Pastor Ralph Douglas West - Creating An Atmosphere Of Gratitude | 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

0:01 Well, it's good to be here. And I'm thankful to the Lord for waking me up. I really mean that. I don't take for granted one day that the Lord has made. This morning while you're standing up, I want to invite you to open your Bibles to first... Thessalonians chapter 1 verses 2 and 3, the thanksgiving prayer of Pastor Paul. if you've ever been with me on any occasion where members of our fellowship are being recognized.

1:10 These are the words almost every time for over 38 years I have uttered in some way or another to thank God for the people of this church. Pastor Paul now is praying and I want to talk about that prayer. He is creating an atmosphere of gratitude. That's what I want to tag this text. Creating an atmosphere of gratitude.

1:51 Listen to Paul pray. I'm trying to let you get straight back there. We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. we remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the word of God.

2:43 You may be seated. Some of you will remember the years that Jack Welsh was the CEO of General Electric and he was a famed corporate leader. He led annually what he called a 360 degree review of the 300,000 employees who worked for him. Everybody was evaluated. Those who were above, those who were around, those who were beyond, those who were beneath, all were evaluated. And those that...

3:40 at the bottom of the organization. who didn't come up to the standard of evaluation, he fired the bottom 10%. That's what he called the 360 degree evaluation that resulted into loss. This morning I asked you to read from the oldest book in the New Testament, 1 Thessalonians. Here Paul is about to use a 360 degree evaluation, an evaluation that gives grounds for thanksgiving. And it's interesting that the very first words that Paul utters to this church as a pastor are the words of thanksgiving.

4:50 Hey, hey, I know we live in a culture where we don't say thank you much. But thank you does still work. I thought I would say that for the two or three or four, ten people I saw back there exasperated over. Well who gives a flip about being thankful? Well, keep on living. Amen.

5:40 So Paul gives gratitude to God that is above in an atmosphere of thanksgiving. And then he goes around and includes a group of people that he includes in thanksgiving. and then he looks below That's what I want to do now to ask you to look with me to the atmosphere and attitude of thanksgiving. I want to encourage you to live, to live after the day in an atmosphere of gratitude. You'll be shocked at times when you tell people thank you. Thank you. Thank you. They almost don't know what to do. I say it sometimes to unnerve people.

7:05 because they don't know what to do with an attitude of thankfulness. live in an attitude of thankfulness, create an atmosphere of gratitude.

7:30 I ask you to do that because if you reflect over the past week and weeks, we've lived in a toxic atmosphere. The only people who are unaware of how innocuous the atmosphere is of those people who live in a kind of religious escapism.

8:02 You don't have to be politically astute. you don't have to be socially aware culturally conscience to know that there is something poisonous in the atmosphere You listen to the kind of language that is used to discuss ideas, visions that affect people life. when you consider war, there's nothing playful about war.

8:50 If war for you is at a distance and it's lived out on a flat screen like a game, where you could release drones to blow up whole homes of family and people and don't have to look in the eyes of the dead or the dying, then maybe you are aloof to that, but there's nothing playful. There is nothing comedic about war. I mean to make comments of we're gonna blow the heck out of you or we're gonna drop a bomb on your head and laugh about it says something about the immoral conscience of the people that we have put in place to govern something as serious the natural catastrophes whether you ascribe to global warming or overheating last week heat waves in Europe in the United Kingdom the natural disasters in Venezuela and the people who are being rescued Or you think about the economic conditions that people live under.

10:21 You consider the money that we spend to build bombs and end military, and we never have enough money to help the poor. This is not, for me, a position of who you're with politically as much as it is as a Christian and common humanity. and so how do we combat this it sounds almost escapist I almost sound like what I critiqued earlier and yet there is something resistant about a community of people when they join their voices it's just hard to get all of us together I mean I can understand if I were asking you for some money I could understand if I was asking you, come on, let's go walk down the street and tear up something.

