1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:03,320 Most of us probably have never heard of the man by the name of 2 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:09,080 Martin Rinkard, but he was the son of a coppersmith and he was 3 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:14,080 raised in a very poor family. But he decided one day to make 4 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,280 sure he furthered his education, especially in the realm of 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:21,080 theology. Upon his graduation, he became a 6 00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:26,360 pastor in his his hometown of Eidenberg, Germany in the year 7 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:31,280 1617. The interesting thing about that 8 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:41,840 is in the year 1618 the 30 years war in Europe broke out and 9 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:46,720 Martin Rinkert only only pastored for 32 years. 10 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:54,840 So 30 of the 32 years he was engulfed in war and conflict. 11 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:03,040 In the year 1637, a massive plague began to sweep through 12 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:08,560 all of Europe. And then once it reached his 13 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:12,960 town of Eidenberg, people began to die in droves. 14 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,400 They say that 50 people a day died. 15 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:26,640 A total of 8000 people died in that town alone, and Martin was 16 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:31,880 the man who ended up burying most of them because all of his 17 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:36,160 pastor friends died in the plague. 18 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:43,240 Another person who died in the plague was his very own wife, so 19 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:48,880 he buried her as well. In all, over the 30 years war, 8 20 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:56,640 million people were killed. And so 30 of the 32 years of his 21 00:01:56,640 --> 00:02:02,240 pastoral ministry, he embarked on war and conflict. 22 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:08,440 Loss, plague, disease, pain. He spent his whole ministry 23 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,120 comforting those who had lost loved ones. 24 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:16,640 He spent his whole ministry trying to help bury those who 25 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:20,600 had died. He spent his ministry trying to 26 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:24,320 help people understand the the sovereignty of God and the 27 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:30,480 presence of God in their lives. And during that time, he he 28 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:36,680 wrote a hymn, A hymn that is in our hymn book even today. 29 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:41,600 And he wrote that hymn specifically because he wanted 30 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:45,600 the people of Eilenberg to understand that the only way 31 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:50,720 through their adversity was through Thanksgiving. 32 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:58,800 So he wrote this hymn called Now we Think We All are God. 33 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:05,880 This is how it goes. Now we think we all are God with 34 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:12,360 heart and hands and voices, who wondrous things hath done, in 35 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:18,840 whom his world rejoices, who from our Mother's arms hath 36 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:24,840 blessed us on our way with countless gifts of love, and 37 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:31,200 still is ours today. O May, this bounty is God 38 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:37,320 through all our life, be near us with ever joyful hearts and 39 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:44,680 blessed peace to cheer us and keep us in His grace, and guide 40 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:51,360 us when perplexed, and free us from all ills in this world and 41 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:56,640 the next. All praise and thanks to God the 42 00:03:56,640 --> 00:04:02,680 Father now be given the Son and Him who reigns with them in 43 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:08,840 highest heaven, the one eternal God, whom earth and heaven 44 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:17,120 adore, For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore. 45 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:24,040 He wrote that Him in the midst of all the pain that He himself 46 00:04:24,840 --> 00:04:30,960 had experienced, but knew that the only way to make it through 47 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:38,840 the hardship of his life was to give thanks and to rejoice in 48 00:04:38,840 --> 00:04:44,600 his God. A lesson that He understood 49 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:53,200 because He, like us, was on the pathway to praise, a pathway 50 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:55,240 that would take Him one day into glory. 51 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:01,520 But He understood Isaiah 43 verse #21 that the, the people 52 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:05,880 who are called by My name, they, they will declare my praise. 53 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:12,080 He understood that. He also understood Psalm 147 54 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:19,200 verse #1 which says for it is good to sing praises to God, for 55 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:27,080 it is pleasant, and praise is becoming or beautiful or 56 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:33,000 fitting. He understood that when when we 57 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:41,000 neglect to give joy and praise to God, life loses its luster, 58 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:49,480 our soul loses its song. And Martin Rinkert wasn't about 59 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:54,440 to lose the luster of the beauty of his life by not giving praise 60 00:05:54,440 --> 00:06:00,200 to God, but simply to thank him and to honor his blessed name. 61 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:08,360 And that's what he did. Thus, all these years later, we 62 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:17,200 sing this hymn, and yet very few of us understand that in the 63 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:20,560 midst of whatever it is we're going through, the only way 64 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:26,760 through it and the only way out of it is through hymns of 65 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:30,240 Thanksgiving and praise to our God. 66 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:34,800 And so to better understand that, we've embarked on this 67 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:37,200 journey called The Pathway to Praise. 