In Everything Give Thanks

In this part of the sermon: Martin addresses the common human desire to know God's will primarily concerning occupation, marriage, or geography, highlighting that people often overlook the more fundamental…

Illustrates common scenarios where people seek God's will for occupation (college, military) or relationships (marriage), highlighting the typical focus on external guidance.

Sometimes it's the person coming down to the end of his high school years and he wants to know whether he should go on to college, go into the military. How can I know God's will for my life? Maybe it's a young woman, a young man has caught her fancy. How can I know if this is God's will?

0:22 - 0:38 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin emphasizes that the duty of thanksgiving is enforced by its nature as the explicit will of God, for which humanity was created and to which believers are restored through…

Contrasts the self-help approach of positive mental habits with the God-centered, redemptive motive for thanksgiving, emphasizing that Paul's teaching is not mere mental gymnastics.

It excludes all of this self-help, mental gymnastics, the Norman Vincent Peale kind of stuff, where he says to anybody, just wake up in the morning saying, I can do all things, I can do all things, I can do all things through Christ, even though he's never considered whether or not the person's in Christ or out of Christ. And it's developing positive mental habits, and people get help. People who've lived miserable, dejected, terribly butchered-up lives have become whole, well-integrated, happy people through this kind of mental gymnastics. They have.

17:16 - 17:52 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He argues that the ability to give thanks in everything is only possible through Christ's redemptive work, which transforms the sinful human heart prone to grumbling into one…

Illustrates the natural human tendency to take blessings for granted and grumble at minor inconveniences, using the example of children expecting clothes and breakfast without thanks.

You let us get a couple days of rain and we'll grumble like crazy. Isn't that true? Sure it's true. Parents, you know how true this is of your kids.

40:29 - 40:40 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not let pride lead you to complain or withhold praise when God's dealings do not align with your expectations.

A story of a poor, old, childless woman giving fervent thanks for a crust of bread and water, exclaiming 'All this and Jesus too,' to illustrate disciplined spiritual sight and profound gratitude in extreme poverty.

Heidi's come down with a tonsillitis again. But listen to this example of a disciplined spiritual sight. A servant of God was out one day making his calls. And he passed by a cottage and was attracted to its door by the sound of a loud and earnest voice.

45:56 - 46:15 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He concludes by stressing the need for honest humility, acknowledging our undeserving state, and a disciplined spiritual sight that perceives God's grace even in meager provisions…

A story of a little girl who, after her father's death, prayed 'Thank you God that I once had a good daddy,' demonstrating disciplined spiritual sight that focuses on past blessings rather than present loss.

The other example, and I'll just summarize it briefly. A little girl was kneeling with her mommy.

48:24 - 48:29 Read in full sermon