11:32 I'm just asking you, can you right now in the last 24 minutes that we'll be together here in worship, can you step aside of yourself long enough not to look at you and to look up and above and to just thank God and create an atmosphere of thankfulness. That's all I'm asking. And like always, 80% of the people will nod a clap and a 20% will sit and say, I ain't got nothing to be thankful for.

12:16 Or why should I give God gratitude? I graduated from school. It's my mind. It's my body. I do with it what I want. well Paul is a pastor and for those you don't know Paul and you still read in the Bible the way you did when you started at 8 and 12 I can understand the way you're looking at me Paul not in this letter but particularly in Corinth and secondary he was ticked off then no no you read it you read it and he is really upset with the congregation I'm upset with the congregation this morning I'm really theologically ticked off with y'all I'm upset because you don't want to give God what God deserved and that's for you to say thank you Lord Thank you.

13:24 And I've noticed that a lot of us more and more are becoming less thankful. And Paul's a pastor and so the pastor always has to say something to unnerve the people. You're not even a good pastor until you do that. You know you're a good pastor when they leave out and say, I just don't like when he go to Midland. that's what Paul was getting to Paul is and then when you read Pastor Paul Pastor Paul and I know look you don't have to send me a letter and say but he was an apostle I understand that I understand that I read the Bible too I understand he's a globe trotter church planner missiological I Understand that you can save emails of talking about Pastor Wes, I thought you knew.

14:25 Well, he was a pastor. and and and you would think as a pastor the only thing he had time to do is to tell people be thankful I mean he writes a whole letter called Philippians and like a preacher he's in jail when he writes it and he says now now be thankful Thank you. Oh, I know what the problem is. I heard you. Pastor Wes, I don't have to be thankful. I'm entitled. GOONG mee I shouldn't do this to people, but I do it.

15:22 When you're trying to travel and go places, I don't care how you pick up a book, somebody always want to talk to you. They see you reading it, they just start talking. and uh and inevitably they they they begin to talk about themselves and they would never use the word but all of it sounds like entitlement i said i said that's good you you belong to that group and you're this and you that you you make that much money you live in that complex say say boy you got a light a lot of titles to your entitlement come come lean forward on one thing enjoy it you don't have to be thankful uh you're entitled it's yours you don't have to share it you're right you come in a room like this and tell God be grateful I came.

16:35 but one day life will work you over where you'll need a power so before that day come create an atmosphere of thankfulness and you can start that today just by saying thank you Lord you don't know what to thank God for I'm not going to tell you normally I would say it you sit there then through this service and say well I don't have anything to thank God for I give you one if you able to think that's enough to thank him for Let me move on, I got 18 minutes left.

17:29 Look at the inclusiveness beyond thankfulness in this atmosphere of gratitude. how many people did pray paul pray for that they don't say nothing on the front row you earlier don't mess it up how many people it's a number now how many people did paul pray for he said we speaking of the missy the mission group how many people did he pray for Thank you. all. We thank God for all of you. Now, you know what's amazing? And I want to come to church now. When you pray, I want to see hands on this. When you pray the spirit of gratitude and thankfulness And do you ever pray for all?

18:35 half of you do you're pretty smart half you didn't raise your hand i do i pray for all do you really mean it when you pray i i just in that test answered why church is not good because we want to pick who we let through the door Now this is a new church. This is not a church that I grew. This is, I don't know where y'all come from.

19:14 Because I noticed that you are very judgmental of people who walk through the door. If they haven't gone to college or graduate school or they're not in an economic bracket. that's boring church I grew up in church where you had a judge on one pew and on the same pew somebody who just got out of prison in the church I grew up in, you had a doctor on one row and somebody was dying on the same row.

19:58 I had somebody on one row that they had wealth and somebody who was poor and in between on the same row. Let me help you with this. You are only in Christ because of God's grace. And God has not divinely deputized you to take the temperature of anybody who comes into his house. His room is open to all people. I remember I had a lady in our church and she said that to me I don't go down no more cuz all them people that's there and she named and I said how you know you you've been with them I I I I I Pray for everybody.

