Theme: Peace/ Thanksgiving Dec.

20, 2015

Devotion: Colossians 3:15

Title: Finding peace through thanksgiving (The Source of True Peace)

Introduction:
Good morning to every one of you, before we begin, let us first have a word of prayer…
As we near the end of the year, we all can see the familiar sights: many people are in a
rush, it is traffic everywhere you go, and the crowds in the malls and in the marketplaces are
not letting up. Try as we might, we cannot avoid these things, unless of course you would
choose to shut yourself inside your house, but we know that’s not possible. Many are preparing
for different kinds of celebrations and festivities, but sadly, most of them do not involve God.
We should be mindful then of our busyness: we might be busy during this time for many
reasons, but we must not forget the most important thing: God himself.

Our message today brings about a reminder for all of us. As the world continues to
trouble itself with many things, Christians have peace in their hearts no matter what is before
us in our lives. We can choose to become preoccupied like the world is, or we can choose to live
in peace with thankful hearts to our lord. That is why the message for us today is: Finding Peace
through Thanksgiving.

Exegetical Idea: There is a shortage of peace when this season comes. People get anxious,
panicked, and busy worrying over the many things being done by the world. We can’t help but
be exposed to all of this because we are still here on earth. But the bible tells us of a better
way: instead of being troubled, we should know peace.

Proposition: Let me propose to you brethren and friends, in the world, we will always be
lacking, but in God we have peace.

Interrogative: How do we find peace while the world is in chaos?

In light of this, how can we combat the values of the mindset of the world? For many, enough is
never enough, and too much is still not enough. But the bible teaches us of the better way.

In Ps.103:1-5, in a beautiful Psalm of praise to God, David inspires the whole congregation to
bless the Lord for who He is, and the innumerable good things that He has done.

I. Let us remember God…

As Christians, our focus should always be on God. Peace begins when our eyes look to
our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Look away and you will find yourself lost in the vast troubles of
the world today.

A. Remember what God has done

 Remembering what God has done is easy for the Israelites. It is ingrained into
their culture, their history, and their identity. For the longest time, they were the only
nation and people to have this claim: the chosen people of God. One of the most
important events for them was when God led them out of slavery from Egypt, and led
them to the Promised Land. Acts 13:17-19 An event so great that they bring it into
remembrance even up to times of the New Testament. But now an even greater thing
has already happened! God sent Moses to set the Israelites free from slavery in Egypt,
but now God has sent His son to set all people free from slavery from sin, and the
punishment of death. 1Jn.4:9 He came to save us not just from physical troubles, but
from eternal punishment. More than that, He gave us countless spiritual blessings that
we could never have obtained on our own. From death, we are given life eternal.
Titus3:3-7 What God has done that can never be repaid, cannot be equaled, and cannot
be outdone. All who have come to have faith in Him are recipients of such blessings. As
Christians, this is what we should always bring to mind. Of course, aside from this, all of
us have personally received benefits from God: His daily provisions, answered prayers,
continuing guidance, all of these things.

B. Remember what God has promised

The bible tells us the Lord never forgets His promise. That is the nature of God.
He is truth. What He has said He will do. He does not lie, and he certainly does not turn
back on His promises. Num23:19. We do not need to worry about God fulfilling His
promises to us. This is apparent all throughout scripture. God is truthful in what He says,
and what He says He will certainly do. Heb.10:23. With God it is not a probability. It is
not just a chance. We have all trusted in the word of man, and most of us, if not all, have
suffered by man’s failure. But with God, we have an assurance: everything that He says
He will do, He will one day fulfill. Does God have any promises towards His children?
There are so many, in fact, that we cannot exhaust them in one hour. And yet we have
the absolute certainty that anything God has promised He will fulfill. When life seems
most difficult, when troubles come, we can look to God’s promises, they are here to
remind us that whatever may happen, God is with us, and will fulfill all he has said to us.
God’s promises can be found in His word, which all the more motivates us to read and
meditate upon it. God has promised us security: Rom8:38-39, grace: 2Cor12:9, granting
us wisdom: Jam1:5, Rest: Matt11:28, Forgiveness: 1Jn.1:9, and many more. And the
great thing about this is that, all of the promises He made for His children are available
to all! To all that have put our faith in Jesus Christ. No one who has done this will be put
to shame. Rom.10:11

Application:
Before we open our mouths to complain about what we lack, let us first bring into
remembrance what we have already received. God has given us unmeasurable blessings, none
of which the world can equal. And there are good things prepared for us still to come in the
future. Time and time again we have been failed by the world. (bigo at sawi) But with God we
have perfect assurance of His promises. When we set our mind on these things, peace comes
forth in our lives.
II. Let us examine ourselves…
A valuable tool in the Christian’s life is self-examination. We need to have an honest
self-evaluation in the sight of God. To do this is to see ourselves on the map: am I going in the
right direction? Am I on the right track? Going back to the Israelites, who have been thoroughly
blessed by God, surely they would have gone through life easily with all of God’s blessings upon
them, right? It should have been so, but the bible tells us a different story. They became
complacent, they became forgetful, and they even developed a heart of pride. Hos.7:10 They
should have lived according to the will of God, but time and time again they sinned and
rebelled against Him. We have been given great blessings, and we must be careful not to repeat
their mistakes in our lives. 1Cor.10:6-12

A. All of us are unworthy (Undeserving)

In the world, we are taught to have a high view of self, but for the wrong
reasons. People have an inflated sense of self-importance nowadays. it isn’t surprising
however, because in the world, we are measured by how much we are earning, how
large our house is, how new our possessions are, and what we have achieved life. The
bible measures us differently, however. Our worth comes from the God who made us.
When God made us, He called it good. He made man out of His image. The bible says we
have been fearfully and wonderfully made. So then why do we call ourselves unworthy?
We are unworthy in the sight of God because of our sin. We deserve to die, to be
punished. To spend an eternity in hell, all because of our own disobedience. We are
unworthy because we have done nothing, and we can do nothing to deserve God’s love
and grace towards us. What have you done to deserve God’s love? What have I done?
Nothing! But He still showed His love for us. We were unworthy, but He made us
worthy. We were undeserving, but He loved us anyway, love that ultimately put His only
Son on the Cross, because of our sins. Rom.5:8 Unworthy, now worth so much, because
of the worth of the price God has paid for us: Eph1:7; full of sin and shame before, now
a temple, for the Holy Spirit is within those who believe. 1Cor6:19-20. God saw nothing
in good in us, and yet saved us. He paid the highest price for unworthy people like you
and me.

