This week's Word of the Week is "Thanksgiving," as Pastor Josh Massaro delves into the biblical significance of gratitude in our lives as Christians. He emphasizes that thanksgiving should not be limited to a single holiday but should be a continual practice, reflecting on who God is and what He has done for us. The podcast highlights various scriptural references that encourage believers to express their thankfulness through singing praises, serving with gladness, and acknowledging the countless blessings received from God. Pastor Josh challenges listeners to adopt an attitude of gratitude, especially during the Thanksgiving season, and to recognize that even in difficult times, we can find reasons to be thankful. Join him as he explores the transformative power of gratitude and the peace it brings through our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Exploring the theme of Thanksgiving, Pastor Josh Massaro leads a reflective and spiritually enriching episode of the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast. The episode is timely, coinciding with the Thanksgiving holiday, and serves as an invitation for listeners to delve deeper into the biblical principles surrounding gratitude. Pastor Josh begins by acknowledging the cultural significance of Thanksgiving in America, where it's common to reflect on personal blessings. However, he emphasizes that true thanksgiving is rooted not merely in blessings but in an ongoing relationship with God, who embodies goodness and mercy. Referencing Psalm 118 and Romans 5:8, he outlines the reasons Christians should cultivate a spirit of gratitude, focusing on God's unwavering character and the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Throughout the episode, Pastor Josh encourages listeners to practice gratitude as a daily discipline, not confined to the Thanksgiving holiday. He shares insights from 1 Thessalonians 5, underscoring the importance of rejoicing and giving thanks in all circumstances. This message serves as a powerful reminder that gratitude can shift our perspective, fostering a mindset that recognizes God's presence in both joyful and challenging seasons. By encouraging listeners to express their thankfulness through worship—specifically singing praises and serving with gladness—Pastor Josh paints a vivid picture of how gratitude can manifest in tangible ways in our lives.

The episode culminates in a call to action, urging listeners to reflect on God's goodness and the gifts they have received, ultimately leading to a deeper contentment and peace that surpasses understanding. Pastor Josh's heartfelt message resonates with the audience, reminding them that every good gift comes from God and that the greatest of these is the gift of salvation. As Thanksgiving approaches, listeners are left inspired to embrace a lifestyle of gratitude, recognizing it as an essential aspect of their faith journey.

Takeaways:

• The podcast emphasizes the importance of giving thanks not just on Thanksgiving, but throughout our lives as Christians.
• Pastor Josh highlights that our gratitude should stem from God’s character and His goodness.
• We should recognize and be thankful for both the blessings in our lives and the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
• The Bible encourages us to express our thankfulness through singing and serving the Lord with gladness.
• Living with an attitude of gratitude aligns us with God's will for our lives.
• The peace that comes from thanksgiving is rooted in a deep reliance on God during all circumstances.

Thank you for joining our podcast. Visit our website at https://middletownbaptistchurch.org/

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This podcast is produced by Ralph Estep, Jr., host of the Ask Ralph Podcast, a daily podcast on Christian Finance you can find it at https://www.askralphpodcast.com/

Speaker A: 00:00:00

Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast, where we are proclaiming the truth to the world.

Speaker A: 00:00:06

In this podcast series, we're going to be looking into biblical words that have great significance to our faith.

Speaker A: 00:00:14

The name of this series is called the Word of the Week, where once a week we will dive deeper into these words that we are familiar with in scripture.

Speaker A: 00:00:25

So come along with me.

Speaker A: 00:00:26

Let's study the Word of the Week.

Pastor Josh: 00:00:30

Pastor Josh here.

Pastor Josh: 00:00:31

The word of the Week is Thanksgiving.

Pastor Josh: 00:00:34

I know that most of you that are listening to this podcast, if you're listening to it on the day that it comes out, are getting prepared for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Pastor Josh: 00:00:43

And we know that here in our country, we're thankful for the opportunity to exercise our freedoms, and we're thankful for the blessings that we have in our life.

Pastor Josh: 00:00:54

But as Christians, we are called to give thanksgiving as well, and not just one time a year, but throughout our lives.

Pastor Josh: 00:01:01

The Bible tells us that we have many reasons to be thankful.

Pastor Josh: 00:01:05

The Bible tells us by way of command to be thankful to the Lord for many reasons.

Pastor Josh: 00:01:11

We know that in multiple passages of Scripture, God gives us, reasoning behind our thanksgiving.

Pastor Josh: 00:01:17

Psalm 118, verse 29 says, O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for his mercy endureth forever.

Pastor Josh: 00:01:27

So one of the reasons why we are called to give thanks is because of who God is.

Pastor Josh: 00:01:31

God is perfect, he is good, he is powerful, he is loving, he is forgiving, he is merciful.

Pastor Josh: 00:01:40

I mean, the list goes on and on about all the things that we can thank the Lord for in his goodness and his perfection and his character.

