1 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:10,080 As most of you or all of you know, it is Thanksgiving a a 2 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:13,760 time in the calendar year to just take a moment to be 3 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:17,240 grateful for the things that you have in your life that that's 4 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,160 there are gifts and blessings. And and we're going to spend 5 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:24,480 just a moment in God's word preparing our hearts for 6 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:28,680 whatever awaits you in the upcoming feast of food. 7 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:33,480 And as we do that, of course, some of you probably don't need 8 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:35,680 a sermon because it's been a great year and there's lots to 9 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:38,440 be thankful for. And I just just look at the 10 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:41,560 survey of our church and consider just the, the blessings 11 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:43,120 that I've already seen walk through the door. 12 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:47,240 There's, there's newborn babies and there's, there's updates of 13 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:52,160 parole turning people getting out of prison and, and there are 14 00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:54,800 just breakthroughs and family and things you've been praying 15 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:56,360 for. And so I get to see the 16 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,640 frontline of all of the, the reasons that we have to be 17 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:02,840 thankful for. And I also know that when you 18 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:07,560 say you're going to be a certain characteristic on a certain day, 19 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:09,160 we're on Thursday, we're giving thanks. 20 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:12,640 I also know that that doesn't always perfectly align with your 21 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:15,600 heart and your emotion in the circumstances of your life. 22 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:19,760 And as much as there's people right now going through the, the 23 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,600 banner year in the bumper crop, I know there are also really 24 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:27,320 hard things that some of you are navigating on a personal level 25 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:30,800 and on a family level. And we're all going to leave 26 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:35,240 this place with, I hope, a, an attempt to give thanks anyway. 27 00:01:36,320 --> 00:01:39,960 It reminds me of just the discipline of, of, of how to 28 00:01:39,960 --> 00:01:42,440 give thanks and how a challenge and it could be sometimes. 29 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:48,240 About a year ago, I noticed that my children, as I was praying 30 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:50,760 with them at night and just going through the routine of 31 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:53,680 our, of our nighttime devotion, I noticed that their prayers had 32 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:58,480 become almost a memorized word that they were just saying thank 33 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,600 you for this day. I pray that anyone who's sick 34 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:04,680 would feel better will have a good night of sleep and a good 35 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:07,760 day tomorrow, which is a great thing to, to pray, but they were 36 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:09,800 praying it every day. So I said, why don't you guys 37 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:13,240 try to think about some things that are going on in your life 38 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,760 that you can be thankful for. And that's a way to just make 39 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:19,560 the prayers more sincere, a little bit more responsive to 40 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:21,000 what God was doing in their lives. 41 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:26,080 And, and it worked about half the time because there were some 42 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:29,000 days when they felt very thankful and they had lots of 43 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,120 things that were happening or, or, or things they were 44 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:34,000 receiving. They just could, could name it. 45 00:02:34,920 --> 00:02:37,560 And then there were some days where they wouldn't want to say 46 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:39,480 anything. And I'd say, is there anything 47 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:40,920 you can think of to be thankful for? 48 00:02:40,920 --> 00:02:43,960 And in the honesty of a child, they'd say, Nope, I'm thankful 49 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:48,720 for nothing. And I love kids because they 50 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:50,560 teach us what's inside all of our hearts. 51 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:55,680 There are things right now that if I said just go and give 52 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:58,960 thanks or when Thursday comes in the the circle time of the 53 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,960 family, you go around and you have nothing that you can even 54 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:04,960 think of. But I'll encourage you that 55 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:09,080 those times when I'm with my kids, when I just help them and 56 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:11,720 and we do our best to just find the thing. 57 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:15,280 Thanksgiving is powerful because it can actually be the one thing 58 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:17,360 that you need to get through the hard day. 59 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:21,840 Some things to be mindful of and and remember that that God has 60 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:23,400 done that you can't be thankful for. 61 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:27,240 So today I want to encourage those of you who are having the 62 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:30,080 banner year, just keep up the good work and keep trusting God. 63 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:33,520 But for all of the the people that you know, Thanksgiving is 64 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:36,040 going to happen no matter what and it might not be something 65 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:40,360 you feel like. I want to talk about how we can 66 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:45,000 see an example in God's word of even in the midst of tragedy and 67 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,840 hardship and difficulty, you can be thankful now and forever. 68 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:52,800 And so to do that, we're going to read from Psalm chapter 52. 69 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:57,240 Turn to Psalm chapter 52 a couple weeks ago and giving a 70 00:03:57,240 --> 00:03:59,800 preview of where we were going in the word, we finished Titus. 