The Power of Thanks Big Idea of the Series: This four-week series provides insight into what it means to be thankful and how this leads to praise and gratefulness to the object of our faith, Jesus Christ. When believers practice thanks to their Creator, it does something for the soul that cannot be explained otherwise. Week 1 Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Topic(s): Thanks, Gratitude, Praise, All Things Big Idea of the Message: Paul’s admonition was to give thanks in all things. While giving thanks for everything isn’t always pleasant, it’s God’s will. Application Point: We can be thankful in every situation, no matter how good or bad. Sermon Ideas and Talking Points:

1. We are commanded in Scripture to give thanks in all situations (1 Thessalonians 5:18). This can seem like a hard thing to do, considering that the word all doesn’t leave room for too many exceptions. Is it possible that as Paul was writing this, he knew there was something special and unique we would experience when we give thanks in a situation that doesn’t seem worthy of being thanked?

2. What does it mean to be thankful, to be thanked, to give thanks? Thanks is a common expression that is used, but what exactly does it mean? According to the Oxford Dictionary, it is “an expression of gratitude” (Concise Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “Thanks” [2004]). The word Thanks stems all the way back from the ancient Greeks. One Greek word that was used to express gratitude was the word eucharisteō, which is where we get our English word Eucharist. In the religious world, the idea of a Eucharist is certainly not foreign. Many denominations use this term interchangeably with the term Lord’s Supper. That means gratitude is the very heart and center of partaking in the Lord’s Supper—gratitude because of what Christ did for those partaking. Another Greek word used to express gratitude is the word charis. While charis often is translated as grace, it can also be translated thanks, which expresses the idea of giving grace

or good pleasure (Hans Conzelmann and Walther Zimmerli, “charis,” ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–], 392). When people say “thanks,” it is a form of blessing as a result of the gratitude.

3. In the Old Testament, the two main Hebrew words for thanks are barak and yadah. Yadah means to express one’s public proclamation or declaration with the root word meaning to confess, “which is at the very heart of worship” (Ralph H. Alexander, “847, yadah,” ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament [Chicago: Moody Press, 1999], 364). Interestingly enough, a synonym for yadah is the Hebrew word halal, which is where we get our word “halleluiah.” The New Testament equivalent is the Greek word homologeo. The other Hebrew word used, barak, was often translated “bless,” “thanks,” or “praise” when referring to God (John N. Oswalt, “285, barak,” ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament [Chicago: Moody Press, 1999], 132). Derivatives of barak are the words for “knee” or “kneel,” and some believe it is because when one praised and gave thanks, they often did so on their knees, as a way to show complete submission to the one who deserves praise.

4. A. J. Jacobs, a New York Times bestselling author, is known for his unconventional experiments. In the early 2000s, he spent 18 months learning as much as he could and even read the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica, with the intention to retain as much as he could. This would lead him to author his first book, The Know-It-All. He would later write a book entitled The Year of Living Biblically, and it chronicled his journey to attempt to live every commandment given in the Bible for an entire year. In a third experiment, Jacobs desired to celebrate Thanksgiving the way the original Pilgrims had done so long ago. He asked the historian Richard Pickering to guide him and his family through this process. They played games, told riddles, ate food that was as authentic as possible, invited guests, and gave thanks the way the Pilgrims did. At the end of his brief experiment, he learned that the Pilgrims had this moment of thanksgiving shortly after losing half of their population due to scurvy, and the Native Americans losing 90 percent of their population due to a plague. Jacobs says, “If they [the Pilgrims] could appreciate life amid such chaos, pain, and uncertainty, I could give thanks for all the good things in my relatively cushy life” (A. J. Jacobs, “Be a Pilgrim for a Day,” Parade, November 15, 2009, https://parade.com/46722/ajjacobs/15-pilgrim-for-a-day/).

5. As Paul was writing this letter, he wrote with the intention of commending the Thessalonians for their faithfulness, even during times of persecution. As he closes out the book, he reminds them to be thankful in all situations. This was not something Paul was saying just to say; it was something he lived. As the Pilgrims of old, through difficult times, Paul learned to be content and thankful in all things (Philippians 4:11–12). When Paul challenged the believers at Thessalonica to give thanks in all situations, he used the word, eucharisteō. The ultimate example of giving thanks in the midst of something that is considered unjust is Jesus Christ. Before Christ gave his life to save the souls of humankind, he, too, gave thanks (eucharisteō). A great reminder for us is that when we’re going through

times that don’t seem thanks-worthy, we should remember what Christ did for us on the cross.

6. Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch Christian who helped hide Jews during the advent of the Nazi regime during World War II. After being arrested for this, Corrie and he sister Betsie were placed in a concentration camp. Corrie documented much of her life in her book The Hiding Place. In it, she recounts a story when they were just taken to the concentration camp. She and Betsie were complaining because of the environment and circumstances when they realized that that morning they had just read 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Since they were reminded to give thanks in all situations, they began to verbally list what they were thankful for. One of the things Bestie stated she was thankful for was for the fleas. Corrie laughed it off and couldn’t believe she would say she was thankful for the fleas, as she documented that they were literally everywhere, even in their stinky straw beds. It was not too long later when both Betsie and Corrie realized that the reason they had so much freedom in their living quarters (reading the Bible, talking about God, and so on) was because of the all the fleas; no guard wanted to enter! (Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place, with Elizabeth and John Sherrill [1971; repr., Grand Rapids: Chosen Books, 2006], 209–10, 220).

Week 2 Text: Psalm 100:1–5 Topic(s): Sacrifice, Praise, Joyful, Gladness Big Idea of the Message: True joy and praise stem from a heart of thankfulness. Application Point: We can be thankful simply, yet powerfully, because of who God is. Sermon Ideas and Talking Points:

1. Parents, teachers, coaches, and really anyone who oversees some type of team, know firsthand the powerful effect of an attitude and its contagious outcome. The problem is that being positive is something that goes beyond the human ability to overcome the mind. Being positive and joyful is rooted in something much deeper. Psalm 100 is not just any psalm of thanksgiving and praise. Some believe that this psalm was sung by God’s people on their way to the temple during the sacrifices of praise (H. D. M. Spence-Jones, ed., Psalms, vol. 2, The Pulpit Commentary [London: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1909], 352).

2. What does it mean to offer sacrifices of praise? Hebrews 13:15 enlightens us. It says, “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge [Gk: homologeō] his name.” Sacrifice and praise seem to be at odds with each other in our minds; biblically, they go hand in hand. As a matter of fact, they’re intertwined. We often praise someone or give thanks because it benefits us or doesn’t cost us anything. “Good job!” “Thanks for helping!” “I’m blessed; thank you, Lord.” But what does it mean that we are to give a sacrifice of praise? Hebrews says, “The fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” That means we praise God when we can’t see his goodness, when our circumstances scream that he has forgotten us, when God does not come through the way we thought he would or should, or when we’re at

our wits’ end. What then? Hebrews says, “Offer up a sacrifice of praise.” How often? “Continually!” You see, to praise God in these times requires personal sacrifice. It takes our all to cast over our uncertainties to a God we don’t quite understand in the moment. If all of this seems difficult to do, it is because it is. That’s why the author says that it is by him [Christ] that we are able to do such a thing. We need Christ to be truly joyful and positive.

3. In Psalm 100:1–2, we learn that we have reason to give praise and thanks: because we’re commanded to do it. These verbs “make,” “serve,” and “come” are imperative verbs. That means the psalmist is more than suggesting we do this; he is commanding we do this. What kind of noise ought we do be giving out? A “joyful” one. It doesn’t say a whiny one, a complaining one, a sour one, a bad-attitude one, or even a gossiping noise. It says to “make a joyful noise.” This kind of noise is produced out of a thankful, grateful heart. It also says to serve with gladness. It doesn’t say to serve with drudgery or because we’re getting something out of it, but rather, out of gladness. How are we to come? “With singing.” It doesn’t say to come with mumblings or a disgruntled spirit; it says singing. True praise and singing stems from a truly thankful heart. In verse 3, the psalmist says that God should be praised because “he is God!” Our expression of thanksgiving and praise should primarily be because he is God, not just because it’s a command. With that said, the psalmist reminds us that God is good because he created us, because we are his, and because he watches over us as a shepherd watches over his flock.

4. Our attitude of joy is a result of our thanksgiving to God. We should not base our attitude on our circumstances, because those always change. When we base our attitude on the one who is unchanging and always constant, our joy will be more consistent. Imagine a pilot flying by his or her feelings. If the pilot did this, the pilot would get turned around pretty quickly. Pilots are trained to fly using their instruments, not their feelings, because when they are up in the sky, it is easy to get confused—to think you’re up when you’re down, or to think you’re headed south when you’re actually headed west, and so on. Their instrument is their constant. It’s their objective reality when they’re confused. Such is the case with God and praise in our life. When God is our objective reality, we’re more inclined to praise him in situations we wouldn’t otherwise, and our attitude will be so much better.

