11/24/24 “The Magnitude of Gratitude”

“The Magnitude of Gratitude”

Colossians 3:12-17

So, as most of you are aware, we have a holiday coming up this week…

A holiday that goes by the name of ‘Thanksgiving’…

A time when millions of people will be getting together over tables full of food in recognition of the many things we have to be thankful for in our lives.

In honor of this special day, I’d like to prepare all of you with a few Thanksgiving jokes that you can pass along to your family members on Thursday…

these will be sure to make you the most popular person at your get-together…

Or…they may result in you being stuffed like a turkey and thrown out of the house…I guess it may depend on your family.

So, anyway, here you go:

“What did the mashed potatoes say to the sweet potatoes? ‘I yam what I yam’

“What do you call a sad cranberry?... A blueberry”

“Did you hear about the big turkey prom?...It was called ‘The Butterball”

“Why did the turkey play drums in his band?...Because he already had drumsticks”

“Why did the cranberries turn red?...they saw the turkey dressing”

So there you go, now you can be the person to put everyone else in a foul mood at your Thanksgiving get-together.

Speaking of dressing, in our passage for today, Paul tells his readers to clothe themselves with certain attributes that – if done correctly – will result in them possessing a natural attitude of gratitude in their life

Another way to put this is that Consistent Thanks-giving will result in consistent Thanks-living.

..and that’s really the primary point behind Paul’s words here to the believers in Colossae.

Colossae was a relatively small commercial town about 100 miles east of Ephesus near the city of Laodicea – you may be familiar with that town from the book of Revelation.

Like with the book of Philippians, Paul wrote this letter to the Colossian church while imprisoned in Rome sometime around 61 AD

The first couple chapters of Colossians deals with how we are to exalt Christ in our lives…

…that he is to be elevated far above things like man’s philosophy, legalism, mystical teachings, and asceticism – which involved extreme self-denial, even self-mutilation in the name of faith.

Then, in the first 11 verses of chapter 3, Paul pivots to how we as believers are to conduct ourselves as a result of our faith

…he specifically talks about ridding ourselves of things such as evil desires, sexual immorality, greed, idolatry, filthy language, anger, gossip…

Now, some of you may have been feeling pretty good about yourselves while I was reading that list…until I got to that last one, right?

…Oh, man…why did Paul have to mention gossip?...

Now what are we gonna talk about around the Thanksgiving table on Thursday if we can’t talk about other people’s problems….right?

After all, I need to see the shock on people’s faces when I tell them how my neighbor was caught running around with her boss…

Or how Uncle Theodore’s business just went belly-up because he got in trouble with the IRS…

…or how that crazy preacher in LaValle mentions Culver’s way too often in his sermons! – ok, that last one really isn’t gossip…it’s pretty much a fact.

Gossip hits close to home, doesn’t it.

It can happen sooo easily when our bellies are satisfied with comfort food…

we waddle over to the living room, turn on the football game, go feet-over-tea-kettle in the lazyboy….and we let our guard down…and then…we all-too-often begin running others down.

Folks, gossip is just as much a sin as any of those things that aunt Suzie or Uncle Theodore are caught up in

….As an ambassador of Jesus Christ – DO NOT PARTAKE IN IT!

It not only reflects poorly on our savior, but it neutralizes your witness for Christ.

How can people take you seriously about professing to hold a faith that includes refraining from gossip - if you’re the one who just filled everyone in on the spicy details about your neighbor’s extra-marital affair?

At the conference I attended a few weeks ago in Dallas, a representative from Barna (A nation-wide polling company) revealed to us that – by far – the number one reason why so many young people don’t want to have any connection with a local church is because of the hypocrisy they see in the lives of those who profess to be followers of Christ!

…Folks, resist the temptation to gossip.

In many of our families, it will happen. People will start talking about other people.

Leave the room.

Find another conversation to be a part of.

Go back for some more of grandma’s cranberry crumble cheesecake bars while others choose to engage in salacious conversation.

Ok, enough on that – gossip is a whole sermon on its own…for another time.

So, in verse 12 (Colossians 3:12) of our passage for today, Paul turns from what not to do…

to what we as believers should be doing…how we should be acting…what attitudes we should be holding.

