The last phrase of verse 15 of
Acts chapter 28, when Paul saw, he thanked God and took courage. He thanked God. I dare say that anything that
we believe concerning God that doesn't cause us to thank him
and be encouraged, we don't believe it right. Let me repeat that. I want us all to think about
that statement. Anything, any doctrine of the
scripture, any truth revealed in the gospel, Anything that
we've been taught of God that doesn't cause us to be thankful
for that and be encouraged, we really have not understood it. Nobody enjoys being discouraged,
being disheartened, being disappointed, being depressed, but everybody
deals with these things to one degree or another, some much
more severely than others. The disappointment and discouragement
with yourself. I know something about that,
don't you? Being discouraged by others,
even disheartened and dismayed. There are circumstances that,
quite frankly, can be very depressing in your life, in my life. Health
problems, emotional problems, problems in the home, marriage
problems, problems with your children. You know, I was reading
in Genesis 26 where Esau's conduct when he was 40 years old was
a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebecca. He's a grown man still dealing
with those things. Problems on your job, problems
dealing with difficult people, and the biggest problem of all,
me. my sinful nature. Now I want to say this as honestly
as I know how. I am just as sinful as I ever
was. And I struggle with sin just
as bad as I ever did. Right now. Now, I know a lot
of people won't admit to that. There are others who will say,
well, are you saved then? Yes, I am. Yes, I am. I know the Lord. He saved me
by his grace. And I could not be more honest
in saying that I'm just as sinful right now as I ever was. I might not be doing some of
the same things that I did when I was a young man, But that doesn't
change the case. I'm just as sinful right now
as I've ever been. And I struggle with sin just
as much now as ever. Now that can be discouraging. That can be depressing. to have this nature that never
gets better. How can I be encouraged? How can I be thankful? Well,
I hope by the end of this message, every one of us are going to
leave this place thankful and encouraged. Now, Paul had been
on Malta for three months. And after three months, verse
11, we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered
in the isle, the isle of Malta, whose sign was Castor and Pollux.
That was the name of the ship they were getting on. Those were
the two sons of Jupiter, the Greek god. And this was just
a Greek culture, a Hellenistic culture. And landing at Syracuse,
we tarried there three days. And from thence, we fetched a
compass. And that means we went over land. and came to Regium
and after one day, the south wind blew and we came the next
day to Potioli where we found brethren. And they desired to tarry with
him. They desired us to tarry with him seven days and so we
went toward Rome. Now remember, Christ told him
in Acts chapter 23, you're gonna testify of me in Rome. And this
has already been determined. But here it is, and I wonder
about the anxiety Paul felt. Because he knew everywhere I
go, I get whipped, I get beaten, I get misunderstood, I get persecuted. And you can bet that that wore
on him. He said, everywhere I go, I know
that bonds and afflictions abide me. Now, I don't know anyone
that's experienced what Paul has experienced in that. I think
of, I try to picture my mind, him wrapping his arms around
a post, getting ready to get whipped again with a cat of nine
tails and just thinking, again? But he's headed towards Rome
with all kinds of anxiety, I have no doubt. And from thence, verse
15, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us. As far as Appiaforum and the
three taverns, those were two towns close to Rome, one about
40 miles and one closer than that. And these men had heard
about Paul going to Rome. They knew who Paul was, they
knew he was the man that God used to teach the gospel, and
they wanted to see him. And they walked a long way in
order to see him before he got to Rome, when Paul saw He thanked
God and took courage. Now we know from the end of this
chapter that he was in Rome for two years. This is when he wrote
the prison epistles and church tradition, I don't know how much
there is to that, but church tradition has it that he was
beheaded after those two years. And here he is for this two year
period in Rome. And when he sees these brethren,
now there's something special about this. This was a reminder
to him when he saw these brethren of God's salvation. Brethren. That's a special title. Brethren. Children of the same father. What a common bond brethren have. One with Christ. Hebrews 2.11
says, for the witch cause, both they who are sanctified and he
who sanctifies are all of one, for the witch cause, he's not
ashamed to call them brethren. Jesus Christ would not be ashamed
to point at me and say, that's my brother. Born of the same spirit. having
been saved the same way, with the same nature. Elected by the
Father, redeemed by the Son. Regenerated by God, the Holy
Spirit, the brethren, he saw brethren, and this reminded him
of God's salvation. For whom he did foreknow, then
he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his
son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. I don't know of anything more
special than when Ananias came up to Paul and put his hand on
him, Paul in his blindness and said, brother Saul. Now he would
have killed him the day before, but now he puts his hand on him.
