ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

#1 · November 17, 2009, 11:51 am

Quote from Forum Archives on November 17, 2009, 11:51 am
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

November 15, 2009

Text: Philippians 4:1-9

As I indicated last Sunday, Thanksgiving is one of those times of the year that naturally lends itself to reflection on the meaning of our American heritage. In particular, because our traditional Thanksgiving holiday traces its roots back to the settlers at Plymouth, we remember the hardships they suffered as they made their way to the New World in order to plant a colony where they could worship God with the spiritual purity and fervor that was denied them in their former church in England. One of the lessons that stands no, jumps out at us is that in spite of the severe deprivations they suffered from the time they fled their homes in England to the time they established a sustainable colony, they never backed away from their attitude of gratitude toward God. Listen to this small portion of William Bradfords journal giving the account of their early days at Plymouth: Being thus arrived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean and delivered them from all perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element. But here I cannot but stay and make a pause and stand half amazed at this poor peoples present condition; and so I think will the reader too, when he well considers the same. Being thus past the vast ocean and a sea of troubles before in their preparation, they now had no friends to welcome them, nor inns to entertain or refresh their weather-beaten bodies, no houses or much less towns to repair to, to seek for succor. It is recorded in Scripture as a mercy to the apostle and his shipwrecked company, the barbarians showed them no small kindness in refreshing them, but these savage barbarians, when they met with them were readier to fill their sides full of arrows than otherwise. And for the season, it was winter, and they that know the winters of that country know them to be sharp and violent and subject to cruel and fierce storms, dangerous to travel to known places, much more to search on an unknown coast What could now sustain them but the spirit of God and His grace? May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in the wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord, and he heard their voice and looked on their adversity, etc. Let them therefore praise the Lord, because he is good and his mercies endure forever. Yea, let them which have been redeemed of the Lord show how he hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered in the desert wilderness out of the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before the Lord his loving kindness, and his wonderful works before the sons of men. (William Bradford, History of Plimouth Plantation) Is that not an amazing testimony of faith in and praise to God? As I said last week, Thanksgiving is about giving thanks to God. As Deuteronomy 8:10 tells us, When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

Thanksgiving, giving thanks, is rooted deeply in our lives. In order to be persons of integrity and hope, we need to be thankful. Haven't we all been asked as a child the standard question when someone gave us a gift: Now what do you say? The correct response was never open it. No, we were taught to say, Thank you. Yet, dont you sadly observe with me that our culture appears to moving further away from gratitude and closer to rudeness and outright vulgarity? This is the inevitable result of failing to praise the Lord our God.

Thanksgiving is rooted deeply in our history. We turn to the Bible for the great passages of gratitude by which our fathers and mothers in the faith praised God for His bounty. We turn to the American story to find that same heritage of gratitude that marked us as a people.

Each of us will have favorite passages to which we turn for testimonies of thanksgiving. One of my favorite reminders is found in Paul's letter to the Philippians - the book of joy as it has been sub-titled by some. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

What is it that Paul tells us about thanksgiving? First, thanksgiving is joy. It is rejoicing. It is not primarily joy in material benefits. It is not joy in success or security. It is joy in the Lord. Since it is joy in the Lord, it is ongoing joy. Success alternates with failure. Security can be taken away. Material goods come and go. But the Lord remains forever. Those who rejoice in the Lord can rejoice always. Every day is Thanksgiving Day because God is always God and always our God.

Sounds good in theory, we say, but in practice, it'll never work. I can't go around rejoicing all the time, because I don't feel joyful all the time. When we think like this, we're half right. We don't feel joyful all the time. One definition of attitude is a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state. There are a lot of things that impede feeling joyful. We all experience the death of family, friends, and neighbors, which affects how we feel. We have seen and experienced the financial turbulence of our economy. We have faced uncertain job prospects. None of these cause us to feel joyful.

But I said that thinking only like this makes us at best half right. For the rest of the definition of attitude is this: a mental position with regard to a fact or state. The emotional state of joy is only one part of being joyful. We can also choose to be joyful. God knows the people He has created; He knows that our emotions affect us. But He also invites us to respond to Him with both heart and head. Be angry and sin not, from Ephesians 4, is an excellent testimony of this. Our emotional state does not give us justification to sin. Paul could have written with equal validity Be sad and sin not; Be happy and sin not; Be depressed and sin not; Be elated and sin not.

