Merry Christmas!!

A Season of Peace

Preached at Northwest Christian Church

David P. Kautt

Sunday Morning, December 11, 2011

Luke 2:1-20, “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.  Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
       “ Glory to God in the highest,
      And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”

There’s a commodity that is in short supply today; and yet is in great demand.  It’s a possession, a priceless treasure that people the world over are seeking and yet are hardly finding.  With all their dollars and credit lines, and the hard work that it takes to earn them, they are pursuing it to no avail.  Many would even give all that they own to claim it and to enjoy it in their lives, but – sad to say – they are looking for it in all the wrong places.  Wal-mart doesn’t carry it.  Best Buy never has it in stock.  The quaint, Mom and Pop stores around the square in Downtown McKinney don’t have it in their inventory, nor can you obtain it through Amazon, Ebay or any other web-based store.  What am I talking about?  A priceless gem?  A rare antique?  A one-of-a-kind handmade craft? 

No.  I’m talking about peace.  Peace.  The very season that, as we learned last time, is meant to be a season of joy, the very season that, as I hope to lead you in discovering next time, is intended by God to be a season of hope – real, lasting hope – the very season that is all of these things because, as we will come to find out on Christmas morning, is THE season of love, this season, Christmas season, is, for way too many people anything but a season of peace. 

A season of joy -  we looked at that wonderful truth about the Christmas season last time, didn’t we?  And do you remember what we learned?  We found out that joy, real joy, wonderful joy, is ours, it is!  How?  Why?  Because of this one bit of good, good news.  “For unto you – unto you – is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”  Christmas is a season of joy because of those good tidings of great joy. 

But, where are we to go to find peace?  What is the reason why someone like me would call the Christmas season a season of peace?  The angel of the Lord, shining with the dazzling brilliance of God’s glory, brought the joyful report to the shepherds that night outside Bethlehem: a Savior has been born, Christ the Lord.  It is a season of joy!  But take note, in verses 13 & 14 that it was the numberless host of heaven’s angelic messengers that praised God with these words: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” 

Peace…  Where are people like you and me to find it?  Peace.  This precious commodity, this priceless, tirelessly sought after possession, where are we to go to obtain it? 

I witnessed a sad and heart-breaking scene just a few weeks ago, when a friend of mine came stumbling out the door of his home, head in his hands, weeping almost uncontrollably.  I knew the reason for his tears, the turmoil and turbulence in his life due to many factors out of sync with God’s plan for his life.  But what he said, what my friend said, has stuck with me ever since.  “I just want some peace, David, I just want to have peace!” 

Interestingly, this man and his girlfriend live in a rundown, rent house with a 40 foot high, 30 foot wide bill board, one of those big ones like you see out along the highway, there is the huge billboard, planted right there, on one end of my friend’s front yard!  And how I wish I could put this simply message up there on that billboard: Peace?  Where is it to be found?  “And this shall be a sign unto you: yes shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger!” 

A Baby?  In a manger? Who would ever have thought to look there for peace?  Speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Zacharias, the joy-filled father of John the Baptist, has this to say about that Baby.  Take a look.  Right across the page, in Luke 1:78-79, he prophesies that the “Dayspring from on high”, that’s a reference to that Baby, Zacharias says that the “Dayspring from on high has visited us…”  God, by means of, because of His tender mercies poured out upon peace-seekers like my friend, in His Son, Jesus Christ, in this Baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed so lovingly in that manger bed, through His Son, our Savior, Christ the Lord, has made a way for those who ‘sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” to be enlightened, and - and – in and through that Baby He has made it possible for our feet, my friend’s feet, all people’s feet, to be guided “into the way of peace!” 

Christmas, it is a season of peace, at least, that’s what God’s intention is for it.  But, why is it that so many, who are so desperately searching for this rich blessing, not finding it, not experiencing and enjoying it? 

