Read
Psalm 100
All at once, the past, present, and future walked into a bar. It was a tense moment.
Did you hear about the claustrophobic
astronaut? He just needed a little space!
Have you ever tried that thing where
you pat your head and rub your belly? Maybe it’s the other way around. Most of
us can do this for a few seconds and then we go into this Mambo dance sort of
thing with arms flailing.
I know very few people who can do this.
I can’t say all. You might have to train your whole life to do this for 5
minutes. Some try and try but still can’t get it in sync.
In practicality, most really can’t do
both. I will have to say that my data on this is minimal and might not survive
the law of small numbers test. C’mon, it just doesn’t come up in conversation
that much.
Then why did you put us through that
quasi montage of patting and rubbing?
Fair
enough. Now try being anxious and thankful at the same time.
Now try being anxious and thankful at the same
time.
Somebody is saying, “I can do that. I
do it all the time!” The odds makers in
Vegas love people like that. That preacher is not telling me what I can and
can’t do.
You are correct. I am saying that you
should try this for yourself. Those self-discovered epiphanies carry more
weight in your life choices anyway. Give it a try.
Some like those who are dead set to do
the patting and rubbing will put this to the test. I’ll show that preacher.
I’ll be anxious and thankful at the same time. I will show him.
And you can do both with an extreme
amount of effort and maybe then you can juxtapose the two for a very short time—a
very short time until they repel like same poled magnets.
The return on that investment of
effort is sort of like paying for a 14 bedroom 9 ½ bath, 4 garage, two swimming
pool with indoor and outdoor hot tubs dream home—mansion—and getting a 1966
Ford Esquire station wagon with who knows how many miles as the odometer does
register anymore, it sometimes (2-3 times as year) might start with a jump, the
windows are frozen down in the winter and up in the summer with no air
conditioning, there’s no power steering fluid as the receptacle won’t hold it, and
oh by the way, what you are paying for is a 2 hour rental of this beauty. That
was also my college car for 2 years.
For those who are practiced in the art
and science of thinking and can run consequences and sequels through their
minds as they contemplate harboring anxiety and thanksgiving in the same place,
you know how this comes out. Some of you may have to do the exercise this week.
Others have eyes to see that those
two—anxiety and thanksgiving—don’t play together. It’s one or the other, or as
in the ancient Spence household, it was one or tuther.
Some of you will have to try this
yourselves, but I am going to proffer this without waiting for your exercise.
You can’t be anxious and thankful at the same time.
You can’t be anxious and thankful at the same
time!
Rick Warren—the Purpose Driven Life
author and Saddleback church pastor—says if you can worry, you can pray. You can worry and pray at the same time, but your
prayers would lack trust.
It’s like telling God, “I think I got
myself into something this time that’s bigger than you are.”
God told me many times in his word not
to worry or be anxious.
Do you ever wonder if God uses any of
our modern terms to explain things? I don’t think he does. He calls pastors and
teachers to do this. Since Jeremiah took the potter and the clay, let’s try
something nautical.
Have you ever been on a big ship? Let’s get some nautical basics. Hold up your left hand. That’s port. Now hold
up your right. That’s starboard.
The rear of the ship is aft. The front
is fore. That’s easy.
Where the ship comes to a point in the
front, usually a few decks, that’s called the bow. This is the “I’m the king of the world” spot
on the ship. It’s the forward-most point of a ship, right?
Actually, not. OK, all I can see in
front of me is the ocean and the air, not a ship.
That does not mean it’s not there. Has
anyone ever heard of the bulbous bow? It’s a forward projecting, generally cylindrical
part of the ship that protrudes from the ship.
I have never seen that. That’s because
it’s underwater. It makes breaking waves much easier as the ship moves forward.
That’s cool, but if you think we are
going to general quarters or holding a man overboard drill, you’ve got another
thing coming. What’s this got to do with thanksgiving?
There is a group of people in the church
universal that often serves as the bulbous bow
for the body. He is talking about
the session, right?
Yes, but they are only a small part of
it. I am talking about you and every other faithful servant of God who
continues to gather in the assembly. We often make it easier for the rest of
the church to come home—at least we should, and if you have been sleeping
through the past few decades, many of those who have received the free
gift of God have rejected the counsel of Hebrews
and do not continue to gather.
Why is this important for us? We know
those who do not gather are missing fellowship and assurance, and so much more.
They are less disposed to discipleship. They are disobedient unto the Lord. We
get that. We need to invite people to come and worship the Lord.
Why is this important for us? The lost
need good news, but those saved by grace who do not gather need something else.
What?
A stronger argument? More facts and
figures? More snacks between services? More time to think it over. A Connex box? If it actually is a Connex box,
I have been the worst stumbling block ever! But that’s not it.
How about provocation? We are supposed to provoke the disconnected.
In our modern world, we have tried to emasculate this word and consider it a
bad thing. If you provoke someone, you might cause a fight. That’s what we have been indoctrinated to
think. Let’s go to the verse right before the one that tells us not to stop
gathering.
We will go with the New International
Version first.
And let us
consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Now the King James Version.
And let us
consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
And now we go to the Revised Standard
Version.
and let us
consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
In earlier times, the word provoke
meant to call forth. It could be to call forth thinking, action,
confession, creativity, and, yes, anger. If you go to the original language,
you get παροξυσμός,
paroxusmos (par-ox-oos-mos').
