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Part 1: Renew Your Mind

 • Series: Thanking Through It

TEACHING NOTES ‌ Introduction Today we begin a new series about being thankful. While it’s easy to say we are thankful, it’s another thing to actually BE thankful. One of the barriers to being thankful is our mindset. In a culture that is driven by greed, comparison, and negative circumstances, it’s easy to have the wrong mindset. In order to be thankful people, we need to renew our minds and change how we think. ‌ Romans 12:1–2 ESV 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. ‌ Living sacrifice = In the Bible, sacrifices were gifts offered to God in order to thank Him for His goodness. Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice on our behalf. Now we offer our bodies (our life, actions, etc) as a gift to God. ‌ Holy and acceptable to God = In the old covenant, God gave Israel clear instructions on what kind of sacrifices were acceptable to God (see Leviticus). The purpose of these instructions were to teach Israel to be obedient and not to take God’s goodness for granted. In the same way, we must offer obedience to God. We cannot live how ever we want and think that will be “acceptable” (pleasing) to God. We are called to be “holy” (set apart, different). ‌ Spiritual worship = Grk. logiken latreian - rational service. The ESV translates logiken as “spiritual” which is not the best translation. When Paul wants to say “spiritual” he uses the Greek word pneumatikos (as he does in Rom. 7:14). The Greek word logiken or logikos is where we get our English word “logic” or “logical.” Paul is saying that offering ourselves as a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to God is the logical or correct response to God’s mercy. ‌ True worship displays thankfulness to God. ‌ Do not be conformed to this world = Grk. me syschematizesthe touto to aioni - Literally, “do not be molded by the schemes of this age.” The Greek word schematizo refers to schemes or patterns. “This world” or “this age” refers to the worldly systems we see all around us that are driven by sin. ‌ How to Conform to the World: ‌- Be entitled. ‌- Complain and protest. ‌- Criticize and condemn. ‌- Be prideful and arrogant. ‌ Be transformed = Grk. metamorphousthe - be changed. This is the basis of our English word “metamorphosis.” The Greek word can refer to being changed in a manner that is visible to others, or being changed inwardly in character or condition. The Greek verb Paul uses here is in present tense and in the imperative mood, indicating that it is a command to be continually changed. ‌ By the renewal of your mind = Grk. anakainosei tou nous - new way of thinking. This Greek word for “renewal” (anakainosis) is unique to the New Testament and is not found in Greek literature outside of the Bible. John uses the same root (kainos) to describe the new creation in Rev. 21:1. Paul uses kainos in 2 Cor. 5:17 to say that those who are in Christ are a “new creation.” Part of becoming a new creation, or renewed creation, is to have a renewed mind. Since our minds were ruled by sin before we trusted in Christ, our minds need to be continually renewed or transformed to a new way of thinking. ‌ Faithfulness is how we thank God. Faithful people become thankful people. ‌ How to Be Thankful In this series we’re going to learn from several passages that teach us how to be thankful children and servants of God. As we will see, the Bible teaches that developing a thankful mindset begins with obedience. In modern culture, we often believe that we must first be thankful, or FEEL thankful, and then we can do something to show it. However, the Bible teaches that obedience can transform us into thankful people. ‌ In 1 Thess. 5:12-24, Paul is going to tell the church to “give thanks in all circumstances” (v. 18). But before Paul talks about being thankful, he gives us some instructions to obey first. ‌ 1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 ESV 12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. ‌ Respect those who labor = Paul commands the believers in Thessalonica to respect (give honor) two groups of people in the church: (1) those who labor among you, (2) those who lead and teach/admonish. ‌ Esteem them very highly in love = Grk. hegeisthai autous hyperekperissou - Literally, “love them beyond all measure.” Why should the church family esteem leaders and teachers very highly? Paul says, “because of their work.” Those who lead and teach well in the church are working hard and are more accountable. Leaders and teachers are also the number one target of the devil. ‌ Be at peace among yourselves = Instead of complaining and being contentious, we can love our leaders and teachers by seeking to be at peace within the church. One of the most prominent issues that church leaders deal with is complaining and fighting within the church. One of the best ways to love our leaders and teachers is to seek peace and unity and stop expecting the pastor to fix all of our personal disputes. ‌ Respect and love those who serve the church family. We should be thankful, not just for the pastor or teacher, but also for everyone else who is working in the church family. We should be thankful for those who serve in the tech team, the worship team, the kids team, and the janitorial team. We should also be thankful for those who give generously. ‌ 1 Thessalonians 5:14–15 ESV 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. ‌ Admonish the idle = Grk. noutheteite tous ataktos - rebuke the disorderly. Those who are ungrateful often complain and cause problems in the church. Paul says that those who are ungrateful and disorderly should be corrected. ‌ Encourage the fainthearted = Literally, “comfort the discouraged.” ‌ Help the weak = Literally, “be devoted to those suffering.” ‌ Be patient with them all = No matter what people are dealing with in the church family, we are called to be patient with everyone. Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 13:4–5 “4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;” ‌ Repay no one evil for evil = Paul also wrote in Romans 12:21 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” This is based on Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:38–39 “38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” ‌ 1 Thessalonians 5:16–22 ESV 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. ‌ Rejoice always = Grk. pantote chairete - always joyful. The Greek word for “joy” is chairo, which refers to a state of well-being or gladness. This word is related to makarios, which means to be blessed. To “rejoice” is to “re-joy” or practice joy, no matter how we feel or what is going on. ‌ Pray without ceasing = Grk. adialeiptos proseuchesthe - constantly praying. Paul’s view of prayer is that we should be in constant prayer, not just praying for a few minutes in the morning and evening. Since Jesus promised to never leave us, we should always be in constant conversation with Him. The metaphor of “walking with Jesus” should not be a metaphor, but a literal way of life. ‌ Give thanks in all circumstances = Grk. en panti eucharisteite - in everything give thanks. Paul says the content of our constant prayer should be gratitude. That is not to say that we should not ask God for anything, but that the majority of our prayers should be thanksgiving. ‌ Notice the word Paul uses for “give thanks” is eucharisteo, which is the name that the early church (and some churches today) called the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist. Taking Communion is an act of thanksgiving for all God has done. ‌ This is the will of God for you = Modern Christians are often confused about the will of God for their life. Because we live in an individualist culture, we think our life is unique and God must have some mysterious plan for us. However, the Bible was written by authors who lived in a collectivist culture. The “you” in this phrase is plural, which reads “this is the will of God for all ya’ll.” God’s will/desire for all believers is to pray with constant thanksgiving. ‌ Do not quench the Spirit = The word for “quench” here is sbennyte, which can mean “to quench” or “to extinguish.” If we think of the Holy Spirit as a fire (like in Acts 2:1-4), to be ungrateful is like throwing water on a fire. If we say we love God and have the Spirit living in us, but we don’t pray and thank God constantly, we are throwing water on the fire of the Spirit. Paul also says, “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30). ‌ Do not despise prophesies = In the Bible, prophesy is not about predicting the future, though it includes that on some occasions. Prophesy is simply saying something you have heard from God or have been led by God to say. Paul began this section talking about church leaders and teachers, some of whom would have been considered prophets who speak words from God. Often in the New Testament, prophesy is about correcting sinful behavior. Followers of Jesus must be willing to be corrected by other believers, because the Spirit is using them to turn us away from destruction. ‌ Test everything; hold fast to the good = Since prophesy is done through humans, we must test prophesy to make sure it is good or correct. Simply because someone claims to have a word from God does not mean we should immediately trust that word. We should test all prophesy by evaluating it against Scripture. If someone is really hearing from God, it will not contradict Scripture. ‌ Abstain from every form of evil = The word for “abstain” here is apechesthe, which means “to be distant from.” The word for “form” here is eidous, which refers to outward appearance. Christians must distance themselves even from the appearance of evil. If we are close to something that even has the appearance of evil, we are playing with fire. ‌ 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 ESV 23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. ‌ Sanctify you completely = Grk. hagiasai hymas holoteleis - make all ya’ll completely holy. The Bible tells us repeatedly that God’s people are commanded to be holy—meaning to be set apart as different. Paul’s prayer for the church in Thessalonica is that they will be what God wants them to be—completely holy. ‌ Kept blameless = Paul defines being “sanctified completely” as our whole spirit, soul, and body being kept blameless. This does not mean that we will not sin, but that we will be continually repentant. Noah and Job were called blameless (Gen. 6:9; Job 1:1, 8; 2:3), but we’re also told that they made sacrifices to God, which indicates they were repentant. ‌ Faithful and thankful people become transformed people. ‌ Conclusion ‌We have so much to be thankful for as the family of God. So, we respond to God’s goodness by being thankful and showing our gratitude. In the Old Testament, God’s people displayed their gratitude by participating in a sacrifice/gift to God. Today, we display our gratitude with worship and participating in Christ’s sacrifice in taking Communion.