68 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:42,160 We began several weeks ago looking at the privilege of 69 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,000 praise. Then we looked at the profit of 70 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:50,000 praise, then the people of praise, then the prerequisites, 71 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:53,360 the praise. Last week it was the priority of 72 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:59,440 praise. This week, it's the purpose of 73 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:06,240 praise. What is the purpose of praise? 74 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:11,480 Well, we're going to give you 4 then this morning. 75 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:17,320 The first one you will readily recognize. 76 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:22,400 The next three, maybe not so much. 77 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:26,880 But in all reality, they build 1 upon the other. 78 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:34,520 And when you understand the purpose of praise, the pathway 79 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:39,160 to praise becomes a whole lot smoother. 80 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:47,680 So point #1 is this that the purpose of praise primarily is 81 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:59,000 to fulfill a command from God. You understand that praise 82 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:04,480 fulfills the command from God. I've told you the last couple of 83 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:07,680 weeks that the most frequently repeated command that all of 84 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:15,480 Scripture is to either rejoice always or to praise the Lord or 85 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:21,880 to give thanks to His name. The Bible records that command 86 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:24,720 to give thanks 85 different times. 87 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:35,200 It it commands us to praise the Lord 250 times, and it commands 88 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:42,200 us to rejoice 300 times. So well over 600 times in the 89 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:47,400 Bible we are commanded to to give praise to God, to rejoice 90 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:50,640 always, to give thanks to his name. 91 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:56,560 It's a command that we obey. Paul would know that. 92 00:08:56,560 --> 00:09:00,040 And so when he wrote to those in Thessalonica, he said, for he 93 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:05,200 simply this rejoice always, pray without ceasing in everything. 94 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:08,000 Give thanks. For this is the will of God in 95 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:11,640 Christ Jesus concerning you. It is God's will for you to be 96 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:16,120 joyful, prayerful, and thankful. These are commands that God has 97 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:19,360 given to us and we are to obey them. 98 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:26,040 We are to follow them, the Bible says in First Timothy chapter 2 99 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:32,760 verse #1 First of all then, I urge that entreaties and prayers 100 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:39,800 and petitions and Thanksgiving be made on behalf of all men for 101 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:43,880 kings and all who are in authority. 102 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:54,520 God says, I command you to not just pray for your kings, not 103 00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:58,000 just petition me about those in authority, but I want you to 104 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:02,480 give thanks for all your kings and all those in authority. 105 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:10,280 I'm sure that you pray for our governor, but do you thank the 106 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:16,520 Lord for our governor? I'm sure you pray for our 107 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:22,360 president, but do you thank the Lord for your president? 108 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:30,600 I'm sure you pray for your spouse, but do you thank the 109 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:35,360 Lord for your spouse? I'm sure you pray for your boss 110 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:38,920 at work. You should, but do you give 111 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:44,080 thanks to God for your boss at work? 112 00:10:45,560 --> 00:10:50,720 Someone has said this. When a person prays without 113 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:57,120 Thanksgiving, he has clipped the wings of prayer so that it 114 00:10:57,120 --> 00:11:02,680 cannot rise. So you pray for your governor, 115 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:06,440 but you don't thank the Lord for your governor, so your prayers 116 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:10,840 do not rise. You petition the Lord on behalf 117 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:14,120 of your boss, but you don't give thanks to God for your boss, and 118 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:17,720 therefore your prayers refuse to rise. 119 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:26,280 We forget that Thanksgiving and praise and prayer go hand in 120 00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:30,160 hand. You can't have one without the 121 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:34,360 other. It's imperative that we we 122 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:37,920 understand this. We, we are to be anxious for 123 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:40,760 nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with 124 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:44,040 Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. 125 00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:50,800 So the reason we don't rid ourselves of anxiety is not 126 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:53,920 because we don't pray. We do, but we don't pray with 127 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:57,920 Thanksgiving. And therefore our anxiousness 128 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:03,520 resides within us still because we refuse to praise the Lord and 129 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:08,280 therefore clip the wings of prayer so they do not rise 130 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:17,400 praise. Thanksgiving fulfills a command 131 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:24,840 from God. It says in John chapter 14, 132 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:33,480 these words verse #15 If you love me, you will keep my 133 00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:39,000 commandments. So put it into today's message. 