John K. Jenkins Sr - The Maturity to Give Thanks

First Thessalonians chapter 5, and you can be seated because I’m just going to walk through some verses, but you can stay standing if you’d like. I just want to give a little brief word of what God has put in my spirit several weeks ago for today. Paul is writing to a young Christian church in Thessalonica. He’s giving them instructions as he closes out this first epistle, this first letter to them, and he is seeking to lead them to a place of maturity. Somebody say maturity! Here 's how you distinguish between a mature Christian and one lacking maturity: it relates to consistency. Somebody say consistency! Anyone can do right for a moment, but can you live a faithful, dedicated, consistent life? Can you be consistent when your hormones are raging? Can you remain consistent when a spirit of anger jumps on you? And can you be consistent when life is not going your way? How many of you know that you don’t have to go looking for life not to go your way? Just keep living! So Paul says to them in verse 15, «See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good, both for yourselves and for all.» You know you’re mature when you have the capacity not to repay evil to someone who has done evil to you. Go on and teach and preach, Pastor! I think I will! I’m just going to walk through this for a couple of seconds and then we’ll go from there.

Consistency, maturity-when I can do good to those who spitefully use me, when I don’t retaliate, and I don’t try to get back at others, but instead, I simply don’t render evil for evil. Ask yourself the question now: am I planning to do something evil to someone because they did me wrong? I said, «Ask yourself that question.» Then he takes it a step higher, and in verse 16, he says, «Rejoice always.» It’s easy to rejoice when there’s money in the bank. As a matter of fact, the word rejoice means to be cheerful, to be happy, to consider yourself well off. That 's what rejoice means: I have the capacity to look at the circumstances of life and recognize that it could be a whole lot worse than it is. I can’t get any amens right there! I’m trying to get just a couple of people to understand that rejoice always means at all times I’m cheerful, I’m well off, I’m happy, and I’m looking at my circumstances while recognizing that it could be a lot worse. I might want to complain because my shoes have holes in them, but the fact is I could have no feet. Come on, look at me for just a second! Rejoice always! Maturity in God is when I have the capacity and I’ve matured to a place in life where I can rejoice all the time.

Have you ever talked to someone who complains about everything? My wife has a friend who just complains all the time, and it drains her. She doesn’t even look forward to talking to that person because they just complain all the time. Learn to be thankful! Then he takes it a step further. Here 's what I’m calling this message: the maturity to give thanks. Not only does he say rejoice always, but in verse 17 he says, «Pray without ceasing.» That 's the next thing he says: pray without ceasing. Again, you can shout when things are going well, but can you shout when things are not going good? And you can pray when things are not going well. Can you pray without ceasing when things are good? Y’all understand what I’m saying? It’s a call of the Lord to us that we should be in a constant mode of prayer. That word " pray» is a Greek word that means to direct your worship and the needs you have in your life toward God. Some people get frustrated because they expect others to help them, and when people don’t do what they want, they get upset and angry. But this word «pray,» in Greek, is «pruk.» Go on, Pastor, «pruk» means to direct it toward God.

Direct your worship toward God, direct your needs toward God, direct your requests toward God-not to people, not to Capitol Hill, not to your congressman, not to your bank, and not to your spouse, but to God and God alone! He says be in that posture-not only to direct it toward God but also to hold up your worship toward God. That one word means make your requests known to God, but it also means worship. Let your worship be directed toward God. That 's where we are. We are a people here today who are saying, «I am giving my praise, my worship, and my adoration to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.» I didn’t come to worship people; we’re not here to sing songs to make you feel good; we’re not here to celebrate you. We are here today to give thanks to the God who has brought us from a long way, and we’re mature enough to do it with no interruptions! That 's what «without ceasing» means-without interruption! Nothing can interfere with my worship of God. Y’all need to ask yourselves: what keeps interrupting your ability to talk to God, commune with God, and worship God? Let me close this little homily with this third thing, which is right .