Thankful

New Life Church

This Thanksgiving we look at the well known Bible verse that encourages us to be thankful in all things.
Listen as speaker Steve Hall dives into 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and we discuss what the Apostle Paul was
saying and how it’s a hopeful message for us. We learn that we can be thankful because God is God, and
Jesus will return!

Thankful [In All Things?]

Speaker: Steve Hall
Date: October 13, 2019

Be thankful… God is God, and Jesus will return! Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

1 · Joyfulness in all Circumstances

Sometimes life won’t leave us with feelings of happiness. Especially during those times, focus on how great it will be when we’re face to face with Jesus.
— Steve

2 · Pray Without Ceasing

We must try to convert our unceasing thinking into unceasing prayer. This does not mean that we learn to direct our minds constantly to God. It means, rather, to think and live in the presence of God.
— Henri Nouwen

3 · In Everything Give Thanks

In every circumstance practice giving thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
— Apostle Paul (Literal translation of 1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Warming Up:

1. What’s your first reaction to the phrase: “be thankful in all things”?
2. Describe what “being joyful” means in your own words.

Discussing and Learning:

3. Read the following verses that talk about rejoicing in suffering. How would keeping the promise of Jesus’ return – and being with him – encourage people in such suffering? How does this same lesson encourage us? Romans 5:3, Romans 12:12, Matthew 5:12.
4. Read Philippians 4:4-6. How does your prayer life compare to what Paul says in these verses? What’s your experience of replacing worry with prayer?
5. Reflect on Henri Nouwen’s quote: “We must try to convert our unceasing thinking into unceasing prayer. This does not mean that we learn to direct our minds constantly to God. It means, rather, to think and live in the presence of God.” What does it mean to you to think and live in the presence of God.

Making it Real:

6. What skill have you learned in life that required a lot of practice? Reflect on how that process could help you establish a new pattern of thankfulness this week.

1. Read the book of 1 Thessalonians this week. It’s just five short chapters. Take note of the number of ways Paul encourages the church to stay focused on Jesus’ eventual return.
2. Use the list below to help start a practice of “Being Thankful that God is God.”

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God is omnipotent. God is all-powerful. He spoke all things into being, and all things—every micro-organism, every breath we take—are sustained by Him. There is nothing too difficult for Him to do.
— Jeremiah 32:17,18; Jeremiah 32:26,27

God is good. God is the embodiment of perfect goodness. He is kind, caring, and full of favor toward all of creation.
— Psalm 119:65-72

God is love. God’s love is so great that He gave His only Son to bring us into fellowship with Him. God’s love not only encompasses the world, but embraces each of us personally and intimately.
— 1 John 4:7-10

God is Jehovah-jireh. This name means “the God who provides.” Just as He provided yesterday, He will also provide today and tomorrow. He grants deliverance from sin, the oil of joy for the ashes of sorrow, and eternal citizenship in His Kingdom for all those adopted into His household.
— Genesis 22:9-14

God is Jehovah-shalom. This name means “the God of peace.” We are meant to know the fullness of God’s perfect peace, or His “shalom.” God’s peace surpasses understanding and sustains us even through difficult times. It is the product of fully being what we were created to be.
— Judges 6:16-24

God is immutable. All that God is, He has always been. All that He has been and is, He will ever be. He is ever perfect and unchanging.
— Psalm 102:25-28

God is just. God is righteous and holy, fair and equitable in all things. We can trust Him to always do what is right.
— Psalm 75:1-7

God is holy. God’s holiness is not simply our best image of perfection. God is utterly and supremely untainted. His holiness stands apart—unique and incomprehensible.
— Revelation 4:8-11

God is Jehovah-rophe. This name means “Jehovah heals.” God alone provides the remedy for mankind’s brokenness through His son, Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the physical, moral, and spiritual remedy for all people.
— Exodus 15:22-26

God is omnipresent. God is everywhere—in and around everything, close to everyone. “‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord.”
— Psalm 139:7-12

God is merciful. God’s merciful compassion is never ending and does not run dry.
— Deuteronomy 4:29-31

God is wise. God knows and acts with perfect wisdom in all things. He always acts for our good, which is to conform us to Christ.
— Proverbs 3:19,20

God is faithful. Out of His faithfulness God honors His covenants and fulfills His promises. Our hope for the future rests upon God’s faithfulness.
— Psalm 89:1-8

God is full of grace. Grace is God’s good pleasure that moves Him to grant value where it is undeserved and to forgive debt that cannot be repaid.
— Ephesians 1:5-8

God is our Comforter. Jesus called the Holy Spirit the “Comforter,” and the apostle Paul writes that the Lord is “the God of all comfort.”
— 2 Corinthians 1:3,4

God is Father. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9), and the Spirit of God taught us to cry, “Abba, Father.,” an intimate Aramaic term similar to “Daddy.” The Creator of the universe cares for each one of us as if we were the only child He had.
— Romans 8:15-17

God is our intercessor. Knowing our temptations, God the Son intercedes for us. He opens the doors for us to boldly ask God the Father for mercy. Thus, God is both the initiation and conclusion of true prayer.
— Hebrews 4:14-16