21:03 Hey, let me tell you something. I've been doing what I'm doing now all my life, from a boy into manhood to being a faithful member of the AARP, and that's not an academic society. And I've heard by sitting at a desk across from people, and I'm amazed at the people, how easy it is to forget where God has brought you from. All people, black and white, Republican and Democrat. straight and gay.

22:03 All people. I mean, just all people. I mean, Paul prayed for all these people and he gives them names. You know, pray for Tychicus, Aristarchus, Aphrodite Lydia Barnabas John Mark He's praying for all these people All the time Hey y'all This book is not about unreal people This is a book about Real people like you Sitting in a room like you are Not nearly as elaborate as this room But listening to old preacher Drawn on the way I am talking to you, trying to get them to thank God, create an atmosphere of gratitude, but also beyond themselves to say, look, God didn't just die for you. He died for the people that's not like you. He has given himself to all people.

23:15 all people here's my here's the test because I know again I shouldn't do it but I spend my life now listening to people and I shouldn't say that laughing at them and especially when they tell me how they arrive where they are by themselves here's my assignment to my members, to mine. Get a sheet of paper. You can get your notepad, whatever, just get a sheet of paper. And start keeping a list of the names of people who have helped you get to where you are. Some of you met Alvin Bernstein.

24:20 He was our guest on our volunteer breakfast. And Bernstein has just written a memoir. It's beautifully written. And he goes through from his home pastor to how he got to Bishop College and the people that shaped him there on the Vanderbilt, how they shaped him there to his past street at Nashville, then to New York City, and then to go back home to California. And it's beautifully written, and he's going through the list of all these names of people, and he takes the image on the cover, and he calls it, I didn't get there by myself. I didn't get there by myself. This morning, I want to encourage you to get a list because you probably have forgotten a lot of these names that helped you along the way. Jewel London said to me last week that she asked me that I know Sylvia and said, mose jones well i said oh yeah i said we grew up together next door on pickfast street her father was ml jackson pastor bethlehem i said that's where mose is now other than his other church i said i won't share with you but mose jones shares a very special love i have a deep indebtedness to him, a gift that he gave to me when I was in high school. And that's been a long time ago since I was in high school. And I still today, I have never one time walked up to him where I have not said thank you for being so kind to me when I was in high school. I'm trying to help you understand the power of gratitude that will open up doors for your children, for your grandchildren, open up doors for you that God will make a way in your life if you learn how to be

26:33 thankful sometime. Stop forgetting. And some of you, as somebody said this to me once, he says, well west how many times how many times they were talking about joe ratliff and y'all pray for brentwood and pray for ratliff and uh and uh 38 years ago when we got started ratliff and brentwood gave us a thousand dollars a month for a year and uh and so over the years people would know of our largesse and generosity to rat lift and so a guy asked me because he didn't understand gratitude he said well how many times are you gonna pay that back said that was twelve thousand dollars in 1987 88 he says how many times are you gonna pay that back amen 38 years are going, how long? And I looked and I said, you don't understand what it means really about gratitude. You can't pay gratitude back. And some of y'all today would be happier people if you just learned to say thank you more than one time.

27:56 I've never forgotten the doors that have been opened for me. I've never forgotten that. So you hear me when I'm talking about A. Lewis Patterson. Pastor Patterson met me in college, had his eye on me for whatever reason. And then when I was in Brookshire, Texas, he invited me to preach what he called his Jubilee Sunday. Jubilee was his anniversary Sunday. And he took me under his wings. And at 22 years old, 23, and I ain't bragging, now I'm testifying. I became a national recognized preaching figure at 22 and 23 years old. No, I was preaching on the stage of stages.

28:51 In fact when I was 22 and 23 they thought I was 35 and 40 Not because I looked it but it took you that long to get into the environments I was in But Pastor Patterson had so much gravitas That when he would recommend me to places where he could not go He would say if he didn't do what I know he's able to do send me the bill and I will pay it. Now, now Pat has folded up his tip and moved upstairs and now I find myself in the position that wherever I see a young preacher, male or female, I'm asking somebody to open a door for them to make room for them.