First of all, we are told that God has chosen us to be His children – holy and dearly loved.

Doesn’t this comforting truth make you feel good?

…better than any comfort food could ever do…right?!

God loves you…with a greater love than you could ever imagine.

…and He has even made you holy – not by anything you’ve done to earn that holiness – but what Jesus did on the cross for you.

See, you are positionally considered holy before the Father if you’ve placed your faith & trust in Jesus Christ…

…because on the cross, Jesus took away your past-present-and future sins and – in exchange – bestowed upon you His own righteousness

That is why – as believers – the Bible calls us holy…it is how our heavenly Father sees us through the lens of the cross.

Then Paul instructs us to ‘clothe ourselves’ with spiritual garments such as compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness.

In verse 14 (Colossians 3:14) we are told to put on love “Which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

So, after last week’s message - where I sort of threw my wife under the bus for her driving habits…

and if you’re wondering, yes, my honey-do list was extra-long this past week, including multiple toilet installations at our new house…I’ll let you make up your own joke about that.

…so, this week, I’m going to tell you about one of the many, many things my wife absolutely ROCKS at doing.

Lisa makes the most delicious white chicken chili you’ll ever tasted.

If any of you were at last month’s Potter’s Meal, you maybe had a chance to taste some of it…good stuff, right?

…and – by the way – the Conderman’s red chili was absolutely amazing as well…it was a very good night for chili connoisseurs….

So, the recipe for my wife’s chicken chili calls for numerous ingredients.

It calls for: corn, black beans, diced tomatoes, green chilies, chicken broth (or as my daughter like to call it – liquid chicken) chopped bacon, ranch dressing, melted cheddar cheese and onion powder.

Then, after all of these ingredients have been thrown in the crock pot, my wife adds one more thing before closing the lid for cooking…

…she adds a big old chunk of cream cheese.

As the cream cheese slowly melts, it begins to fill in all of the empty spaces…

…and after a while, all of the individual ingredients are connected by the melting cream cheese that acts like a glue, binding everything in the crock-pot together.

Love does the same thing in regard to the spiritual ingredients of compassion, and kindness, and humility, and so on, and so forth…

Love is the binding force that will allow you to put these virtues into motion…and when everyone in the church acts in love – there is harmony and unity in abundance.

…love is the glue that produces unity in the church.

Paul reminds the Philippian church of this same truth when he says this (Philippians 2:1-2) “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”

…if we are without love, none of the virtues in verses 12 and 13 will be effective whatsoever…they will only lead to a hollow form of legalistic Christianity.

As John MacArthur puts it, “Love is the beauty of the believer, dispelling the ugly sins of the flesh that destroy unity.”

Getting back to Paul’s illustration of clothing, love is the sash – or belt – around the waist that holds all of the other garments together.

It’s the cream cheese in the chicken chili…

It’s the water added to the cement…

It’s the lifeblood of the believer.

Then, in verse 15 (Colossians 3:15) we are told that when love is present and active, binding all of these virtues together…then we will experience the peace of Christ.

The original Greek word for ‘rule’ (brabeuo’) in verse 15 carries with it the idea of an umpire deciding the outcome of an athletic contest.

In other words, allow your heart to be subjected to the authority of Christ, and then – and only then – will peace be the prevailing trademark of your life.

Jesus reminds the believer in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

..and many of you know Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The peace of God in your life is of far more value than any material item or any social status could ever be in your life…

As the famous philosopher, Zak Brown once wrote, “There’s no dollar sign on a piece of mind.”

…And the only way to experience true piece of mind is through trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior of your life.

Verse 16 (Colossians 3:16) reminds us that we are to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…”

The word of Christ refers to the revelation that he brought into the world…which is this book (The Bible)

At our membership meeting on Wednesday night, the authority of God’s Word was brought up as needing to be the essential rule of doctrine, polity, and conduct that a healthy church must submit itself to.

This book is unlike any other book in the world, as it is the special revelation of God himself to His creation.

Therefore, it is completely reliable in its content, unchanging in its message, and 100% sufficient to address any issue that mankind has ever – or will ever – face.