71 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:01,840 I said we're going to spend some time in the Psalm. 72 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:06,000 So, so read some psalms of Thanksgiving and just see what 73 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:08,200 happens. Maybe you'll have read the Psalm 74 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:10,880 that we all study as a church. And I, I'm going to go out on a 75 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:16,959 limb and say I don't think anyone read Psalm chapter 52 as 76 00:04:16,959 --> 00:04:19,240 a way to prepare your hearts for Thanksgiving. 77 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:24,080 As we read through this, you will see that this is a Psalm 78 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:28,560 that David wrote in parallel to one of the most challenging and 79 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:33,160 difficult moments of his life. And as I give a summary of what 80 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:36,840 this Psalm is rooted in the history of this Psalm, I, I 81 00:04:36,840 --> 00:04:39,080 think it's safe to say it's one of the most gruesome stories in 82 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:41,880 the Bible. And we're going to read this as 83 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:46,040 a way to say if, if there is a if David found a way to turn 84 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:52,280 tragedy into worship. Thanksgiving in, in our hope is 85 00:04:52,280 --> 00:04:54,360 more than just a circumstance and an emotion. 86 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:57,360 It's actually a theological movement of your heart. 87 00:04:57,840 --> 00:05:03,920 So read with me in Psalm chapter 52 as we go from tragedy to 88 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:08,000 Thanksgiving. It says Psalm chapter 52 to the 89 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:12,160 chief musician a contemplation of David, when Doag the Ediomite 90 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:17,040 went and told Saul and said to him, David has gone to the House 91 00:05:17,280 --> 00:05:21,480 of a of a hamlech. And the Psalm starts with David 92 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:27,640 responding to this news that he received of what happened when 93 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:30,600 Doag the Ediomite gave word to Saul. 94 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:33,080 He said, why do you boast an evil almighty man? 95 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:36,480 The goodness of God endures continually. 96 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:40,680 Your tongue devises destruction like a sharp razor working 97 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:43,880 deceitfully. You love evil more than good 98 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:46,560 lying rather than speaking righteousness. 99 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:50,560 You love all devouring words, you deceitful tongue. 100 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:53,320 God shall likewise destroy you forever. 101 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:57,640 He shall take you away and pluck out of your, pluck you out of 102 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:00,720 your dwelling place, and uproot you from the land of the living. 103 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:06,000 The righteous also shall see in fear, and shall laugh at him, 104 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:10,120 saying, Here is the man who did not make God his strength, but 105 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:14,000 trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself 106 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:18,320 in his wickedness. Now the first seven of verses of 107 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:23,320 this Psalm are mostly David in anger, responding to the news of 108 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:27,400 what he has just heard. Doag did and so very quickly let 109 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:33,120 let us understand how David is going to turn this tragedy into 110 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:36,080 Thanksgiving and how shocking and surprising that is. 111 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:40,440 So this is as it said in the the the preview of this the 112 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:43,960 superscription in the Hebrew Bible gives us a story that 113 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:46,640 David is responding to. It happens in first Samuel 114 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:51,680 chapter 21 says the contemplation of David when Doeg 115 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:55,080 the Ediomite told Saul what did Doeg the Ediomite tell Saul? 116 00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:59,840 So this is a moment in the history of David's life where 117 00:06:59,920 --> 00:07:02,760 you could call him a fugitive from the law. 118 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:08,200 David was a a man who was growing in esteem and conquest. 119 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:12,880 And as that was happening in his life, Saul the king started to 120 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:16,320 grow intense jealousy towards David. 121 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:21,640 The the people of Israel, Saul's rule started to look at David 122 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:25,440 with with more respect and honor than they did Saul the king. 123 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:29,680 And so from that, Saul became jealous and eventually murderous 124 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:34,600 in his heart towards David, and David had to flee because Saul 125 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:37,200 was essentially after David's life. 126 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:42,280 And in David's fleeing, he eventually went to a city where 127 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:45,000 the high priest and a number of the priest lived, called Nob, 128 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:46,960 and he went there seeking refuge. 129 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:50,000 He didn't tell the high priest everything that was going on in 130 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,280 his life, that he was basically a fugitive from the king, 131 00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:56,640 looking for just protection to survive. 132 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:02,440 And the high priest met with David, cared for David, gave 133 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:06,480 David some food, even gave David Goliath sword and sent him on 134 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:08,160 his way. And while all of that was 135 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:13,640 happening, Doeg, the Ediomite, saw that as an opportunity to 136 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:18,680 report to Saul what had happened and give a report that would 137 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:22,880 turn into Saul's anger, not only being vengeful towards David, 138 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:26,120 but also Ahimelech and all of the priests. 139 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:28,640 So Doeg sees what David does with Ahimelech. 140 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:32,000 He goes and says, Saul, Ahimelech, just help David. 