29:46 That's what thankfulness is. That's what inclusion is. It's making a way out of no way for somebody that doesn't have a way. What comes to mind, and listen to these words, when upon life's billows, you've been tempted, tempted, tossed. When you're discouraged, thinking all is lost, count your many blessings. Name them one by one. and it'll surprise you what the Lord has done. Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem too heavy you're called to bear? Count your many blessings. Every doubt will fly and you'll keep on singing as the day go by.

30:44 Let me ask you another one then. When you look at others with their lands and gold, think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold. Count your many blessings. Wealth can never die. Your reward in heaven and your home on earth. So, so amid the conflict, whether great or small. Don't be disheartened. God's over it all. Count your many blessings Angels will attend Help and comfort Give you to your journey's end Now that ain't what you're waiting on That's the verse You waiting to get to the chorus Count your blessings. Name them.

31:37 One by one. Come on, come on. I want you right now in church. You ain't got to look at nobody. Don't do that just right where you are, standing or sitting. I want you to start counting them. Name them. I'm going to give you time to do it. Come on. home, house, children, wife, family, health, healing, today, clear mind, another chance. If you start counting them and start naming them one by one, count your blessing. See what the Lord has done. Count, come on, keep going. That's all you got is fire. Do I need to help you? I can get, you got teeth in your mouth. There you go.

32:30 You got a tongue to talk. You got eyes to see, ears to hear, legs to walk. Come on, you looking for big stuff. Just start with the little stuff. And then that's how you get to the big stuff. Even if you say house ain't got electricity, got food in the refrigerator, water clean that I could drink from the faucet, It's hot in Houston. The air conditioner is working. Count. And then you start going down and you start looking safe. Children say, Lord, brought my child home safe. They all right. Out there in the danger scene. Count. Just start counting. See, you playing around. You waiting. Don't wait till trouble comes. Count while you're happy. Give me some counters in here. Give me some unashamed people That don't mind counting Your blessings If you down at the club You ain't got no problem counting You ain't got no problem counting Count your blessings Name them one by one You'll be surprised What the Lord has done Oh my Lord Now I got two minutes to wrap this up.

33:52 So that is the atmosphere above and then the inclusiveness around and beyond. You see how this is going? So we're saying, I'm thanking God, that's above. And now around, around, last thing below. The roots beneath you. Now, what did he thank these people for? You remember it? He thanked this group of people for their work of faith, then their labor of love, and their persistence that leads to hope. Now, there you go. We there. Now, if you want to have fun in a study this week, it's brief, really brief. Just read the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2 and then the church at Thessalonica or the Thessalonian congregation. You got two churches. Now, what's interesting is both churches actually share the exact attributes.

35:11 Faith, love, hope, or faith, hope, and love, or hope, love, and faith, however you want to do the trilogy. So the letters to the Thessalonians, Paul points out to their deep roots. they work but they work their work grows out of what faith i want you to get this now they labor but their labor grows out of love there you go and then they have patience but it's a patience that grows out of hope. There you go, there you go. Now, in contrast to Ephesus in Revelation 2,

36:03 you remember this is the church where Paul writes this big letter and it's called one of the way, the riches in Christ. The riches in Christ. That we have riches in Jesus Christ. spiritual blessings now how in the world does it fall from that to Paul the apostle here he too a preacher and says of the congregation um this morning I want to announce you have left your first love for those of you that don't have never read that in revelation that is a quote from the Bible. That's not Pastor West trying to be cute. You have left your first love. And look at what happens to them in the same virtues that they have. Their roots in Thessalonica had started diminishing. Ephesus worked without joy.

37:05 They labored tediously or tediously with an attitude that had no labor of love. And they had patience, but their patience had no hope. Lord, have mercy. So beneath all of what Ephesus had, beneath them that reservoir had dried up. I'm going somewhere now and I'm through because my time is up. The reservoir has dried up. Pastor West, I come to church, I don't get nothing out of it. Reservoir dry.

