Last week, I mentioned that I had been preaching a lot on some heavier topics, and I wanted to sort of lighten the mood a bit. So I preached on God as our comforter and how we can be a conduit of God’s comfort to others. Today, I’d like to keep the mood light. You know, it’s that time of year when the skies are gray, it’s colder, though it’s not as cold as it normally is, it’s easy to get into the mid-winter blues.
And one of the ways in which we can overcome those blues is to be thankful. Now, I know what you’re saying. How can you be blue and thankful at the same time? Aren’t you blue because you don’t have anything to be thankful for? Well, it may seem that way, but in reality, there’s always something to be thankful for, and our thankfulness sometimes is an effort that we have to bring forth. And when we do, we find that thankfulness overtakes what might be our seasonal depression.
Today, I would like to go to 2 Corinthians 1 and look at verses 18-22. So if you have your Bibles, you can turn with me there.
As you’re turning there, let me read to you a story about how you can be grateful in any situation:
Ravensbruck was known as one of the worst German concentration camps during World War II. When Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie found themselves imprisoned there, they were disgusted to discover that their barracks were infested with fleas.
When Corrie began to complain, Betsie insisted that they instead give thanks, quoting 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” With some persuasion, Corrie finally joined her sister in thanking God for the fleas.
Several months later, the two sisters expressed their surprise that the camp guards had never come back to their barracks to disrupt or prevent the evening Bible studies they held for their fellow prisoners. It was then that Corrie realized that the very fleas which she had so despised had actually been a God-sent protection from the cruel guards.
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:18-22
18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
What Paul is saying here is that when God promises us something, we can be assured that God means what he says. God is not forgetful, and He can’t give the excuse that ‘something came up.’ There is no sickness or inability for God.
Now, maybe sometimes there’s a delay. Sometimes God doesn’t show up when we want in the way we want. But that’s not because God is slow; it’s because God’s got the delivery for his promise to us on his calendar. God is faithful to His promises. And so we can rest assured and simply say ‘amen’ to His promise.
Paul rested in God’s promise of strength when he was weak. We can rest in any of God’s promises because whatever God promises, he promises it because he knows we are weak. We can rest assured in that promise and praise God with a simple and thankful ‘amen.’
I want to take a moment and look at that simple word, ‘amen.’ We say it a lot. We may even say it every day at the close of prayer. But do we know what it means? When I looked it up, I was not so surprised that it had several meanings. But the most common use of the word is simply, ‘so be it.’ In other words, when Christians say “amen” at the end of our prayers, we are following the model of the apostles, asking God to “please let it be as we have prayed.”
Not only does Paul say “amen” here in this passage, but also to the blessings he pronounces on all the churches in his letters, as do Peter, John, and Jude in their letters. The implication is that they are saying, “May it be that the Lord will truly grant these blessings upon you.”
But ‘amen’ also means ‘truth.’
For example, in Revelation 3:14, Jesus actually refers to himself as ‘the amen.’ He said, “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.”
So how does that tie in with our sermon today on thankfulness?
Well, you’ve probably heard it or maybe said it yourself. One ‘amen’ at the end of a prayer is usually spoken softly, right? Usually. I remember 30 years ago, when we first came here, every time dad would say ‘amen’ from the pulpit, Al Palmer would give an ‘aaaaa-men’ from the back of the room.
But you’ve also heard it said, not just after prayers, right? When we are in agreement with God’s word, when we hear something that excites us, when we hear something that resonates with us, when we want to shout out a praise, we hear someone in the back not just give an ‘aaaaa-men’ but shout a hearty ‘amen!’
What’s the difference between an ‘amen’ at the end of a prayer and shouting ‘amen’ at a strong statement of faith? Because one refers to ‘so be it’ or ‘may it be’ and the other refers to agreeing to the ‘truth’ as a form of praise.
Gotquestions.org said, Seven of the Old Testament references link amen with praise. The sentence “Then all the people said ‘Amen’ and ‘Praise the LORD,’” found in 1 Chronicles 16:36, typifies the connection between amen and praise. In Nehemiah 5:13 and 8:6, the people of Israel affirm Ezra’s exalting of God by worshiping the Lord and obeying Him. The highest expression of praise to God is obedience, and when we say “amen” to His commands and pronouncements, our praise is sweet music to His ears.