Brother Saul, receive thy sight. You think of what the Lord said
in as much as you've done it. to the least of these, my brethren."
That's what he calls every one of his people, my brethren. Inasmuch as you've done it to
the least of these, my brethren, you've done it to me. And inasmuch
as you've done it not to the least of these, my brethren,
you've done it not to me. Now, what did seeing these brethren
do for Paul? Scripture says, he thanked God.
I don't know what all he was thinking, but all of a sudden,
he thanked God. And here's what always follows
a true spirit of thankfulness, he took courage. These two things
go together. He thanked God. And he took courage. He was encouraged. Now, what
a set of the people who rejected the light they had. Paul said
Romans one, because when they knew God, that glorified him,
not as God, neither were thankful. They weren't thankful for God.
They weren't thankful for his glorious attributes. They weren't
thankful for his character. What worse could be said of anybody
that they're not thankful? You couldn't say anything worse
about any individual than this. They're not thankful to God.
They have no thanksgiving toward God. Now I realize that a lost
religious man can put on an outward show of thankfulness. You've
heard it, praise the Lord, thank the Lord, bless the Lord, all
the language that can be used. I thought of the publican in
the temple. I thank thee, oh Lord. I'm far too humble to give myself
the credit, so I'm thanking you that I'm such a wonderful person.
I know it's all due to you. I thank you that I'm not as other
men are. But I want us to remember when
the Lord began that parable, he said that man prayed thus
with himself. God didn't hear that prayer.
He prayed thus with himself. But what a reason A believer
has to be thankful. Now listen to this. How many
times have you thought, well, it could be worse? It couldn't
be any better. Big difference. It could not
be any better. Romans 8, 28 says, and we know
that all things work together. Now that covers a big umbrella,
doesn't it? All things, all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are called according
to his purpose. Everything God brings my way,
I'm to thank him for. I don't care what it is. I don't
care how painful it is. And that's what Paul meant when
he said in 1 Thessalonians 5, 18, in everything give thanks. But this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you. Whatever it is you're going through,
it's God's will for you. And it is best. No things could not be worse,
things couldn't be better. Whatever, you see, He knows what's
best, me and you don't. You believe that? Me and you
just flat out don't know what's good. He does. Now let me give you some scriptures. Psalm 30 verse four says, give
thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. God's holiness, his otherness. His utter transcendence, His
glorious being, and every attribute He has is holy. His love is a
holy love. His wrath is a holy wrath. His justice is a holy justice. Every attribute of God is holy. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
of hosts. The whole earth is filled with
His glory. give thanks at the remembrance
of His holiness. How glorious He is in holiness,
in otherness, in perfection. Now, as I said, the understanding
of God, if it doesn't, some knowledge we have of God, if it doesn't
cause me to be thankful to Him, I've not understood it properly.
I've not understood it at all, as a matter of fact. Psalm 106
verse one says, oh, give thanks unto the Lord for he is good. Listen to me, he's good all the
time. And I'm aware, I'm cognizant of how much pain there is and
suffering there is in the earth. Somebody says, how could a good
God let that happen? I understand thinking that way,
but what we do when we say things like that, all of a sudden we're
God's judges. Me and you don't have enough sense to judge God.
Whatever he does is right, holy, just, and true. And we're relying
on that, aren't we? I don't understand everything.
