Lets read together 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (Page 1171 of pew Bibles). This is where were going to park it this morning. This is not a long verse, but its packed full. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus. How many of you have ever said I want to know Gods will for my life? Youve said that prayer like that. This is one of those where it says, Heres Gods will for you. You might read a scripture like that and say, Well, does He maybe have another will? Any other scriptures you could say are His will? This is one of the toughest scriptures there is to live out, to give thanks in all circumstances. This is Gods will for you. How many of you this week have grumbled or complained or had negative thoughts and expressed those about something going on in your life? Let me see those hands. Look around you. Not many saints here today. Before youre seated, turn around to the person next to you, and say, Looks like hes going to be talking about you this morning, and then you can have a seat. Sometimes we try to change our services up, and I try to do that with our preaching too. Sometimes were in the Old Testament; sometimes were in the New Testament. Sometimes were having a Bible study. Ill just sit down on the stool, and well just go through verse by verse. Sometimes its a topical sermon; sometimes its a sermon on the text; sometimes its devotional. I try to change the preaching style as well. This morning with Thanksgiving coming, I thought itd be good to have more of a devotional style of our time together. So what this time is this morning is really a time of reflection, just to give you a thought to ponder. Im really focusing on a central theme to take home with you that will just help you in your outlook of the day. Thats what a devotional does. So, its Thanksgiving-a patriotic and religious holiday. It conjures up those feelings of patriotism and of faith. Were also, in our series on the Truth Project, talking about the American experiment. We talked about it with our Forefathers, so I thought maybe well put a little pilgrim stuff in there. So, were going to combine this morning; well have a devotional that combines our theme along with some thoughts on the Thanksgiving holiday. Im going to be asking you to participate in the service this morning. We have a tradition come Thanksgiving. Sometimes we do this on Wednesday nights, sometimes on the weekend service, where you have an opportunity to share something youre thankful for. Were not going to do the traditional kind of way this morning. Youll see what I mean in just a little while. Thanksgiving really is an attitude. Its an expression of an attitude or an outlook on our circumstances. Its a matter of perspective. Were going to talk a little bit about attitude. I heard a story about a woman who had a tremendously positive, optimistic attitude towards life. For a guy to lose our hair, we dont like it, but we kind of accept it. Thats part of our life. When I was losing my hair and I was bummed out about it, my wife once said to me, Well, thats just what guys do. I said, Well, would you like it? She said, No. I said, What makes you think we like it? It happens, but we dont necessarily like it. Well, theres this story about a woman was losing hair. She decided she was going to keep a positive outlook. She woke up, it was just falling out, less and less hair everyday. She woke up one day and only had three long hairs left on her whole head. But her attitude of optimism was really important to her, so she woke up, looked in the mirror and smiled, and said, I have three hairs. I shall braid my hair today. So she braided her three hairs, and she had a great day. The next day she woke up and had two hairs left on her head. She said, I have two hairs. That means I shall part my hair today. So she parted her hair, one hair going this way and one hair going that way. She parted her hair and she had a great day. The next day she woke up, she had one hair left. Thats all, one hair. She said, I only have one hair, so Im going to have a ponytail today. So she made a ponytail out of her one strand of hair. The next day she woke up, no hair-not a strand. She looked in the mirror and said, What a wonderful day. I dont even have to mess with my hair today. So no matter what the circumstance was, she found a way to be thankful in it. Thats what were going to be talking about. From the raise of hands I saw earlier, it looks like were talking to the right crowd. So, in 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul says first of all, Give thanks. Thanksgiving is something you give. It is something you express. It is something that you have. Its an active thing, not a passive thing, to give thanks. Why do you think its so important? This certainly isnt the only place where God says to give thanks. Why does God stress this so much? Why is this so important for you and me to express our thanks? Because…whats the alternative? If we dont express Thanksgiving, we become angry, bitter, negative, a downward spiral, depressed, despair. God wants us to have a vital optimism in life. After all, Hes still the Lord, so we give thanks, and it has to be expressed. Ive looked through the glass here, and I have a note. The note is actually to you too. It says, Pastor Jeff and Brenda, I love