Pastor Josh: 00:01:47

So one of the things that I would challenge you to do here as you come into the Thanksgiving season is to think about who God is and thank him for his character, thank him for his perfection, thank him for his love and his grace.

Pastor Josh: 00:02:03

But we also know that God has demonstrated his love towards us.

Pastor Josh: 00:02:06

Romans chapter 5, verse 8 tells us that he demonstrated his love by giving us salvation, by sending his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins.

Pastor Josh: 00:02:17

We know that we have a reason to be thankful not only in who God is, but what he has done for us by loving us, by sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins, for allowing us to know what it means to have everlasting life, allowing us to have faith in him, allowing us to have a hope in a life that in many ways, when it comes to the world's perspective, really there is no hope for the world's perspective.

Pastor Josh: 00:02:46

There's birth, a life, and all the struggles that come therein.

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Then death, and then it's over.

Pastor Josh: 00:02:52

But for us as Christians, we know that birth is the start physically.

Pastor Josh: 00:02:57

But in our spiritual rebirth, as we see in John chapter three, when we are born again, that's the start to our everlasting life.

Pastor Josh: 00:03:06

And so this life that we live on this earth is just the start of our everlasting life that we have in Jesus Christ.

Pastor Josh: 00:03:14

So we have a reason to be thankful.

Pastor Josh: 00:03:16

We have a reason to be thankful in the concept of who God is.

Pastor Josh: 00:03:20

But we also have a reason to be thankful for what God has done for us.

Pastor Josh: 00:03:24

And one of the psalms that come to mind is Psalm 100.

Pastor Josh: 00:03:27

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands.

Pastor Josh: 00:03:31

Serve the Lord with gladness.

Pastor Josh: 00:03:32

Come before his presence with singing.

Pastor Josh: 00:03:35

So the Bible says one of the ways that we can show our thankfulness to God is to make a joyful noise, sing praises to his name.

Pastor Josh: 00:03:42

We're sometimes in church singing songs that speak of who God is and what he has done for us.

Pastor Josh: 00:03:49

But many times we just go through the motions of singing a song, but would encourage you to think about and to meditate upon the truth that you are praising him for.

Pastor Josh: 00:03:57

And so the Bible says, sing.

Pastor Josh: 00:03:59

And then we see in verse number two of Psalm 100, Serve, serve the Lord with gladness.

Pastor Josh: 00:04:04

And so the Bible says that there's a few different ways that we can show thanksgiving to the Lord.

Pastor Josh: 00:04:09

We can.

Pastor Josh: 00:04:09

We can sing, we can serve.

Pastor Josh: 00:04:12

It says in verse three, know ye that the Lord, he is God, it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves.

Pastor Josh: 00:04:18

And so it's putting it into perspective that it's not our strength, it is not our wisdom that gets us where we are.

Pastor Josh: 00:04:24

It's the strength of God, it's the wisdom of God, it's the salvation of God.

Pastor Josh: 00:04:29

It says, we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

Pastor Josh: 00:04:31

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise.

Pastor Josh: 00:04:37

Be thankful unto him and bless his name.

Pastor Josh: 00:04:39

For the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all generations.

Pastor Josh: 00:04:44

And so we're thankful for the truth of God.

Pastor Josh: 00:04:46

We're thankful for the salvation that he provides for us.

Pastor Josh: 00:04:49

We're thankful for all of those wonderful, good gifts that God sends our way.

Pastor Josh: 00:04:54

We know that In James chapter 1, verse 17 says, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Pastor Josh: 00:05:06

So every good thing that we think about in our lives comes from God.

Pastor Josh: 00:05:11

And so we could sit here and we could say, well, you know, I'm thankful for my family.

Pastor Josh: 00:05:14

And that gift of family is from the Lord.

Pastor Josh: 00:05:17

Maybe you're thankful for your health.

Pastor Josh: 00:05:21

That is a gift of God.

Pastor Josh: 00:05:22

Maybe you're thankful for your job, maybe you're thankful for your home, maybe you're thankful for your friends.

Pastor Josh: 00:05:26

Those are all good gifts that God gives us.

Pastor Josh: 00:05:30

But there's the greatest gift that God gives us, and that is the gift of salvation.

Pastor Josh: 00:05:34

And so I would encourage you to think about that perfect gift, the perfect gift of salvation and the fact that he offers us that gift of the gospel.

Pastor Josh: 00:05:45

The fact that Jesus came, lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, conquered death through the resurrection, and now extends that gift of grace to us.

Pastor Josh: 00:05:52

That's an amazing, beautiful thing.

Pastor Josh: 00:05:54

And that gift is available to all those who call upon the name of the Lord.

Pastor Josh: 00:05:57

John 3:16.