141 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:36,280 David is basically getting, you know, he's aiding and abating A 142 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:40,159 refugee, and you should probably make Ahimelech pay. 143 00:08:40,159 --> 00:08:45,560 So Saul in his anger allows Doeg to go back to Ahimelech, murder 144 00:08:45,560 --> 00:08:48,840 him, slaughter all the priests, and lay waste to the city of 145 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:52,960 refuge that David had, killing, killing 85 priests and every 146 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:56,840 person of the city burned it to the ground, Women, children, 147 00:08:56,840 --> 00:09:00,920 animals destroyed. Happy Thanksgiving everybody. 148 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:06,120 And I appreciate this moment in the Psalms because I don't know 149 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:11,000 if we could find a more difficult song as it parallels 150 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:13,080 with the story it's describing than this one. 151 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:17,360 David gets word from a survivor of the tragedy that the city 152 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:19,960 that helped him, the the, the priest that was caring for him, 153 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:24,680 everything's laid to waste. Bad has just gotten worse. 154 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:31,080 Terrible has just turned tragic and and the Bible so often will 155 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:34,160 raise the bar as to what we're looking at so that no one would 156 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:37,960 be with with an excuse of the Bible not being able to relate 157 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:40,360 to them. Whatever tragedy you're going 158 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:42,360 through right now, as I read this and I think through the 159 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:45,800 tragedies and the difficulties, the terrible news I've received, 160 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:48,560 I realized that the Bible is holding a bar that I can walk 161 00:09:48,560 --> 00:09:51,360 under. The Bible can relate to your 162 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:54,480 tragedies. The Bible is a story that is 163 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:59,160 full of people who were responding not to blessings and 164 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:02,440 outpouring of goodness, always, forever of their life. 165 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:07,120 But how do they respond in the trust and worship of God when 166 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:13,200 they hear about loss and difficulty, when bad gets worse? 167 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:17,800 And so whatever the terrible report you heard that you can 168 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:21,280 relate to, that the Lord is is encouraging you right now 169 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:25,480 through this moment in his word, the Bible can relate to that. 170 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:29,880 And there is a way in in, in where this Psalm is going where 171 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:34,280 tragedy does not define your posture and your worship and 172 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:36,960 your response. And so now we read the rest of 173 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:39,920 the Psalm. Shockingly, this is a Psalm of 174 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:44,800 praise and Thanksgiving. David rightfully allows the 175 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:47,720 first response to be his anger towards the person who calls 176 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:50,640 caused all this. There there's righteous anger 177 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:52,280 that exists in your life and your heart. 178 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:55,160 You can be anger. You can be angry at cancer. 179 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:57,920 You can be angry at the person who has defamed you. 180 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:00,840 You can be angry at the circumstances of your life that 181 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:03,760 have caused plans to break and hearts to break. 182 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:06,280 And the psalms will relate to that. 183 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:09,240 But the psalmist doesn't stay angry. 184 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:13,440 He points his angry towards the tragedy and then he points 185 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:15,720 worship towards God. Look what it says in verse 8. 186 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:22,840 But I am like a green olive tree in the House of God. 187 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:26,640 I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. 188 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:29,720 I will praise you forever because you have done it in the 189 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:33,480 presence of your Saints. I will wait on your name, for it 190 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:40,320 is good. What do AG intended for evil? 191 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:47,280 The destruction that the report is giving is actually being 192 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:52,280 turned for worship. And there is something in the 193 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:57,680 worship moment that David is having that is not simply David 194 00:11:57,680 --> 00:12:02,760 just being more disciplined and diligent than than us to find a 195 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:06,000 way to grit his teeth and just stay positive. 196 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:10,640 David is sharing Thanksgiving that is rooted in theology. 197 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:14,960 It's rooted in things that every single one of you on the ups and 198 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:19,000 downs of life can come back to and be thankful now and forever. 199 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:23,520 And the first is that David is simply thankful for who God has 200 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:28,880 made him to be. In contrast to Doeg, who is evil 201 00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:32,400 and deceitful and is going to be uprooted like a plant that is 202 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:36,280 tossed away, David realizes that his life is sustained because 203 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:40,880 God made him to endure. He says I am like a green olive 204 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:43,920 tree in the House of God. I want to come back to that 205 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:48,160 metaphor because it's beautiful, often under appreciated in the 206 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:51,280 metaphors of the Bible. But I'll, I'll start by saying 207 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:56,080 today, Thursday, now and forever, all of you who belong 208 00:12:56,080 --> 00:13:00,480 to the household of God can be thankful for who God is made you 209 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,720 to be and is making you to be actively right now. 210 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:07,040 The circumstances of your life, the ups and downs, the 211 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:09,800 tragedies, the heartbreak. There's something that goes 212 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:12,680 beyond all of those that is actually your identity that God 213 00:13:12,680 --> 00:13:16,640 has made you to be who God has made you to be. 214 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:18,120 Like David says, I'm an olive tree. 215 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:22,960 Last year we looked at another Psalm in in in preparation of 216 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:24,960 our hearts for a celebration of Thanksgiving. 