So, the word ‘amen’ is an act of faith on our part to believe that God will grant our requests––’ so be it,’ or ‘may it be’––is said as an act of worship. When we say ‘amen,’ we are able to rest in God’s promises when we pray.
Alexander Maclaren was an English minister right around the turn of the 20th century. This is a rather lengthy quote but worth reading. He said, So live near Jesus Christ, and, holding fast by His hand, you may lift up your joyful ‘Amen’ to every one of God’s ‘Yeas.’ For in Him we know the Father, in Him we know that we have the forgiveness of sins, in Him we know that God is near to bless and…guide, and in Him ‘we know that, though our earthly house were dissolved, we have a building of God.’ Wherefore we are always confident; and when the Voice from Heaven says ‘Yea!’ our choral shout may go up ‘Amen! Thou art the faithful and true witness.
Looking at verse 20 again, “20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him, the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”
In other words, all of God’s promises are available to us through Christ. All of God’s promises are available to us. God’s promises are not ‘hit and miss’ for some people and not for others. They are not for people more deserving, whatever that might mean in our minds. We often think there are better, more deserving people out there, who are more worthy or more chosen for these specific promises, and “this one” or “that one” is not for me because I’m not worthy enough.
There always seem to be the lucky ones who get everything good in life, right? The good looks, the good grades in school, the best parts in the musical, they’ve got the athletic abilities. Then they go to good colleges, get the best jobs, and have the best houses. They seem to be just perfect and everything goes just right all the time for them. They seem like the ideal Christians with the 2.5 kids and the white picket fence and the dog and the minivan…God’s promises are not just for them; they’re for everyone. Even you. Even me. Even this church and the one down the street. They are for everyone all the time.
They are available to us through what Christ’s finished work on the cross did––remember when I spoke about that last week during communion? And they are available to us through praying in the name of Jesus. Remember, Jesus said, “13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
Of course, anything doesn’t refer to a new Ferrari. Anything means anything within reason. If we need a new car, we pray to God, in the name of Jesus, and ask for a new car or the means to buy a new car. And with the simple ‘amen,’ we are asking with a ‘may it be within your will’ so that we can later say a hearty ‘amen’ in praise.
How many times, when prayers are fulfilled, do we give a hearty ‘amen’? How many times have we come away in true thankfulness when God’s promises are realized in our lives? Do we give a deep sigh, wipe our brow and say, “whew, that was close!”
Sometimes we may just give God a quick “thank you.” And maybe that’s enough. But it’s easy sometimes to just go on and not say anything. Sometimes the worry of the moment and the turnaround make us happy and relieves us of our worry, but do we remember to thank God for it?
In 1860, gale force wind caused a steamship named Lady Elgin to be rammed by a sailing ship named Augusta and sank in Lake Michigan near Evanston, Illinois. A ministerial student named Edward Spencer waded again and again into the frigid waters to rescue passengers. Altogether there were 400 passengers on that ship. I don’t know how many he rescued, but in the process, his health was permanently damaged. Some years later at his funeral, it was noted that not one of the people he rescued ever thanked him.
We need to stop and reflect on God’s rescue––even prayers yet unfulfilled––with a sense of gratitude and thanksgiving.
I want to focus on that thought for a moment of being thankful and having a sense of gratitude towards God’s promises when they have not yet been fulfilled––when they are still yet a promise when they haven’t happened yet. How can we be thankful in the midst of whatever we are going through?
Even when you don’t feel like giving thanks, God is honored by what the Bible calls a “sacrifice of praise.” Hebrews 13:15 (NASB) says, “Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.”
I read to you that story about Corrie Ten Boom. Here’s another one about a woman by the name of Sabrina Beasley McDonald, who had lost her husband in a tragic car accident. And she wrote out of her own tragedy to encourage others to give thanks when we don’t feel thankful. She said,
A sacrifice is an offering that hurts to give. Thanksgiving in good times is simply a response to the goodness of God, not a sacrifice. But to honor God in times of suffering, that is an offering far more valuable.