Pastor Josh: 00:05:59

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life over and over again.

Pastor Josh: 00:06:07

We see in Scripture that we need to call upon the name of the lord.

Pastor Josh: 00:06:10

Romans chapter 6, verse 23.

Pastor Josh: 00:06:12

For the wages of sin is death.

Pastor Josh: 00:06:13

That's what our own life brings us.

Pastor Josh: 00:06:16

But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Pastor Josh: 00:06:19

Romans chapter 10, verse 13.

Pastor Josh: 00:06:20

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Pastor Josh: 00:06:24

That's the greatest gift.

Pastor Josh: 00:06:25

Now we that live with freedoms here in the United States, we're thankful for those freedoms that we have.

Pastor Josh: 00:06:32

So there's a lot of reasons to be thankful.

Pastor Josh: 00:06:34

Even with things that we have on the day to day life that we have here in our country.

Pastor Josh: 00:06:38

Food on our table, clothes, a home, transportation, all good things.

Pastor Josh: 00:06:44

But we must see that what James chapter one says, these are all things from God.

Pastor Josh: 00:06:48

But the greatest gift that we should give him things for is the gift of salvation extended to all.

Pastor Josh: 00:06:55

And so I would encourage you to think about that, I would encourage you to put that into perspective when it comes to your life.

Pastor Josh: 00:07:00

And I would even say and challenge us here today, that the Bible actually says that we are to live in the will of God by giving thanks first.

Pastor Josh: 00:07:08

Thessalonians, chapter 5, verses 16 through 18 says this.

Pastor Josh: 00:07:13

Rejoice evermore.

Pastor Josh: 00:07:14

Rejoice in everything.

Pastor Josh: 00:07:15

That's what it's saying there.

Pastor Josh: 00:07:17

Sometimes it's easy to rejoice in the good times.

Pastor Josh: 00:07:19

But he says, rejoice in everything.

Pastor Josh: 00:07:21

Pray without ceasing.

Pastor Josh: 00:07:23

That shows us how we can rejoice, right?

Pastor Josh: 00:07:25

Our reliance on God, a reliance on God brings us joy.

Pastor Josh: 00:07:29

Reliance on self brings us devastation.

Pastor Josh: 00:07:32

So he says, rejoice evermore.

Pastor Josh: 00:07:34

Pray without ceasing.

Pastor Josh: 00:07:35

And then verse 18 of 1st Thessalonians, chapter 5.

Pastor Josh: 00:07:38

In everything, not necessarily for everything, but in everything, in every season of our life, give thanks.

Pastor Josh: 00:07:46

For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Pastor Josh: 00:07:49

So I don't know if you've ever thought about this, but if you want to live in the will of God according to Scripture, we must then live according to an attitude of gratitude, giving thanks.

Pastor Josh: 00:08:01

He says, give thanks in everything, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Pastor Josh: 00:08:07

So we can have this thanksgiving in our lives.

Pastor Josh: 00:08:10

We can have that attitude of gratitude in our lives because of our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Pastor Josh: 00:08:16

And so it's not saying that everything's going our way, it's not saying that we're happy with all the circumstances of our life, but there is an overwhelming contentment that we can find in the truth of knowing Jesus Christ.

Pastor Josh: 00:08:28

Philippians chapter 4, verse 6 says, Be careful or be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication.

Pastor Josh: 00:08:38

So we see that the conduit to this perspective is that communication with God, that fellowship with God, but everything by prayer and supplication.

Pastor Josh: 00:08:48

And then we see our word here with thanksgiving.

Pastor Josh: 00:08:52

So the spirit of our prayers, the spirit of the communication to the Lord is the spirit of thanksgiving by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God.

Pastor Josh: 00:09:02

Now you would say, well, that's an interesting concept.

Pastor Josh: 00:09:05

How can we have this type of peace?

Pastor Josh: 00:09:07

How can we have this type of hope?

Pastor Josh: 00:09:09

Well, the type of peace and hope comes from what the next verse says, verse number seven.

Pastor Josh: 00:09:14

It says, the peace of God which passeth all understanding.

Pastor Josh: 00:09:18

And so when we live this life of thanksgiving, when we live this life of contentment in the Lord, we do have that sense of peace, a peace that passeth all understanding that the world cannot understand.

Pastor Josh: 00:09:31

And so if you're looking for that peace here in this thanksgiving season, what it is, is it's a total reliance on God.

Pastor Josh: 00:09:36

It's a total reliance on his guidance in our life and that perspective of where we were before we came to Christ and where we are now in our transformation.

Pastor Josh: 00:09:47

So I.

Pastor Josh: 00:09:47

I encourage you to think about that.

Pastor Josh: 00:09:49

When it comes to that perspective of thanksgiving, it's not necessarily a circumstantial peace.

Pastor Josh: 00:09:56

It's a peace that passes all understanding.