217 00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:28,000 It was Psalm 100 and the same theology is found in one of the 218 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:30,480 most famous psalms of Thanksgiving in the Bible. 219 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:34,160 The psalmist once again says you can be thankful because of who 220 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:38,040 you are. Psalm 100 verse 3 Know that the 221 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:44,920 Lord he is God and he, it is he who made us, not we ourselves, 222 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:49,720 for we are his people and the sheep of his pasture and and 223 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:53,080 therefore enter into his gates with Thanksgiving. 224 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:55,880 God made you to be a certain way. 225 00:13:56,040 --> 00:14:00,480 Psalm 100 says He made me to be a sheep in the pasture of the 226 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:03,600 shepherd of my soul, and for that I can be thankful. 227 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:12,040 And God has made each one of you to be something that is defined 228 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:15,000 by who He is, not by what your circumstances are. 229 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:21,520 This is thankfulness for the sovereignty of God, that God 230 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:25,280 reigns supreme over the details of your life. 231 00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:27,760 He knows the number of hairs on your head. 232 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:31,000 Not a Sparrow falls without Him having a knowledge of it. 233 00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:35,560 And there is not one thing in your life that is outside of His 234 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:37,480 sovereign goodness for who you are. 235 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:40,120 Look what it says in Acts chapter 17. 236 00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:43,800 He has made us from one blood every nation of men to dwell on 237 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:47,760 the face of the earth, and He has determined. 238 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:52,320 He has chosen appointed times in the boundaries of their 239 00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:55,400 dwellings that they should seek the Lord and hope that they 240 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:57,960 might grope for Him and find Him. 241 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:00,600 He is not far from each one of us. 242 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:06,400 He has determined the place of your dwelling, the time of your 243 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:13,400 existence, meaning your birth year, the city you live in, the 244 00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:17,360 era of your history, the neighbors that surround you, the 245 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:20,920 people that you interact with. God has determined these 246 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:25,800 boundaries and details of your life with the distinct purpose 247 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:29,640 that they would all be used to turn you into a seeker of God. 248 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:32,200 That you would grope for Him. That they'd be. 249 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:35,080 That they'd be like the shepherd's staff pointing his 250 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:40,000 sheep to who He is, Which means every detail of your life can be 251 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:41,520 seen under the sovereignty of God. 252 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:47,400 Purposeful to know Him. And I and I love what Acts 253 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:50,840 chapter 17 says that every detail is under his sovereignty 254 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:54,520 that you would grope for him. It's like reach for him, find 255 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:56,080 him. It's like when you're walking in 256 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:58,440 the dark and you're looking for the light switch and you got to 257 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:00,480 turn it on. You just you'll feel every part 258 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:04,640 of the wall finding it. And if you're like me, I know 259 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:09,760 that the searching and the groping moments of my life as I 260 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:13,520 really survey the times of my life where I've been seeking 261 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:19,640 God, often times it's because of something hard because life has 262 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:21,800 brought me to my knees. And once again I'm searching for 263 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:28,520 the light. And in this God is sovereign. 264 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:33,720 God will use tragedies to allow you to once again come to your 265 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:38,440 knees and search for the light. And now we come back to the 266 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:43,200 great metaphor that David uses. He says Dobeg is wicked, he'll 267 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:48,680 be uprooted and he'll be gone. But I am like an olive tree now. 268 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:55,120 That would have been vivid and profound in the day and the 269 00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:59,640 geography of David. We don't have, unfortunately, 270 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:04,839 such an easy reference point to the beauty, both for the eyes 271 00:17:04,839 --> 00:17:08,480 and also for the mind of what this metaphor of an olive tree 272 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:12,880 is for our lives. David says I'm an olive tree. 273 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:16,040 Here's here's something that is so beautiful about the metaphor. 274 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:21,079 Olive trees are the most durable and enduring tree of all of the 275 00:17:21,079 --> 00:17:26,240 trees. Olive trees are in the in the 276 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:30,360 conversation for some of the oldest living trees on planet 277 00:17:30,360 --> 00:17:33,280 earth. In fact, I'll share a photo with 278 00:17:33,360 --> 00:17:36,640 you now. This is the olive tree called 279 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:41,000 Vuvez, and it is an olive tree that is thought to be anywhere 280 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:48,920 from 2000 to 4000 years old. It has endured drought and 281 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:52,960 flood. It has endured fire and storm. 