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find that many of life’s most complex problems, issues like “where can I go to get, how will I ever enjoy true peace?” I have come to realize, and maybe you have also, that many of life’s most complicated problems have a solution that is, in fact, quite simple.  I’d like to suggest to you that such is the case when it comes to our quest for peace.

Two things, two glorious facts that you simply must know, about Jesus, about that precious Baby, if you want to enjoy real peace.  Number one, Ephesians 2:14 – Jesus Christ IS our peace – He is – because of what He has done for sinners, for people like you and me and my friend, who, without Him, are sitting, living, enduring, a place, so filled with darkness, so terribly overshadowed by death.  Jesus Christ IS our peace, because of what He has done for sinners!  Praise God! 

And, then, fact number two that I’d like for us to explore this morning is this: Jesus Christ is our peace, He is!  Because of what He gives to saints…

The manger, we love it, don’t we?  As we come to grips with the awesome reality of God becoming man, this unusual baby bed, this rustic cradle, we love it, because of what it stands for, what it declares to us about this Baby.  The Word HAS become flesh and dwelt among us, the Only Begotten Son of the Father, full, as He is, of grace and truth, in this marvelous way we have been given the privilege to behold His glory!  Wow!  Yes, we love the manger, that crude cradle.  But listen, don’t forget.  This would be no season of peace, if, following the cradle, there had been no cross!  He is our peace, Ephesians 2:14 – Jesus Christ is our peace!  How do we know that?  Because of what He has done for sinners, for the powerless, the ungodly, for His enemies!  For people just like you and me!  The prophet Isaiah, who in the ninth chapter of his prophecy, spoke of a “Child to be born, a Son to be given”, One upon whose shoulders the government would be placed.  Do you remember how Isaiah depicted Him, what he called Him? 

Isaiah 9:6, “And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”  Jesus Christ is our peace… Our Prince of Peace…  And here’s how we know that.  Isaiah 53 – The Child to be born would be “wounded, literally pierced through for our transgressions, the Son to be given, He would be bruised – literally – crushed, for our iniquities.  And, then – catch this – Isaiah 53:5, He is our peace, how do we know that?  Because of what He has done for sinners!  Look at what Isaiah says about Him there in chapter 53, verse 5.  “He was wounded – pierced through – for our transgressions, He was bruised – crushed – for our iniquities.”  And then it tells us that the “chastisement of our peace” the ripping, tearing, cutting blows intended to supply us with peace were upon Him – why?  So that by those stripes, as a result of all that pain and suffering and agony – for us – we might be healed! He is our peace, this Baby, yes, because He came to be born in a manger.  But much more, because He bled and died, in our place, for us, on a cross! 

Christmas, it really is a season of peace, because of what Jesus has done for sinners!  We don’t have time to look at the rest of this powerful 53^rd chapter of Isaiah, but here’s your assignment: read and study the rest of it, in light of Ephesians chapter 2 and 1 Peter chapter 2.  Christmas, it is a season of peace because of what Jesus Christ has done for sinners! 

But, then, there’s fact number two, remember it?  Jesus Christ, He is our peace – He is!  If you are a Christian… How do I know that?  Because of what He gives to His saints!  Quickly move with me to John chapters 14 & 16.  Peace, peace with God, what Jesus Christ has done at Calvary, for sinners, for the powerless, for the ungodly, yes, for us who in our sinful rebellion against God are no less than God’s enemies!  That peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, has an incredible by-product, the one that my friend so yearns for – what is it?  It is the gift that Jesus Christ, our peace, gives to His saints: peace within!  Peace in our hearts!  John 14:27 and John 16:33 - The scene is the upper room, Jesus’ final hours with His closest men, before He must go to Gethsemane and Calvary.  It is a troubling scene for Him, because He knew what was ahead.  It was perhaps even more distressing for the disciples because they didn’t know fully nor understand completely, what was about to take place.  Ever been there?  A place of ominous uncertainty?  A place of impending doom and dread?  Flip on the news, look at our society and you’ll feel it, won’t you?  I mean, even with the lights and the tinsel, the music and the ornaments, the tree and the packages under it, for most of us, it’s there.  This sense of foreboding anxiety, and fear. 

