November 17, 2024 Thankful for Ephesians Truths

"Be filled with the Spirit, 19 as you sing psalms & hymns & spiritual songs to one another, singing & making melody to the Lord in your hearts, 20 giving thanks to God the Father at all times & for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…” (Ephesians 5:18-20) As we draw near to Thanksgiving & the season of Advent (preparing our hearts for the greatest gift ever given to us in the form of a baby named Jesus, Emmanuel: God is with us!), it’s easy to get caught up in the busy stresses of life. We’ve walked through Ephesians 1,2,3, & we’re in the midst of 4 so we’re going to jump to Ephesians 5:18-20 to prepare our hearts for Thanksgiving & Advent while we look back on Ephesians Truths we’ve learned that we can be thankful for! Let’s do a little assessment: 1. What is your heart filled with? (Be honest) Fear, doubt, stress, anger, unforgiveness, grief, chaos, exhaustion, joy, peace, love, goodness, praise? Is your heart filled more with your own flesh & thoughts than the Holy Spirit? Can you even imagine your heart FILLED (that means it’s FULL OF!) with the Spirit? Lord, help me to be filled with the Spirit (& emptied of my flesh). To be filled in v. 18 is to fill to the full, cause to abound, to complete, to bring to pause, to cause God’s will & promises to be fulfilled. Wouldn’t that be great?! 2. As we fill our hearts with His truths & the Spirit, we overflow with songs, praises, melody to the Lord! Have you ever woken up with a song in your heart? Or heard a praise song & it keeps playing in your heart? What if you intentionally choose to crank the worship music in your homes & hearts this season? 3. Keep a daily log of things to give thanks to God for (Paul says to give thanks to God at ALL times-really, Lord? In times of sadness & sorrow & tragedy & pain, even then? See James 1:2 & Romans 5:3-5 & the book of Job). Is it possible to give thanks for everything in the name of Jesus? So far in Ephesians, we can be thankful for: 1.Grace & peace & spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:1-23): we are chosen for adoption, He freely gives His grace, we have redemption through His blood, forgiveness of sins, mercy lavished on us, the promised Holy Spirit, HOPE, INHERITANCE, POWER (HIP!), His strength, His fullness! 2.We are alive in Christ, saved by grace through faith, created in Him as masterpieces, raised up & seated in heavenly places, brought near by His blood (after being far from Him), we have peace & reconciliation & access to the Father: we can come with boldness to His throne of grace! We’re members of the household of God! (Ephesians 2) 3.We are heirs & partakers of His promise! We can approach God with freedom & confidence! He strengthens us with power in our inner being, He dwells in our hearts through faith, we are rooted in love & filled with His fullness & He does MORE than we ask or imagine (thank you, Jesus for Ephesians 3!) Give thanks that HIS power is at work IN & THROUGH us (remember the recent baptisms?!) 4.Give thanks for His calling on our lives, be thankful for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace & the maturity He’s working in us. Give thanks we are no longer babies in boats (thanks Pastor Mike!) tossed to & fro. Give thanks for truthing in love! (Ephesians 4) At a recent elders meeting, we went around the table to share what we’re thankful for at Compass: our praise & worship team, the wonderful kids God has given us & their childlike faith, the volunteers who serve behind the scenes faithfully week after week, the praise team & their dedication to lead us into His presence in worship, the truths preached that point us to His promises, the small groups that meet all week long & the maturity & spiritual growth happening in hearts & lives as we study Scripture & pray together…what if you were intentional to ask God to open your eyes to see what you should be giving thanks for this season in your life? At one of our groups, a couple shared that they count their blessings each night even in the midst of a tough battle with cancer. What blessings has God given you in the tough times? His light in the darkness, His truth over satan’s lies, a friend’s hug when you need it, a meal when you’re hungry, a text or encouraging word that day you hit rock bottom, that sunrise or sunset that took your breath away? God’s will for us this Thanksgiving and Advent season is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances. Every day throughout the day try to rejoice (feel or show joy or delight: rejoice in a sunrise, rejoice in the taste of a delicious meal, rejoice in a hug or smile or praise song or God’s goodness!), pray nonstop (simple breath prayers: thank you, Jesus or I love you, Lord or Holy Spirit, help), & give thanks (God, thanks for this day or God, thanks for Your grace). Gratitude begins in what our thoughts dwell on: do you spend more time actively thinking on God’s truths & promises or yourself? Give THANKS!