282 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:57,080 And the way that God designed an olive tree is that it would be 283 00:17:57,080 --> 00:18:02,600 able to continually endure over and over and over again. 284 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:07,600 Not simply for the sake of the earth always having olives, but 285 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:11,280 that we could see the same God that created the olive tree 286 00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:16,920 creates man. The olive tree is just a picture 287 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:21,640 of what God wants man to know about how He made us. 288 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:27,440 Also a fun note about this olive tree is that it is located on 289 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:30,320 the island of Crete. For any of you who have been 290 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:33,560 studying the the the journey we've been going on through the 291 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:36,480 Bible, you know that we just finished the book of Titus, 292 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:40,400 which takes place on the island of Crete, which mean there was 293 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:44,520 an olive tree on the island of Crete while Paul was visiting 294 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:49,920 and then pastoring through Titus that is still alive today. 295 00:18:50,120 --> 00:18:54,800 So you don't don't only imagine the the storms and the physical 296 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:59,080 endurance, imagine the amount of human history that this olive 297 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:04,080 tree has endured from war to to paganism to church planting to 298 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:08,080 church drama. To this day, humans can walk by 299 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:11,800 that olive tree and see something that has endured from 300 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:14,480 generation to generation to generation. 301 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:20,440 And the beauty of it is that the believer in the household of God 302 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:23,360 can look at the olive tree and hear the history of olive tree 303 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:26,480 and say, that's like me in God's house. 304 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:34,480 God has created you to endure. God has created the the spirit 305 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:37,800 that dwells in you, the confidence that you have that 306 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:41,560 the spirit that dwells in you is greater than any spirit of the 307 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:45,040 age. The truth that endures through 308 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:48,640 the written word of God is is going to endure through all of 309 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:50,960 the ups and downs of the cultural facts. 310 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:57,360 The faith that you have will endure all sorts of wood, hay 311 00:19:57,360 --> 00:20:01,080 and stubble events that were never meant for the long term 312 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:06,520 enduring of the people of God. You are like an olive tree. 313 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:12,200 I think one of my. I think passages of Scripture, I 314 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:15,720 think every believer should memorize just to remember that 315 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:18,480 as Jesus said, in this world you have trouble. 316 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:21,760 But take heart. I've overcome. 317 00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:24,600 It's a dual promise. Sometimes you just want to get 318 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,480 to the overcoming part. You need to remember the first 319 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:29,840 half. You will have trouble. 320 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:34,960 Trouble will remind you and test you and show you that you do in 321 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:38,320 fact endure. Second Corinthians chapter 4, 322 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:41,600 verse 8 incredible memory verse opportunity. 323 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:47,400 The apostle Paul says we're hard pressed on every side, yet not 324 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:51,200 crushed. We are perplexed, but not in 325 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:53,840 despair. We are persecuted but not 326 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:57,200 forsaken, struck down but not destroyed. 327 00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:02,240 In this world. You will be pressed. 328 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:04,760 It will. You will feel the pressures of 329 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:08,280 life coming at you. You will be perplexed. 330 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:10,640 You will feel confusing times ahead. 331 00:21:10,880 --> 00:21:13,640 Or like this morning, you're driving in fog, trusting that 332 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:18,280 the road is still up ahead. You will be forsaken. 333 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:22,480 People will hurt you. Friendships will be broken and 334 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:25,280 lost. But in all of these things, you 335 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:32,320 will not be crushed. The simple fact that some of you 336 00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:35,720 are here praising Jesus, sitting under the teaching of His word. 337 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:38,920 For anyone who has put your faith in Jesus and been a 338 00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:42,680 follower of his for longer than a moment, you know it is no 339 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:44,520 small miracle that you're still here. 340 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:49,120 You've had moments of doubt. You've had moments of trial from 341 00:21:49,120 --> 00:21:51,120 the outside of the culture that we live in. 342 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:54,520 You've had moments from within, in the family, in the church. 343 00:21:56,120 --> 00:22:00,880 And yet, like an olive tree, the gates of hell will not prevail 344 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:03,320 against the church. And that's you. 345 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:11,480 The other amazing and beautiful characteristic of an olive tree 346 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:16,240 is not only are they the most durable tree, but they're also 347 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:21,040 an Evergreen tree, which means as they're enduring through 348 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:25,400 drought and flood, fire and storm, they are one of the 349 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:29,120 beautiful pictures of the believer because they can bear 350 00:22:29,120 --> 00:22:33,440 fruit in all seasons. They they can they can in their 351 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:37,880 green and Evergreen constant ability to bear fruit. 