My Loved Ones, what season is this?  “For unto you a Child is born, unto you a Son is given, and the government, the final ruling authority over all these things, will be upon His shoulders, upon the shoulders of the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.  What season is it?  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth – in McKinney and Sherman and Wylie and Princeton, and The Colony – on earth peace, good will toward men…”

My Loved Ones, this is the season of peace…  And how do we know that?  Because Jesus Christ, who is every Christian’s peace, has given a marvelous gift to His saints, and what is that gift?  John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Christmas, what season is it?  God has written it not on a billboard, but in manger, and on a cross!  Jesus Christ, our peace-MAKER, our Intercessor, our Mediator, our Sacrificial Peace Offering, God’s Marvelous Gift to us, Jesus Christ, our Peace-Giver, our Comforter, in these times of turmoil and uncertainty, our Ever-Present Help in trouble.  Christmas IS the season of peace.  Why?  You know why, because Jesus Christ has come. 

A Season of Joy

Image copyright 2011, David Kautt.

Preached at Northwest Christian Church

David P. Kautt

Sunday Morning, December 4, 2011

Luke 2:1-20, “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.  Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
       “ Glory to God in the highest,
      And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”

1 Peter 1:8-9, “whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.”

One of the very first songs to be sung and played on the radio and in department stores this time of year, is the song entitled: Deck the Halls.  Many of you know the words by heart, and could even sing it now, having learned it and known it, from your childhood.  You remember, it goes something like this: “Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la…” and so on.  It’s a cheery song, with a catchy tune, although, I’ve yet to find a dictionary with a definition for the words, fa la la la la, la la la la…  It also uses a phrase that caught my attention, that I want you to consider at the outset of our time in the Word of God this morning.  It’s the phrase, “Tis the season to be jolly.”  I looked it up, to make certain I understood what it means and found it interesting that this concept of a season to be jolly carries with it the ideas of cheerful festivity, and to be in good spirits.  It can imply that someone is having fun, enjoying some form of pleasurable excitement and may even indicate that he or she is slightly drunk - or, as we might say, ‘Tipsy’. 

Now, perhaps I’m making too much of this, seeing that this a secular song, although, I would remind you that it didn’t take too much prompting on my part for you to sing it in your minds, right?  In other words, our thinking about this time of the year has been shaped, at least partly, by a song that tells us that this is the time to enjoy in some form of pleasurable excitement, to be in good spirits, perhaps we have imbibed some form of alcohol.  But allow me to ask you, “for the Christ, is this time of year the time to be cheerful with a kind of transient or temporary festivity, a ‘jolly season’; or is it to be some other kind of season?

May I suggest to you that this season, this time of year we call the ‘Christmas season’, is not merely a ‘season to be jolly’, anybody can be tipsy anytime they want to be, anybody can pursue pleasure and excitement, anytime they want to do so.  No.  I’d like to suggest to you, that this season, the Christmas season is more, much, much more than a ‘season to be jolly’.  Rather, it is – for the Christian, the person who, through the ‘grid’ of this Book understands what this season is, for the Bible-guided Christian, this season is not a jolly season, but a joyful season, a season of joy. 

Peter, the apostolic writer of the words we find in the letter we call, “First Peter’, Peter filled with the Spirit, not with alcoholic ‘spirits’, describes the marvels and mysteries of what it means to be born again, what it truly means to be a Christian.  In 1 Peter 1:8, he refers to Christians, those who have received the gift of salvation and the new birth, the Christmas gift Jesus Christ came to bring, as rejoicing “with joy unspeakable and full of glory”.  Interestingly, he speaks of this joy, take a look at the text there in First Peter chapter one.  Peter speaks of this inexpressible and glorious joy, not in the context of some form of jolly excitement and passing pleasure.  But look.  He speaks of it in the context of pain, in a setting that has to do with hardship, difficulty and testing.

