What To Do When You Don't Feel Thankful

But what about the sorrowful things? What about when we don't feel thankful? What about when we hurt? What about when there are problems that God alone knows how deep they are? Can you thank Him for heartache? Can you thank Him for sorrow? Well you say, Pastor Rogers, if you knew what I'm going through, you wouldn't be preaching with such a happy face this morning. Well, imitation. I'm not the one who wrote this scripture. It's written by divine inspiration. I'm not the author of it. I'm just a western union boy or a news boy delivering the message. This was written by the apostle Paul. We say, he never had any problems. When he wrote this from prison, he is an Ephesus in prison. He's been unjustly accused of starting a riot and he is saying, "Give thanks to God for all things." Defining please Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 20. And in Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 20, there is a command which many believe, and I think I do also, may be. The hardest command in all of the Bible to obey, but correspondingly and at the same time, this command may bring the greatest blessing of all when it is obeyed. Let's look at it. Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 20, giving thanks always for all things. And I just underscore the all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Again I say that may be the hardest commandment of all in the Bible to obey. There are four levels of life when it comes to thanksgiving. First of all, there are those people who are constantly complaining.

Have you ever been around those people? They're just always complaining. They can't find good in anything. One woman was married to a man like that, he never could be pleased. One morning she got out of bed determined to please him. She said, "Sweetheart, what would you like for breakfast? I'll fix it any way that you would like in anything that you like." He said, "All right." He said, "I want two pieces of toast. I want one whole wheat and I want one white bread. I want the whole wheat bread lightly buttered, nothing on the white bread. And I want two eggs. I want one fried over easy and I want the other scrambled." You got it? She said, "Got it, sweetheart." And she fixed him breakfast just like that and he still had a sour look on his face. She said, "Darlin, what's wrong?" He said, "You scrambled the wrong egg." Now people like that. You can't please them, they're constantly complaining and they're a little higher than that are people who have a simple ingratitude. They don't complain. They just are not grateful. They're like a hog under tree, eating acorns, never looking up to see where they come from. And many of us, though we may not be bitterly complaining, we are ingrateful. But then there is another level of life and these are people who are grateful for the obvious blessings. If they have help, they thank God for help, if they have food, they thank God for food. And they just thank God for the obvious blessings of life. But the highest level, the Bible level, the level of this verse that I have is not the

level of constantly complaining or mere ingratitude or thankful for obvious blessings. But look at it, giving thanks always for all things. Now that friend is the highest level of life and that is the level that will get you through life. There is a legend of a man who found the devil's seed barn where the devil kept his seeds that he would sow in the hearts and lives of human beings. And he found there was a super abundance of one kind of seed and it was the seed of discouragement. And the devil said when he was plied about why he had so many of the seeds of discouragement, he said well if I can get discouragement into a person's life, then I can get almost anything else I won't into their life and he said I found that the seeds of discouragement will sprout almost anywhere, except... for all things in the name unto the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now let's break it down and look at it this morning, shall we, okay? First of all, I want you to notice the duration of this kind of thanks, the duration of thanksgiving. He says here that we're to be giving thanks always, always, why always, blessings never cease. Therefore thanksgiving should never cease. Ephesians 5 verse 20, giving thanks always. Now we're to praise God always, therefore folks, one day of thanksgiving on Thursday in November is not enough. We've got to give 365 days of thanksgiving. Let me give you a scripture, Psalm chapter 68 verse 19, "Blessed be the Lord who daily loaded us with benefits, "even the God of our salvation." And then he says, "Sila," that means think about that. Meditate upon that.

God daily loads us with blessings. God has given you today a wagon load of blessings. And then lamentations chapter three, verse 23. Speaking of God's mercies, the Bible says they are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness. God has been faithful to you precious friend and he has been faithful with a great faithfulness. And so every day, every day ought to have a liberal portion of thanksgiving. And every prayer ought to be mixed with thanksgiving. Put this verse in, Philippians chapter four and verse six. Be careful for nothing, that is don't worry about anything. But in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known into God. Now look up here and I want to tell you something. Be careful for nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known into God. If you ask God for more blessings and don't thank God for what he's already done for you, you are wicked and foolish. If you come to God and you say, God do this and do that, give this or give that and you don't thank God, you are wicked and foolish. Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God. Now most of us need to pull some of the groans out of our prayers and shove in a few hallelujah's.

