“All Circumstances” 11-6-22
Overview
Gratefulness In All Circumstances
Paul's call in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 gives us a trifecta of God's will for His people: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances." That last command deserves careful attention, because it is easily misunderstood. Giving thanks in all circumstances does not mean denying our pain. Scripture itself gives us the lament Psalms as honest expressions of grief. Jesus wept at Lazarus's tomb, agonized over Jerusalem, and was in anguish at Gethsemane. The faithful life is not one of stuffing sorrow down or pretending it isn't there.
But what about Ephesians 5:20, where Paul tells us to give thanks "for everything"? Does in really mean for? Are we obligated to thank God for the death of a child, the dashed retirement dreams, the difficult diagnosis, the abusive boss, the life-altering injury? No. The context of Ephesians 5 is corporate worship — notice verse 19's "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs." Paul is drawing on the pattern of the Berakah prayer, the prayers of blessing characteristic of Israel's gathered worship that focused not on personal petitions but on the mighty deeds and graciousness of God. The "everything" of Ephesians 5:20 is the everything of God's goodness rehearsed in worship — supremely the circumstances of the cross, the empty tomb, and our redemption in Christ.
So in means in. We are not burdened with the impossible task of thanking God for evil itself. Rather, we give thanks within the circumstance — for what God is doing through it, for His presence and strength, for the witness of faith that emerges even in the hardest places. As David Murray puts it: I don't give thanks for the assault, but I give thanks to God in that circumstance for how He is using a wounded sister to minister to other women. I don't give thanks for terminal cancer, but I give thanks for a father-in-law whose faith bears witness even as the disease advances. The blessing sprouts amidst the suffering without minimizing it.
This is pastorally freeing. The grieving father singing "A Mighty Fortress" — feeling the lyric "child or spouse, though life be wrenched away" hit him fresh years after his loss — is not commanded to be thankful that his child died. He is invited to give thanks in that circumstance for who God is: the steadfast Lord whose love endures forever Psalm 107:1, the Savior who bore the cross, the King whose tomb is empty, the One who will one day bring every painful circumstance to give way at heaven's gates. Until that day, we gather, we worship, and we give thanks — in all circumstances — for the magnificence of our God.
Transcript
Would you open your Bibles, please, with me? 3s
For our study today, to first desolonyans, the fifth chapter. 5s
First desolonyans, chapter five, if you're using a Pew edition of Holy Scripture, you're 9s
going to find that on page 181. 14s
First desolonyans, the fifth chapter. 18s
We begin today a new sermon series that's going to take us through Thanksgiving Eve worship. 20s
And it's simply entitled, Greatfulness in. 28s
Greatfulness in. 33s
Now obviously, there's a little bit of a push forward for what is the in here. 34s
So this is a little bit of a fill on the blank sermon. 39s
For these next few weeks and each week, as we study God's Word, we're going to fill in the 42s
blank. 47s
Fill in the blank in terms of what it is that God calls us to be grateful about. 49s
And in and how he empowers us. 57s
Greatfulness in. 62s
Scientific studies tell us that gratefulness has a wonderful, wonderful positive effect on us. 66s
Various areas of which there's a positive effect. 75s
Relationships stress, anger management, sleeping on and on, the list goes. 80s
But more important than that, God calls us to be a grateful people. 86s
Psalm 30 says this. 100s
Sing praises to the Lord, O you His faithful ones, and give thanks to His holy name, Psalm 103s
O give thanks to the Lord for He is good for His steadfast love in doors forever. 113s
Greatfulness in. 123s
So let's fill in the first blank. 126s
Shall we? 128s
Greatfulness in. 130s
All circumstances in. 133s
All circumstances. 139s
What does that mean? 142s
What does that mean? 145s
We come to our text for today. 147s
We come really to a trifecta here. 149s
This free, very desirable aspects of the expression of God's will. 152s
Look with me, please. 158s
At verse 16 of our text, verse 10,ologians 5. 160s
Rejoice always, there's the first, here's the second. 165s
Pray without ceasing. 170s
Here comes the third. 172s
Give thanks in all circumstances. 174s
For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 178s
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances. 185s
Let's focus on the last of the trifecta there. 194s
The giving thanks in all circumstances. 199s
How are we to understand that? 203s
Well, certainly it doesn't mean that we are to give and deny our feelings as we are 207s
