Living a Life of Thankfulness Even in Hard Times | Tony Evans Sermon

Dr. Tony Evans emphasizes the importance of gratitude as a fundamental spiritual practice, highlighting it as one of the greatest virtues noted in the Bible. By making gratitude and prioritizing God, believers can experience deeper peace, joy, and spiritual breakthroughs. SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/drtonyev… ▶ Never miss an episode of the Tony Evans Daily Broadcast by subscribing to the official channel:    / @tonyevansdailybroadcast   If you would like to download two encouraging, FREE full-length MP3s of Tony’s popular sermons: “The Sovereignty of God” and “How to Handle a Crisis,” you can do so by clicking on this link: https://share.hsforms.com/1atT9MJvXQN… If you would like to sign up for our daily devotional bringing you hope and inspiration, please go to this link: https://share.hsforms.com/1CkOLA910Sm… ▶ Do you know Jesus as your Savior? https://tonyevans.org/know-jesus-christ/ ▶ Stream Sermons: https://tonyevans.org/podcast/ ▶▶ Free Sermon App: https://subsplash.com/tonyevans/app/ ▶▶ DONATE: https://give.tonyevans.org/the-altern… ▶ Facebook:   / drtonyevans   ▶ Instagram:   / drtonyevans   ▶ Are you a preacher? Free sermon outlines: https://go.tonyevans.org/dr-tony-evan… Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative and author of over 100 books, booklets and Bible studies. The first African American to earn a doctorate of theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, he has been named one of the 12 Most Effective Preachers in the English-Speaking World by Baylor University. Dr. Evans holds the honor of writing and publishing the first full-Bible commentary and study Bible by an African American. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on over 1,400 radio outlets daily and in more than 130 countries. Dr. Evans’ sermons are also streamed and downloaded over 20,000,000 times annually. #tonyevans #tonyevanssermon #Gratitude

John 14:21 says the one who loves me I

will let him see me and experience me if

he loves me you want to experience more

of him love him first that’s the

paradise of God that’s where God unveils

himself and lets you see stuff you’ve

never seen before feel stuff you’ve

never felt before experience things

you’ve never experienced before cuz he’s

unveiled himself

[Music]