Thanks is a wonderful thing. Rudyard Kipling, the great poet of yesteryear, gained quite a bit of notoriety as a writer. And as a matter of fact, he was being paid 10 shillings per word at the height of his career. That was a lot of money back in those days to end shilling the word. There were some college students who were also into writing and journalism and they were a little jealous of Rudyard Kipling. And so they thought they'd play a little joke on him. 10 shillings a word was preposterous to them. They gathered up 10 shillings and put it in an envelope and mailed it to Rudyard Kipling and said, "Here at 10 shillings, give us your best word." He wrote back, "Thanks." (congregation laughing) That's a good word. Learning to thank God. Now what is the duration of thanksgiving? Giving thanks always, always, always, perpetually thanking God. Why? Thanks should never cease because blessings never cease. Now here's the second thing I wanna lay on your heart. Not only the duration of this thanksgiving, but we're gonna slow down here for a moment and think about the dimensions of this thanksgiving. The dimensions of thanksgiving. We're gonna be giving thanks for all things.

Now giving thanks always would not be difficult if he had not put in here, giving thanks always for all things. Now why should we give thanks for all things? Because simply God rules all things and we should give thanks for all things. Now go back and look in verse 18 or 19. We're to be speaking to ourselves in songs and hymns and spiritual songs. Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thankfulness comes before praise. Well you say Pastor Rogers, Well, let me tell you something. I'm not the one who wrote this scripture. It's written by divine inspiration. I'm not the author of it. I'm just the Western Union boy or the news boy delivering the message. This was written by the Apostle Paul. Well, you say, he never had any problems. When he wrote this from prison, he is in Ephesus in prison. And he is saying, give thanks to God for all things. Now, why is this? Well, let me talk to you a little bit about the overruling hand of God. I said, giving thanks the dimensions are always for all things because of the overruling providence of God. Let's go down through some of the things that trouble and heartache and problems and sickness and death and tears may do for us. Number one, when we have trouble, it may correct us. There is a correcting ministry. Put down in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 11. Now, no chasting for the present time seem to be joyous but grievous. But afterward, it yielded the peaceful fruit of righteousness to them that exercised thereby. Does your father ever chastise you and take a whip or a belt to you? Now, today, you know, they think you ought not to do that. My dad would have been putting in the most prison. But he would say, as our fathers did, son, I do this because I love you. I was convinced he loved me. As a matter of fact, it convinced me I was his favorite. He loved me more and he loved my brother. No chasting for the present time seem to be joyful but grievous.

But afterward, it yielded the peaceful fruit of righteousness. David said, before I was afflicted, I went astray. Now, if suffering and pain sometimes corrects us, then thank God for it. I'll tell you something else that suffering will do. It will bring you to a deeper maturity and more Christ's likeness. Affliction can be a wonderful teacher. The psalmist said, before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now have I kept thy word. Before I was afflicted, I went astray. Psalm 119, verse 71, it is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes. Many times we never really look up till we get on our back. Many times we never see until our eyes have been washed with tears. He said, God's priority for you is not health and wealth. God's priority for you is not primarily service and usefulness. God's priority for you is spiritual maturity to make you like the Lord Jesus Christ. So God gives us, God allows us to have these things that we might learn endurance. God is bringing you to maturity. And if pain and suffering brings you to maturity, then you thank God for it. I'll tell you what else it will do. It will bring the excelling glory of God in your life. Listen to 1 Peter chapter 4, verses 12 through 14, beloved. Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you. Many have said, oh, this is so strange, why is this happening to me? Peter says, don't think it's strange as though some strange thing happened to you, but rejoice. That means be thankful. In as much as you are partakers of Christ's suffering, the word partaker means you're having fellowship with Christ, that when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. In their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. Brothers and sisters, as we get closer to the end time in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can expect increasing persecution. If you can't see it happening, you are blind and deaf. More and more Christians are going to be persecuted. And the more you give God the thanks for this persecution, the more the glory of God is going to rest upon you. Some years ago we were in a battle in our denomination. Some of us believe that our denomination was moving away from her foundations, her root in the word of God. We decided to do something about it. Well, when we did, the sluice gates of hell opened on us, and all kinds of things were said. And I had people say things about me that were obviously of the stand that I would take for the Word of God, I would take that thing and offer it to the Lord. It would be a praise offer. I would say, "Now, Lord, because of the position