We find Paul calling for thanksgiving, but not because his life was easy or blissful. He wrote this - his most joyful letter - from prison! He knew that his life was in enormous danger, and he was far from material comfort. Yet, he wrote to his beloved church at Philippi: Rejoice in the Lord always. And in case the message didn't get through: I will say it again: Rejoice! I am certain that these Scriptures are among the thoughts the Pilgrims had when they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean and delivered them from all perils and miseries thereof

Another reality of attitude is its history. It comes from a Latin root meaning fitness. We have to train our attitude just like training as an athlete or musician or artist or any skill. It means practicing to respond to events from a particular state of mind. A past Secret Place devotional reads, A birdwatcher spots more birds than other people. A banker finds more investment opportunities. An optimist finds more good and a pessimist finds more bad. It is awesome to realize we can find whatever we look for. Perhaps the greatest question we can ask ourselves is not What will I find in life today? but What would I like to find in life today? There is much that is good, but we have to look for it if we are to find it. (Dathene Stanley, November 7, 1987) This certainly echoes what Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, and what he has written to the church in Bunker Hill. Don't let your emotions rule your actions, and don't think that the mind can control the emotions. Instead, make them both subject to God. Then our attitude of gratitude will be joy.

Thanksgiving includes caring for other people. Paul says to let your gentleness be evident to all. Thanksgiving is incomplete without sharing. Since we rejoice in Gods goodness, we are open, compassionate, caring, and patient with others. Squanto was the name of the Indian who helped the Pilgrims survive the first winter in 1620. Had he been a man who nursed grudges, he might have faded silently into the woods until he gathered enough braves to sneak back and wipe out the paleface. Squanto had been captured by a greedy British sea captain who sold him into slavery in Spain. Later Squanto escaped to England, and was home again only through the kindness of a man who befriended a forlorn human being in a strange land. As Squanto approached the group of Pilgrims, he astonished them by calling out in English. Soon he was showing them the hunting, fishing, and farming skills of the Indians. He cared for other people.

We see, too, that when the Pilgrims gave thanks to God, they shared the celebration with others. They reached out to the Indians who had helped them find a place in Plymouth. The attitude of gratitude is to include caring for other people.

Thanksgiving for Paul was also freedom from anxiety. Do not be anxious about anything... Even for Christians, this is a tall order. There are too many things to be anxious about. Each generation is labeled as more anxious than the last. Just about everyone can relate with the little boy to his work-bound dad: Daddy, please bring me home a rat from the race today.

Yet Paul, writing from prison without knowing what was being decided about his life in the Roman courts and in the Jewish Sanhedrin, instructed his beloved church at Philippi to be anxious for nothing. It is, once again, attitude. Do we find ways to accept what is happening to us - of trusting in an almighty God? Or do we gloomily resign ourselves to an it's not fair! fate? If we act this way, then we might as well trust the stars for our destiny.

All Christians can be free from anxiety. Not because we think happy thoughts, not because we visualize pleasant futures, not even because we surround ourselves with the fineries of life. We can be free from anxiety because we pray. Yes, pray! ...but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. This is our avenue to the presence of God. We converse with God in prayer. We bring each anxiety, each concern, each hope, and each fear to God in prayer. And we can leave them there! Thanksgiving is freedom from anxiety.

Thanksgiving is peace. Paul's words here are not merely well-wishing, nor even just a benediction. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Interestingly, the use of peace in the New Testament could stand for three different but related meanings. In a few passages, the use seems to indicate all three meanings at the same time. Philippians 4:7 is one of those instances. First is the sense of meaning derived from the classical Greek, or secular, usage. It means pretty much what it does today: freedom from war or strife.

Second, it carries with it an idea of restoration of right relationships. The specific referral in the New Testament is the restored relationship between God and humanity. Before conversion, the person is alienated from God - even an enemy of God. In Christ, however, this wrong relationship has been set right. We have been reconciled to God, and justified by faith. Thus, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Third, there is a usage that comes out of a distinctly Christian meaning. It is best defined as "peace of mind" or serenity. It is the gift of peace which is brought by the Holy Spirit. And this element of its meaning is probably the one that greatest transcends all understanding. This peace cannot be explained. In fact, to try to do so robs it of some of its beauty. It doesn't make sense. This type of peace is illogical when compared to the facts or to our emotions. Yet, it is real, and it is possible through our Lord who has given it to us.

For Paul, the three words in Christ Jesus form the heart of the matter. It is in Christ Jesus that God is present to us. It is in Christ Jesus that God gives us the gifts of gentleness and kindness toward others. It is in Christ Jesus that we can pray with confidence and thanksgiving. Our attitude of gratitude in Christ Jesus gives us true and lasting peace.

What is thanksgiving to be for our people and our church this year? True thanksgiving does not depend fundamentally on whether our lives are filled with material wealth or crowned with popular success. Thanksgiving depends on the bounty of God's love, which is present in the good years and the bad as well.

Thanksgiving does not deny the reality of God's judgment upon us and upon our nation. We have gone astray from God's goodness. We are thankful because our sin is overcome by God's forgiveness. We are thankful because God leads us in paths of greater righteousness.