you both very much. Its signed by a member of our congregation. It was here one day when I came up to preach. I thought, Oh, thats nice. Im going to keep it there. I looked down there, and I see somebody loves me, and they expressed it. You give thanks. As we think about Thanksgiving, we reflect on our Forefathers. We reflect on the first Thanksgiving. I had the opportunity to go with my family to Massachusetts several years ago. It was a very memorable family vacation. Our goal was to become familiar with the Pilgrims, so we went to Plymouth Plantation. We went to the replica of the Mayflower. We just took it all in and learned a lot. We learned about the sacrifices they made. It started back in England, back in the early 1600s. They desired to remove themselves from the Anglican Church. The Anglican Church had a rather suspicious beginning. It was not a matter of reform that they pulled away from the Catholic Church. It was because the king wanted to marry another woman, and the Pope would not grant his divorce. So, in order to do what he wanted to do, he withdrew from the Catholic Church, and they started the Anglican Church. The Anglican Church had a very set way of doing things. Whats more, it was illegal not to go to church. If you didnt go to church, you were fined. Then, if you continued on in that practice, you could be imprisoned. If you continued on in that practice, you could be punished more severely. You could even die. So many of the first separatists-I use the word separatists for pilgrims because they didnt know they were pilgrims; the word pilgrims was not used until 170 years later. They saw themselves as saints, and the people who were on the boat with them were the strangers. They were the saints, the separatists. So they decided that there was no reconciling with the Anglican Church. The puritans wanted to look within the church to have reform. The separatists said, Theres no hope. So they set sail for the Netherlands. For 12 years, they stayed there. The children were becoming more Dutch than English. They didnt like that either. So they decided to come to America for an experiment, if you will. They received some financing from some adventurers, some merchant capitalists. In agreement to send back a percentage of their profits for seven years, they would finance their expedition. There were two ships; one didnt sail very well-I think it was called the Speedwell. So they embarked on the second ship called the Mayflower. Weve been in an exact replica of the Mayflower, and its not very big. Think about 102 people traveling in that little space; not just traveling, we have to think about them crossing the ocean. We are talking about 3,000 miles at 2 miles an hour. That was the speed from which they crossed the ocean. To give you a perspective, school started around September 5 or so. One week later, September 12, if you had a child in school, theyd been in a school for a week when you started your journey on the Mayflower. You would have just arrived in Plymouth. Now, 66 days later, howd you like to be on that trip? Talk about sea-sick. For 66 days, there had been non-stop movement. They encountered storms; they encountered a ship wreck; they encountered a passenger dying. There was a little bit of a mutiny on the ship because when they didnt land in Virginia, then instead landed in Cape Cod, they said, Hey, we dont have to follow the direction of King James. We can do our own thing. So right away, the pilgrims thought this whole thing is just going to blow up. So they drafted a document called the Mayflower Compact. Im not reading the whole thing for you, but I will read their purpose statement. In the Mayflower Compact, they said they had two purposes for coming to North America. Number one was for the glory of God, that they could worship any way they wanted to. They had religious freedom, freedom to express their faith as they were lead of God to do so. Secondly, they came for the advancement of the Christian faith. When they got here, they were going to share their faith. From those who were in Jamestown to the indigenous natives they would encounter, their purpose was to share their faith. Theres a lot of revisionist history going out there. It will tell you different reasons why the pilgrims came here and different reasons why they had Thanksgiving, Oh it was only to thank the Indians. You have no idea who these people were then if thats what you believe. These were people of strong conviction, of strong faith who literally risked their lives to come to this country to start a new world in which they would share their faith and in which they were free to worship God as they believed. But when they got to our country, it was not a good situation. Number one, it was November. Winter was coming. Think about it, as they got off the Mayflower, there was nobody. The Indians, many of them had died off from small pox not long ago, not long before their arrival. There is no Holiday Inn; theres no Howard Johnson. There is no McDonalds. Theres no place to eat; theres no place to sleep. They had no homes. They had limited supplies, and winter was coming. They get off the boat. Think about that. Think about the sacrifice they would make. The cold came, and they did not have adequate housing. They did not have adequate food because they