Thanks Be To God For Everything by Ed Pruitt

Ephesians 5:20-20

Thanks Be To God For Everything?
Sunday February 04, 2001

Ephesians 5:20
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Now I would like to read that same scripture out of the New Living Translation Bible so we can get a better look and hopefully a understanding of this scripture.

Ephesians 5:20
20 And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Giving thanks always for all things unto God?

The above scripture is very much misunderstood.

The verse is not saying in actuality what it appears to be saying at face value, that I am supposed to thank God for everything that comes my way!

There is a lot of discussion about this in these days and times.

There seems to be a lot of emphasis being placed on giving thanks for everything.

We have got to be scripturally discriminating about this.

We have to analyze what we are giving thanks for.
What does the Holy Spirit mean?

What is His intent when He says Giving thanks always for all things?

You see that would mean, if you are supposed to give thanks for all things, if your little child gets hit by a car and killed you are supposed to thank God.

When your husband dies of cancer and leaves you with five children to raise by yourself and you have never had a job in your life and you don’t know what you are going to do, you are supposed to give thanks to God?

That is what some people would like for you to believe, you see it in there books and you even hear it for the pulpit, but let me tell you my friends that this is what I mean when I say for you to read the bible and pray to God and ask for help from the Holy Spirit.

We could go on with all sorts of things but I am here to tell you this morning that kind of belief is a bunch of garbage!

I could never believe that if anything terrible happened to my family or to anyone for that matter I am supposed to give thanks to God for that!

We need to analyze exactly what is the bible saying to us because we need to understand that things that come our way don’t always come from the Heavenly father!

Some people have erroneous ideas that everything that comes to us comes from God, or God does it!

Well let me tell you, that is blatant ignorance, were talking ignorance of the Word of God!

That is the kind of garbage that has been taught down thru the years.

I know that you have heard it all of your life, the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the Name of the Lord!

Now I know that you have all heard that at one time or another and I am here to tell you this morning that that is not right!

Let’s look at this scripture this morning in a new light.

Now as we look at this scripture we might say well it says, giving thanks always for all things, and you might say well how is he going to get away with that?

Well, it’s very plain if you will just look at it just a little.

Let’s look at this together.

I can’t thank God when somebody dies and goes to hell!

I can’t thank God when somebody is crippled, or when they are blind or any number of terrible things!

I can’t thank God for that.

Is that what it means?

Am I to thank God for that?

As I studied over this and read the scripture over and over this revelation came to me.

Let’s read this scripture over again.
Ephesians 5:20
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Now just what is this scripture saying?

Unto God!!

Ephesians 5:20
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Let’s read it again,
Giving thanks always for all things unto God!!!!

Is that right?

Yes!!!

Now let’s turn to,
Matthew 22:15-22
15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.

16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.

17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?

18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?

19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.

20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?

21 They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.

22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
Now, let’s look at this again,
Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.

Now, with that in mind let’s go back yet another time to our text verse

Giving thanks always for,(those things that belong to God.)

You always give thanks for what God has done!

You never give thanks to God for what the devil has done!

Do you understand that?

Unto God, Unto God, always give God the credit, give Him the praise, give Him thanks, give Him the glory for what He has done!

But you never, never thank God for what the devil has done!!!

You don’t thank God when someone dies and goes to hell!

You don’t thank God when someone has an accident or someone is killed or murdered!

Don’t blame God for what the devil does!!

You thank God for what God has done!

Let me show you and prove to you that the devil does some things.

I know that the idea of the devil is far fetches for some intellectuals.

But, whether you believe it or not, the devil still exists.

God is a lot smarter than you are with your Master’s Degree and your PhD, and He has enough sense to know that there is a devil!

It is too bad that a lot of people are not that smart.

That is why the devil has been whipping our heads like he has.

He has tricked some of us that he doesn’t exist, and we have been calling the things that the devil does, the works of God!

We have been blaming God for what the devil does!

Why even the insurance companies write into their insurance contracts, an act of God!

There are certain things that they won’t insure!

They call them an act of God!

They blame Him for floods, hurricanes, tornados and earthquakes.

God doesn’t have any thing to do with them.