did you know one of the greatest sins

noted in the Bible is

ingratitude when we are not

grateful when we are thankless rather

than

thankful we have insulted

God Romans chapter 1 talking about men

abandoning God he says and neither were

they

thankful they did not recognize that

that every good and perfect gift comes

from above anything good in your life

and my life is a gift of God for which

we ought to be

grateful but we live in a world today of

ingratitude not only are we not grateful

for God we’re not grateful for other

people who benefit us who God is allowed

in our lives and our circumstances to

help our lives be better you know we we

regularly teach our children to say

thank you thank you thank you thank you

thank you we we want them to develop the

habit of being grateful as a parent I’m

sure there have been times with your

children where you said I I y’all kids

aren’t grateful y’all just complain all

the time and you don’t recognize what we

what we do you know why because we do it

so consistently you know we feed them

consistently we clothe them consistently

we house them consistently we do all

these consistent things and you can get

so used to

consistency that you become

expectant in fact you can even make a a

requirement rather than be grateful for

the consistency now you know whenever

there special events the kids will say

thanks you know Christmas toys birthday

gifts you know something special that

they want they’ll give thanks for the

special but Thanksgiving is to be a

lifestyle for every good and perfect

gift whether it’s the regular things we

get or the special things that God gives

us how thankful are you how thankful am

I how thankful are we when we go to God

we’re told when we pray we’re told in

Philippians 4 when we pray to pray with

Thanksgiving now we generally when we

praying we’re asking we’re saying God I

need this I want that uh help me with

this and we’re asking God for something

and that’s okay but he says when you’re

asking for something do it with

Thanksgiving in other words don’t leave

Thanksgiving out on an island by itself

make sure you include Thanksgiving with

the request because God wants to know

that we are grateful for what he has

already done not just in anticipation of

what we want him to do because he has

already done so much for us he’s done so

much for us in our being able to live

and breathe and being able to have food

to eat and clothes on our backs and roof

over our head those are the the the the

normal things so to speak at least for

most people some people in the world

have to have to thank that as a special

thing because it’s not automatically

guaranteed but at the very same time God

wants us to recognize the fact that he

is responsible for what we are

benefiting from

as a part of our request to him as you

see what’s happening in the world

today you see what’s happening in the

Middle East for example you see what’s

happening in uh among people who are who

are longing for their next meal or glad

to be alive one more

day you know they have a lot to be

thankful for but you and I never know

what a new day will bring we never know

whether tragedy will strike sickness

will hit an accident will take place in

our lives or the life of a loved one so

we’ve got to be just as thankful every

day for the day because no other day is

guaranteed we can’t we can’t brag about

tomorrow we got to just make it through

the day and be grateful for the grace of

God that’s given us today so let’s make

gratitude a way of life in fact let’s

not be like

Israel God delivered them from Egypt and

they spent all their time in the

wilderness grumbling and

complaining and that complaining was one

of the reasons they didn’t make it to

the promised land because they were so

ungrateful for what God had

done that they weren’t able to get to

what God yet wanted to do don’t block

your future with

ingratitude that’s not recognizing what

God has done with your past and what

he’s doing in your present now that does

not negate the fact that there aren’t

trials and tribulations there aren’t

difficult times that we’re not happy

about that we’re not you know really

just bouncing off of the wall about

those hard times are real and we don’t

ignore them but you know what even to

know you have a hard time you have

something to be thankful for because you

got a brain to know it you’re still

alive so that means you’re experiencing

it so even in the middle of what you’re

going through there’s a God worthy to to

give thanks so I want you this

Thanksgiving to give thanks to God and

then to stop making Thanksgiving a

holiday and make every day a

Thanksgiving day because every day is a

fresh new opportunity to tell the Lord

thank you thank you for waking me up

thank you for providing me the air that

I’m breathing thank you that I have a

wardrobe I can put on thank you there’ll

be food at the breakfast table thank you

for the health of my family thank you

that you kept me yesterday so I could be

here today you know we could go on and

on and on and on and on I’m not trying

to cover all your bases I’m just saying

make Thanksgiving your way of life I

need to make it my way of life encourage

those in your sphere of influence to

make it their way of life so that God is

being thanks thanked as a way of life

and when he sees that we are grateful

people he will give us the peace of God

that comes with his presence because he

knows we are a grateful grateful people

who love our God God bless you and Happy

Thanksgiving Dr Evans will be right back

after this important

announcement the threat of global

catastrophe looms over us earthquakes

fires it seems like the world is falling

into turmoil are you ready to face

Armageddon Dr Tony evans’s latest book

thy kingdom come emerges as a light

amidst the sin ridden depths of our

world guiding you through the murky

Waters of uncertainty Within These

insightful Pages wisdom intertwines with

Revelation you’ll dive deep into the

mysteries of enigmatic prophecy where

Solace awaits the weary Soul Dr Tony

evans’s unparalleled Mastery in

deciphering the complexities of

scripture will ensure Clarity in the

face of confusion and illuminate the

path towards hope arm yourself against

the impending storm and let not the hour

of Reckoning catch you unaware be

prepared for what’s to come by picking

up your copy of thy kingdom come at Tony

evans.org comes with a bonus sermon

series staying right with God do not be

caught off

guard over and over again in scripture

God requires and demands to be

first one such place for which many of

you are familiar is in Revelation chap

2 where John the Revelator

