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Be a Person Who is Thankful

 

Bible: Colossians 3:15-17

Pastor: David D. Woo

 

Date: November 21, 2010 (Sunday)

 

-Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.  Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.-

 

In today’s Scripture, words of thanks were mentioned by three times.

Verse 15, it said, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful, and verse 16, it said, “singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God, and verse 17, it said, “giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

As we can see here, ‘thanks’ is the alpha and the omega of life, the beginning and the end and whole of life of our believers.

 

A woman believer said this word.

“Subjects on a school curriculum which is thankful to God is the subject that no one can graduate with it and it is a subject that anyone who has been born as human is not able to pass this course.”  It truly is.  Even when we are thankful to parents, we don’t think there is certain level that we can stop thanking them, and much more in God?

I know that believers who came today for worship always are grateful in ordinary times.

 

However, it will be also meaningful if we consider once again about thanks as we greet Thanksgiving today.

Being thankful is the best emotion of human being. It is easy to say, but yet it truly is difficult to own.

Therefore, our nature should be changed as our priority ‘Thankful person’, then, we can become a thankful person completely.

Sometimes I receive the grace when I see believers who always thankful to God not only when they are in good time, but also even in bad time.

                                   

We can say that they are people who are grateful, and their natures are refreshed by nature of thanks.

If we see in 2 Kings 2:19 in the Old Testament, it shows God’s Prophet Elisha relevant work who was inspired by his teacher Elijah.

 

It is the matters that fixes the cause of spring at Jericho that makes water bad and make the spring that gives purified water.  In 2 Kings 2:19 people complained, “Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold now, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad and the land is unfruitful.”  

     

Elisha told them to bring salt put it in a new jar, and he went out to the spring of water and threw salt in it, and then, from the moment, water changed to pure and the land is fruitful.

When I went to Jericho long time ago, I also visited the spring and I saw a gushing clean spring and people were farming with the water.  And fruits of Jericho was truly sweet and taste was different  I pray that sprinkle the salt of grace to our spirit water that is bad and cannot bear the fruit, so that we will be able to changed by beautiful nature that makes the fresh water of thank.

 

Only thankful person can get into the door, and will meet our God, and praise Him.

We have a reason to thank to God forever as His children who received God’s calling in this world.  So, who truly is thankful to God truly?

 

1).  A person who get salvation thanks.

 

People make musical instrument to listen beautiful music.

God made us to receive praise and thanks from us. But, Satan tempted people and dragged people down to betray God.

In Romans 1:21 Paul said, “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”  This is the human’s image who degraded.

 

Therefore, a person who did not receive the grace of salvation, there is no thanks.  However, God who is full of love and mercy sent His Only Son to forgive our sins and save us by power of Son’s precious blood.  Finally, God makes us as ‘a thankful person’, I believe.

From this moment, he realizes God’s amazing love that cannot be measured and become a person of thanks and give glory to the Lord.  And he praises the God who gave the salvation, and also thank to God and praise the glory seeing heaven and earth.

 

In Psalm 19:1-4 David said, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.  Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.  There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard.  Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world In them He has placed a tent for the sun.”

To a person who is saved truly, everything is thankful, there is nothing to not thank.  His nature has completely changed to a thankful person now.

 

The reason that Thanksgiving started from the United States of America is, it is because this country built in based on salvation in Jesus and people who knows God. If fathers of the founding of this country were people who do not know Jesus, Thanksgiving Day would never be begun in this country.

 

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” (Verse 15)  I truly pray that Christ’s peace runs in our heart like a river and always overflowed with thanks.

 

Thanksgiving is the biggest characteristic difference between unbeliever and people who received salvation.  Like someone said, it must be the true that the Kingdome of Heaven is the place that overflows with thanks and hell is the place that overflows with resentment and imprecation and lamentation.  I pray for our members who received salvation that thanks overflows on this Thanksgiving Day.

2). There is thank with a person who do not forget the grace.

People who received salvation say how they can forget the grace, but, actually, people always forget the grace and live.  That’s how people are.

When Zion was released and saved in Egypt, when they crossed over the Red Sea miraculously, they danced and sang and praised with joy and thanked to God.  But, in less than three days, when they arrived at “Mara”, they complained and resented God and Moses for bad water.  This is a human being nature.

 

If we see in Gospel, there were ten lepers came to Jesus and everyone cured by Him.  However, only Samaritan one came and thanked to Jesus later.  So, Jesus felt and asked, “Didn’t ten people get cleaned? Where is the rest? Except this gentile, no one come to thank and glory to God?”  And Lord even saved his soul who came back and thanked to Him as well as cleansed his body

We must always remember the grace of Lord.

In Deuteronomy 32:18 it reproached Israel who forgot grace, “You neglected the Rock who begot you, and forgot the God who gave you birth.”

 

Before those Africans who got salvation through believing in Jesus thought that how they can express their love and thank for the grace that they received.  Hereupon, if they has burnt campfire in the yard, they see a worm wriggled because it is hot,

then they took it out of fire.  And they started to dance and sing like, “Jesus saved us like this from the fire of hell that we will never die forever,” and thanked to Lord.

 

We must remember the word in Isaiah 51:1 it said, “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, who seek the Lord; look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the quarry from which you were dug.”