giving thanks. 214s
Well, we're not to deny pain. 216s
This is not a call for great stuffing down as far as you can go of any pain that we have. 220s
This is not some kind of call to this grand denial. 228s
What is a whole class of Psalms called lament Psalms, which is the very expression of 234s
grief. 242s
Jesus wept over the death of Lazarus. 244s
Jesus was an angst and grieved over Jerusalem. 250s
On the mount of all of us just before the cross, Jesus was an anguish so certainly, 256s
certainly giving thanks in all circumstances does not mean that we are to deny the pain in 262s
our life, certainly not. 270s
And certainly it doesn't mean that we are to give thanks for everything, right? 274s
Because the word is give thanks in all circumstances. 279s
So certainly we're not to give thanks for everything, right? 287s
Well, what do we do with this? 294s
Turn with me please to Ephesians the 5th chapter. 300s
That's page 172 in your Pew edition. 304s
Ephesians chapter 5 verse 20. 308s
And there in Ephesians 5 verse 20, Paul, again writing unto the inspiration of the 316s
Holy Spirit, writes this, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything 322s
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 337s
Giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything, for everything. 339s
So does that mean then that in the end in the end in means for is that what it means? 354s
Does it mean then that when we are called in first that's a lonian's 5 to give thanks 368s
in all circumstances. 373s
But then you turn to Ephesians 5 and then give thanks for everything. 376s
Then in the end then does in mean for. 381s
I first call. 391s
First call we were singing once again, mighty fortress. 395s
How many times? 398s
How many times had we sung that? 399s
There was a man early 30s, was there with his wife, his child. 404s
Now all of a sudden it came to the lyric where they to take our house goods honor, 412s
child or spouse, though life be wrenched away. 421s
As I was singing I happened to look over to him and tears. 430s
Here's what's streaming down his face and I knew why. 437s
Years before, years before. 447s
He and his wife had to go through losing a child, a young child dying. 451s
He had sung that mighty fortress. 462s
He had sung that for years. 466s
But for some reason on that Sunday when he came to the lyric it was like it was all so fresh 469s
at that moment. 479s
Whenever it gets over grieving, whenever it gets over that. 481s
But there are those times when it comes back so fresh. 486s
And that was that time where they had to take our house good honor, child or spouse 491s
and the tears rolled down his face as he sang. 498s
So how is he supposed to understand Ephesians 5? 508s
How is he supposed to understand Ephesians 5 where it says give thanks for everything? 519s
So does that mean? 528s
Does that mean that he's supposed to give thanks for the death of their child? 531s
The problems that that perplexed and they just seemed to continue on year after year after 544s
year and it never seems to resolve. 550s
Those kind of problems are we supposed to give thanks for those problems? 555s
Because don't those problems fall under the umbrella of for everything? 565s
The couple that had spent years saving up and looking forward to retirement, they had a whole host 573s
of plans and then suddenly one afternoon he dies. 579s
He's unexpectedly. 584s
No apparent health issues. 586s
He just dies and all of a sudden their dreams turn into a nightmare. 589s
Is the surviving spouse is she supposed to say, I thank you for this. 595s
I thank you. 603s
That my spouse died. 608s
The difficult diagnosis. 615s
The abuse of boss. 619s
The injury that changes one's life. 622s
Are we supposed to give thanks for those things? 628s
For Cecilonians of 5 chapters says give thanks in all circumstances. 638s
Ephesians 5 says give thanks for everything. 644s
So in the end, in the end does in mean for. 649s
No. 659s
They were called Baraka prayers. 666s
There's 40 examples of Baraka prayers in the Old Testament. 672s
There's more examples in the New Testament. 676s
Baraka prayers focused on the mighty deeds of God. 679s
There were oftentimes in response to God's specific acts of His grace. 688s
Focus on the mighty deeds and the graciousness of God. 694s
And with Baraka prayers, you don't really have the petitions of the individual. 699s
It's not this is going on in my life or I pray for this person in this situation. 708s
You don't have that in Baraka prayers. 714s
In Baraka prayers, what you have is an adoration and a lifting up of praise of the mighty deeds of God. 717s
Here's the thing. 729s
Baraka prayers were characteristic of the corporate gathering of God's people in worship. 732s
Like what we're doing right now, it's the gathering of God's people in worship. 743s
And so when a paraka baraka prayer was given, that was characteristic of the people gathered for worship, possible. 748s