           

1 Peter 1:6-9, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

A season of joy, not a season to be jolly…  What does it mean?  What are we talking about when we say that “Christmas is a season of joy”? 

Well, first thing to note and to know, is what the angle of the Lord, the heavenly messenger said to the shepherds back there in Luke chapter two.  A heaven-sent messengers, shining with the radiant glory of God, when he appears in the middle of the night to shepherds quietly keeping watch over their flocks, or if he was to appear to church members at 11:45 on a Sunday morning, a heaven-sent messenger is and would have been a startling and awesome sight, an appearance that would have caused great fear for those men.  And we can understand that, can’t we?  But look at what the angel of the Lord says to these men: “Fear not… don’t be afraid.”  Why?  “Because I bring you good tidings - good news of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you – this day – in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” 

The simple reason, the obvious reason – oh, my Loved Ones, the life-changing reason – this season is NOT simply a season to be jolly, but a season to be truly joyful, is because of the good news, because of the good tidings of GREAT joy.  Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord!

Do you see it, my friends?  Our joy, our rejoicing, as Christians it is not rooted in another drink.  It is not hinging on whether or not we get to take part in another pleasurable experience, and another and another and another!  No!  It is rooted in the Good News, in the gospel message of salvation and in the fact that Jesus Christ, Jesus the Messiah is Lord! 

A season of joy, one of the indicators that makes me think that this is what we should call this season is the presence, yes, of music, of singing!  Not the empty, ‘Fa la la la la, la la la la’ of ‘Deck the Halls’, but the substance of Mary’s Song, the magnificat, and of Zacharias’s song, and of Simeon’s song, the benedictus.  Look at each of these three songs with me for a moment or two, would you, please?

Luke 1:46-55, Mary’s song.  Do you remember the context, the circumstance behind this song?  Mary has just received the astonishing news that God had chosen her to be the mother of His Son.  She would be, this young Jewish virgin, would be His holy vessel, His instrument through which the Son of God, the Son of the Highest, would enter into this world as a man.  And, traveling to the home of her cousin Elizabeth, she hears Elizabeth’s Holy Spirit-inspired greeting: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  You, the mother of my Lord, has come to me!...”  All of these things in the background cause Mary to well up with these joy-filled words: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…”  The reason for Mary’s joy, is the Good News…  “The Lord has regarded the lowly estate of His maidservant.  The Lord has done mighty things for her.  The Lord has shown strength with His arm.  The Lord has put down the mighty from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly.  The Lord has filled the hungry with good things, but sent the rich away empty.  The Lord has helped His servant Israel, and remembered His mercy, His covenant faithfulness to His people!”  The Lord…  The Lord…  The Lord…  He is the reason for Mary’s joy! 

Then, there’s Zacharias’s song, Luke 1:67-79.  Who is Zacharias?  Do you remember?  He is the husband of Elizabeth, He is the surprised father, who though he never would be a father, of the forerunner of the Messiah, Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist.  Look at the joyful way in which he begins his song: “Blessed be [praises be] to the Lord God of Israel,” sounds like the Psalms, doesn’t it?  “For He has visited and redeemed His people!”  Good news.  “He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David!”  Good news…  Just like He spoke through His holy prophets, the message is clear, and the news is very, very good indeed!  “We shall be saved, He’s going to save us from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us!”  Good news, He is, the Lord is, through this horn of salvation He is raising up for us, granting us deliverance from our enemies, and making a way for us to serve Him without fear, in the holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

It’s there, isn’t it?  For Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, it was there.  Not giddy gladness at good pleasures and excitements, but, deep, humble, grateful joy in the Lord, before the Giver of this Good News gift!