We are to be people of action, not
just for ourselves, but for the body of Christ as a whole. Here, specifically, the
Bible talks about prompting, provoking, stirring up, or lighting a fire for
those who have their salvation, but are not putting the word of the Lord into
practice.
Why would they want to gather and
worship God if what they see is worry and anxiety from those who are faithful
in gathering? But, but, but… We have struggles too.
Yes, we do. We also have instructions.
These are the same instructions other believers have, but who do not avail
themselves of the iron sharpens iron establishment that we do. Don’t worry. Be anxious for nothing. Take
courage, Jesus has overcome the world.
We have challenges in the
interrogative straight from Jesus. Who can add a single hour to our lives by
worrying?
Let’s get to some scripture.
Rejoice always,
pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for
you in Christ Jesus. That’s from the
NIV
Here’s the King James Version.
Rejoice evermore.
Pray without
ceasing.
In everything
give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
I looked at a bunch. I even did the
Amplified Bible this time. It’s like scripture, commentary, and a message. That
which is dynamic to the point of going beyond the strict translation is usually
encapsulated in braces or brackets.
Rejoice always
and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every
situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give
thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
People should see thanksgiving in us.
We who faithfully attend should be the most thankful people on the planet. These
three translations vary somewhat but are very close in one thing.
This is the will of God for you in Christ
Jesus.
What is his will? We always rejoice.
We are always praying. We give thanks to God regardless of our circumstances. I
like Horatio Spafford’s words; the Lord has regarded my helpless estate and
shed his own blood for my soul.
Yes, sometimes we feel helpless, but
in that helplessness, we give thanks. Why?
This is the will of God for you in Christ
Jesus.
It’s one of those, because God said
so, sort of deals. Be thankful all the time. That’s impossible. For us
alone it is, but with God it is not.
But what about when we lose a loved
one? What about when a loved one or anyone dies in war? What about those that
we have lost? Really, God, you want me
to be thankful for that?
I know the stages of loss—denial,
anger, bargaining, and acceptance. They don’t always come in that order, can be
repeated, and move at a different pace for each person. Thanksgiving is not one of the stages of loss…
But it should be in every stage.
This brings me to Memorial Day and a
quote from George Patton. Yes, I went with an army guy this time. I’m weaning
you off of Marine Corps analogies.
"It is foolish and wrong to mourn
the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived."
We can always be thankful. But I said
that we couldn’t do that on our own, only with God. That’s still correct, but
who is receiving this message? To whom am I speaking?
I am most certainly talking to those
who have professed Jesus as Lord and have the Spirit of God living within you.
God is not only for you; he lives within you, and you can be thankful in all
circumstances.
We can be thankful in all circumstances!
Much of the time, we view living the
Christian life as striving for the unattainable. God said to do it this way,
and we are striving to get as close as we can to the mark, knowing full well
that our reach truly exceeds our grasp.
Except for rejoice always, pray all
the time, and be thankful, whatever your lot in life is at the time. Be
thankful in all circumstances.
This is God’s will for your life. So,
for the rest of this month, I challenge you to provoke people who do not gather
in the assembly of God’s people but who have professed Jesus is Lord, to come
into the assembly and love, serve, and
worship their Lord.
But how? We have tried everything.
Food giveaways. Trunk or Treat. Words on the wall. We haven’t done smoke coming
out of the vents, yet. Please hold off a month on that one if you do try it.
How do we provoke, inspire, prompt,
stir up, call forth or otherwise get those keeping company with the twin pagan gods
of Apathy and Ambivalence to come into the assembly and worship with you and
other believers? What will provoke them to action?
Thanksgiving!
People already see your serving the
Lord. Do they see thanksgiving in you while you serve? Do they? But, but, but, how can I be thankful
when…
My boss is
terrible. Be thankful. Your boss might stink,
but you can be thankful you have a job.
The rent is past
due. But you haven’t been evicted. The
government’s laws and regulations give you some relief. Be thankful you are not
on the street.
My kids are
driving me crazy. Stop letting
them drive. OK, they are metaphorically driving you crazy. I got it. Give
thanks that you have children. They are a blessing, and as a bonus, you get to
watch your grandchildren drive your own kids crazy. Be thankful that you have
kids.
Maybe I can see that a little. I don’t
know. None of these covers every situation and circumstance.
But this one does.
If you are not thankful, you are not living in
the will of God.
You can’t say that! Who gave you that
authority? You have got to retract that one!
You are right. I can’t say that on my
own authority, but Paul can and he did.
If we live in the will of God, we will be thankful. Paul said:
This is the will
of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Let me read that again, taking out the
parts where Paul stuttered.
This is the will of God for you in Christ
Jesus
If you believe that the safest place
you can be is in the will of God, and that thanksgiving sits well at the center
of that will, then when you are not thankful, you are not living in the will of
God.
For those who want to hold on to your
old selves, your comfort zones, your hate, your bitterness, your preferences in
which your own understanding supplants the will of God, you are not living
in the will of God.
OK, I can see that. I can’t be
unforgiving or walk around with hate in my heart. I get that.
Good! Now add not being thankful to
that list of things that are not in the will of God for you.
OK. I get it. May we wrap this up now?
Not without an action step towards
thankfulness. This will be easy. You can pick up from where it ends as you live
going forward. Let’s say Psalm 100 together. My subhead says: A psalm. For
giving grateful praise.
Shout
for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know
that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his
pasture.
Enter
his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For
the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all
generations.
Be thankful all of the time. Be in the will of
God. Give thanks in every circumstance. This is doing things God’s way.
Amen.
