Thanksgiving to the only Jesus(Golosians3: 15-17)

Thanksgiving to the only Jesus(Golosians3: 15-17)

We are the people of God. Amen?

The people of the Kingdom of God have distinct characteristics.

First,  prayer for God’s kingdom. Are you praying for God’s kingdom everyday? Then, you are the people of God.

Because, we are people of God, that’s why we always concern of His kingdom, and wanna pray for it.

I don’t like spots. Especially, soccer.

But at worldcup seasing, I always excited to see soccer game when Korean national team play the game. Why because I’m a Korean.

 I think you also same like me.

Like this, we are the people people of the kingdom of God, so we are interested in the work of the kingdom of God. And we pray for the kingdom of God. Praying for the GOD’S Kingdom means that it is a distinctive feature of the people of God.

And the other characteristic of God’s people is thanks.

Pastor Timkeller said there are three questions that fake Christians can’t answer.

First, is there a clear evidence of God’s presence in your life?

Second, is there evidence that your life has been changed by the word of God.

Third, is there evidence of gratitude from the heart for God’s mercy?

The three questions are that fake Christians can’t answer at all.

Like this,

The very clear evidence that we are a people of God’s kingdom is whether there is a hot gratitude from the heart for God’s love.

Colossians 3:15, let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were call to peace. And be thankful.

Gratitude comes from the heart of those who really believe in God and became His people.

How could thanksgiving come from someone who does not know or believe in God?

Helen Keller.

She was a woman who suffered from three that she couldn’t see, and hear, and talk.

However, her life was great.

Even though she couldn’t hear, and see, and speak, studied college, and graduated as a top student.

And she wrote a lot of books, and gave life courage and hope to the people who lived around the world and were indescribably suffering.

When she was an old, a journalist asked to her. 

You’ve lived a wonderful life but, you’ve lived through three pains that you can’t hear, see, or talk about.

Have you ever been resentful of God?

Helen keller firmly said that “never”

And she said, “I really thank God. When I think of the grace that God has bestowed on me, I am short of time to be thankful of it.

And when she died, she confessed that the last word.

“my life was beautiful.”

The most touching thing in her writing is that  if I can only see three days.

In summary,

If I can see only 3days,

First day, I want to see the face of Shirleyvan teacher who taught me and go to the mountains to see beautiful flowers, grass, and sunsets.

On the second day, I will wake up in dawn to see sun rising and in the evening, I will see the sunset and the stars in the sky.

And on the last day, I will go out into the main street early in the morning to see the lively faces of those who are diligent in their work and watch beautiful movie.

In the evening, I will be back home after seeing the goods in the show window. And I would like to thank God for opening my eyes for three days.

Through this confession, we can see solid evidence that she is a man of real faith and she is really a saved people of God’s kingdom. 5:34 PM

The thanksgiving to God, which from her deep heart is a remarkable feature of God’s people.

She said thank you for seeing three days, but don’t we see and feel every day with our open eyes?

Most people in the world can see with their eyes. But there is something different in between Christian and people in the world. It is thanksgiving to the Lord.

You have lived a year last year, and now it’s your new year.

Who do you thank?

God’s people thank to God.

Non believers do not understand the believer of thanksgiving to the Lord.

Because we believers always thanksgiving to the Lord even though we are in trouble.

And we come to the Lord every Sunday for thanksgiving to Him.

And now, we are filled with thanksgiving for the new year after last year.

Many of us have different lives and difficulties, but we still thank God after last year, reagardless our circumstances.

Therefore, if you have thankful heart to God in this time, rejoice.

If you think ‘oh today is Sunday, I am so thankful, I will give special thanksgiving offering to the Lord’

Pls be happy, this is undeniable evidence that you are child of God.

We thank God no matter what the circumstances, because we are children of God.

God loved us and gave His only begotten Son among us.

Jesus died on the cross bearing the burden of all our sins. And he comes to the center of every believer’s heart, and he dwells in us, and accompanies us in our lifetime.

Because of that Jesus, only because of that Jesus Christ, no matter what our circumstances and situations are, the thanks giving continues in us.

Jesus was thankful in all circumstances.

In John 6, Jesus fed a crowd of more than 5,000, at that time, he had only two fishes, and 5 barley bread.

Actually, it was terrible situation.

Think about pastor Belle now has only 2 fishes, and two dishes of rice, and she has to feed New life kids and staffs more than 200 people? It will be big challenge to her. Even not 5000 people, 200 people only…right?

Can you image what challenge He was in?

But with it he gave thanks to God. And miraclely he fed 5000 people and food was remain.

In John11, Lazarus died and the body smelled rotten, but he stood in the tomb and

He command to remove the rack and he offered thanks go God.

In Matthew 11:25, Jesus saw the villagers who had healed so many sick and cleansed the demon have not repented, and he was very sorry, but he thanked God.

In Luke 22:17, before Jesus die on the cross, Jesus washed the feet of disciples, and he had dinner with them even though he knew that his disciples would soon forsake him and flee, even they will deny him and curse him.

And he gave thanks to God.

That Jesus is in us and became our live, therefore, we who live with Jesus’s life are just grateful in every situation.

Colossians is a letters written by the apostle Paul in the Roman prison to the Colossians who are in out of the prison. 

The apostle Paul in the prison said to the Colossians who were outside the prison, in verse 17, “and whatever you do, whether in word, or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

The apostle Paul in prison said to the Colossians who are outside the prison, “give thanks to God  through Jesus.”

by this we could know that he was really with Jesus. He was a person who walked with the Lord.

To live life with the Lord is wonderful.

In 2Timothy3:2, in the ending time, thanks would suddenly disappear from people’s mouths.

So we should not live our life according to the people in the world.

If gratitude disappears in your life and you are full of complaints and fears, worries,

It means that something serious thing is going on your life.

If your hands start to rot, how scary is it?

Then, you will struggle to heal it.

 If thanksgiving disappears in your mind and you are full of fear and complaints in your heart, it much more terrible thing is going on in your life than rotting hands.

You have to be alert.

You have to come before the Lord, and solve it.

We must continue to check out that whether resentments, complaining, fear, anxiety are disappearing in me, and the peace, gratitude, and love are full in me.

Are you in deep in despair? Let’s take it to the Lord.

The Lord wants to restore us.

The Lord Jesus in you is the answer to your life.

Thanksgiving always is able not because of that our circumstance become good but because of Jesus who died on the cross for me.

From gratitude to the Lord, our whole life begins to change.

Thanksgiving of faith to the Lord first, and then the amazing life change will follow.

Are you in despair?

Let’s begin thanksgiving to our Lord God. And pray that the Lord make me a channel of God’s love for those in despair and misery.