God discontinues giving grace to a person who forgets the grace, and I believe that He adds the grace more on the grace to this person who remembers the grace.  I pray for you to become one who engraves all the graces in the heart that received from God and always remember and thank to Him.

 

3). A person who is satisfied with whatever thank to God.

A Person who is satisfied with, can be rejoiced and is thankful even if he is in poverty. But, a person who cannot satisfied with anything, is worried and cannot thank to anything even if he is in opulence.  Therefore, it is a thing a person shouldn’t thank when its only they are in abundant material; it is the thing that he is satisfied with what he has now.

 

Apostle Paul encouraged Timothy like this, “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.  For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.  If we have food and covering with these we shall be content.” (1 Timothy 6:6-8)  Beside Paul encouraging others, he always lives thankful life and satisfied what he got. “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filed and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.” (Philippians 4:11-12)

 

King Jahae in time of old Korean Shilla era, there was a person called by Park, Moon Ryang was also called as “Sir, Baek Gyul” because he sewed clothes hundred times because of poverty.  Today we eat so well and wear so well and live graciously. He lived like this even if he didn’t have anything, but his wife envied whenever she hears sound of rice-flour mill at next door house on festive day. Park, Moon Ryang played Korean harp to comfort his wife who was listening the sound of rice-flour mill.

 

However, this person’s self-sufficiency became his moral culture and nature which is person’s thing, but our self-sufficiency becomes by the grace of Lord which is God’s thing.

Truly, come to think of it, when I was overflowed with God’s Word and His grace, even if I do not have much materially, I always satisfied and thanked according to my experience and it is same now.

 

Prophet Habakkuk sang like this in Habakkuk 3:17, “Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.”

When Lord’s grace is poured in my spirit truly, I can thank and satisfied in any circumstance. And I can thank and glory to God if I stay in Christ’s word as the Word on verse 16 today.

 

I know there are members who are suffering from depression this year.  However, we already received great blessing and grace that we cannot calculate. Also, I want you to thank that even if it is so hard, we are not going hungry or live without clothes or home.  I pray for you to become one who is satisfied whatever the situation and thank to God in the grace of our Lord.

 

4). A person of self-sacrifice thanks.

People who always like to receive without giving are very stingy for thank.

Judas Iscariot among Jesus’ twelve disciples followed by intention that wished to gain something good. There was no self-sacrifice for Lord.

 

So, if we see Gospel, when Maria came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, she broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head, he was the first one who blamed and rebuked her harshly.  Judas Iscariots criticized Maria like this, “For this perfume might have been sold for over 300 denarius, and the money given to the poor.”  But, the Bible said, Judas Iscariot says so, but he was trying to steal the money that is fact.  Like this, he who only thought to steal the money, there was no sacrifice for Lord and finally he sold Jesus with 30 silvers.

 

But, Judas Iscariot regretted greatly later, and returned the money to priest and hung himself.  However, those disciples such as Peter, John, Matthew, Thomas and Apostle Paul devoted to Lord, and lived their life with thank truly.

When we devote to Lord, the grace becomes my grace truly.  Even if we receive the grace, if there is no sacrifice, the grace will be disappeared, and even if we believe in Jesus, if there is only complain and resent without thank, I am not a thankful person.

 

Believer Nikolaus Zinzendorf (1700-1760) in 18 century was a person who truly loved Lord.  Once, he read phrase that is used like this under the Cross.  “I died thus for you, what do you do for me?”  After he saw this phrase, he was moved greatly, and has thrown away his honorable position of count.  And he shared his property of immense sum of money with poor people and devoted to Lord.  He established brotherhood which is known as Moravianism that it fervently devoted Lord.

 

We which received love and the grace of God, must devoted our time and material and offer our body.  Only a person who devoted to Lord thanks.

Let me conclude today’s word. 

Who is the thankful person?

-          A person who received salvation.

-          A person who do not forget grace.

-          A person who is satisfied in any circumstance.

-          And a person of self-sacrifice.

In Britain proverb, it said, “Thank is not virtuous conduct that is given in the past, and it is virtuous conduct that fatten my future.”

Most of us are lacking with thanks’ life and falling from the spiritual life.

 

It is important to pray for the blessing of future, but more than this, thanks life brings abundance and greater progress in spiritual life.

As Pastor Spurgeon said, when we thank for God’s mercy, God’s mercy is even more abundant to me, and when we even thank in trouble days, will see the trouble goes away.  Thanks is truly honey of life for thankful believers that can receive His guidance and the grace.

Jesus Christ is our lever of thank that our believers can thank. 

 

Even if this world is in my hand, what‘s the good of having a world if there is no Jesus?  But, if we have nothing, with Jesus only, we have everything.

It is because all the blessing of God is in Jesus.

 

Eternal country is inherited through His Only Son Jesus Christ.  Therefore, on verse 17 it said, “ Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”  Lord is the reason that we are thankful.

 

Our thank will show our Lord Jesus Christ name after all, and give glory to eternal the Father.

I pray for all of you that thank overflows in this Thanksgiving Day, and our thank is more abundant day by day, and His grace and blessing overflow during our life in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who is love.

Amen!