Real: Thanksgiving

Thesis: Rejoicing and thanksgiving are an essential part of experiencing real life.

Objective: Call believers to adopt an life characterized by gratitude and rejoicing, regardless of circumstance, to experience real life.

1. We must rejoice (4).
   1. We must rejoice (“Rejoice;” Our definition of rejoice has shifted over the years to Google's “feel happiness or joy; be ecstatic with joy” from Webster's 1913 definition of “the passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good; pleasurable feelings or emotions caused by success, good fortune, and the like, or by a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire.” We must get back to the place where we are excited because we expect amazing things, even if they're not happening right now.).
   2. We must rejoice in the Lord (“in the Lord;” We have tried to found “joy” on all sorts of people and things, from family and friends to money, stuff, and power. All of these things, however, can fail. We must found our rejoicing in the Lord and His promises, which will never fail. ILLUSTRATION: Genesis 31:27: “Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of timbrels and harps?”).
   3. We must rejoice always (“always;” Rejoicing isn't something that we should do just when things are going well. We must rejoice all the time. In good, and in bad times. Why? Because we have the promise of God that all things work for the good of those that love the Lord and, in the end, we win. ILLUSTRATION: Kid that looks to the end of the Bible and discovers, “We win!”).
2. We must have the right perspective (5-6a).
   1. We must be gentle (“Let your gentleness be evident to all” (5); Gentleness means equitability, fairness, mildness.” If we want to have joy in our lives, it's essential that we not rush to extreme responses to the current circumstances.).
   2. We must acknowledge the nearness of God (“The Lord is near” (5); If we would have joy in our lives, then we must recognize that Jesus is coming back to finally save those who believe. Maybe even more important than that, though, we can recognize that the Lord – who created, sustains, and commands all that is – is near even now, regardless of what we're going through. ILLUSTRATION: “One of Us” by Joan Osborne).
   3. We must not worry (“Do not be anxious about anything” (6a); We all have a tendency to worry about all sorts of things. Worry and anxiety, though, are real joy robbers. We must choose to trust that God will take care of everything. And then let Him take care of everything.).
3. We must pray (6b).
   1. Pray in everything (“In everything, by prayer and petition;” Prayer should be a constant part of our lives. In the good and the bad times, we must pray. We must spend time in conversation, telling God what's on our heart and mind and listening to Him reveal what's on His.).
   2. Pray with thanksgiving (“with thanksgiving;” So often we get wrapped up in the things we need and forget the things God is already doing. Make certain to acknowledge what God is doing in your life right now. ILLUSTRATION: The other day rollerskating with the kids. People growing in the Lord. The driveway project.).
   3. Pray to present (“present your requests to God;” You can't present someone with something and then take it back. Once you bring a need to God, leave it with God. Don't try to pick it back up and keep lugging it along. Let Him take care of it.).
4. We can have peace (7).
   1. We can have the peace of God (“the peace of God;” the peace of God is contrasted here, implicitly, with the peace of man. The peace of man is a quiet moment when everything seems to be going right. The peace of God is an inner steadiness even when everything around us seems to be going absolutely wrong.).
   2. God's peace transcends understanding (“which transcends all understanding;” God's peace is more profound than words can describe. And it persists even when circumstances should absolutely preclude it. The Reflecting God Study Bible describes it as “not merely a psychological state of mind, but an inner tranquility based on peace with God – the peaceful state of those whose sins are forgiven. The opposite of anxiety, it is the tranquility that comes when the believer commits all his cares to God in prayer and worries about them no more.” Matthew Henry: “The peace of God, that is, the comfortable sense of our reconciliation to God and interest in his favour, and the hope of the heavenly blessedness, and enjoyment of God hereafter, which passeth all understanding, is a great good than can be sufficiently valued or duly expressed.”).
   3. God's peace will guard our hearts (“will guard your hearts;” The peace of God will protect our desires and ambitions, the very core of who we are from worry, anxiety, etc.).
   4. God's peace will guard our minds (“will guard... your minds;” The peace of God will further protect our thinking and will, keeping our decision-making process from being corrupted.).