5. Have you ever seen a good plot twist in a movie? This is when you think the plot is heading one direction, when all of a sudden the unexpected happens. These can make for some pretty good films. Imagine this passage is the plot. We’re told to offer our offering of praise and thanksgiving to God because he is good to us. Because God is “good” (v. 5), gracious (v. 3), and leads us (v. 3), we can trust him and praise him. Here’s the plot twist: what God is to us, we should be to others in our interpersonal relationships. We need to be patient with others. We need to be personal and caring with others, while investing in people’s lives the way God does in our lives.

6. It is not uncommon for a coach to admonish their team toward unity; in fact, oftentimes this is attempted through team-building exercises that require the whole team to work together or the exercise is a complete failure. Companies will

often times have activities that lend themselves to fellowship and unity. Teams and companies do this because of the powerful impact a single person with a negative attitude can have. Paul did the same thing with the church. In Philippians 2, he admonishes the church to be of the same love and mind by having the mind of Christ (vv. 1–2). Then in verse 14, Paul says to “do all things without grumbling or disputing,” and to instead be joyful and glad [Gk: charis] (v. 18). Thanks and praise are so powerful they can completely transform an organization, team, family, and church.

Week 3 Text: Luke 17:11–19; Romans 1:21 Topic(s): Gratefulness, Doxology, Glory Big Idea of the Message: When we neglect to be thankful, we have set ourselves on a dangerous course. Application Point: Christ not only deserves our thanks, but he also desires it. Sermon Ideas and Talking Points:

1. In Luke 17, a sad narrative is given. Jesus is beyond gracious to ten lepers by healing them. These were people who became rejects and outcasts because of their physical disease. They at one point were perhaps well-respected citizens, but because of their newfound illness, they were isolated and were basically considered as dead men. Their life was over. They had no hope or reason to live. Their cry out to Jesus in verse 13 is one of desperation. Jesus was their only hope. It was Jesus or nothing, and they already had nothing. Jesus then heals them and makes it official based upon the cultural procedures of their day (v. 14). These ten lepers were now no longer lepers. Their lives were graciously given back to them. The fascinating part of this narrative is that only one returned to give God thanks [Gk: eucharisteō] and praise [Gk: doxa, from which we get the English word doxology]. Christ was bothered by this (v. 18). What does this mean? This means that Christ is bothered by our lack of thanksgiving but that, conversely, he is pleased with our thanksgiving.

2. It is interesting to note in Romans 1:21 that what led to people being completely given over to sin was a lack of thankfulness. If you are redeemed today, you have been made whole and given new life, just as the ten lepers were given new life. Where do we fall in the area of thankfulness for our salvation? Do we fall in line with the nine or with the one who came back rejoicing, giving Jesus all the praise and glory for what only he could have done? 1 Corinthians 10:30–31 tells us that our thankfulness leads to putting others before us and doing everything for the glory of God and not our own glory. This is directly opposite to the characteristic of the person described in Romans 1:21. Where unthankfulness leads to a dark descent into sin, thankfulness always leads to genuine selflessness, praise, and glory to the One who deserves it.

3. Have you ever done something kind for someone, and you weren’t given any thanks for it? It’s not that you desired to be fawned over and worshipped, but a simple thank-you would have gone a long way. When there is no expression of

thanks, it makes the giver feel like they just wasted their time and resources, and quite frankly, the giver might be reluctant to help that person again. Why is that? Because of the lack of thanksgiving on the part of the recipient. Parents will oftentimes instill gratitude into their children. Not just because it’s the polite thing to say, but because it’s important to be grateful. When we’re not grateful, we convey an attitude of presumption, expectancy, and arrogance. Be thankful to those who help you.

4. Humankind was created to give thanks and glory to God. In Revelation 4:11 after Christ gives the saints crowns, they give them right back to him, out of a spirit of thankfulness, because they understand it was God who allowed them to have the ability to do what they did for him. They realized it was nothing they could have done on their own. Out of sheer gratitude, they gave glory and honor back to their Creator, for he alone is worthy. When we don’t praise God, in thankfulness for what he has done for us in our lives, we are in essence saying we’re okay without God. Now, it’s easy to see how unthankfulness can lead to a depth of descent into sin as Romans 1 mentioned.