Pastor Josh: 00:09:57

Paul goes on to talk about that in Philippians chapter four, about that complete contentment that he has, that no matter what might be the case in his life.

Pastor Josh: 00:10:05

He can be content in Christ.

Pastor Josh: 00:10:08

And over and over again in the New Testament, we see that exhortation, that challenge to give thanks, to give thanks and everything.

Pastor Josh: 00:10:18

First Timothy, chapter two, verse one.

Pastor Josh: 00:10:20

I exhort, therefore, that first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.

Pastor Josh: 00:10:27

So the challenge is not just to give thanks for certain things and for certain people, but as it says there, obviously, it's for all things that God allows in our life.

Pastor Josh: 00:10:40

And so we aren't necessarily naturally inclined to be thankful for the difficult times, but sometimes those difficult moments in our life, those closed doors, that conviction can lead us to a place of contentment in Christ.

Pastor Josh: 00:10:51

And we even know that in Second Corinthians, chapter 12, Paul mentions the idea that when we are weak in our flesh, God is made strong in his spirit.

Pastor Josh: 00:11:01

And so we even know that in Second Corinthians, chapter nine, he says, thanks be unto God for this, for his unspeakable gift, unbelievable gift that God gives us.

Pastor Josh: 00:11:13

And that is this gift of grace.

Pastor Josh: 00:11:15

So I don't know what you do for your Thanksgiving holiday.

Pastor Josh: 00:11:20

I don't know if you have any traditions within your home, but I would encourage you to take some time to recount what God has given you and ultimately meditate upon, think about, dwell upon the gift of grace.

Pastor Josh: 00:11:35

If you're a believer in Jesus Christ today, you have that reason to be thankful and that contentment.

Pastor Josh: 00:11:39

So give thanks.

Pastor Josh: 00:11:41

Go back to what it said in Psalm 100, Sing unto him, sing praises to his name, serve the Lord, as it says there, with gladness, with contentment, come before his presence, with singing.

Pastor Josh: 00:11:54

And then the idea is knowing God, knowing Him, and knowing what he has done for us.

Pastor Josh: 00:12:00

So if you're looking for a reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving season, think about who God is in his goodness, in his character, and think about what he has done for you.

Pastor Josh: 00:12:11

And if you think about those two things, there's obviously all the more reason to be thankful.

Pastor Josh: 00:12:18

And I think that that's something that all of us need to be challenged with when it comes to the season, because we live in a society that is very discontent, never satisfied.

Pastor Josh: 00:12:28

But I will tell you that in Christ, we can be satisfied.

Pastor Josh: 00:12:31

In Christ, there is sufficiency.

Pastor Josh: 00:12:33

In Christ there is complete contentment and peace.

Pastor Josh: 00:12:37

As the Bible says, that passeth all understanding.

Pastor Josh: 00:12:41

So I hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, looking forward to coming back next week and continuing our study here and our words of the week.

Pastor Josh: 00:12:50

And I hope that you have a time this week where you can just carve out a few moments to meditate upon the goodness of God and the goodness of what he has done for you.

Pastor Josh: 00:13:03

I'll be praying for you and your family.

Pastor Josh: 00:13:05

I hope that you have a wonderful time this Thanksgiving season.

Pastor Josh: 00:13:08

I pray that it's safe if you're traveling.

Pastor Josh: 00:13:10

And I look forward to hearing from you.

Pastor Josh: 00:13:12

You can contact us on social media, on Facebook, you can message us there or you can email me at Josh Josh massaromiddletownbaptistchurch.org and we'd love to hear how you're celebrating your Thanksgiving holiday.

Pastor Josh: 00:13:28

And we'd love to hear your ideas about future Words of the week.

Pastor Josh: 00:13:33

And I would love to dissect passages of scripture that maybe are interesting you here in the season of your life.

Pastor Josh: 00:13:41

Well, we look forward to talking to you more this weekend when it comes to our Sunday morning service.

Pastor Josh: 00:13:46

But from here on out, I hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

Pastor Josh: 00:13:50

God bless you.

Pastor Josh: 00:13:51

We will talk to you soon.

Speaker A: 00:13:53

Hey, I really appreciate that you listened to the Word of the Week podcast.

Speaker A: 00:13:57

If you have any questions about the podcast or about our church, Middletown Baptist Church, you can find more information about us on Facebook or YouTube.

Speaker A: 00:14:06

Or you can find the podcast on NBC.

Speaker A: 00:14:08

Podcast podcast.org you can contact me directly at Josh Massaro at middletown baptist church.org Stay tuned for future Word of the Week episodes where we dive deeper into words that impact our life according to scripture.

Speaker A: 00:14:23

Thank you so much.

Speaker A: 00:14:24

God bless.

Speaker A: 00:14:25

We'll talk to you soon.