I've taken and the stand I've taken, I'm receiving this. I am receiving it because of my friendship with you, Jesus." You're the one that got me into this trouble. And so, Lord, here, I give that to you as a praise. The worst of criticism, the sweeter the praise, I almost felt like saying, "Thank you for that. You've given me something else to worship God." Now, we have talked, we have talked, friend, about the duration of Thanksgiving, giving thanks always. We've talked about the dimensions of Thanksgiving, giving thanks for all things. Now, let's think for just a few moments about the dynamic of Thanksgiving. How do we do it? Look again at this verse, giving thanks always for all things. Now, here's the dynamic unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's the dynamism there. You see, true things should be given to the Father through Jesus. That's what true Thanksgiving is about. Now, first of all, we give thanks unto the Father. Why do we give thanks unto the Father? Well, James chapter 1, verse 17 tells us clearly, "Every good gift and every perfect gift cometh from above, cometh down from the Father of lights in whom there's no verableness in the shadow of turning." God daily loads us with benefits. Now, God is good. God is good. Now you say, "Pastor Rogers, are you trying to tell me that I'm to give thanks for rape, for murder, that I'm to give thanks for disease and some greedy malady that's gnawing away at my body? Am I to give God thanks for that?" No, no, no. Are you telling me, Pastor, that these things are good? No, you missed the point. I'm not telling you these things are good. These things are bad. I'm telling you that God is good. God is good. And where God does not rule, God overrules. And God, with the chemistry of the cross, takes all things and He works them together for good to those who love Him. Therefore, we ought to be thankful to God. Unthankfulness is so sinful. And with Shakespeare said, "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child." The Bible over in Romans chapter 1 when it speaks of paganism gives one of the marks of paganism as unthankfulness. Romans chapter 1 verse 21, "Because that when they knew God they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened." Friend, if you fail to thank God, you're going into deep, deep darkness. Now, we give thanks unto the Father, and we give thanks through the Son. Look again in verse 20, giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of the Our Lord Jesus Christ. Actually, this word in the name literally means through the name. That is, He is the dynamic. It is

Jesus, and through Jesus that I give thanks. In my estimation, you cannot truly, in the New Testament way, the Bible way, give thanks to God unless you do it through Jesus. He is the dynamic, He is the power of it. If you ever doubt the love of God, look at the cross. See who Jesus Christ is. He is the one who, the word His names actually stands for equality in the authority of Jesus through the name of Jesus. Father, I give you thanks. Pastor Rittenhouse and his family were on vacation. They were riding along in their automobile. They were going in this direction. A car was going in this direction, and it had a trunk on top. And the trunk fell off into the road. Pastor Rittenhouse stopped his car, went over and picked up the trunk, and turned around to try to find the other car. But it's too late. So they opened the trunk, it was already somewhat broken, and And this gold medal, this gold piece, was inscribed. And here's what it said. "Given to Otis-- Otis OTIS, given to Otis Sampson at his retirement by the Portland cement company." Otis Sampson, Portland cement. So they began to do some investigatory work. And they traced it down and they found Otis Sampson's address. And they wrote him and told him, "We have your suitcase. We found it. We want to return it to you." And he wrote them back and said, "I don't want the suitcase." What was in it was trivial. "I want the gold piece. Would you please return it to me?" And here's what he said several times in the letter. "That is my most precious possession." At $20 gold piece, given to Otis Sampson upon his retirement from Portland cement company. They sent it back to him, but Pastor Rittenhouse wrote him a letter. Said, "Dear Mr. Sampson, I'm sending you this, but you mentioned that it was your most precious possession. May I be bold enough to tell you my most precious possession?" And he shared with Otis his relationship with Jesus Christ. And explained to this man how he could know Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and Lord. One year later, on the anniversary of that day, Pastor Rittenhouse got a letter from Otis Sampson and in it was a $20 gold piece, the same one. He said, "I'm giving you this back to keep." Because he said, "No longer is it my most precious possession." He said, "Now we're active members of a Bible preaching church, and I want you to know, sir, that Jesus Christ is my most precious possession." Isn't that wonderful? Friend, listen, if you have Jesus, if you have the Lord Jesus Christ, you can say this thanksgiving season, "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift." What is the duration of thanksgiving?

To give thanks always. What are the dimensions of thanksgiving? All things. What is the dynamic of thanksgiving through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ? Do you know him? Bow your heads in prayer. Heads are bowed and eyes are closed. And if you're certain that you're saved, I want you to begin to pray for those around about you who may not know Jesus. And if you're certain that you're saved, thank him that you know that you're saved. Thank him that Jesus is your most precious possession. Because if you're saved, I can tell you he is. And those of you who are not saved, those of you who don't have a personal relationship with God through Christ, this is a wonderful moment for you and my precious friend. May I guide you in a decision time where right now where you are, you can say an everlasting yes to Jesus Christ, yield your life to him and invite him to take control of your life. I invite you to prayer prayer like this, dear God, I know that you love me and I know that you want to save me. Jesus, you died to save me, you promised to save me if I would trust you. I do trust you Jesus. This morning with all of my heart, like a little child, I receive you into my life as my Lord and Savior and Master. Forgive my sin, cleanse me and now take control of my life and begin to make me the person you want me to be. I just yield my life over to you right now. I'm weak but you're strong. So begin now Lord from this moment on as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for your shed blood on the cross. Thank you that you paid my sin [Music]