Or, take Simeon’s song, for an example.  Luke 2:22-35 provides us not only with the words of Simeon’s song, but with the context.  After a period of purification, required by the law of God following her pregnancy, and the delivery of the Christ Child, Mary and her husband, take little Jesus with them to Jerusalem, to the temple, to present Him to the Lord - what an awesome scene that must have been, for the Son of God, Mary’s children, Joseph’s keepsake, but God’s Only Begotten and Beloved Son, to be presented back to His Father in heaven!  And, then, for Simeon, this otherwise unknown Biblical character, this man Luke describes as “just and devout” was “waiting for the consolation of Israel”, led by the Holy Spirit, he steps up to this couple, holding their precious bundle, and then, he gets to take Jesus into his arms!  A season of joy, a season of life-changing, long-lasting joy, that’s what this was, and always would be for Simeon!  There with the Holy Son of God in his arms, this man who had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had the opportunity to see the Lord’s Messiah, there he was, Simeon, holding the Christ of God in his own hands!  And, what does he do?  What would you have done if you had been Simeon? 

Luke 2:28 – He blesses God, He praises God and says, “Lord, now You can let me depart in peace, for my eyes – my eyes – have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” 

Do you see why I call this season a season of joy, not a season merely to be jolly?  The Son of God has come.  The consolation of Israel has come.  The light of revelation to the Gentiles has come.  And, that, my friends, is Good News, very, very, good news! 

So, what are we to do about it?  “Behold, I bring you good news of great joy…”  With your lips bless God, praise the Lord God of Israel, who has visited and redeemed His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for you.  With your arms, your arms, like Simeon, take up that precious Child and exclaim, “Now!  Now!  My eyes have seen it!  The salvation, the Savior You have prepared before the face of all peoples, the light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of God’s people Israel”.  Take Him up in your arms, as your Savior, and allow Him to take you up, too – as His! 

Last of all, this season of joy, here’s what you are to do.  Luke 2:17 – like the shepherds, with your lives make widely known the saying which was told you concerning this precious Child! 

The Attitude of Gratitude

Preached at Northwest Christian Church

David P. Kautt

Sunday Morning, November 27, 2011

1 Thessalonians 5:14-24, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.  Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”

To have the mindset of Jesus Christ is to have an attitude of gratitude.  And to express the mindset of Jesus Christ is to give thanks in every situation. 

What do you think about those two statements?  Are they true?  Are they false?  Are they correct?  Are they incorrect?  Let me repeat them for you one more time, and you listen, and evaluate them with me, will you, please?  Statement number one: to have the mind or mindset of Jesus Christ is to have an attitude of gratitude, or, we might say, a thankful heart.  And, then, statement number two: to express the mindset of Jesus Christ, to display this attitude of gratitude, is to give thanks, is to allow the joyful appreciation that is in one’s heart to overflow in thankful praise.  What do you think about those statements? 

Caught somewhere between the exhilaration of summertime, with its vacations and sunshine and the day-by-day count-down to Christmas day – only 28 days of shopping left – sandwiched between soccer practice and band contests, car-pooling and punching a time clock, is a single, solitary day, set aside for most all of us to assemble with family and friends, to eat some turkey and dressing and pumpkin pie and to remember – yes, I said, “remember” – to give thanks for the blessings you have received.   With all the hype and hoopla related to ‘Black Friday’, midnight madness, 10p.m. pandemonium, we need a reminder, don’t we, that this past week, the emphasis is meant to be, not on shopping, but on saying “thank you” to the Giver of every good and perfect gift. 

To have the mindset of Jesus Christ is to have an attitude of gratitude.  And to express the mindset of Jesus Christ is to give thanks in every situation.  For the Christ, as we say, these things out to be “No Brainers”, completely obvious, right?  But how many of us didn’t realize or remember that these verses are in the Bible?