B. We gain the right perspective

Once we truly understand what this means, we gain a proper understanding of
who we are and who God is, and with that, we now have a proper perspective. Who
among us now can raise a complaint against God? Who among us could murmur or
grumble about His dealing towards us? We can’t. No one can. Who am I to complain?
And this is where we realize most of us complain to God about material things. Almost
all of our problems are centered on what we want, how we want it, and when we want
it. But when we see everything in the proper light, our mouths are sealed shut, because
we cannot say anything against the goodness that God has already showed to us all.
Psalm 16:2 anything good we have is from God. Paul warns us in Rom.12:3 What else
can we say or do? Once we realize everything we have is by the grace and mercy of God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, The only proper thing to do is to give thanks to God.
Application:
The peace of God reigns in our hearts when we pour out in thanksgiving to God. How
can we be troubled when we have so much to be thankful for? The promises, the blessings, the
various mercies and graces that God has given to each of us. We have peace when we are
content in our Lord Jesus Christ. We should take care not to imitate the bad examples of the
Israelites who murmured and grumbled against God. Those who do such things do not realize
what God has already done for them. We must not take anything God has given us for granted.

III. Living with peace in our hearts

We have so much to be thankful for – Phil.4:6:7

All of us have much to be thankful for as we are blessed by God continually. Not
all of us may be wealthy, but God takes care of us, and provides all of our needs. Luke
12:24 but more than that, we have seen firsthand the spiritual blessings God has given
us. Have you ever stopped for a moment and considered how much you should be
thankful to God for? Do you think if we Christians were to do this anyone of us will be
left out? Will anyone stand and say (wala talaga ako maisip eh, wala akong kahit anong
bagay na ipinagpapasalamat sa Diyos) I don’t think so. All of us have something to be
thankful for. And I believe all of us are thankful to God for more than just one thing.
(Kaya lahat po satin meron talagang ipagpasalamat sa Diyos) We are blessed, but most
of us do not realize how abundant God’s blessings are. The material things are the
easiest to provide: your job, your paycheck, the roof over your head, and the food on
your table. Do you think God has a hard time giving us these things? I think not. But
what about the bigger things? Things that are so valuable that money cannot buy them?
In the family: to have every member be saved, to find rest in God, to find true joy, to be
part of the ministry, to be able to serve God. To have eternal life? Paul prescribes a
simple reminder in Phil.4:6-7

We should give thanks to God always

By this time we now realize we have much to be thankful for. We can take
nothing for granted, and if we want to give God the glory, we should give Him thanks in
a way that is pleasing to him. Let us look at the 4 ways we can give thanks to God
properly that would give Him all the glory:
A. By our Singing – Psalm92:1-4 God gave us music primarily so we could offer
thanksgiving and praise to him. But when we sing, we should be giving God our full
attention, it is so easy to sing and be distracted by something else at the same time. We
sing for the glory of God, even if our voices do not measure up to worldly standards,
remember that it is God who is our audience, and only His opinion matters.
B. With our Service – Heb12:28; Rom12:1 We do not stop at praising God with
our lips, but we should continue to honor God in our lives. We have been blessed by
God with many gifts, we should thank Him with our service. We use our time, our
talents, our abilities, to do things that are pleasing to God, and not just for selfish gain.
When we serve, it is not an obligation or a burden, because serving God is a great
 privilege. (kung tunay kang nagpapasalamat sa DIyos, bakit ka mawawala sa kanyang
gawain?)
C. With our giving – 2Cor9:6-7 The Bible says that the level of my giving shows
the level of my gratitude. If I’m not giving, I’m not very grateful. God has blessed us, and
is continually blessing us so that we might freely bless others as well. He causes
blessings to overflow so that others might be blessed as well. (Isipin nyo po, dahil sa
tapat nating pagbibigay, nagkaroon ng bagong church sa paysawan. Tayo po ba ang
nakikinabang doon? Wala, wala po tayong nakukuha, pero nagbigay tayong lahat dahil
nagpapasalamat tayo sa dami dami ng biyaya ng DIyos satin, at gusto din naman natin
na mapagpala din naman ang ibang tao)
D. With our testimonies – Psalm96:3; Isaiah 12:4 what else is there left for us to
do after all of that? Nothing else but to proclaim to everyone about who God is, and
what He has done for us. We do not only bring the good news, but we bring the BEST
news there is, and everyone needs to hear it, and to know it. We share not just our own
experiences to others, but we share what God has done to us and for us.

Conclusion:
For my conclusion, to have peace during these times we need to acknowledge God for
all that He has done, and all that He is still going to do. We have peace when these thoughts
rule our hearts, instead of the many worries and troubles found in the world. While the world
continues to get busy and anxious, Christians have been given a peace that surpasses all
understanding. Instead of looking at what we lack, let us always thank God for what He has
already given to each of us. Let the peace of Christ rule our hearts. Col.3:15 To God be the
glory.