I want to show you another scripture,

1 John 3:8
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

The works of who?

The devil!!

Isn’t that a shame that poor Jesus doesn’t know that the devil doesn’t exist?
Isn’t it a shame that He came all the way from heaven to die on the cross and to do away with the works of the devil and there’s no devil!

If there is no devil then he couldn’t have any works, could he?

And if the devil couldn’t have any works because he doesn’t exist, then Jesus couldn’t die to destroy the works of the devil.

Well if the devil isn’t real, Jesus isn’t real, because the bible says that He came to destroy the works of the devil, so then wouldn’t you say that the devil must have some works?

And wouldn’t you say then that the devil must exist?

Is that right?

Come on, come on, this thing of taking part of the scripture and leaving the rest has got to stop!

Jesus described the devil one day when He was talking about the fact that He was the good shepherd,

John 10:10-11
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

So look at what is being said.

The devil has some works and when the devil does his works, you are not to give God thanks for what the devil has done.

You give thanks unto God for what God has done.

Render unto God the things that are God’s and render unto Caesar, the things that are Caesar’s.

The things that belong to God, give Him thanks for.

Stop blaming God for what the devil is doing!

You had better be studying God’s Word ad find out what the devil is doing to you because he is out to get your head and he has got some people in his hip pocket and he is trying to work on some others.

I think that it is time for people to find out what belongs to God and what belongs to the devil before it is too late!

I am to give thanks for what God has done but not for what the devil has done.

Do you understand?

I know that there is another scripture over in,
1 Thessalonians 5:18
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

This scripture at first glance would seem to contradict what I have just said but we need to do as the scripture says in,
2 Timothy 2:15-16
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

You see this bible the word of God is important!

It is our Bill of Right’s!
Bless God, it tells us our covenant rights.

It tells us what belongs to us, and when you know what belongs to you nobody can pull anything off on you!

You also know that when you know your rights you can then do something about them.

You don’t just have to knuckle under to it!

If you don’t know your rights, then you don’t know that you have been taken advantage of.

Isn’t that right?

Now let’s read this scripture again very carefully.

1 Thessalonians 5:18
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Now we need to rightly divide the word of truth!

Now what am I supposed to give thanks for?

It says in everything give thanks.

That looks like I am supposed to give thanks for sickness, disease, bad times, hard times, storms, floods, whatever life brings that is negative or destructive, because that is what it says.

It says right there, In everything give thanks!

But here is what you have to understand!

It doesn’t say “for everything give thanks”!

Did you get that?
It doesn’t say for everything give thanks or if you want to turn that around, he didn’t say “give thanks for everything”!

What did the scripture say?

Give thanks in everything!

Now, we have to find out what we are supposed to give thanks for!

He is saying, give thanks in that sickness and disease when they strike!

Now, what am I supposed to give thanks for?

I am supposed to give thanks that with His stripes I was healed and I don’t have to accept sickness!

By whose stripes ye were healed?

1 Peter 2:24
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

That’s what I am supposed to give thanks for!

I can give thanks that I don’t have to knuckle down to sickness and disease.

I don’t have to accept it.

I don’t have to go under!
I can give thanks that,

Matthew 8:17
Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

Glory to God!!

I can give thanks that the Lord God Almighty Himself said,
Exodus 15:26
for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

That is what I can give thanks for!

I don’t have to die of cancer!

I don’t have to die of a heart condition!

I don’t have to be or go blind!

I don’t have to die or have any of these things!

I can give thanks IN IT when it strikes me because I can thank the WORD OF GOD and I can knock it in the head.

Praise God, that is what I can give thanks for!

Sure it said in all things give thanks.

When it looks like I am whipped, when it looks like the issues of life are about to submerge me, when it looks like circumstances are about to wipe me out and inundate me, I can give thanks!

Bless God for, Philippians 4:13
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

That means that I can rise up in the middle of any situation and flex my spiritual muscles and grab satan by the neck and cast him out of my circumstance!

We don’t have to allow satan to control our lives, Glory to God, we can fall back on the scripture Philippians 4:13, that says,
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
And have the strength to cast satan out!

That is what it means!