The promise of Thanksgiving is the promise that Paul sent to the Philippians and which the Pilgrims understood in its entirety: And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

179 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

www.bhfirstbaptist.com
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org   

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

November 15, 2009

Text: Philippians 4:1-9

As I indicated last Sunday, Thanksgiving is one of those times of the year that naturally lends itself to reflection on the meaning of our American heritage. In particular, because our traditional Thanksgiving holiday traces its roots back to the settlers at Plymouth, we remember the hardships they suffered as they made their way to the New World in order to plant a colony where they could worship God with the spiritual purity and fervor that was denied them in their former church in England. One of the lessons that stands no, jumps out at us is that in spite of the severe deprivations they suffered from the time they fled their homes in England to the time they established a sustainable colony, they never backed away from their attitude of gratitude toward God. Listen to this small portion of William Bradfords journal giving the account of their early days at Plymouth: Being thus arrived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean and delivered them from all perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element. But here I cannot but stay and make a pause and stand half amazed at this poor peoples present condition; and so I think will the reader too, when he well considers the same. Being thus past the vast ocean and a sea of troubles before in their preparation, they now had no friends to welcome them, nor inns to entertain or refresh their weather-beaten bodies, no houses or much less towns to repair to, to seek for succor. It is recorded in Scripture as a mercy to the apostle and his shipwrecked company, the barbarians showed them no small kindness in refreshing them, but these savage barbarians, when they met with them were readier to fill their sides full of arrows than otherwise. And for the season, it was winter, and they that know the winters of that country know them to be sharp and violent and subject to cruel and fierce storms, dangerous to travel to known places, much more to search on an unknown coast What could now sustain them but the spirit of God and His grace? May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in the wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord, and he heard their voice and looked on their adversity, etc. Let them therefore praise the Lord, because he is good and his mercies endure forever. Yea, let them which have been redeemed of the Lord show how he hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered in the desert wilderness out of the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before the Lord his loving kindness, and his wonderful works before the sons of men. (William Bradford, History of Plimouth Plantation) Is that not an amazing testimony of faith in and praise to God? As I said last week, Thanksgiving is about giving thanks to God. As Deuteronomy 8:10 tells us, When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

Thanksgiving, giving thanks, is rooted deeply in our lives. In order to be persons of integrity and hope, we need to be thankful. Haven't we all been asked as a child the standard question when someone gave us a gift: Now what do you say? The correct response was never open it. No, we were taught to say, Thank you. Yet, dont you sadly observe with me that our culture appears to moving further away from gratitude and closer to rudeness and outright vulgarity? This is the inevitable result of failing to praise the Lord our God.

Thanksgiving is rooted deeply in our history. We turn to the Bible for the great passages of gratitude by which our fathers and mothers in the faith praised God for His bounty. We turn to the American story to find that same heritage of gratitude that marked us as a people.

Each of us will have favorite passages to which we turn for testimonies of thanksgiving. One of my favorite reminders is found in Paul's letter to the Philippians - the book of joy as it has been sub-titled by some. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

What is it that Paul tells us about thanksgiving? First, thanksgiving is joy. It is rejoicing. It is not primarily joy in material benefits. It is not joy in success or security. It is joy in the Lord. Since it is joy in the Lord, it is ongoing joy. Success alternates with failure. Security can be taken away. Material goods come and go. But the Lord remains forever. Those who rejoice in the Lord can rejoice always. Every day is Thanksgiving Day because God is always God and always our God.

Sounds good in theory, we say, but in practice, it'll never work. I can't go around rejoicing all the time, because I don't feel joyful all the time. When we think like this, we're half right. We don't feel joyful all the time. One definition of attitude is a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state. There are a lot of things that impede feeling joyful. We all experience the death of family, friends, and neighbors, which affects how we feel. We have seen and experienced the financial turbulence of our economy. We have faced uncertain job prospects. None of these cause us to feel joyful.

But I said that thinking only like this makes us at best half right. For the rest of the definition of attitude is this: a mental position with regard to a fact or state. The emotional state of joy is only one part of being joyful. We can also choose to be joyful. God knows the people He has created; He knows that our emotions affect us. But He also invites us to respond to Him with both heart and head. Be angry and sin not, from Ephesians 4, is an excellent testimony of this. Our emotional state does not give us justification to sin. Paul could have written with equal validity Be sad and sin not; Be happy and sin not; Be depressed and sin not; Be elated and sin not.

