Thanksgiving

Today is the Sunday before Thanksgiving, so as is standard on these sorts of Sundays we're going to talk about Thanksgiving. Does anyone know what is Thanksgiving actually about?

[Let them answer]

Thanksgiving is by definition a secular holiday, in that it is not a holiday directly described by the Bible. (Fun fact the Bible doesn't actually dictate any Christian holidays! We choose to celebrate Christmas and Easter but it is not commanded or required of us in the same way it was required of the Jews in Jesus' time to celebrate Passover or other holidays.) However, being thankful is a very Biblical concept.

There are dozens of accounts in the Old Testament of someone doing something and then immediately giving praise to God. These examples are everywhere, whether it's the Israelites getting out of the desert or kings thanking God for defeating an enemy. Because of this it's not surprising that it's actually a pretty big theme of psalms where our memory verse comes from for this month. Let's actually turn to our memory verse.

Can someone read the first verse there? Psalm 107:1

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

Okay now can someone flip back a Psalm to 106:1 and read that.

Praise the Lord!
    O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

Now can someone flip back to Psalm 105:1

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
    make known his deeds among the peoples.

Now can someone read all of Psalm 100. I promise it's not very long, five verses.

1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
2     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come into his presence with singing.

3 Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he that made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise.
    Give thanks to him, bless his name.

5 For the Lord is good;
    his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations.

So can anyone see a common theme here? [Let them answer.]

So what are the Psalms? [Let them answer.]

They're basically poems or songs. You'll actually see lyrics from songs you may know--hymns and other popular Christian songs--in a lot of these. In many ways these psalms are basically prayers written by different people--some King David, some King Solomon and some unknown. A lot of them like the ones we've just seen are expressing thankfulness.

Let's look back at Psalm 100:4. "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And his courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His Name." What do you think this means?

[Let them answer]

I think it means we're supposed to come before God with a thankful heart. And why should we be thankful to God?

Well let's look back at some of those other Psalms, specifically the one our memory verse comes from. Can someone read verses 107: 4 - 9.

4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
    finding no way to an inhabited town;
5 hungry and thirsty,
    their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress;
7 he led them by a straight way,
    until they reached an inhabited town.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wonderful works to humankind.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty,
    and the hungry he fills with good things.

So why are they giving thanks to God?

Because he heard their cry and satisfied their thirsty souls. God delivered them and gave them what they needed. We should be thankful for all the good things God gives us in life.

Now you may be like "But Mandy that's the Old Testament." So okay let's see what Paul has to say about thankfulness. Let's turn to Ephesians 5:17-20.

17 So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, 20 giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul is trying to describe to this church what it means to be and look like a Christian. In this section he's specifically talking about what it means to walk in a Christ like manner, to essentially be imitators of God. He's telling them a bunch of things they should and should not do. So what does he say in this verse? Don't be foolish, don't get drunk, be filled with songs and always always give thanks to Jesus.

And why do we give thanks to Jesus? [Let them answer.]

Well because he saved us. What was our memory verse last month? Can someone recite it? (John 3:16.)

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

So let's look back at what Jesus, our savior, said about thankfulness. There's actually a story that describes this. So please turn to Luke 17:11-19. Can someone read it?

11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Okay so let's start at the beginning here. What is leprosy? It's a pretty terrible disease that basically infects your nerves, skin, and eyes and can causes pretty serious damage. A person with leprosy is very prone to secondary infections that can result in like skin loss. So basically a person with leprosy looked like they had awful sores and lesions everywhere. And it was considered to be highly contagious. Now we have antibiotics that can treat leprosy, but back then the only solution they had was to basically quarantine lepers from the rest of society so no one else could get it.

No one wanted to be near a leper, which is why the Bible says these lepers stood at a distance from Jesus and had to raise their voice.

So Jesus speaks to heal them all, tells them to go to the priests because the only way to be considered clean and let back into society was if a priest declared you so, otherwise you would still be stuck hanging out in the quarantine area, often referred to as a leper colony. So all these ten men go and get healed, but only one comes back.

What does this tell us about thankfulness?