Sure in all things give thanks, give thanks for what?

That I am a victor in all things!

I can take the Word of God when in the natural it looks like inflation is going out of sight, when it looks like you are about to go under,

You can take hold of the scripture and give thanks!

Give thanks in it! Yes!

I can give thanks in it, bless God!

Because, Philippians 4:19 says,
19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

That is what you and I can give thanks for.

Yes! In it, we can give thanks!

Give thanks, not that I am in it, but give thanks that I can get out of it!

Praise God!

I can give thanks when it looks like trials come upon me and it looks like I am hemmed in and my back is up against the wall.

It looks like the world is against me, it looks like satan has his foot on my neck, it looks like I am going under for the third time and there is no escape!

That’s when we can turn to the Word of God and give thanks that we have a way out!

That is when we can look up and see the exit sign!

In 1 Corinthians 10:13
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Bless God, we can look up and see the exit sign of God’s Word and walk out of the circumstances!

Praise God!

Sure I can give thanks because I don’t have to be victimized by those things that I find myself in!

When it looks like the Goliaths of life are about to walk on top of me and snatch me from where I am and destroy my life.

I can look to the Word of God in, Romans 8:37,
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

That’s what I can give thanks for!

Can you see the difference?

There is a difference.

I don’t have to give thanks for the things that have me bound.

I give thanks that I don’t have to go under!

Many are going under. They are like the people in the story that Jesus told in the 7th chapter of Matthew.
Matthew 7:22-27
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Many people read that scripture passage and they say, well bless God! Jesus is the rock and if I build on Jesus when the storms of life come I’ll stand!

Jesus certainly couldn’t be talking about that.

Just look around you and see all the people that are built on Jesus, who are Christians.

They are the ones that are sick, they are the ones that are poor, they are the ones who are afraid, they are the ones who don’t have anything.

They are built on Jesus and yet when the storms of life comes upon them they are the ones that go under.

I have seen them go under.

I have seen them with my own eyes, people who knew Jesus, people who loved the Lord, and they died of sickness and disease.

Well did Jesus lie to us?

He said that if they built on the rock the storm could come and the house wouldn’t fall!

But their house fell!!!!

Well you see, they didn’t understand what Jesus was saying.

Jesus didn’t say build on Him.

Jesus is the rock, but in that particular story, He isn’t talking about building on Him.

Here is what Jesus said.

Let’s read it, because you won’t believe it unless we do.

In the 7th chapter of Matthew the 24th verse, Therefore whosoever, What?

Whosoever what?

Whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine. But it doesn’t stop there you have to keep reading, Jesus said, Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine and doeth them.

Doeth what?

Doeth those saying’s of Mine!

Isn’t that what Jesus said?

There are many people who hear this and they clap their hands and say Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, isn’t that wonderful?

But they never do Jesus sayings!

Jesus said, Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, Now watch this, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

Why Jesus?

For it was founded upon a rock.

And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine

See, it’s the same sayings, He is talking about the same sayings.

Heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not!

Shall be likened to the foolish man which built his house upon the sand, and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon the house and it fell!

And great was the fall of it!

Jesus isn’t talking here about building on Him.

He is talking about doing His Word.

There is not a thing in that scripture about building on Him.

It said, he that heareth and doeth!

A lot of people hear, but they never do, and then they never understand why it doesn’t work for them.

They believe it, they really do believe it but it doesn’t work for them.

They have never understood that they have to do it!

Do it, do it, do it!

That’s when the building stands!

Then the floods can come the winds can blow, the rains can descend and right in the middle of it I can give thanks!

Why?

Because my building is going to stand!

It is going to stand because I am a doer of the Word and not a hearer only!

You hear a lot of people out in the world that like to argue the Bible and try and twist the scripture to mean something that it wasn’t intended to mean and you are the bad guy if you don’t agree with them!

But, they aren’t doer’s of the Word, and low and behold along comes the winds of life and down they go, whining and complaining, bellyaching, fearful, frustrated and whipped and yet they claim to be children of God!

Why?

Because they are not doing what the Word says.