Psalm 50:23 says, “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me.”
There comes times when thanksgiving is hard. It takes effort, both mentally and emotionally. But that kind of praise is special to God, and it helps keep our minds and emotions in the right perspective.
Going back to Hebrews again, Hebrews 11 verses 3&6 in the Amplified Bible says:
3 By faith [that is, with an inherent trust and enduring confidence in the power, wisdom and goodness of God] we understand that the worlds (universe, ages) were framed and created [formed, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose] by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. 6 But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.
In other words:
Without faith, it is impossible to please God; in fact, we cannot even begin to approach the Lord and experience a personal relationship with Him without it. Faith is the atmosphere in which the believer’s life is lived. We are called “believers” because we are continually putting our faith, trust, and confidence in God. By faith the Christian life begins, and by faith it perseveres until the end.
When we pray and we wait on God to answer, we need to remember the ‘Yes’ in Christ and the ‘Amen’ through us. The ‘may it be’ or the ‘may it be your will.’ We need to remember the submission we must make to let His will be done, and we need to remember that God’s will is always good.
So that we may say amen later as a praise for God’s faithfulness to his promises.
To finish out the rest of the verses, Paul says, “21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
Now, isn’t that something to be thankful for? God has anointed us and set his seal of ownership on us. That alone is something to be thankful for.
We may have yet to see some prayers answered. But we have one thing that surpasses everything: we have the promise that we are God’s. We are God’s children, and no matter what, we have been placed with a seal of God’s ownership on us with the Holy Spirit in our souls as a deposit to guarantee what is to come.
This is coming from Paul, a man who spent the majority of his earthly ministry in chains and persecuted as harshly as he persecuted others. And he knew that he knew that he knew that God was faithful to his promise of what was to come.
And we have that same promise. We know that we know because of the deposit of The Holy Spirit in our lives. We have a taste of Heaven already.
Now that’s something where we don’t have to say, ‘so be it.’ We can say a hearty ‘amen’ to that. We don’t have to pray and hope and rely on our faith to wait for the Holy Spirit. We have already received The Holy Spirit as a deposit on what is to come.
And with that, with the cross that paved the way for that to happen, we can be thankful. If anything, we can be thankful for Christ who shed his blood, who by the power of the resurrection, made a way where there was no other way for us to be right with God. And the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is living in us.
As I mentioned last week, even death is victory. Even death is a comfort. Even if we don’t make it through the “valley of the shadow of death,” we are still comforted by God and hopeful no matter the circumstance.
So what do we have to be thankful for today, right now, at this moment? We all have family and friends to be thankful for. We may pause a moment and be thankful for those things that we take for granted, like the food that we eat in abundance. The roof over our heads and clothes on our backs.
I just want to challenge you to begin a new habit to praise God in advance for the prayers that you have been praying for that haven’t been answered yet. May we look at God’s promises with an excitement and hopeful expectation because of the ‘yes’ in Christ. May we not be like the young minister who rescued passengers and was never thanked. May we not be like the nine who went away healed and never thanked Jesus, but may we be like the one in ten who comes back to Jesus and thanks him.
And may we have the faith to thank him in advance.
Dear Lord, thank you for your promises. Thank you that your promises are for everyone. They are for all. They are not just for a few elite. They are not for just the ‘better’ people. They are for us, personally. Throughout all of time, your promises have remained the same. They have been available for everyone, including us. You saw us and thought of us when you made those promises.
Thank you for the seal of your Holy Spirit in our lives to forgive us and to redeem us through Christ’s sacrifice. May we remember that we have been sealed and set apart for you. We are yours. In the same way that someone puts a deposit on something, it is set aside for them. They have purchased it. Their name is on it. And Lord, your name is on us. May we remember that we are your children. May we remember that we are yours. And may we be thankful for that whenever life hits us hard and we don’t feel like being thankful. May you remind us that being yours is a big deal. May we always be thankful for that.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on First Baptist Church of Watkins Glen
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