An attitude of gratitude.  Expressing that heartfelt gratitude by way of thanksgiving, using one’s lips to say, “Thank you, God…  Thank you!”  These things are at the heart and center of what it means to be a Christian.  But, how is it that so many Christians don’t know that or don’t show that? 

Clustered in a series of what I call ‘Biblical Universals’, ‘Biblical universal statements’ including: verse 14, “Be patient toward all men,” verse 15, “Don’t repay evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all,”  verse 16, “Rejoice always,” verse 17, “pray without ceasing,” verse 21, “test all things,” and verse 22, “Abstain from every form of evil.” 

Nestled so neatly, and almost inconspicuously, in that grouping of ‘Biblical Universals”, are these words: read them, hear them again, with me, will you, please?  “In everything,” there’s that universal language again, right?  Paul says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you, for you.” 

What do you think about those words?  I don’t know about you, but at first glance – honestly – this preacher’s response is: “What?  Paul?  You’ve gotta be kidding!  In everything give thanks?!”  Is this guy nuts or what? 

Pardon me if I sound a bit irreverent in saying that, but, honestly, haven’t you thought the same thing?  “Paul, what do you mean, ‘In everything give thanks?  For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus?” 

Well, first of all, notice with me that Paul does not say, “For everything give thanks…”  You know, “God, I thank You for cancer…  God, I thank You for suicide… God, I thank You for drunk drivers who kill innocent little children…  God, I thank You for abortion…”  Guided by the Spirit of God, the apostle Paul’s exhortation to us is not, “Give thanks for all things…”  Why?  Because, from God’s perspective, not simply from our limited, human perspective, but from God’s all-knowing, eternal vantage point, some things – really, a lot of things – are bad, tragic, wrong, yes, even wicked and sinful and disgusting.

Guided by the Holy Spirit, Paul’s divinely-inspired teaching for us here is not “give thanks for all things…”, but what?  “Give thanks in all things!”  But, what’s the difference? 

Let me give you a simple, short answer to that question: Romans 8:28.  The difference, the distinction between giving thanks for cancer and suicide and mass murder and poverty and starvation, and giving thanks in things like these is huge.  And it revolves around the truth contained in these words: Romans 8:28, “And we know that  all things,” there’s another one of those ‘Biblical universals’, “And we know that all things, God is at work, making all things [ultimately] work [out] for good, for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” 

In other words, what Paul says to us here in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, this ‘Biblical Universal’ about the Christian mindset and its expression in joyful praise, what is it?  It is a statement, a declaration, an exhortation, that is in keeping with or an outgrowth of the fact that God is sovereign!  That He is bigger than, and, ultimately in control over, the ‘biggies’ in our lives, things like cancer, and unemployment, and suicide and divorce, and doubt and worry and disappointment and fear! 

Do you believe in the Sovereignty of God?  Do you?  I mean, who’s going to hold the universe together if He doesn’t?  President Obama?  Congress?  The Federal Reserve?  I mean, who’s going to make the sun go down tonight and cause it to rise again tomorrow morning?  The weather man?  Tony Romo?  Last night’s winner of Dancing with the Stars? 

When the apostle Paul writes what he wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 about the Christ-like mindset, an attitude of gratitude and the expression, the overflow of that attitude in thanksgiving, he is not talking non-sense!  No!  His words could not be more clear, could they?  He is talking sovereignty!  The over-arching ability and authority of God, and – and – His always, ultimately [universal statement], good plan at work, being carried out for, in behalf of, to the benefit of those who are His children! 