352 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:42,840 When all of the other trees are withering away, you can still 353 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:44,640 enjoy olives from the olive tree. 354 00:22:45,360 --> 00:22:48,960 In fact, if you had the chance to visit the island of Crete and 355 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:52,440 to see the olive tree that is thought to be the oldest tree in 356 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:59,360 the world, you could still eat olives from this fruit bearing 357 00:22:59,360 --> 00:23:00,800 tree to this day. It is. 358 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:03,800 It is not only endured with roots in the ground, it is 359 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:09,240 endured the ability to bear fruit in and out of season. 360 00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:14,720 And once again the metaphor is for the believer, the believers 361 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:18,080 fruit bearing ability that you can have the fruit of the 362 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:21,680 spirit, that you can have faith, hope and love. 363 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:27,000 It is not conditional on your circumstances, which means the 364 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:30,920 fruit and the reward of being thankful is not something you 365 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:33,640 have to push pause on. If this isn't the best time for 366 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:35,040 Thanksgiving in your life right now. 367 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:38,040 Your. Your gratitude can be Evergreen. 368 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:39,960 Why? Because your faith is Evergreen. 369 00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:44,160 We live by faith, not by sight. We have faith in something that 370 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:46,280 is determined by God under His sovereignty. 371 00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:50,920 And your love can be Evergreen. We spent a whole summer studying 372 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:55,080 the power of what it means to look like Jesus in our love. 373 00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:58,760 And it means that you love enemies, you love people that 374 00:23:58,880 --> 00:24:01,560 spitefully use you you. You love people that you've 375 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:03,880 helped and they didn't help you back because your love is 376 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:06,280 Evergreen. It is not dependent on how 377 00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:10,880 people treat you. And of course your joy. 378 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:15,320 Because of these things being constant and steady in your 379 00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:18,000 life, you can have joy that is non circumstantial. 380 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:23,760 And for the believer, we can rightfully say just like the the 381 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:28,320 olive tree that will endure fire and storm and continue to bear 382 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:35,640 fruit even when life is hard, you can sit at the table, trust 383 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:38,960 God and give him thanks. You can endure. 384 00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:44,040 And so the first movement of David's example of giving thanks 385 00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:47,440 in the midst of tragedy is to thank God for who he's made you 386 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:52,600 to be. But in that it would never stop 387 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:56,040 by just looking in the mirror and saying, well golly, Lord, 388 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:58,560 you sure did make a great creation inhuman and I'm 389 00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:00,960 grateful to be human. So see you later. 390 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:05,920 He says I'm an Evergreen tree in the House of God. 391 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:11,880 Creation points to a creator. The fact that you are a 392 00:25:11,880 --> 00:25:18,160 beautiful, enduring part of his creation is totally designed to 393 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:21,040 give the creator glory. And this is what David does. 394 00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:25,640 He now looks at his own life and says, I'm going to endure with 395 00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:28,440 fruit and I'm going to praise God. 396 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:32,720 So the the key, the the preparation of your Thanksgiving 397 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:35,440 heart for now and forever is to thank God for who he made you to 398 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:41,600 be and thank God for who he is. You want to be able to worship 399 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:43,800 and praise God through every storm of your life. 400 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:48,280 Find the constant storms are challenging because they make 401 00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:51,920 details and plans and relationships seem uncertain, 402 00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:55,240 but there is a constant in all of that and that is the nature 403 00:25:55,240 --> 00:26:00,960 and person of God unchanging. The same yesterday, today and 404 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:05,440 forever. David says, I trust in the mercy 405 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:08,720 of God forever and ever. Amen. 406 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:11,800 You can be thankful for his mercy. 407 00:26:12,360 --> 00:26:15,520 Psalm 136-O Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. 408 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:20,200 His mercy endures forever. Give thanks to the God of Gods, 409 00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:24,080 His mercy endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of 410 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:26,840 Lords. His mercy endures forever. 411 00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:33,760 I love that David can root his praise to God in mercy, because 412 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:36,200 mercy reminds us that we deserve nothing. 413 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:42,640 One of the healthy and good practices of being thankful 414 00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:45,960 people is that it completely humbles us. 415 00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:51,440 It's very difficult to be thankful and prideful at the 416 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:56,560 same time. You can practice some good 417 00:26:56,560 --> 00:27:00,000 etiquette and you can say thank you, but if the core of who you 418 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:03,720 are believes that you have what you have because of who you are, 419 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:08,600 your pride will keep you from realizing that every good and 420 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:11,000 perfect gift is actually from God in your life. 421 00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:15,720 So a fundamental point of theology is it is God's mercy 422 00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:17,960 that begins the fountain of Thanksgiving. 423 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:20,480 You deserve nothing and he gave you everything. 