5. An Anglican bishop who lived in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by the name of Thomas Ken penned one of the greatest hymns ever written. It is called “The Doxology.” It says,

Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise him, all creatures here below; Praise him above, ye heav’nly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Ken wrote this as a part of a manual for prayers for his students at Winchester College. He instructed that they should read it and sing it every morning and evening with full devotion (James D. Smith III, “Where Did We Get the Doxology?” Christian History Institute, accessed August 17, 2019, https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/where-did-we-get-the-doxology). Bishop Ken had the right idea when he stressed to his students the importance of keeping thankfulness at the center of their lives by giving praise to the one to whom praise is due.

Week 4 Text: Psalm 103:1–22, Hebrews 2:3 Topic(s): Life-Giving God, God-Man, New Beginnings Big Idea of the Message: It takes a determined intention to be thankful. Application Point: If Christ is who he says he is, we can certainly think of things to be thankful for every day. Sermon Ideas and Talking Points:

1. Few words are more powerful than “thank you!” A study was conducted by two researchers, and the results were published in the Harvard Business Review. This research was conducted to see if gratitude and thankfulness made a difference in productivity and or/volunteering service. The research revealed that there was a 66 percent increase in those who wanted to help out with a project a second time when they were told, “Thank you” (Francesca Gino and Adam Grant, interview by Sarah Green, “The Big Benefits of a Little Thanks,” Harvard Business Review, November 2013, https://hbr.org/2013/11/the-big-benefits-of-a-little-thanks).

2. Paul often expressed some type of thanksgiving to those receiving his letters. In Romans, he tells them, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you” (Romans 1:8). To the church at Corinth, he wrote, “I give thanks to my God always for you” (1 Corinthians 1:4). In 2 Corinthians he writes, “You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many” (2 Corinthians 1:11). To the church at Ephesus he writes, “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:16). To the church at Philippi he writes, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you” (Philippians 1:3). To the church at Colossae he writes, “We always thank God … when we pray for you” (Colossians 1:3). To the Thessalonians he writes, “We give thanks to God always for all of you” (1 Thessalonians 1:2). In 2 Thessalonians, he says, “We ought always to give thanks to God for you” (2 Thessalonians 1:3). To Philemon he writes, “I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers (Philemon 4). Needless to say, Paul was very thankful for those he ministered to.

3. Notice that while Paul was thankful for the believers in Christ, the object of his thanks was God. As Christians, we certainly have much to be thankful for if we look for it. Paul was thankful to God for those around him. What or who can we be thankful for? It’s certainly true that we can be thankful for our salvation in Christ and perhaps for the person or persons who introduced us to Christ. Psalm 103 reminds us to “bless the LORD” with all our soul and all that is within us (v. 1). Hebrews 2:3 reminds us that we have a “great salvation.” We certainly have much to be thankful for. Let’s not forget to praise and give thanks to our great Savior. We can also be thankful for the Word of God, which is a lamp to our feet and light to our path (Psalm 119:105). We can be thankful that our great, holy God allows us to come with boldness and confidence to his very throne and make petitions on our own behalf and on behalf of others (Hebrews 4:16). We can be thankful that God does not berate us for asking him for wisdom when we

need it (James 1:5). Being thankful certainly does something to our own soul as it does to God’s ears. He deserves and gladly receives thanks and praise. Tell him thank you today.

4. Imagine a child telling their parent “thanks” without being prompted. Imagine that child being so overwhelmed with thanks that they desire to serve their parents in greater ways; perhaps they offer to cook, to clean, to mow the grass, and so on. What do you think that’ll do for the heart of the parent? Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Our genuine praise and thanks to God, without being prompted, is a joyous thing to him (Luke 17:18–19).

5. Ed Stetzer shares a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving that was offered to God by the Pilgrims (Ed Stetzer, “A Thanksgiving Prayer,” The Exchange [blog], Christianity Today, November 28, 2013, https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2013/november/a-thanksgiving-prayer.html).

6. Some tips on remembering to be thankful can include the following: (1) Creating a list of things you’re grateful for every week, or selecting one thing to be thankful for every day. (2) Before your family goes to bed a couple of times per week, ask them to list a few things they are thankful for in that week. (3) Share thanks with your spouse every day. (4) Create a playlist on your phone with songs specifically geared toward praise for God’s goodness, and listen to it on your way to work or commute home. (5) Set a daily reminder on your phone to take a moment and praise God. Instead of heeding the Breathe app on your smart watch, perhaps you can praise during that moment.

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