I don't understand anything. But he does. And we give thanks
for his goodness. He's good all the time. I remember thinking this once. How could a good God send somebody
to hell? It's his goodness that puts you
in hell, if that's what he puts you in. Get you out of the universe,
get you out of the air. Everything he does is good. As a matter of fact, when people
complain with God's goodness, your biggest problem is, my biggest
problem is, he's good, I'm not. What's gonna be done about that?
The Lord is good all the time. Psalm 119 verse 62 says, at midnight
I will, Rise to give thanks to God for thy righteous judgments.
Now, I'm not real sure David Minney said his alarm so I'd
wake up at midnight, 12 a.m. to pray. I think what that means
more than anything else is when I can't see. Midnight, in the
dark. and I do not understand what
is going on. I don't understand why God is
doing what he's doing. I don't understand myself. I'm
a mystery to myself. I am in the dark. I cannot see. At midnight, I
will rise and give thanks for thy righteous judgments. Now let me tell you this. No
matter what happens, shall not the judge of the earth do right?
Yes. And all of his judgments, he's
talking about the, he's actually talking about the work of Christ
on the cross. The righteous judgments, I'm righteous because of what
Christ did for me. I really am righteous. I can only know that
by faith, but it's so. I'm a righteous man because Christ's
righteousness is mine. My sin is put away. And even
when I can't see anything else, I'm holding on to that at midnight.
I'll thank him for his righteous judgments. I think in Romans
1, verse 8, Paul gave thanks for the faith of the Romans.
Now, do you know that faith is not something that comes from
you? You found yourself believing. You didn't decide to believe.
You think, oh, I think I'm gonna become a believer. I'm gonna
become a Christian. I'm gonna, doesn't work that way. As a matter
of fact, you found out at one point where you couldn't believe
and didn't even know what it meant to believe. And then you
found yourself believing. And you know what you do? You
thank God for that. Faith is the gift of His grace. And if I believe the gospel,
what a reason for me to thank Him for and to be encouraged. I think of what Paul said in
Romans 7, verse 25, O wretched man that I am. He didn't say
it the way I used to be before God saved me. He said, O wretched
man that I am right now. And every believer lives somewhere
in Romans chapter 7. I never will forget somebody
said, one of these days you need to get out of Romans 7 and get
into Romans 8. Well, that person didn't know what Romans 7 meant
nor what Romans 8 meant. Paul said, O wretched man that
I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank
God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, you're in a body of
death. What a blessing thing that you
know it. Not everybody knows that. Not everybody, very few
people even understand what it means to be a sinner. Oh, they
make mistakes. They do wrong things. But oh,
if you know anything about crying out before God, oh wretched man
that I am. Paul went on to say, I thank
God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul
thanked God for the grace given to the Corinthians. God's grace
is given, not offered. You know, God's never offered
anybody grace. I hate it when preachers talk about God's offering
you this, he's offering you that. God doesn't offer anything, God
gives. God gives. And thank God He gives His grace. You see, His grace is saving
grace. His grace is electing grace. Aren't you thankful God
chose you? Can you thank God for that? Can you thank God for
the redeeming work of Christ that He actually put away your
sins without your help? Can you thank God for His justifying
grace that He makes you stand before Him without guilt, sinless? Can you thank God for his life-giving
grace that spoke life into your dead heart and caused you to
believe? Oh, can't you thank God for preserving grace? The
only reason you haven't fallen away right now is because he's
kept you from it. We thank God for his grace. Now, I realize if I'm talking
to somebody that doesn't believe grace, give me enough time, I'm
gonna get mad at him. I shouldn't. I shouldn't. I just know the way I am. But
I tell you what I want to do. I want to be thankful for the
grace he's given me. It might be that person knows nothing
of the grace of God. Thank God I do. Why me, Lord? Why would you make yourself known
to me? I'm no different than that other
person in any way. Thank you for making your grace
known to me. in first corinthians chapter
one verse fourteen paul makes this uh... kind of unusual statement
he said i thank god that i baptized none of you except for christmas
and gayness let's see if you say paul baptized in his own
name he said i thank god i didn't baptize anybody now not many
people think of that as being a reason to thank god but what
paul is talking about is he's thanking god for his providence
if i would have baptized a bunch of you Y'all would end up worshiping
me instead of Christ. There's all kinds of problems.