424 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:25,080 David doesn't deserve to be in the household of God any more 425 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:29,560 than Doac. And yet here he is protected, 426 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:34,080 cared for, living to write another worship song. 427 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:39,640 I love that David continues and it's not only rooted in the 428 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:43,040 mercy of God. He says I'll I'll praise you 429 00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:45,400 forever. Verse 9 because you've done it. 430 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:57,480 Being thankful is also important because it elevates us above the 431 00:27:57,480 --> 00:28:03,160 present hurts and pains of life. If all you can think about, all 432 00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:07,360 you can talk to God about is what's happening in the here and 433 00:28:07,360 --> 00:28:11,120 now, you'll be like a child trying to thank God on a bad 434 00:28:11,120 --> 00:28:15,560 day. But the discipline of 435 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:19,760 Thanksgiving is to exalt God so high that he exalts you above 436 00:28:19,760 --> 00:28:22,240 your present. And how do you do that? 437 00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:26,720 Well, everyone of you who came in and sang the praises of God 438 00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:30,080 this morning and you came knowing that you are part of the 439 00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:34,160 family of God this morning. You come standing on the 440 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:38,680 theology that God has done it. Your your membership of the body 441 00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:42,560 of Christ, your come freely and stand under the banner of grace 442 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:45,920 and hear his word and and receive the beautiful metaphors 443 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:47,400 and the conditions of this sermon. 444 00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:53,000 All for you is not because you set your alarm and you know you 445 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:55,280 were better than the guy who slept in and you made it to 446 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:58,160 church and you put on your Sunday's best and you're at this 447 00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:00,640 sermon and anything that you get from here on out, it's because 448 00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:04,040 you got yourself here. We are here because God's done 449 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:06,240 it. God is good. 450 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:09,640 God has revealed to us his plan for salvation that he so loved 451 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:13,000 us that yet while we were still sinners, he sent his Son to die. 452 00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:18,400 God has given us the grace to to believe and to receive the 453 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:22,640 goodness and every spiritual blessing under heaven is ours in 454 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:25,400 Christ Jesus, done and completed by God. 455 00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:32,080 And so one of the practices of being someone who can praise and 456 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:35,400 worship God beyond your circumstances is a practice of 457 00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:39,040 having a memory of what God has already done. 458 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:46,480 If you're struggling in the present, it might be time to 459 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:52,360 spend some time thinking about what God has done to answer your 460 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:57,600 prayer for salvation. The prayer you had to someday 461 00:29:57,760 --> 00:29:59,720 have a husband or a wife or the job that you have. 462 00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:02,240 And all the things that sometimes get put on the list of 463 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:06,240 hard and frustrating intense were once on the list of Lord, 464 00:30:06,240 --> 00:30:07,640 will you please give me these things? 465 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:12,720 And he's been good and he's done good things in your life. 466 00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:17,080 So remember to thank God for who he is and what he's done. 467 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:22,600 And then it says this verse 9. And I will praise you forever 468 00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:25,080 because you've done it. And in the presence of your 469 00:30:25,080 --> 00:30:29,160 Saints, I will wait on your name, for it is good. 470 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:37,320 This might be the hardest part and yet the most helpful part of 471 00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:38,960 our time in the Psalm this morning. 472 00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:41,600 We don't only thank God for what he's done. 473 00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:48,280 We are people that trust that God has given us testimonies of 474 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:52,280 his goodness in part that we would trust the future 475 00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:57,760 testimonies of its faithfulness. What he has done is not going to 476 00:30:57,760 --> 00:31:02,560 stop at the current trial. And I go back to the very 477 00:31:02,560 --> 00:31:07,440 beginning of trying to preach to a sanctuary that's got a a 478 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:08,960 variety of life going on right now. 479 00:31:08,960 --> 00:31:13,520 There are some of you who probably are going to take up 480 00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:15,760 all the time when you circle up and say what you're thankful for 481 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:17,720 cause your list is so long right now. 482 00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:25,520 This year has been amazing. And then there's the rest of us. 483 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:30,520 And it will be good for you to remember what God has done and 484 00:31:30,520 --> 00:31:32,520 to trust Him for the things that He's answered. 485 00:31:33,760 --> 00:31:36,120 But you also, This is your part of the sermon. 486 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:40,080 David is declaring the goodness of God in present time for 487 00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:43,120 tragedy that surrounds him. And he says this very important 488 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:45,400 part of Thanksgiving, the very end. 489 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:48,320 He says I will wait on your name. 490 00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:54,560 Some of you are going to thank God as you wait and you're 491 00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:59,640 thanking Him in advance. You're not thanking Him because 492 00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:01,760 you know every detail. You're thanking Him because you 493 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:05,880 know that when you wait on God, you are waiting for Him to do 494 00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:12,480 something good in your life. And so whatever your messenger, 495 00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:16,360 bad news is, whatever tragedy, whatever thing is, is trying to 496 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:19,600 pull you away from the Thanksgiving