God and father.

Today we have nothing to ask except we want to give you gratitude for the opportunity to take out time to be reminded of the many blessings in the many challenges you give to us in life. I pray particularly for those who may be experiencing heartbreak and sorrow help them to see you, even in the midst of their grief. We thank you in Jesus name, amen. It's time now for another chance for you to ask pastor looks or a question about the Bible or the Christian life. Betty listens to running to win in Indianapolis and she needs some clarification on an issue that's divided Christians for centuries. She writes I am confused about the concept of predestination. If God predetermined who he would save before the beginning of time, then how can he say salvation is open to all, Betty, I want to commend you for jumping into the deep end of the swimming pool.

As you know, predestination has indeed divided the church as Dave has said it has been a point of controversy. So my answer is going to be very brief. I hope it will be helpful but I also hope that it will encourage you to continue to study this doctrine.

First of all let me begin by saying that indeed salvation is open to all the invitation is given to whosoever will, whosoever desires to come to God can come and is invited to come and is urged to come out where it gets tricky is that the Bible seems to indicate that the desire to come to God is God implanted this is where predestination comes in. So all that we can do is to say at this point that the invitation is for all. But as Jesus said, many are called but few are chosen. The call is to all but some come and some don't.

In the Bible seems to indicate that this is dependent upon God and is working but don't ever let that become a stumbling block to your witness because the God not only ordains the end of how things are going to turn out but also the means and therefore God uses us to fulfill his purposes we have to do our side and we have to trust God to do his thanks for listening Betty and keep listening.

Keep studying. Keep praying. Some wise counsel once again from Dr. Erwin looks or if you'd like to hear your question answered.

You can just go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask pastor looks or or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us at running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago Roy 60614. What was it like before the earth was created. Ever wonder next time I'm running to win.

We begin a series on how everything began. Don't miss what is God up to.

Thanks for listening. This is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the Moody Church