writes about a message to the church at

Ephesus to understand Ephesus think New

York Ephesus was the New York

City of Asia

Minor in the middle of this Metropolitan

City a church was

established Ephesus Bible

Fellowship had been established in this

city and the Lord sends a

letter to the pastor at Ephesus Bible

Fellowship called the angel or the

messenger and he was to deliver that

message to the

congregation I’m going to deliver the

message that he gave to them to us since

it was written for the

church in Ephesians 2 we read to the

angel of the church in Ephesus

write the one who holds the Seven Stars

in his right hand the one who walks

among the seven golden lampstands says

this of course seven is the number of

completion in scripture so what he wants

you to know starting out is Jesus is in

the house right

now he starts out with a commendation or

a compliment he wants to compliment the

church

first he says in verse two I know your

Deeds your toil your perseverance you

cannot endure evil men you put to the

test those who call themselves Apostles

and they are not and you found them to

be

false he says I want to commend you on

some great things happening at your

church he says the first thing is I see

your

Deeds Deeds are activities I see the

work you’re

doing in other words you are a serving

Church you folks are busy you got folks

serving over here and folks serving over

there and folks doing this and folks

doing that you you’ve got the people

engaged in Ministry and I see your

Deeds he says you’re not only a serving

Church you are a sacrificing church

because he says I see your toil he goes

on to say I see your steadfastness

because I see your

perseverance when the going gets tough

you don’t quit when the going gets tough

you don’t throw in the towel when the

going gets tough you keep on plowing

through and you don’t easily throw in

the towel quit or give up I see that I I

I like that about

you not only do I see you are serving

that you are sacrificing and that you

are

steadfast I see you are also separated

because you don’t tolerate evil you you

will call sin a sin you will identify

folks who are who are Renegades who are

who are living an unacceptable lifestyle

and justifying it rather than repenting

of it I I see that there is a standard

that this church operates by and and

that’s great I I commend you for that

and then finally he says I also see you

are a suffering church because verse

three you have perseverance and have

endured for my name’s sake and have not

grown weary endured for my name’s sake

you’ve gone through some tough times

some hard times you’ve been rejected by

the culture of Ephesus and you are

suffering being a Christian I see that

and and and that’s good I want to

commend you for all the good things

happening at this

church

but verse four

but but I have this against

you you have left your first

love he says I just Nam five compliments

five things I like

but I have one problem and it’s a biggie

you’ve left your first love now wait a

minute you just gave me Jesus five

compliments and you only finding one

thing

wrong but think about it for a

moment you can serve God and not love

him

first you can sacrifice for God and not

love him

first you can be steadfast for God and

not love him first you can

and you can be separated in God’s name

and not love him first you can be

suffering in God’s name and not love him

first watch it he didn’t say you don’t

love me at

all he said you no longer love me

first in the busyness of life and

Ministry Jesus Christ no longer held the

front position

in their lives and in the life of this

church so you can be spiritually

busy and Jesus not be

happy because you’ve left your first

love what God is complaining about is

that things have replaced his Primacy in

their lives so that Jesus Christ is no

longer first he has to

compete with all the stones even though

you declare him to be the

rock one of the bad things about

religion is it can camouflage

relationship so that you think you have

relationship because you have religion

because I go to church because I serve

in the ministry because I do this but I

I must I must have him first because

look at what I’m

doing he says you have left your first

love

you don’t love me first you love what I

can do for you you love the blessings I

can give you you love the money you want

from me the jobs you want from me the

better lifestyle you want from me you

love what I can give you but you don’t

want me and you don’t want me first

because you’ll fit me in when you

can what God is saying is yes you still

love me but you love me down the L you

love me second third fourth fifth 9th

10th when I demand to be

first well God what do you mean by that

well the Lord says in Matthew chapter

10 he says in Matthew chap 10: 37 and 38

he

says anyone who loves his mother father

son or daughter more than me is not

worthy of me so let me tell you what he

means by First Matthew 10:37 and 38 he

says I want your commitment to me to

outweigh your commitment to your

family in other words I want to be I

want to come in front of your family

your mother your father your sisters

your

brothers your daughter your son your

mate I want to be

first not not second not third and the

reason why why I want to be first is I

am first I am Alpha and Omega God does

not want us to do with him what we do

with human

relationships he wants to be

first that is top

priority not relegated to a secondary

position much that is missing in our

lives is because God has been relegated

he’s not been forgotten we’ll come to

church he’s not been forgotten he be

referenced but he’s been forgotten in

terms of his

placement in our lives and he demands

being

first you have left your first love

you’ve left me as

first you love me down the

line so after commending the Christians

at Ephesus

and the Christians

here where is he

positioned in your life in your schedule

in your plans in our

priorities okay you say well I want him

to be

first what do I do to get him

first well he tells you he tells you

three things to do to reposition God in

your

life to make him first

therefore verse 5 remember from where

you have

fallen he says the first thing to do to

reposition God is

remember to

recall from where you have

fallen we think of people falling

committing some great sin he says

remember when I was priority in your

life

remember from where you had fallen

remember when you were excited just to

know your sins were forgiven remember

when you were excited that that that

eternal life was imparted to you and you

you ain’t have all this stuff but you

had me and you had fire with me and for