table, you are 497 00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:23,240 waiting for God to do something good. 498 00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:29,880 You're waiting for the promise that God works out all things in 499 00:32:29,880 --> 00:32:32,920 His sovereignty for those who love Him and are called 500 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:36,320 according to His purposes. You are waiting in faith that 501 00:32:36,320 --> 00:32:40,680 it's not good yet, but it will be. 502 00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:49,400 And that is one of the most difficult things you can do, but 503 00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:52,880 it is one of the most powerful things you can do. 504 00:32:54,360 --> 00:32:57,800 If you are going through it right now, your homework is to 505 00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:01,320 leave this place and say place and say, God, thank you for how 506 00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:03,920 you're going to answer. Thank you for how you're going 507 00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:05,200 to provide. Thank you for how you're going 508 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:06,640 to heal. Thank you for how you're going 509 00:33:06,640 --> 00:33:10,920 to work this out. I am worshipping you in advance. 510 00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:14,000 It'll be some of the sweetest time that you have in your life. 511 00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:18,240 David says in Psalm 27, I would have lost heart. 512 00:33:18,240 --> 00:33:23,200 I would have given us unless I believed that I would see the 513 00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:25,240 goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 514 00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:33,840 Therefore, wait, keep waiting. You're going to look back on 515 00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:35,560 this time in your life and you're going to say, you know 516 00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:39,760 what I'm thankful for? When I was going through it, God 517 00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:42,080 gave me the strength to endure and not give up. 518 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:47,280 Can I tell you how He answered? Just think back to a year ago. 519 00:33:47,280 --> 00:33:51,120 We didn't know all of the things that would unfold, good or bad, 520 00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:53,080 between Thanksgivings. And here you are. 521 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:56,200 Some some things that have happened this year were such 522 00:33:56,200 --> 00:33:59,920 surprising blessings and you have now the power in your 523 00:33:59,920 --> 00:34:04,960 testimony to say God did it and it's going to happen again. 524 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:09,120 You're going to go from this Thanksgiving table to another 525 00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:11,600 year of life and God is going to do things. 526 00:34:11,600 --> 00:34:14,000 You don't even know what they are yet, but you can thank Him 527 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:18,719 in advance. David says I will wait on your 528 00:34:18,719 --> 00:34:24,080 name for it is good. So whether you are running to 529 00:34:24,080 --> 00:34:29,360 the Thanksgiving table ready to praise God in real time for what 530 00:34:29,360 --> 00:34:32,840 He's been giving you and just the blessing of life, or you are 531 00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:36,280 going to thank Him in advance. We are all going to practice 532 00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:42,120 this profound moment the same way we do every week when we 533 00:34:42,120 --> 00:34:44,679 take Communion now to end our time together. 534 00:34:44,679 --> 00:34:46,560 This is like the feast of the believers. 535 00:34:47,199 --> 00:34:53,800 Communion is also called the Eucharist, which simply means 536 00:34:54,760 --> 00:34:58,480 thankfulness. We are giving thanks to God for 537 00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:02,240 what he has supplied, and this entire sermon can be summed up 538 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:06,520 in the bread and the cup, because we said we thank God for 539 00:35:06,520 --> 00:35:10,000 who he's made us to be. And in the bread and the cup we 540 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:12,600 remember that he made us to be the sheep of his pasture, an 541 00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:15,520 olive tree that endures sons and daughters of the king. 542 00:35:15,760 --> 00:35:20,120 Not because of what we've done, but because of the free gift of 543 00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:24,760 grace adopted into the family by the good news that God so loved 544 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:27,360 the world that anyone who believes won't perish. 545 00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:32,120 He made us to be sons and daughter, daughters of the King 546 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:34,320 of Kings. We hold it in our hands by the 547 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:38,240 power of His body and the blood, and then we say we remember for 548 00:35:38,240 --> 00:35:40,080 who He is. That's why we're thanking him. 549 00:35:40,200 --> 00:35:41,840 We hold it in our hands. Who is he? 550 00:35:44,320 --> 00:35:49,120 He's no ordinary God, no ordinary idea. 551 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:57,200 It is the God that sent his Son in, did not consider robbery or 552 00:35:57,280 --> 00:36:01,120 equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself and 553 00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:08,880 came in a Manger to live among us, to die on our behalf. 554 00:36:08,880 --> 00:36:15,000 That's who God is. His mercy is seen fully on the 555 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:17,800 cross. And then we say we remember what 556 00:36:17,800 --> 00:36:21,200 he did as he lay, as he died on the cross, paying the penalty of 557 00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:23,240 our sins. He said it is finished, 558 00:36:23,240 --> 00:36:25,880 salvation is complete. It is not in question. 559 00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:29,880 It is what He has done. And we said, well, thank him for 560 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:33,600 what He's going to do. There's coming today and He's 561 00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:35,120 going to put everything into order. 562 00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:39,520 You'll never need a preacher to remind you to be thankful when 563 00:36:39,520 --> 00:36:42,240 the new heavens and the new earth and every tear is wiped 564 00:36:42,240 --> 00:36:45,000 away and every tongue is confessing and every knee is 565 00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:48,320 bowing that the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords is on the 566 00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:50,520 throne and we're his people. That would. 567 00:36:50,520 --> 00:36:54,280 That's what He's going to do. And as we wait for that day, He 568 00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:58,240 is working every detail of your life together for good until you 569 00:36:58,240 --> 00:37:02,600 see Him face to face. Thanks for joining us today. 570 00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:05,600 If you would like to watch the full service, check out the link 571 00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:08,440 in the description. For next steps and to learn 572 00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:10,720 more, visit calvaryboise.com.