GOD BE THANKED

Romans 6:17 (KJV)

But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

I suppose it is not fair, considering that the Apostle Paul penned the lion’s share of the New Testament, that well over half of the references to thankfulness come from his pen.

But it is fair to say that Paul “led by example” when he taught us, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

I want to remind you exactly who it is that taught us, “In every thing give thanks….”

From all outside appearances, Paul wasn’t one whose life circumstances just got better and better.

When we are first introduced to him, Paul, then Saul of Tarsus, was an “up and coming”.

• • He was well trained and educated
• • He was religious and had all the benefits of that and
• • He was a leader in his community

Those around him likely thought he had it all – or else was on his way to having it all.

But they didn’t know what was going on in his heart.

Saul of Tarsus was a miserable man inside. He knew his faith was empty.

One day he met Jesus Christ face to face. And that changed everything.

Suddenly Saul of Tarsus, soon to be know as Paul, became an outspoken advocate and preacher of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And immediately he was the target of persecution.

At one point in his life he said, Acts 26:4-6 (KJV)

My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;

Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers:

He is standing in court and his accusers are the very people he had at one time worked alongside.

He said they wouldn’t even acknowledge that he had been who he had been in his past.

But Paul had more enemies than just those old Jewish friends and peers.

Because God had called him to preach Jesus among the Gentiles, many so-called Christians took ought against him too.

One of his personal prayer requests was, Romans 15:30-32 (KJV)

Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;

That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints;

That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.

Even the saints, the believers had their hesitations about Paul. He had had so many enemies and they had been so successful in spreading gossip and evil lies about Paul’s ministry, that many of those he had won to Christ didn’t trust him as a preacher of the Word of God.

Finally Paul was arrested, tried and executed for his faith in Christ.

I know I mentioned this passage in one of last week’s messages, but it has bearing in this message too when he wrote and said, 2 Timothy 4:16-17 (KJV)

At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.

Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.

Paul slid from a leader in his community to alone, with no one but Jesus to support him at his execution.

It is that man who told us, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

And it wasn’t just preaching either.

Paul was a man who gave thanks – in everything.

He gave thanks

I. IN A SINKING SHIP

Acts 27:20-35 (KJV)

And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.

But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.

For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.

But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;

And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.

Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.

And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,

Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.

Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.

And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.

Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.

And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.

Paul was a prisoner being transported to Rome for the trial that would eventually lead to his execution.

Though he had warned them not to, the soldiers transporting him boarded a ship during the stormy season and, predictably, found themselves in a storm.

But this storm looked like it was going to kill them all.

The sailors had all but given up hope.

If it had not been for the faith of Paul, they would have given up

But Paul: 

• • Believed God 
• • Encouraged them to eat something and 
• • Gave thanks for the food they received

Everybody needs somebody who believes God.

I wonder, can you be one of them for someone else?

He gave thanks

II. FOR SACRIFICIAL FOLLOWERS

Romans 16:3-4 (KJV)

Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus:

Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.

Most of us know a lot of people, and probably like a lot of people.

But we are all fortunate if we have one or two really good friends.

For Paul that was Aquila and Priscilla.

He had met them on one of his missionary journeys and, because they had the craft of tent making in common, had become fast friends.

I do not know that Paul led them to the Lord, but I am sure he had given them sound instruction in the Word of God.

Aquila and Priscilla went on to help train Apollos in the Word of God, and, apparently had been helpful in a number of churches.

Paul said that these are people who would have died for him.

He probably did not mean that figuratively. He lived in a day when Christians were being hunted, persecuted and killed for their faith.

Aquila and Priscilla had risked their lives for the Apostle Paul.

And he thanked God for them.

Is there someone who thanks God for you?

He gave thanks

III. WHEN HE MENTIONED PEOPLE IN PRAYER

Ephesians 1:15-16 (KJV)

Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

Something like this is repeated in a number of Apostle Paul’s epistles.

Notice that one of the things he did when he prayed for people is that he gave thanks for them.

When you bow to pray for other people, one of the most Scriptural things you can do for them is to thank God for them.

• • When you pray for your children – thank God for them
• • When you pray for your spouse – thank God for them
• • When you pray for that unspoken prayer request – thank God for the one who requested
• • When you pray for the financial need of someone – thank God for them
• • When you pray for our President and those in authority – be sure to thank God for them.

He gave thanks

IV. FOR THE MEAT THAT HE ATE

1 Timothy 4:1-5 (KJV)

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:

For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

This subject of meat is a larger one than I have time or inclination to pick up in today’s message.

He mentions it in

• • Romans
• • 1 Corinthians
• • 1 Timothy and 
• • Hebrews

There were, of course, meats that were unclean for the Jews to eat.

God had dismissed that restriction in a vision He gave to Peter.

But there was also the issue of meats that had been offered to idols – and was then sold in the markets. Could Christians eat that meat?

These issues has separated between believers, 

• • Some took a firm stand that to eat this meat was the same as worshiping a false God.
• • Some believed that, since the idol was false, the meat was just meat, unless you ate it in a worship setting.

Paul believed the meat was just meat but also that we ought not do things that offend others, even if they are technically wrong.

By the time he writes to Timothy, he can see a day when there would be churches that forbid people from eating meat.

Paul’s answer for that was, “… every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:

For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”

Being thankful to God for our food sanctifies that food and makes it an act of worship before the Lord.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV) says,

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Whatever we eat or drink can be done to the glory of God, it is is “received with thanksgiving” and “sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”

He gave thanks

V. IN JESUS’ NAME

Hebrews 13:15 (KJV)

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

I want to suggest to you that this is the secret to “in everything give thanks.”

It is, in effect, being thankful to Jesus.

• • If my world is falling apart around me, but I know Jesus is there.
• • If tomorrow I am to die, but I know that I will see Jesus on the other side
• • If every friend I have forsakes me, but I am assured of the promise that Jesus will never leave me nor forsake me

Then I can always look to Jesus and say, “thank you.”