Right out of the shoot there, in Ephesians the first chapter, you can't get farther than verse three. 758s
And all of a sudden, he's in a Baraka prayer. 764s
In fact, verses three to 14, it is a Baraka prayer that tells us that Paul was keenly aware, keenly aware, 768s
that this letter is going to be read at the corporate gathering, 777s
the corporate gathering of the worship of God's people. 781s
And so he starts right out in its characterizing the letter, focusing on the mighty deeds and the graciousness of God. 787s
In fact, as you read on Ephesians, you see this formal liturgical language pop up. 799s
Again, it's telling us that Paul understands that this letter is going to be read in the corporate worship. 809s
Now look at the context of verse 20 of chapter five of Ephesians, please. 820s
Right before he says verse 20, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 828s
Notice what he writes in verse 19. 840s
As you sing Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, 844s
well what is that? 854s
That's worship isn't it? 857s
That's corporate worship. 859s
The context then of which Paul is writing when he says, we are to give thanks for everything. 862s
It's the Baraka prayer. 875s
It's giving thanks for the mighty deeds and the grace of God. 878s
The four everything is the expression of God's goodness. 886s
Give thanks for everything. 894s
What's the everything associated with the worship of God? 898s
What's the associated with the Baraka prayer? 904s
God does not place us under the burden of telling a young father who lost his child. 913s
You have to give thanks that your child died. 928s
Isn't places under that burden? 934s
Isn't place the spouse with all the dreams that were dashed and now is living the nightmare? 938s
You need to give thanks that before your dreams could become reality your spouse died. 945s
You just have to place this under the burden if a doctor turns and says, I'm sorry but I have a difficult diagnosis to tell you. 955s
It doesn't put us underneath the burden of saying, well now I have to give thanks for that. 964s
No, in means in, in doesn't mean for the four is in the context of God's goodness and his grace and worship. 974s
The Baraka prayer. 1002s
And so we gather, we gather in worship and we give thanks. 1009s
We give thanks for his goodness, for his enduring of the circumstances of the cross. 1016s
His winning for us forgiveness as he sheds his blood on the cross and pays our sin death. 1026s
We give thanks for the circumstances of the cross and what has been the result in winning for us life eternal. 1034s
We give thanks that God goes through the circumstances, the Lord Jesus Christ of dying for us on the cross 1045s
so that we might be redeemed, that we are reconciled to God. 1053s
The world redeemed unto him through his shed blood. 1061s
The tomb is empty. You see, who he is, who he is gives us confidence then to give thanks in all circumstances. 1065s
David Murray writes, he writes on this topic and he says, I give thanks for what God is doing. 1088s
Even though this person went through and was assaulted, I give thanks for how she now is caring for others amidst her pain. 1102s
He writes, I don't give thanks for the assault, but I give thanks to God in the circumstance of the assault for what God is doing as God is using her to minister to other women who have gone through that horror. 1116s
He writes, I give thanks to my father-in-law who has terminal cancer. 1141s
He says, I don't give thanks for the terminal cancer, but I give thanks. 1149s
I give thanks to my father-in-law. I give thanks to my father-in-law. 1158s
That he is a man of faith and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1168s
I give thanks amidst the circumstance in the circumstance of his terminal cancer. 1172s
I give thanks for the witness that he is making. 1178s
I give thanks in the circumstance. 1182s
He's not under the burden to give thanks for it. 1187s
Because the four passage in Ephesians is dealing with something else. 1193s
The worship of praise of God who he is. 1202s
We then are empowered to give thanks in the circumstances. 1207s
We give thanks as we go through challenging times and challenging circumstances. 1213s
We give thanks in the circumstances for God's strength. 1219s
We give thanks for his presence. 1224s
We give thanks for how we can use even the most terrible time and not minimizing the terrible time, 1226s
but amidst it sprout even a blessing. 1234s
You see, we give thanks for what God does in the circumstances in the circumstance. 1239s
In, in does not mean for. 1257s
And so in the circumstances that we live, one day, they will all give way. 1264s
All give way to heavens gates and all those circumstances will go away. 1273s
And in the meantime, in the circumstances, we give thanks. 1291s
As we give thanks for who he is in all of his magnificence. 1302s