“In everything give thanks…”  That’s the first line of this powerful November 27^th, June 12^th, February 6^th, April 20^th exhortation, isn’t it?  By the way, I threw in those dates that are not today’s dates, why?  To remind us that this teaching is a 24/7, 365 teaching!  It is good, helpful, needful, for every day of the year, and every minute of every day!  “In everything give thanks,” that’s the first line of this ‘Biblical Universal’.  But, what about line two?  It says, “for this is the will of God…”  “For this is God’s will…” 

Is the will of God something you struggle with, something you have trouble figuring out?  “God, should I do this, or that?”  God, should I choose this, or that?”  Take a look.  Could it be any clearer?  No need to cast lots here.  No need to put out a fleece here.  The will of God is clear.  What God wants, by the way, that’s what the phrase, “the will of God” really means.  “What God wants” is clear.  Very clear.  He wants His children to trust in His sovereignty!  And, like His Only Begotten, to surrender to His good and perfect plan, “Not my will, but Thine be done.”  And, then, with that Christ-like mindset, to praise Him!  To thank Him for what He’s going to do, how He will display His power, His wisdom, His mercy, His faithfulness in, and yes, through the good, the bad and even the ugly!  “In everything give thanks…”  “For this is God’s will…”

Section number three, two words, we might wish, right, that they were two different words.  But what words are those two words?  “For you”, or “Concerning you”. 

Are you a child of God?  Truly?  Are you a Christian?  Really?  Then these words, these two words are written to you.  An attitude of gratitude, one of the most significant characteristics of the Christ-like mindset, is to be your attitude.  Giving thanks, using your lips to offer up a sacrifice of praise that blesses the name of our Father in heaven, that is to be your consistent and constant activity! “give thanks in everything for this is the will of God for you…”  That’s three-fourths of the verse, right?  What is the last fourth?  “In Christ Jesus”.

Beloved, do you realize the magnitude of those three words?  “In Christ Jesus”?  Those three words are enormous, in their meaning and importance.  How do I know that?  Well, consider, first of this powerful set of contrasts: in the darkness, in the light, in sin, in the Savior, dead, alive, lost, found, perishing, possessing everlasting life, deceived, disobedience, enslaved and separated from the life of God, enlightened, obedient, freed and brought into communion with God.  I know that’s a long list of pairs, contrasting pairs everyone of which, by the way, is found right here, in the Scriptures.  It’s a long list of contrasting pairs, I know.  But think about the list, the contrasting pairs.  The first one I gave, the first of each pair, who does it describe?  Someone who is “in Christ Jesus”?  In the darkness, in sin, dead, lost, perishing, and so on?  Do those words describe someone who is “in Christ Jesus”?  The Bible’s answer to that question is clear, isn’t it? 

None of those words or phrases, ‘Biblical universals’, none of those words or phrases describe someone who is “in Christ Jesus”!  No!  But, listen, the words “in the light” do, don’t they?  The words, “in the Savior” do, don’t they?  The words, “alive, found, and possessing everlasting life” do, don’t they?  And, so, for the person for whom those words are true and accurate, for the person who IS “in Christ Jesus”, why shouldn’t he be “thankful”?  Why shouldn’t she give to God the praise?  He’s “in Christ Jesus”!  She’s in the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life!  He has every reason - universal statement again – she has every reason to pursue and to possess the joyful Christian mindset and its expression in daily giving of thanks! 

But, here’s the question of the hour: “In Christ Jesus”, “in the Light”, “in the Savior”, do those words describe you?  Are they true of you? 

One more ‘Biblical universal’: 2 Peter 3:9, “[God] is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”  Another verse about the will of God.  But is it saying that all will ultimately be saved?  Later on in the same chapter Peter makes it clear that God allows for the will of men to be exerted against His will and for rebellious man’s will, in cooperation with Satan’s will, results in some, in many, perhaps in most people being “led away with the error of the wicked.”  (2 Peter 3:17)

God doesn’t want you to be lost, dead, perishing, in sin.  His desire for you is that you be saved.  But you, you must “hear His voice.  You must not harden your heart.”  (Hebrews 3:7-8)  You must open the door to Him. 

The joyful Christ mindset, would that it would be true of you, starting today.  Hear His voice, open your heart, to Him…