The Thankfulness of Jesus Sunday PM 1481

A. Jesus became in every point just like we are (Heb. 2:17). And in all of those things He is exactly what we ought to be. And although He became what we are, our desire now should be to become what He was.

1. We look to His perfection so that we will have an ideal to reach for.

2. I am grateful for ideals.

a. I've had goals set for me that I have reached; and, in reaching them have found disappointment.

b. The thing that keeps us alive & vibrant & happy is that goal that is just out of reach…. but we notice that we are making much more progress than when we have goals we can reach.

3. The joy in becoming like Jesus will only be realized when He comes.

I John 3:2 -- "We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is."

B. We want to look today at the Thankfulness of Jesus.

1. The attitude of gratitude is one of the missing elements in unhappy people. A lot of people.

2. "Thank you" are two words passing out of the vocabulary…

3. Few acknowledge a waitress. Fewer smile at her. & fewer say "Thanks." Why? Thank her because she is serving you.

a. We should thank those that we serve… because they are giving us an opportunity to fulfill the mission Jesus came to do.

4. Jesus came to seek & save. He came to seek, to serve, to sacrifice, to slave -- & when we are given the opportunity to do that, that's when we should be the most thankful.

C. The Psalmist knew that kind of thanksgiving. Psalm 145:2 -- "Every day I will bless You, & I will praise Your name forever & ever."

1. Daniel knew it for he prayed 3 times daily. Daniel 6:10 -- "... and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying & giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously."

2. The author of Hebrews says we ought to ... "Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name." --Hebrews 13:15

3. Paul praised & thanked God at the beginning & end of his epistles. His letters were written between the parentheses of God's grace.

4. Cf. Col. 1:3 -- He gives thanks. 1:12 -- He gives thanks. 2:7. 3:15. 3:17. 4:1.

5. A thankful spirit is evidence of a spirit filled life. Ephesians 5:20

D. Now, How do we get there? ...to be thankful?

1. "Get our heart right?" Yes, ideally. But how do we do that?

It's hard to say, "Heart! Get right!" & make it happen.

2. I get the idea that Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matt. 6:21)

3. So, I need some specific areas to work on so that my heart & my treasure can be in the right place.

I. He Was Thankful For Food.

A. 5000 (Matt. 14:13ff, & John 6) -- they'd been with Jesus all day...

1. Not an occasion of emergency or malnutrition or…

2. 14:15 -- Disciples said to send them to villages to buy food

a. Not poor people. Had the ability to buy. & food was available.

b. But that's not what Jesus wanted to do.

3. 14:16 -- He said, "You give them something to eat."

a. & in John 6:7, Philip said, "It'd take 200 denaii (8 mos. wages)"

b. & Andrew, "Here's a boy with 5 barley loaves (like tortillas) & 2 fish (like sardines)." "What are these for so many…?"

c. "Have them sit…" -- a crowd of at least 15,000 people!

4. 14:19 -- "Looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food…"

a. Jn. 6:11 says "...and having given thanks…"

b. Thankful for 5 loaves & 2 fish (& it looked so small…)

c. What is He thanking God for?

1] The bread… which thanked Him for the fields… farmers…skies, rain, sun, harvesters, transporters, millers, cooks, etc.

2] The fish. the stream that fed the river, that fed the lake…for the little minnows the fish ate…

3] Thanks is always a thanks for His being God.

5. 4000 (Mark 8:6-7) He gave thanks for bread and fish separately.

6. John 6:23 - The offering of thanks loomed as memorable as the miracle of the loaves & fishes. "There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks." That impressed John!

B. Jesus was thankful for His food. -- & it revealed a pattern that we should emulate if we would be like Jesus...

II. He Was Thankful for Spiritual Insight Given to the Simple.

A. In Mat. 11, Jesus gave thanks because his heavenly Father had revealed spiritual truth to the ignorant & had hidden such matters from the clever

-- Lets see who He is grateful for!