It is inerrant, infallible, and immutable…and has within its pages the power to bring people from darkness into light…

from depravity to holiness…

and from spiritual slavery to spiritual freedom.

There is power in the pages of this book…that’s why it is so important for us to read from it every single day.

The word ‘Dwell’ in verse 16 (Colossians 3:16) literally means to “Be at Home”

How many of you will be celebrating Thanksgiving at your own house this year?

How many of you will be celebrating at someone else’s house?

If you’re like me, you feel a deeper sense of comfort at your own house, right?...you feel more at home…because it IS your home.

We are being told here in this passage that we ought to feel very much at home when we are pouring over the scriptures.

I love how one commentator put it: “God’s word in the heart and mind is the handle by which the Spirit turns the will.”

Back when I owned a music store, we had a guitar amplifier that had come in for repair….

the volume knob had been completely sheared off…there was no way to turn the volume up or down.

The knob had been set at a very low volume when it was sheared off, so there was no way to increase the sound coming from the amplifier.

Basically, this made the amp ineffective…it was no longer of any use in its present condition.

The same is true of us.

If we don’t spend time in God’s word, we won’t have a spiritual knob – or handle – for the Holy Spirit to ‘turn up’ the spiritual volume of our lives…

…and if we don’t produce any spiritual fruit-volume, then we are of no use to God and His kingdom – we are in need of repair.

Praise God the Holy Spirit is a master repairman…we must just decide to put away the pride and submit ourselves to the rules of His repair shop.

Lastly, verse 17 brings us back to giving thanks….back to gratitude.

It reads, “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.”

How full is your heart with gratitude today?

How often do you stop during the day to thank God for the blessings in your life?

Did you know – in terms of overall gross wealth – we live in the richest country in the world…

…and yet, we consistently rank as one of the most unsatisfied & ungrateful people in the world?

We have so much here…and yet, we (As a people) are not satisfied.

In fact, we are a grumbling people – seldom happy with what we have..

…we are always wanting more.

More money, more stuff, more opportunities, more notoriety, more food, more justice, more tax breaks, more comfort, more safety…you name it – we want more of it.

We are a nation of people who are really talented at finding the dark cloud in every silver lining…

We are a grumbling people.

God’s word tells us to be thankful for what He has given us.

Have you ever caught yourself saying “I’ll be happy when__________”

If I just get that promotion, then I’ll be happy & thankful.

If I just get out of debt, then I’ll be happy and thankful.

If I just lose some weight, then I’ll be happy and thankful.

If I just get out of this relationship, then I’ll be happy and thankful.

If I just get that truck, then I’ll be happy and thankful.

One of the most profound experiences of my life was when Lisa & I took a train to some remote villages on the island of St. Kitts.

We saw some “Houses” that weren’t much more than tiny pole sheds…and yet in every town we rolled into, residents would line up to wave at the train going by with great big smiles on their faces.

…We happened to be touring the island on a Sunday morning and in every town we passed there were throngs of people dressed in their best clothes headed for a local church.

You see, the population on the Island of St. Kitts is 93% Christian.

Our tour guide told us that these people – who had next to nothing materialistically – were some of the most thankful people you will ever meet.

Thankful for their homes, thankful for their families, thankful for friends, thankful for their beautiful island they call home….

…and most importantly, thankful to Jesus Christ for the salvation of their souls.

This was gratitude that was celebrated 365 days a year…not just one day a year.

God so longs for you to be thankful for the immaterial things he has blessed you with.

…and yes, some of you have more ‘things’ than others do, but the key to gratitude is not to fall into the temptation of comparing yourself with others.

A wise person once said, happiness is wanting what you have – and not concerning yourself with what you don’t have.

Value the things in life that God has given you!

A line from a Joni Mitchell song reminds us that “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”

This coming Thursday, I would challenge you to take an inventory of all of the non-material things that the Lord has blessed you with.

Things like family, health, wisdom, peace, joy, friendships, and eternal life in Jesus Christ.

Focus on these things – and not only on Thursday – but every day of the year.

I’ll close with these words from the apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Thessalonica: (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) “Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Let’s show the Lord the magnitude of our gratitude…and let’s be a thankful people every day of our lives.

Let’s Pray.