We find Paul calling for thanksgiving, but not because his life was easy or blissful. He wrote this - his most joyful letter - from prison! He knew that his life was in enormous danger, and he was far from material comfort. Yet, he wrote to his beloved church at Philippi: Rejoice in the Lord always. And in case the message didn't get through: I will say it again: Rejoice! I am certain that these Scriptures are among the thoughts the Pilgrims had when they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean and delivered them from all perils and miseries thereof

Another reality of attitude is its history. It comes from a Latin root meaning fitness. We have to train our attitude just like training as an athlete or musician or artist or any skill. It means practicing to respond to events from a particular state of mind. A past Secret Place devotional reads, A birdwatcher spots more birds than other people. A banker finds more investment opportunities. An optimist finds more good and a pessimist finds more bad. It is awesome to realize we can find whatever we look for. Perhaps the greatest question we can ask ourselves is not What will I find in life today? but What would I like to find in life today? There is much that is good, but we have to look for it if we are to find it. (Dathene Stanley, November 7, 1987) This certainly echoes what Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, and what he has written to the church in Bunker Hill. Don't let your emotions rule your actions, and don't think that the mind can control the emotions. Instead, make them both subject to God. Then our attitude of gratitude will be joy.

Thanksgiving includes caring for other people. Paul says to let your gentleness be evident to all. Thanksgiving is incomplete without sharing. Since we rejoice in Gods goodness, we are open, compassionate, caring, and patient with others. Squanto was the name of the Indian who helped the Pilgrims survive the first winter in 1620. Had he been a man who nursed grudges, he might have faded silently into the woods until he gathered enough braves to sneak back and wipe out the paleface. Squanto had been captured by a greedy British sea captain who sold him into slavery in Spain. Later Squanto escaped to England, and was home again only through the kindness of a man who befriended a forlorn human being in a strange land. As Squanto approached the group of Pilgrims, he astonished them by calling out in English. Soon he was showing them the hunting, fishing, and farming skills of the Indians. He cared for other people.

We see, too, that when the Pilgrims gave thanks to God, they shared the celebration with others. They reached out to the Indians who had helped them find a place in Plymouth. The attitude of gratitude is to include caring for other people.

Thanksgiving for Paul was also freedom from anxiety. Do not be anxious about anything... Even for Christians, this is a tall order. There are too many things to be anxious about. Each generation is labeled as more anxious than the last. Just about everyone can relate with the little boy to his work-bound dad: Daddy, please bring me home a rat from the race today.

Yet Paul, writing from prison without knowing what was being decided about his life in the Roman courts and in the Jewish Sanhedrin, instructed his beloved church at Philippi to be anxious for nothing. It is, once again, attitude. Do we find ways to accept what is happening to us - of trusting in an almighty God? Or do we gloomily resign ourselves to an it's not fair! fate? If we act this way, then we might as well trust the stars for our destiny.

All Christians can be free from anxiety. Not because we think happy thoughts, not because we visualize pleasant futures, not even because we surround ourselves with the fineries of life. We can be free from anxiety because we pray. Yes, pray! ...but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. This is our avenue to the presence of God. We converse with God in prayer. We bring each anxiety, each concern, each hope, and each fear to God in prayer. And we can leave them there! Thanksgiving is freedom from anxiety.

Thanksgiving is peace. Paul's words here are not merely well-wishing, nor even just a benediction. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Interestingly, the use of peace in the New Testament could stand for three different but related meanings. In a few passages, the use seems to indicate all three meanings at the same time. Philippians 4:7 is one of those instances. First is the sense of meaning derived from the classical Greek, or secular, usage. It means pretty much what it does today: freedom from war or strife.

Second, it carries with it an idea of restoration of right relationships. The specific referral in the New Testament is the restored relationship between God and humanity. Before conversion, the person is alienated from God - even an enemy of God. In Christ, however, this wrong relationship has been set right. We have been reconciled to God, and justified by faith. Thus, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Third, there is a usage that comes out of a distinctly Christian meaning. It is best defined as "peace of mind" or serenity. It is the gift of peace which is brought by the Holy Spirit. And this element of its meaning is probably the one that greatest transcends all understanding. This peace cannot be explained. In fact, to try to do so robs it of some of its beauty. It doesn't make sense. This type of peace is illogical when compared to the facts or to our emotions. Yet, it is real, and it is possible through our Lord who has given it to us.

For Paul, the three words in Christ Jesus form the heart of the matter. It is in Christ Jesus that God is present to us. It is in Christ Jesus that God gives us the gifts of gentleness and kindness toward others. It is in Christ Jesus that we can pray with confidence and thanksgiving. Our attitude of gratitude in Christ Jesus gives us true and lasting peace.

What is thanksgiving to be for our people and our church this year? True thanksgiving does not depend fundamentally on whether our lives are filled with material wealth or crowned with popular success. Thanksgiving depends on the bounty of God's love, which is present in the good years and the bad as well.

Thanksgiving does not deny the reality of God's judgment upon us and upon our nation. We have gone astray from God's goodness. We are thankful because our sin is overcome by God's forgiveness. We are thankful because God leads us in paths of greater righteousness.

The promise of Thanksgiving is the promise that Paul sent to the Philippians and which the Pilgrims understood in its entirety: And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

179 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

http://www.bhfirstbaptist.com

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org