I thank God for his providence. Now, let me remind you, he does
everything just right. You know, there's no such thing
as chance. There's no such thing as happenstance. There's no such
thing as mistakes. Everything God does is perfect. The lot is cast into the lap,
but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Can you thank the Lord for that?
In your heart, does that encourage you? All things are of God. I love this passage of scripture
in Colossians chapter one, verse 12. Paul said, giving thanks
to the father who had made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light. Now here's what that means. Right
now, there's a great group, the saints in light, they're in heaven. They're worshiping the lamb.
They don't have sinful natures like you and I do. They're worshiping
the Lamb. They're beholding His face in
righteousness. They're singing His praises.
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. You know what Paul says? Right
now, I have everything they have, and I could be right there with
them. I'm lacking nothing. Now I have
something they don't have. I still have my sinful nature,
and I'm gonna put that away one day, but right now, I'm perfectly
fit to be in heaven. Now listen to this statement,
and this can only be known by faith, but it's true. I'm not
gonna be any more holy in heaven than I am right now. Now you can only know that by
faith. But I'm not gonna be any more holy. There's not degrees
of holiness. I'm either holy or I'm not. And
I'm not gonna be any more holy in heaven than I am right this
second while I'm talking to you. Now that gives us some idea of
how powerful The sinful nature is, because when you hear that,
you think, man, that just seems too good to be true. I don't
know that by experience. Well, I know you don't know that by
experience. But is Christ made unto us sanctification? Is he
made unto us holiness? Has he perfected forever them
that are sanctified, them that are holy? I'm not gonna be any
more holy there. You know what? Thank the Lord.
That's his work from the beginning to the end. Thank the Lord. You see, Colossians 2.10 says,
you're complete in Him. You lack nothing. In Him dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete
in Him. Colossians 3.17 says, whatsoever
you do in deed or word, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks unto the Father by Him. Boy, wouldn't you? Wouldn't
you like to do that with everything you do in your heart? That doesn't
mean trying to prove to everybody how thankful you are. It always
aggravates me when I'm around people who give false hallelujahs
and praise, they'll try to let you know how spiritual they are.
But wouldn't you like in your heart, even if you do it out
loud, in your heart, doing it solely to Him. Thank you, Lord,
for whatever you bring my way, whatever I'm doing, giving thanks.
Here's a scripture, 2 Thessalonians 2.13, but we're bound to thank
God always for you. Brethren, beloved of the Lord,
because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. I don't
know how many times I've seen over the years people that act
like they get tired of election. Election is a Divine praise. Divine praise, why me? And to think of the freeness
of his grace exercised toward you and him choosing you before
time began to be saved. Oh, election is a doctrine of
divine praise, isn't it? Thank you, Lord, thank you. First Thessalonians 2.13 says,
For this cause, thank we God without ceasing, because when
you received the word of God, which you heard of us, you received
it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of
God. Do you receive the gospel as
God's word and not some man's doctrine or man's denominational
distinction, but it's actually the word of God, the word of
truth? Well, then you have every reason for Thanksgiving. Second,
Thessalonians 2.3 says, we're bound to thank God for you, brethren,
as it's meat, because your faith groweth exceedingly. Now, growth. is a gift of grace. And he says
to these people, your faith grows exceedingly. And you know, my
faith has grown since the time the first Lord saved me. I understand
more now that Christ is the only righteousness I have than I did
then. I see that more. I see my faith
has grown in that sense. I hope I've grown in grace. Grow
in grace, but that's the gift of His grace that you thank Him
for. If you do grow in grace, if you grow in grace, that means
you grow in your esteem of Him and His glory. You grow downward
in your view of yourself. You grow outward in your love
to others. But that's the gift of His grace. You thank Him for
that. Listen to this scripture. Romans
11, 17 says, we give thanks, O Lord, God almighty. I mean,
Revelation 11, 17. You can look this up if you want.
