Jesus Never Stops Giving Thanks to the Father For You: Diving Deeper
See Jesus
Did any of you have a class in school called Typing? Typing was a class where we all gathered around old fashioned typewriters and learned to type from text and from dictation.
I remember learning that if we were working as a secretary and typed a letter by dictation from our superior, the letter would be closed off with the name of the superior being capitalized while the name of the typist would be below in small case letters.
In this way, the reader would know that the sentiments of the letter were the sentiments of the superior even though the letter had been typed by the secretary.
In a way, this is how the Bible was written. All Scripture is God-breathed. The Superior God of the universe dictated His thoughts and expressions to subordinate men carried along by the Holy Spirit and they penned His thoughts for Him.
I find it very interesting that Paul’s name (Paul wrote a large portion of the New Testament) means “small”. Imagine the Bible being written in letter form, closed off:
Sincerely, The Lord God
(paul)
When you read the Bible, you are reading the sentiments of God, not the sentiments of the man who penned the words. Isn’t that beautiful?!
So with this in mind let’s read Ephesians 1:15-16,
“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.”
Paul’s thankfulness for the believers did not originate in himself. He was participating with Jesus’ thankfulness for the believers!
Jesus is thankful for you! He has not stopped giving thanks for you!
Let’s let that sink in for a moment longer. Jesus is thankful for you.
Our Lord Jesus gives thanks to the Father for you and He remembers you in His prayers.
Do you know what happens when Jesus is thankful??
Miracles! Miracles happen!!
Here is an example: one day a group of 5,000 men plus women and children had come to Jesus to hear Him teach and to be healed. Jesus, having compassion on them and not wanting to send them away hungry, invited them to a sit down picnic!! How did He feed this crowd of over 5,000?
With 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish!
“Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking into heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. … They all ate and were satisfied and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.” Matthew 14:19-21
When Jesus, in His authority, gave thanks to the Father by help of Holy Spirit, the 5 loaves and 2 fish were turned into enough, more than enough and even abundance.
On another similar occasion Jesus fed 4,000 men plus women and children, this time with 7 loaves and a few fish.
“Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.” Matthew 15:36-37
Again, Jesus gave thanks to the Father by help of the Holy Spirit and God turned the little into enough, more than enough and even abundance.
The night that Jesus was betrayed He and His disciples were gathered together to celebrate the Passover meal. Jesus took the common table bread and the common table wine, “gave thanks” and the common bread and the common wine became the Holy Communion.
Family, miracles happen when Jesus gives thanks to the Father. Jesus is thankful for you. Jesus never stops giving thanks to the Father for you! Miracles are happening.
Maybe your situation feels as hopeless as feeding thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. Jesus is giving thanks to the Father on your behalf. He has not stopped praying for you.
“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery (excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures). Instead, be filled with the Spirit. (Which leads to…) Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of Jesus.” Ephesians 5:18-20
Beloved Family, let the Holy Spirit fill you continually and He will produce Christ’s thankfulness within you as your very own!
You have the authority of Jesus' Name to partner with Jesus' thankfulness even now and to "give thanks" in every situation, even a difficult one. Ask Jesus what He is thankful for and then begin to partner with Him.
Go on, begin to say it out loud ... that's right .... give thanks to the Father in Jesus' Name, the Holy Spirit is helping you, beloved one! I can hardly wait to hear the testimonies of breakthroughs and miracles.
Maybe you feel as common as that unleavened bread felt on that Passover meal table … be bold … Jesus is giving thanks for you … you are being made holy through and through.
“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:21-24
-Pastor Merodee
Know Jesus
This week, you can dive deeper into the message through one or all of the following:
Ask the Holy Spirit:
What is something Jesus is thankful for in a hard or difficult circumstance?
Use your voice to partner with Jesus' thankfulness and be thankful for what Jesus is thankful for.
Do a DBS on 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Listen and worship along with "Praise To the Lord the Almighty/Joyful Joyful" by Shane and Shane.
Consider the prayer prompts given in your time with God this week.
Discovery Bible Study
TO BEGIN
Pray and ask Holy Spirit to teach you about God from His word.
Next, read the verse a couple of times.
Now, ask these questions:
What does this tell me about God/Jesus?
What does this tell me about people?
How can I respond to what I just read?
When you’re done asking these questions, it’s a great idea to pray and thank God for teaching you more about who He is and who you are!
Discovery Bible Study (DBS) is a way for anyone, anywhere to read God's word! You can dive deeper into this week's message by doing a DBS one any one or all of these scriptures. DBS is a great tool to use for your own devotions, as a bible study with friends, or as an evangelism tool!
1 Thessalonians 5:18
"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Listen to ‘Praise To The Lord (Joyful, Joyful)’
"Ponder anew what the Almighty might do if in His love He befriends you."
Prayer Prompts
Pray for grace to be thankful in every circumstance.
Pray that we would grow strong in the foundations of family growth.
Pray that the love of God would shine through the body of Christ.
Share Jesus
You can share this week's podcast, email, or blog post. Check out volunteer opportunities to get involved in the work of sharing Jesus in our church family and community.
Current Volunteer Opporunities
Kid's Church is looking for volunteers for their current schedule rotation. You can sign up to help by contacting Pastor Charla at pastorcharla@kiplingchurch.com.
