What does First B Jackson teach about gratitude?
Drawn from the messages where it was actually addressed: the words said from the front, the passages taught, and where to hear the whole thing.
At First B Jackson, the teaching on gratitude is not sentimental and it is not peripheral. It sits at the center of how Pastor Ray and Pastor Carl have taught the church to handle anxiety, conflict, and ordinary life. The anchor is Philippians 4, where Paul moves from rejoicing to prayer and names thanksgiving as part of the very act of bringing your needs to God. Gratitude, as Ray has put it, is not a feeling you wait for after circumstances improve. It is a posture you choose, grounded in what God has already done, and it shows up most clearly when life is hard. Carl made this plain when he noted that Paul wrote about rejoicing and giving thanks from prison, not knowing whether he would live.
The practical shape of this teaching is direct. When worry surfaces, the move Paul describes is honest, humble, grateful prayer, naming what you need while also acknowledging what God has already come through on. Ray has said plainly: "If something keeps coming to your mind over and over again and you're worried about it, you can worry or you can pray, but don't do both." Gratitude is not an afterthought bolted onto prayer. It is part of what makes the prayer real, the way Israel was called to remember standing at the Red Sea when they asked God for the next thing. The peace Paul promises at the end of that passage is not peace because everything worked out. It is peace that surpasses comprehension, guarding hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, available before circumstances change.
The church has also heard this teaching through the story of the one leper who returned. Of ten men healed, only the Samaritan came back, fell on his face at Jesus' feet, and gave thanks. Jesus pointed that out, not as a scolding of the nine but as a lesson for everyone watching about what it means to actually receive what God has given. The word Jesus used for that man, sozo, is the word for saved. Gratitude is bound up with salvation itself here, not as a transaction but as the posture of someone who knows what they have been given and who gave it.
Taught from Philippians 4:4; Philippians 4:5; Philippians 4:6; Philippians 4:7 · 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 · Luke 17:11-19 · Psalm 92 · 1 Peter 5:7
“You can only love God to the measure that you know him.”
From Saddling Up Anyway
The passage taught · 1 Peter 5:7
7 casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.
World English Bible
The messages that teach on it
- August 30, 2026 Saddling Up Anyway A sermon on Philippians 4:4-9 about rejoicing, gentleness, prayer, and training your mind to dwell on what is true, honorable, pure, and good.
- January 25, 2026 Rejoice in the Lord Always Philippians 4 shows how joy, prayer, and gratitude work together to overcome anxiety, and why context changes everything about the verses you thought you already knew.
- February 25, 2024 It Is Good to Give Thanks to the Lord Pastor Ray walks through Psalm 92, calling the church to tireless praise, honest humility before God, and the unending vitality promised to those rooted in Him.
- November 19, 2023 Great Relational Wisdom That Leads to Peace Philippians 4:1-9 offers timeless wisdom for conflict and gratitude. Pastor Carl walks through Paul's instructions that lead to God's peace in every relationship.
- November 19, 2023 Relational Wisdom That Leads to Peace Carl preaches through Philippians 4:1-9, showing how joy, prayer, gratitude, and right thinking lead to God's peace even in the middle of conflict.
- July 9, 2023 Have Mercy on Us Ten lepers cry out to Jesus for mercy and are healed, but only one returns to give thanks. Pastor Ray explores what it means to truly receive salvation.
- July 9, 2023 Ten Were Cleansed, One Received Jesus Ten lepers cry out for mercy and Jesus heals them all, but only one returns to give thanks. A look at Luke 17 and what it means to truly receive Jesus.
- October 18, 2022 Learned to Be Content Nick walks through the final chapter of Philippians, exploring Paul's secret of contentment, the true meaning of "I can do all things," and fixing our thoughts on what is good.
Mentioned along the way
- November 24, 2024 There Is Salvation in No One Else Peter and John face the Sanhedrin after healing a lame man, boldly declaring salvation through Jesus alone, then praying for courage rather than safety.
- July 21, 2024 Searching and Fearless A Wyoming pastor walks through Step 4 of the 12 Steps, a searching moral inventory, showing how Scripture's vice lists point us toward honest self-examination and God's grace.
- July 14, 2024 Turn Over Your Will A Wyoming pastor walks through Step 3 of the 12 steps alongside 1 Thessalonians 5, showing how surrendering your will to God is at the heart of both recovery and faith.
- February 11, 2024 Joy in the Lord, Whatever Comes Pastor Carl and Ray walk through Philippians, showing how Paul's joy, humility, and peace in prison point believers toward trusting God over anxiety.
- December 10, 2023 Sunday, December 10th, 2023 - 9am Contemporary Service Second Half - Peace in His Presence Psalm 145 sermon on gratitude, God's faithfulness, and speaking praise even when life is hard, closing with communion and the doxology.
- December 10, 2023 Near to the Heart of God A Wyoming pastor shares Psalm 145 and stories of unexpected divine appointments to show that God is near to all who call on Him.
- October 11, 2023 Monday Night @ Frist B Oct 10th Philippians 4:2-9 brings practical wisdom for settling conflict and finding peace through joy, considerate living, prayer over worry, and grateful thinking.
- August 14, 2022 Sunday, Aug 14 Jesus Feeds the 5000 Jesus feeds 5,000 in all four Gospels. Pastor Ray walks through each account to show what God can do when we offer Him what little we have.
- August 16, 2021 Monday Night @ First B Aug 15th (The book of Philipians) Pastor Carl opens Philippians at a Monday night study, showing how Paul wrote from prison with overflowing joy rooted not in circumstances, but in knowing Jesus.
- February 16, 2020 A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken Hebrews 12:14-28 calls believers to pursue peace, guard against bitterness, and hold fast to an unshakable kingdom secured not by law but by Christ.
- February 4, 2018 I Have Learned to Be Content Pastor Ray walks through Philippians 4:10-20, exploring what Paul teaches about contentment, generous giving, and trusting God to supply every need through Christ.
- September 17, 2017 Walk Not as Unwise But as Wise Pastor Aaron walks through Ephesians 5, calling believers to walk wisely, avoid drunkenness, and instead be filled with the Spirit through song, gratitude, and mutual submission.
- November 22, 2015 We Ought to Serve Because Christ Has Served Us Philippians 2 sermon on serving others because Christ first served us, with practical examples of humility, gratitude, and looking out for each other's interests.
- September 2, 2015 WWW Be Right (20) A study of Romans 1 exploring grace, the character of God, and what happens when a culture turns away from Him. Taught at First Baptist Jackson.
- March 11, 2015 Filled with the Spirit Deborah teaches what it truly means to be filled with the Holy Spirit, drawing from Ephesians 5 to explore three visible signs: a new song, thankfulness, and a submissive spirit.