were farmers. They were not hunters. They were not fishermen. They were farmers who lived in a city, so they didnt have those skills. So, historically, the first month, they caught one fish, and they shot no game. You do the math, one fish, no game. So they lived on their rations. Many of them would become ill and starve. One life was lost on the Mayflower; almost half were lost in that first winter. In the spring, hope came. An Indian came by the name of Samoset. He said, Hello English, I am Samoset. Do you have beer? Thats not a joke. Thats literally what he said because he had encountered other ships from other sailors like in Jamestown. They always had beer, so he wanted to find out if they had brought that beverage which was unique from their land. He said, Do you have beer? The pilgrims could not believe that God had sent an English-speaking Indian their way. Soon, were introduced to Squanto. He spoke fluent English. He showed them how to plant and how to hunt, to trap, and fish. So in October, they gathered together with 90 Braves. Massasoit, the King of the tribe, Squanto, and Samoset, Bradford and all the other pilgrims celebrated and gave thanks to God for His blessing. Think about it. They had just gone through a period of cold. They suffered from starvation; they lost family members and friends, their church members. Theyd gone through all of the suffering; yet, in spite of that, they were able to offer up thanks. For three days, they gathered. The main course was deer, not turkey. For three days they gathered, played games, held competitions, and enjoyed fellowship with one another. The fact that they could give thanks in those situations humbles me. I dont know what kind of year youve had, but I dont think it includes the threat of starvation. I dont think this winter youre anticipating that youre going to be in a situation where you might freeze to death. Thats what they encountered. They encountered that to experience what you and I now enjoy, freedom of religion, the ability to share our faith and freedom. Thats why they endured that. It says, Give thanks in all circumstances, Paul writes. He didnt say, Give thanks for all circumstances. He said, Give thanks in all circumstances. That says you look at your circumstances through a different lens, a different perspective. Lieutenant Harper likes to send out emails to me, and I save them every once in a while. One really ministered to me. Some of these things Im going to share with you, you might have even grumbled and complained about this very week. This person says to give thanks in all things, and I give thanks for the taxes I pay because it means that Im employed. Give thanks for the mess after the get together because it means I have friends. Give thanks for the clothes that fit too snug because it means I have enough to eat. Dont let that stop you from getting pies after church, though. Give thanks for the lawn mowing and the shoveling and the windows that need to be cleaned because it means I have a home. I give thanks for all the complaining about the government because it means we have free speech. Give thanks for my huge heating bill because it means I am warm. Give thanks for the lady behind me who sings off key because it means I can hear. Give thanks for the pile of laundry and ironing because I have a wife who will do that for me. No, it is not that (congregation laughing). I do other things, the trash and all of that. Rough crowd today. Give thanks for the pile of laundry and ironing because it means I have clothes to wear. For the alarm clock that goes off early in the morning, I have nothing good to say about it. No, it says, …because it means Im alive. For weariness and achy muscles at the end of the day because it means I am capable of work. Perspective and attitude, the thankfulness. Paul could write that to us. Do you know why? Because he practiced what he preached. He was a man who could give thanks in all circumstances. In the Book of Philippians, the first chapter, if you could please turn there, it is on page 1163 if youre grabbing a church Bible. Paul writes these words from prison, and I dont know what kind of week youve had, but probably you have not been in prison, dark and dungy and chained to guards, suffered with bad prison food. Paul was. One of the most dominant themes in the Book of Philippians is Paul saying to us in Chapter 4, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! He writes this from prison, Chapter 1, Verse13, and he says, Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really angered me! If this is what it means to be a Christian, to be locked up in jail, this is how God pays me back, I want you to know something: I no longer want to be a Christian. My whole ministry has come to a grinding, screeching halt. The food is bad. I cant sleep. Im in chains. If this is what it means to be a Christian, thanks but no thanks. Love, Paul. He doesnt say that. We might say that, but Paul doesnt say that. It says, As a result… They served for the advance of the Gospel. How in the world, Paul, can you advance the Gospel in prison? He said, As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Paul says, Now everybody knows why Im here. Every time they lock up a new guard to Paul, he says, Fresh meat. Heres somebody who hasnt heard the message. Every