The Word says, in all things give thanks!
Well we can give thanks in all things because we know that when we are doers of God’s Word we can master everything that saten can muster up and throw at us.

The words of satan are to destroy, kill and to steal.

He will steal your life, he will steal your youth, he will steal your job.

He will steal your husband, your wife, your children, your mother, your father, your money, your possessions, your brain.

Everything that you own, if you will let him!

But there is no way that he can do any of these things if you are truly a doer of God’s Word!

You can choke satan out with God’s Word!

You can take the Word of God and wrap it around Satan’s neck and choke him with it!

You can put the handcuffs of God’s Word on his hands to keep his filthy hands off of what belongs to you!

Let’s go back to that 20th verse in the 5th chapter of Ephesians.

Now you can understand that verse Ephesians 5:20
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

In this verse he is telling you to give thanks unto God!

In other words, Render unto God the things that are God’s.
When people get healed you can thank God for it!

When people get saved you can thank God for it!

When you are blessed of God you can thank God for it!

Why, you might ask?

Because those are the words of god!

You can render unto god the things that are gods!

You give Him the credit!

In other words give credit where credit is due!

That’s what it is saying in modern terminology!

Give God the credit for the things that God has done.

If God hasn’t done it, then don’t blame it on Him!!

We need to get our heads screwed on right.

Find out who is doing the work ands give credit where credit is due!

If the devil has done something then take the Word of God and choke him out with it!

You don’t have to accept what satan has done!

In all things I can give thanks because Philippians 4:13 tells me that I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
In all things I know that God will supply my needs.

In all things, I know that I have not been given the Spirit of fear, but of love and of power and of sound mind!
2 Timothy 1:7
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

I know this, so therefore in all things I can give thanks, not for the things that come from satan, but only the things that come from God!

God has given me the ability and the privilege to get out of the things that come from the devil!

You may ask, why does God allow the devil to do bad things?

Let me answer that question, why did God let Adam sin?

God told him very plainly no to, but He let him do it.

Why did God let Judas betray Jesus?

Why did God let Paul persecute the Christians?

Why does God let some people die and go to hell when the bible very plainly tells us in,
2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The answer to all of those questions is that God has made each of us free moral agents with the privilege to choose our own way.

Adam had a choice, he could listen to God or Satan.

When he listened to satan he sinned and there was nothing that God could do about it.

God can ordain that a certain thing be done, for instance, Jesus dying to take away our sins or he can permit men to die and go to hell.

God does not allow me to be sick if I choose to but the glorious news is that I don’t have to!
Satan is the god if this world, 2 Corinthians 4:4
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

God is permitting him to run loose until he is put into the bottomless pit.

Satan hates God, Christ and the Christians.

He can’t physically hate God or Christ, so he attacks the Christians, the child of God.
That is the only that Satan can get back at Christ for his defeat at Calvary.

God permits satan to attack us with sickness and disease, but He does not ordain it.

He doesn’t cause it.

While He permits the sickness, He also gives us the permission to overcome it with His Word.

Let’s read it, Matthew 8:17
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

1 Peter 2:24
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Mark 16:18
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
James 5:14-15
14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

But the choice is mine!

I can accept the sickness, or I can destroy it with the Word of God!

Thank God, the truth will set you free, Jesus said in, John 8:31-32
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

All right, He said, giving thanks always for all things unto God!

Now you can understand what he is talking about.

I can give thanks always for the things that God does, and I do that.

Praise God!!
It looks like the more that I thank Him the more that He does!

The more that I thank Him, the more that He gives.

The more that I praise Him the more the blessings flow!

I am telling you this morning, that is the way that it is!

I can give thanks unto God for what God does, but I will not give thanks unto God for what the devil does!

But I will give thanks that when the devil does do something to me God has given me the ability this word to choke the life out of satan!

We don’t need to be selfish with this we need to go out to everyone and tell them the blessings of God!

Just like it tells us in,
Luke 4:18
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

Do you see what I mean?

We have not been given these truths so that we can selfishly squander them on ourselves.

Sure they need to work for you first so that you understand the way that they work, but then you need to help others!

By helping others you will be giving furtherance to God’s Kingdom here on earth!

Let’s bow our heads
 

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