37:50 Think about this. Think about the people you meet that's always telling you they come to church, don't get nothing. And so they go looking, oh, and they think the louder and the noisier, oh, I'm going to get something. It don't take long. Dry is dry. Thank you. You have to let the reservoir fill up. You know, it got so dry. And now what are we going to do?

38:22 So we got to tap into the unseen resources that we have. That's available to us to get us going. I'm through. That's my close, this little story. or illustration of this note just to help you see it. Desert plants often have the deepest roots.

38:49 In these areas, almost no moisture can be obtained through shallow roots. Plants and trees rely solely on very deep tap roots. Most of these plants, they don't have a network of shallow roots, but consists mainly of one long tap root with offshoots deep down. Several years ago in a drilling expedition In the Kalahadra Desert in the Botswana Roots of a species of acacia tree Was found 222 feet in the earth That's about 18 stories of building Now desert plants Must be good at what they do If not, they don't survive the hot desert environment.

39:52 In other words, you won't find an elm tree growing in the desert because their leaves require too much liquid resource to keep them green and flourish. So how then does this acacia tree survive? What's its source? What's its secret? Why is it that here this person is in a dry season? They're living through the sickness of a parent, the death of a child. How do they survive it? How do they go through a marriage that falls apart under pressure, abandonment? How do you do it? How do you show up in church and have the nerve to be happy to be there.

40:46 The people around you, they look at your green leaves and they look at their withering self and they say they must be faking it. Ain't nobody been through that, gonna sit through that and look like that. But they're not faking, they're not pretending. What they don't know is that the brown tree, the dying tree is looking at the green tree because they don't understand how deep the roots run. You see, if your roots in hard places are so shallow that when things heat up, you start drying away, you don't understand about the long tap root and how deeper it goes. These roots start connecting and from those roots in that tap, it sends the resources around the environment that somebody needs.

41:43 So here the acacia tree, it begins to grow because it's hooked up to a resource. It has a reservoir down underneath. Now I didn't mean to go this far, but my soul is kind of happy talking about this, that you're connected to a resource. You have literally a hookup with a resource that gives you everything that you need. Sometimes you don't even understand that you're going through these difficulties of life and you don't even know how you're making it because two years ago you would have quit on God, stopped praying, stopped reading the Bible. You would have run away, but here you are in the midst of everything that you're doing. You're not telling everybody that comes your way. you're not explaining it to everybody.

42:39 You're not over talking the situation. You just find yourself somewhere where you're just saying, here I am. And then the next thing you know, you start discovering this is a result of having a resource, of being hooked up with a power, being connected with somebody that's able to keep you when you cannot keep yourself. It's a resource. You heard your mama talk about it. You heard your daddy talk about it. But now you're living on your own resource. I don't know when you really find it. All I know is when it shows up, you know the source is there. How did you make it through that?

43:35 and how did you go through that? I really don't know. All I know is there was a power on the outside of me that started moving on the inside of me. Have a good day. May God bless you real good. But on my way to my seat this morning, I'm glad that I have a resource that I can depend on in the dry seasons of life. I'm glad that I have a hookup, a resource, a reservoir, a river of ever-flowing water. Is that what that girl meant down in Samaria when she had been trying to drink from a whole lot of crack pots.

44:34 And then the living water showed up and sat on the well and said, I have water that you'll never thirst of again. And she drank from that water. And the next thing she knows, she's running up and down Queenston, turning down West Lilleyark and going up and down Highway 6. Talking about come meet a man that told me everything that I have ever done and didn't judge me in the process. I'm glad this morning to have a resource that lives inside of me. But you know where that root comes from. In Isaiah we read about there is a root and a shoot from the stomp of Jesse.

45:35 And 700 years later, that same root is hanging on a tree. That same root is buried in the ground. And they thought that was the end of it. But three days later, on a Sunday morning,