time somebody brought water or food, Paul was able to share his faith, his testimony. What happened to him on the road to Damascus? Paul says, Conversions are happening. People are coming to know the Gospel through the entire palace. He says, Whats more, because of my chains most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the Word of God more courageously and fearlessly. What happens if your star player goes down? Everybody on the team has to take it to a new level. He says people who would rely on me say, Paul would do it. Paul would go to that city. Paul would go to that church. Now they realize they have to do it, and theyre stepping up their game. Theyre getting bolder and theyre getting courageous. Paul says, I give thanks for that. Whats more, Paul wrote some of his best letters, his most meaningful letters. How many millions of believers has the Book of Philippians encouraged? Paul wrote from prison. His ministry was not chained even though he was. Paul had the ability to give thanks in all circumstances, and so can you. Paul says, We can give thanks in all circumstances, for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus. Its because we are in Christ. If we are in Christ this morning, then the blessings that we have, we cant even begin to conceive. We have a Savior who gave His life, so you and I could have our sins forgiven and the assurance of Heaven. Im reminded of a story I heard. I may have shared this years ago, but there was a man who would come to a pier every Friday for 30 years in south Florida. At the end of that pier, he would stand with a bucket, and the seagulls would come from all around when they saw him appear. He would feed them shrimp, a bucket of shrimp until it was gone. Then they would linger on his shoulder and his hat. He seemed to have a bond with these seagulls that was almost unexplainable. One day he was asked, Why do you go every Friday on the end of the pier, and why do you feed those seagulls? Do you like seagulls? Why do you do that? He explained that it was out of thankfulness; it was out of appreciation. For seagulls? He explained this story. In 1942, hed been given orders to fly across the South Pacific to bring a message to General Douglas Macarthur. He and a small hand-picked crew were flying a B17 called something I dont remember. What was it called? The Flying Fortress. The Flying Fortress got lost, and they ran out of gas and had to land in the ocean. All crew members survived, and they got in their lifeboats and took their rations out of the plane. They then waited for rescue, but rescue never came. One, two, three, finally eight days had gone by with no rescue. The rations were completely exhausted. They were exhausted. They had survived the sun, the storms, and the sharks, but the one thing they could not survive was starvation. They just had a devotional and prayed for rescue and deliverance. Then they closed their eyes and tried to get some rest. Shortly thereafter, Eddie Rickenbocker had something land on his hat. He said, I knew it was a seagull without even looking. He said, Dont ask me how; I just knew it. He said, I looked and I saw under the brim of my cap all the other crew looking at me with their jaws dropped. They knew what those seagulls meant. It was not only a meal they could share amongst themselves, but you could use some of the parts from that seagull as bait to catch fish and survive longer. The trick would be to catch it. The interesting thing was the seagull didnt move. The seagull stayed still and allowed itself to be captured. What was a seagull doing hundreds of miles from land by itself? It was sent from God; it was an answered prayer. Through that seagull, life was preserved, and finally rescue came. So every Friday, 1500 Fridays in a row until his death in 1973, Eddie Rickenbocker had a Thanksgiving to remember the seagull that offered up his life so his crew could live. As I reflect on that story, I think about what we have in Christ, one who freely and willingly offered up His life without a fight so we could live spiritually, and we could have our sins forgiven. If youre here this morning, I dont know what health problems youre facing or financial problems, family difficulties, whatever difficulties youre challenged with today, your sins are forgiven. Eternal life has been gained through Christ, and you have much to be thankful for. Lets pray together. Father, we thank You for this one verse that is so packed full of meaning, to give thanks-something that we must express. I pray that this week, You will do something in a tangible way through our words, through our actions, through our writing to express thanks. We would express thanks to You in all circumstances, that we would look with different eyes, and we would hear with different ears to perceive blessing in adversity, to give You thanks for it as the pilgrims did, as the Apostle Paul did in prison, that we, too, will learn to give thanks in all circumstances and recognize we can do this because it is Your will for us in Christ Jesus. In Christ we have blessings beyond measure, blessings beyond words. Through this devotional today, help us to take that thought with us. As we leave, we ask You to help us live it. In Jesus name, Amen.

11-19-06
Speaker: Pastor Jeff Williams
Series: The Truth Project