me and about me because I was the main

thing and then he says repent he says

remember from where you have fallen and

repent now there’s only one thing you

repent of in the Bible and that’s

sin so guess what losing your first love

is sin it’s not a bad habit it’s not

even a mistake God looks at you and me

in spiritual Rebellion when he’s not

first and that explains everything so

many of God’s people are living in

spiritual Rebellion not because they’re

necessarily doing some overt popular sin

God is just no longer

first and why does God tell us to to

repent the only purpose God tells us to

repent is to restore relationship and

limit

consequences he wants to restore

relationship that’s not just I’m sorry

that’s adjusting the schedule that’s

deciding yeah I’m going to get up 15

minutes earlier so that I spend time

with God or block out uh some time

during the day when I’m alert and awake

to give some time with God I am going to

prioritize this I’m going to re

structure this now you have

repented anything else is confession

which precedes repentance but it’s not

equal to the full definition of

it and God is calling us to repent to

repent of what what great sin you just

complimented me five times the sin of

putting me in any other place but

first that

sin repent of that

sin change directions

get off at the next exit don’t just be

discussing I’m going the wrong way let

me keep

driving thirdly he says and

repeat because he says what I want you

to

do is I want you to do the Deeds you did

at

first

repeat he says I want you to go back to

what you

did when it was just me and

you when it was just me and

you when you didn’t have all these

distractions and all these people and

all these issues and all this agenda and

all his schedule and all his business it

was just me and you it was just me and

you and we did

fine in fact because it was me and you

that’s why a lot of this other stuff

happened

lot of this other stuff happened cuz it

was just us but now that it’s no longer

just us and you just fit me in where you

can no wonder you’re losing your

mind no wonder prayers aren’t being

answered no wonder there’s no experience

of my presence or no experience of my

power cuz it’s not just me and you

now I’m not first yes you’ve got more

work yes you’ve got more respons ibility

yes you’ve got kids yes you’ve got more

responsibility at work I’ve got that so

what that means is you’ve got to

position me as first cuz if you ever

position me as first you will discover I

can help you handle all that other stuff

I can help you with the stones if you’ll

keep me the

rock but I but I can’t be one among many

I must be

first and when you make him first he he

says I I I he says I like this verse 6

you hate the Deeds of the nicians I like

that I like that you you hate folks who

are in Rebellion you their deeds you

hate what they’re doing but he who hath

an ear let him hear okay listen to that

he that hath an ear let him hear he that

hath an ear let him hear he’s talking to

the whole church but then he says even

if the rest of the church is not

listening he that haveth an ear so if

nobody else is is listening but you

that’s

enough even though he’s talking to the

church he knows everybody doesn’t have

an ear to

hear there’s some people here who going

to say God look I’mma give you what I

give you that’s the best I’m GNA give

you and you gonna have to accept that so

you don’t have an ear to hear the others

who don’t have an ear to hear look I got

too much on my plate I’m too busy I’m

too tired I’m too stressed so I I this

sermon is not for me they don’t have any

ear to hear

but he that’s the individual that have

an ear to hear he’s not talking about

your physical ear to hear what I’m

saying everybody hears that he’s talking

about your spiritual ear the heart that

is that is he that have a ear what the

spirit is saying to the church I’m

talking to the church but I’m looking

for some listening ears in the heart who

says you know what

God I’m going to reorder my priorities

so that you’re no longer

fitted in or forced in your

first that means getting up a few

minutes earlier fine that means carving

out uh uh taking a portion of my

lunchtime fine but but time when it’s

meaningful I’m alert and I’m focused on

you and you you don’t you don’t have to

start with an hour you don’t have to

start with two hours start with five

minutes just make it real so start

somewhere cuz I guarantee you when you

start to feel this thing it’s going to

grow when you start to feel his presence

when you start to feel his reality when

when you know that you you’re not only

relating to him but he’s relating back

to you and you’re seeing prayers

answered power given restoration taking

place when you get to see him do his

thing oh you’re going to extend your

time some of you some of us will never

extend it cuz we’ll never see

it because he won’t be first but he that

hath an ear let him hear and he closes

with this to him who overcomes I will

grant to eat of the tree of life which

is in the paradise of

God

H to he who

hears he will overcome and I will grant

to him to eat in the paradise of God now

what was the paradise of God it was

Eden it was where Adam and Eve were they

were in Paradise they were in Eden

in Eden was the Tree of

Life they got to walk with God during

the cool of the day God was talking to

them and guiding them until they sinned

and rebelled guess what he says he says

that the one who puts me first is an

overcomer okay now in order to be an

overcomer you got to have something to

overcome he says the one who puts me

first will be an overcomer and they will

eat in the paradise of

God let me give you a great

verse it’s in John 14: 211 because John

14:21 says the one who loves

me I will disclose myself to

him the one who loves me I will unveil

myself to I will let him see me feel me

and experience me if he loves me you

want to experience more of him love him

first he says I will unveil myself

that’s the paradise of God that’s where

God unveils himself and lets you see

stuff you’ve never seen before feel

stuff you’ve never felt before

experience things you’ve never

experienced before cuz he’s unveiled

himself but how do I know if I really

love him oh it’s

simple he says because you will choose

first to please me says you’ll keep my

Commandments you will seek first to

please me that will be that will and

here’s how you know because when you

have to choose between him and something

or someone else he

wins he says now you love

me and I will unveil myself to that man

that woman that boy or girl who loves me

[Applause]

[Music]

he

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]