We give thanks, O Lord, God almighty, which art and was and are to
come because thou has taken to thee thy great power and has
reigned. Now here he's thanking the God,
God for being sovereign. And now it's one thing to believe
in the doctrine of God's sovereignty. It's another thing to love the
God who is sovereign. All the difference in the world.
God's sovereignty just makes sense. And if anybody would think
about it, they would think, well, God must be the first cause of
all things. That just makes sense. Anything else is irrational.
Anything else is illogical. But it's one thing to see that
it makes sense. And another thing to be so happy that God is absolutely
reigning in every event and everything for his own glory and for our
good. Trust him. He's controlling everything. Paul has spent two whole chapters
on the subject of giving and what a privilege it is to be
allowed to give. And what does he say at the end
of that chapter? Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable
gift. Now, to give is something to
thank God for. Not to think, oh, I need this,
what if I need, no, to give is to thank God for. Now, here's
what thankfulness does, it encourages us. You can't be discouraged
while you're thankful. If you're discouraged, you're
not being thankful. If you're thankful, you will
not be discouraged, no matter how bad the atmosphere or the
circumstances might be. Now let me show you that. I want
you to turn with me for a moment to 1 Samuel 30. Now this is when the Amalekites
had raided Ziklag and carried David's family off and everybody
else's family off. And they come back to Ziklag
and they find the place raided, sacked, nothing left. Verse three, so David and his
men came to the city and behold, it was burned with fire and their
wives, their sons, their daughters were taken captives. Then David
and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and
wept until they had no more power to weep. Oh, they were distraught.
And David's two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess
and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. And David was
greatly distressed for the people spake of stoning him. Now we're talking about some
bad circumstances. We've had it with this guy. He's brought
us into this, let's stone him, let's put him to death and be
done with him. For all the people were grieved,
every man for his sons and his daughters, but David encouraged
himself in the Lord his God. As long as God is, we have every
reason to be encouraged. Now, I want to close by reading
a passage from the book of Habakkuk. That is, you see, Micah, Nahum,
Habakkuk, after that, Zephaniah. I'd like you to read this with
me. Habakkuk chapter 3. Habakkuk chapter 3, verse 17. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the
vines. The labor of the olive shall
fail. and the fields shall yield no
meat. The flock shall be cut off from
the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet, although
these things are so, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. He's glorious, whatever happens
to us. Now, whenever I think of something
like this, I start getting nervous. Well, the Lord's gonna try you,
see if you're gonna do that. I hope not, I hope not. I'd rather, I'm all for getting
out of trials, aren't you? And I don't wanna make any big
boasts about, well, I'm gonna rejoice whatever the Lord does.
Well, I hope I do, but I know this, I should. because of who
he is. That's enough to be encouraged
about. He is. He is as he is. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength and
he will make my feet like hinds feet and he will make me to walk
upon mine high places. to the chief singer on my stringed
instrument. This was obviously to be used,
this statement, for public worship in the house of God. Although,
yet. May the Lord give us grace to be as Paul when he approaches
Rome and just brethren, no matter what's going on, brethren, people
that God has saved. That's enough. Well, actually,
you don't even have to see brethren. David encouraged himself in the
Lord, and that's enough to be encouraged. Now, let me, it wasn't just encouragement
that the Lord existed, but in the Lord. The Lord said in the
world, now these things have I spoken to you that in me, you
might have peace. In me. That means being found in him.
These things have I spoken to you that in me, you might have
peace. In the world, you'll have tribulation. You'll have trial, you'll have
trouble, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. Let's pray. Lord, how thankful we are that
our standing and our acceptance is in the beloved and that all
you require of us, we have in the beloved. And Lord, how thankful
we are for your glorious sovereignty that you control everybody and
everything and every event. We're so thankful that you are
in complete sovereign control over the free and uncoerced actions
of every body alive. And Lord, that causes us joy
and that causes us encouragement. Bless this message for your glory
and for our good. In Christ's name we pray.