Everyday 'Thank You' (1 Thesssalonians 5:18)

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Sometimes we find ourselves in evil circumstances, circumstances that are wrought by our own sin or the sin of others. Sometimes we are in the midst of joyous circumstances that are beautiful reflections of God's desire for you and His blessing. In the midst of either, it is God's will for us to give thanks. This week we looked at why a heart that is grateful is foundational to our lives in Christ.



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Thanksgiving Proclamations Through the Years

George Washington, 1789

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

(rest of the proclamation and Abraham Lincoln's famous 1863 proclamation after the jump)

A Conversational Life (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

"Pray continually." - 1 Thessalonians 5:17

If you have a relationship with God, you probably have a sense that you should pray more than you do. The Bible says (in the verse we are looking at this week) "Pray without ceasing." What does that mean? How is it even possible? We know we can't go... around muttering under our breath to God all day and it's hard to understand or know whether we've reached mystical concepts like "practicing the presence of God" or not. This week, we tried to delve into what the Bible means when it tells us to live a life of prayer by looking at the language of this verse and comparing it to the context of the rest of Scripture.

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In this sermon, I challenged everyone to add a prayer discipline this week.  Here is a plan for prayer that I came across this week that you could use to guide your prayers to a biblical focus.

Indestructible Joy (1 Thess. 5:16)

"Be joyful always." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16

There's always a reason to worry.  There's always a reason to mourn.  There's always a reason to get down on yourself and view yourself as a failure.  There's always much to do and deadly serious things to work on and consider.  It's no wonder that Christians have been described as "kind people in a bad mood."  But God's people are told to "Rejoice always."  Is that even possible?  This week we looked at two biblical reasons why we can believe in "indestructible joy."

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Laboring Together (1 Th. 5:12-14)

 

"Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone." - 1 Thessalonians 5:12-14

 

Is our church going to exist as something that happens at times we can mark on a calendar or are we going to live as God’s people, covenanted together to live out our calling here in Stephens, Arkansas?

This week began our "Everyday Church" (based on 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24) with a look at verses 12-14, which teach us how we are to treat one another as we labor together every day for the Lord's purpose.

 

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Holy Desires

What do others have that you want?

 

That question seems to form the basis for any sort of ambition, goal-setting, or purchase that you make. The American way of life sort of runs on that very question. Yet a simplified version of the last

of God's Ten Commandments could be, "Do NOT want what others have." How can this be?

We finish our holiness series with the 10th Commandment, which shows us that God intends to complete His work of holiness in us all the way inward to our hearts and desires.

  

 

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Who Is God?

It's one of the most basic questions of life: "Who is God?"

God has given us His answer:

"The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.  Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished..."  (Exodus 34:6-7)

This God who described Himself to Moses on the mountain revealed Himself ultimately in Jesus Christ.  Who Is God?  Whether you look in the Old Testament or New Testament, you find the same answer.

http://suffronpreachingproject.podbean.com/mf/web/rhwfh2/WhoIsGod.mp3