All ten men were healed but only one felt the need to come back and thank Jesus. I think that's the case for a lot of our lives. We get what we want and we don't feel the need to thank people or God about it. We just have it and we're happy. But here Jesus clearly admonishes those guys who do that and praises the one who comes back.

We should strive to be like that guy, to be thankful for what we have.

And that's why even though Thanksgiving isn't a Christian holiday per say, it's a good one for Christians to observe and can even remind us of something important about our own faith and lives. As Paul said, we should be giving thanks all the time, but as this story with Jesus shows we often fail to do that. But let's strive to be like the tenth man who actually came back and not like the others. 

Christianity and Politics

In honor of the upcoming election today we're going to discuss what the Bible says about politics. Disclaimer upfront: we are NOT talking about political candidates. No one currently running for President is actually in the Bible so we'll not be talking about them.

So first we're going to talk about what Jesus had to say about politics. Who knows what the government was during Jesus' time on Earth? (Hint: we talked about this last week a bit with Paul.)

[Let them answer.]

Yep. The Roman Empire was ruled by an emperor in Rome. At the time of Jesus' ministry that would have been Tiberius Caesar, the son of Augustus Caesar, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. Before Augustus, Rome was a Republic, not quite like the republic we have now but not too dissimilar. There were senators, and citizens could vote, they just had very different definitions of what a Senator was. But in Jesus's time the Emperor was in charge. There was still a senate that people could vote for, but their power was greatly diminished from what it was. And if your emperor was crazy, whelp, you just had to live with it.

So in the entirety of the four gospels, what is the ONE THING Jesus said about Caesar and the Roman government? Does anyone know?

[Probably not but let them answer.]

Okay let's turn to Matthew 22:15-22

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 21 They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

So these Pharisees don't like Jesus and they're coming trying to trap him, to get him in trouble. The Herodians with him? That's basically a Political Party who support Rome. So if Jesus said the wrong thing here, they could go back and tell Rome that Jesus was trying to start a rebellion! And then Jesus would be arrested for sure! So to their question they ask if it's lawful to pay taxes, and what does Jesus say?

"Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's."

That's actually a fairly often quoted verse, sometimes even outside of the context of the Bible and Christianity. But what does it mean? What do you think Jesus was saying.

[Let them answer.]

Jesus is basically saying, "Obey the law of the land."

Paul reiterates this in his letter to the Roman church. That is the church in the capital of the Roman Empire. Rome is to the Roman Empire, what Washington, DC is to us, except even more so. It’s more like Washington, DC, New York, LA, and Chicago rolled into one city. It's not just A city, it is THE City. So turn to Romans 13: 1 -7, and let's see what Paul says to these people who live in the heart of Roman politics.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval; 4 for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority[a] does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be subject, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience. 6 For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, busy with this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is due them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

What is Paul trying to say here?

[Let them answer]

He's saying obey your government. And you guys, you need to understand, that back then, just like now, tax money was taken from people and put into things they didn't believe in. The emperor could use tax money to build a temple to the Roman gods if he wanted, and that was definitely not something Christians were cool with. But taxes also went to good things, like roads, just like they do now. (Though not schools back then.)

And when Paul was writing this it was during the time when the Roman emperors were a little off the rockers. We're talking about emperors who actively jailed Christians, emperors who did insane things like elected a horse to the Senate.

But if Paul is saying obey the law and the law says Christianity is illegal, isn't that a logical fallacy?

No, I don't want you to read these verses that way. There is an underlying assumption here in Paul's words, in the words of every writer of the New Testament. Faith in Jesus and the practices of the church come first.

A little context before we read it. Remember the book of Acts is basically the history of the early church as written by Luke, the same guy who wrote the gospel of Luke. In this section, Peter and some of the other apostles are jailed by the high priest and the Senate of Israel for preaching about Jesus and they're told not to preach anymore. But an angel comes and releases Peter et al in the night and tells them to go and continue spreading the word. The high priest then demands them to be recaptured and brought before him. Okay someone read.