1. He had just cursed Chorazin, Bethsaida & Capernaum who ought to have seen the spiritual insight of His teachings, but they were too proud. -- Maybe they were educated beyond their intelligence!

2. Matt 11:25 -- "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent & have revealed them to infants. ²⁶ Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight." Good!

a. Know-it-alls have little room for more knowledge.

b. They already knew all they tho't they needed to know.

c. Thank you, Father, for not giving it to those who are proud & pretentious, & egotistical & wise in their own eyes…

d. The gospel is still being rejected by those who count themselves wise… & is given to those thirsting for knowledge of God…

B. One reason he spoke in parables was to continue the confusion of disbelievers (Matt 13:10-13). Yet he explained them to the 12 later in the chapter.

1. cf. Mt. 13:10-13. and 13:16-17.

2. Jesus is interested in us understanding.

3. And He is thankful for those simple ones who want to.

4. But Jesus continually hid things from wise skeptics & learned unbelievers, & revealed truth to his simple, unpretentious disciples.

C. Those who didn't wish to know truth received no light from the Lord

1. Luke 23:8 -- Herod "questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing."

2. Caiaphas said, "Who are you." But he didn't want to know. & Jesus didn't answer.

3. He challenged Pilate to believe, but he wouldn't, so Jesus stopped talking there, too.

4. Note: It is possible to know all about the rocks and not know the Rock of Ages; -- … to know all about flowers and not know the Rose of Sharon & the Lily of the Valley; -- … to understand much about light but not to follow the Light of the World.

-- That's why Prov 9:10 says "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; & the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

5. Jesus was thankful because you don't have to be in "Who's Who" to know "what's what."

III. He Was Thankful for Answered Prayer

1. Sometimes we forget. I'm thankful that around here we are remembering to do that!

2. If I really believe that when I pray, God hears, then I'll pray & be thankful in the same breath. (I Jn. 5:15 -- "And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him."

a. I thank Him even when I don't see the answer. … or don't understand it. … or think it is dif. from what I asked.

A. At Lazarus' Grave (John 11:40-44)

1. He lifted up His head -- why do we bow?

2. Was thankful He was heard before He prayed!

3. I know you always hear me!

4. Cf. Psalm 18:49- "Therefore I will give thanks to You among the nations, O LORD, And I will sing praises to Your name."

Notice 2 Cor. 1:8-11 --

IV. He Was Thankful For His Own Death

A. He was thankful for the fact that He was going to die, & ended up thankful even for the manner in which He would die.

B. Even the Lord's Supper is an expression of that same gratitude. And we learned it from Him.

1. Gave thanks for loaf & fruit of vine representing his death

2. Read Lk 22:17-20.

C. Notice Paul's commentary (I Cor 11:23-25).

1. All of this to be done to "remember Him"…

2. Some call the Lord's Supper the Eucharist. Know why? It's Latin for "Giving of Thanks". That's what the Lord's Supper is.

3. And when we partake, it is our thanksgiving for what Jesus did as we remember Him.

D. I've sometimes tho't I would like to have been at the altar in the Old T. Sacrifices bleated & bellowed all the way to the altar. And then to be able to stand at the cross. The New Testament sacrifice did not open His mouth but to give thanks.

E. Jesus notices when people are ungrateful

1. Read Luke 17:11-17; an earnest prayer… can't go to the priest unless they were cleansed. One came back in gratitude before going to the priest.

2. I Thes. 5:18 -- "in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. " He notices when we are ungrateful.

F. Close:

1. Do you thank Him for the food? The air you breathe? Wife? Husband? Children? Auto? House? Job?

2. Mostly, Have you thanked God for the Lord Jesus Christ's death in your behalf?

3. Thank Him daily. And be sure you don't miss thanking Him by always being in worship. Always taking the Lord's supper. Always serving Him everyday.

Thank God for His unspeakable gift.

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