27 When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. 30 The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

So is Peter obeying his government here? The high priest and if you look back even the Senate of Israel told them NOT to preach anymore, but he's still doing it. Why?

"We must obey God rather than men."

Boom. There it is.

It's one thing to give tax money to your government and then they use it against your conscious. It's another thing entirely for you yourself to personally do an act that goes against God.

There's a famous Old Testament story that exemplifies this. Does anyone know what it is?

Alright let's turn to the Old Testament book of Daniel. Specifically Daniel 3:8 -18. During this time period, Israel was under the control of the Babylon Empire. Basically there was this Emperor Nebuchadnezzar who ruled everything. But some Israelites worked for him, in his administration, basically civil servants running things. So can someone read Daniel 3:8-18?

8 Accordingly, at this time certain Chaldeans came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, shall fall down and worship the golden statue, 11 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These pay no heed to you, O king. They do not serve your gods and they do not worship the golden statue that you have set up.” 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought in; so they brought those men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods and you do not worship the golden statue that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble to fall down and worship the statue that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defense to you in this matter. 17 If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.”

What is going on here?

Yes the king gave a decree that everyone should worship this god he made. And these three guys, S, M &A were working for this king. They basically obeyed his administrative orders, running his government on a daily basis, but this, this went against God. What's the first commandment of the Ten Commandments? Anyone know?

"You shall have no other gods before Me." Exodus 20:3

This law Nebuchadnezzar gave went directly against that. The first, most important commandment. And so they refused to obey it, even though it meant the king would throw them in a fiery furnace.

Trevor likes to call this the Nazi corollary to the "obey your government thing." If your government comes to you and asks you to do something that goes directly against your beliefs, i.e. kill Jewish people, YOU SHOULD NOT DO IT. And Paul or Peter would not support you doing that.

But this is America, right? And things work a little differently here than they did back then. We don't have a ruler we have no choice in! We get to pick right?

Well sort of. Depending on your political leanings, you may get a President you don't like on Tuesday. And I guarantee sometime in the future you will be disappointed by a presidential election. You will fear for the future of this nation.

And well, that's not very different from how people in the Bible lived. They had no choice over their ruler and they were stuck with whoever. And sometimes they didn't like the ruler they had. And often, their ruler was not a Christian.

So what does the Bible say we should do about our leaders?

Well we're in the Old Testament so let's stay there for a minute. Turn to Jeremiah 29:7. Jeremiah is basically the same time period as Daniel. In this section, Jeremiah is relaying the words God told him to deliver to the people who live in captivity in a pagan government. They are far from home, in a land that worships false gods, under a ruler they don't necessarily like or trust, and what does God say to them?

"Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare."

God tells them to pray for the very nation that captured them! The nation they’re prisoners of!!!!

Now some of you who are Bible savvy might say "well yeah but that's a very specific occurrence and not necessarily universally applicable. God is talking specifically to those Jewish people in Babylonian exile and not to us."

Okay, well let's see what Paul has to say on the matter. Let's turn to Paul's first letter to Timothy, so 1 Timothy 2:1-8.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For

there is one God;
    there is also one mediator between God and humankind,
Christ Jesus, himself human,
6     who gave himself a ransom for all

—this was attested at the right time. 7 For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 8 I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument;

Pray for our kings and authorities. Without wrath or dissension. Do you guys know what dissension means?

If your political party doesn't win on Tuesday, you're supposed to pray without wrath, without conflict, without anger. Wow.

And there's one last thing I want to mention. There's a lot of talk in this election and every election, about how if the wrong candidate gets chosen, it will basically be the end of the world. Everything will be chaos. It will be the death of America. But I want to remind you guys are hope doesn't lie with America. Where is our hope?

Stay in Timothy and flip back to 1 Timothy 4:10.

"For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savoir of all people, especially of those who believe."

Your hope is in God. Not the president. Not the king. It doesn't matter what comes of America. It's okay to worry about it. It's okay to be active and encourage others to vote for a candidate that you think is best. But whatever happens this week, our hope is secure.

We worship God, not the president. Let's pray.

Additional verses: 1 Peter 2:13-17