134 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:41,840 If you love me, you will praise me. 135 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:48,160 You will give thanks to me, You will rejoice in me if you love 136 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:55,960 me, He says down in verse #23 If anyone loves me, he will keep my 137 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:57,240 word. What's my word? 138 00:12:57,240 --> 00:13:02,200 My command to give thanks and to praise me. 139 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:06,640 And my Father will love him, and we will make our abode with Him. 140 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:13,600 He who does not love me does not keep my words, and the word 141 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:18,840 which you here is not mine, but the fathers who sent me. 142 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:22,440 If you love me, you'll praise me. 143 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:26,240 If you love me, you'll give thanks to me. 144 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:29,400 Because it's a command that God has given. 145 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:33,240 And He made it very clear that if you love me, you'll keep my 146 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:37,360 commandments. Excuse me. 147 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:40,720 So he says this in verse 21 of John 14. 148 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:47,080 He who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves 149 00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:53,120 me, who loves me, will be loved by my Father, and I will love 150 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:59,520 him and will disclose myself to him. 151 00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:05,800 In other words, if you love me, you will praise me. 152 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:12,920 If you praise me, I will manifest myself to you. 153 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:18,760 I will disclose myself to you if you praise me, if you give 154 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:23,040 thanks, if you obey the most frequently repeated command in 155 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:27,920 the Scriptures, I will manifest myself to you in such a way that 156 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:31,320 you will understand me. And one of the reasons we have a 157 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:34,960 hard time comprehending God is because we refuse to obey the 158 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:39,560 command to give thanks to Him, to praise Him, or to rejoice in 159 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:44,000 Him. And so #2 point #2 is this. 160 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:50,360 If praise fulfills the commandment from God, then 161 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:56,320 praise is that which furthers my consciousness of God. 162 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:07,600 Praise furthers my consciousness of God. 163 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:18,720 A thankful spirit is the single greatest act of personal worship 164 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:22,640 because it recognizes God for who he is. 165 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:31,000 So if I give praise to God, if I obey the command of God to 166 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:38,360 rejoice always, then what God does is He manifests Himself to 167 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:42,720 me. He furthers my consciousness of 168 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:48,640 His existence, of His presence, of who He is. 169 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:53,720 For example, He furthers my consciousness of His Holiness. 170 00:15:54,840 --> 00:16:03,320 The Bible says in Psalm 30 verse #4 Give thanks at the 171 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:10,760 remembrance of His holy name. Give thanks at the remembrance 172 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:15,080 of His holy name. In Psalm 99, God three times 173 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:18,360 says that He is holy, that we are to give thanks to Him. 174 00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:21,720 For the Lord your God is a holy God. 175 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:27,040 Stephen Charnock has written voluminously about the 176 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:31,360 attributes of God. In it he says this is about 177 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:35,400 God's holiness. He says God's holiness is the 178 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:42,680 crown of all His attributes, the life of all His decrees, the 179 00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:45,720 brightness of all of his actions. 180 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:51,160 Nothing is decreed by Him, nothing is acted by Him, but 181 00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:57,280 what is worthy of the dignity and becoming the honor of this 182 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:02,280 attribute. In other words, God is a God of 183 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:04,599 grace, and that grace is a holy grace. 184 00:17:05,839 --> 00:17:09,200 God is a God of love, and that God is a holy love. 185 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:14,480 Our God is a God of wrath, and that wrath is a holy wrath. 186 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:20,680 Our God is a God of justice, and it's a holy justice. 187 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:23,640 Our God is a God of righteousness. 188 00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:32,000 It's a holy righteousness. The law of the Lord is holy. 189 00:17:33,360 --> 00:17:38,720 He's given us His Spirit. It's called the Holy Spirit. 190 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:43,520 So in other words, when we fulfill a command given to us by 191 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:47,280 God, it furthers our consciousness of God by helping 192 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:54,160 us to understand not just His Holiness, but even His nearness. 193 00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:58,720 Listen to what the Bible says over in Psalm 75 verse #1 Unto 194 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:06,080 thee, O God, do we give thanks, for thy name is near. 195 00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:12,000 I give thanks because Lord, you are near, You are present. 196 00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:17,920 Paul would say in Philippians chapter 4 verse #4 Rejoice in 197 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:20,360 the Lord always. And again I say, rejoice. 198 00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:26,800 Why does he say that verse 5 for the Lord is near and because the 199 00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:29,760 Lord is near be anxious for nothing but in everything my 200 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:31,360 prayer and suffocation with Thanksgiving. 201 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:33,760 Let your requests be made note unto God. 202 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:39,040 So there's this rejoice always. Then there's this prayer with 203 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:42,200 Thanksgiving, but right in between there is the Lord is 204 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:46,280 near. So when I fulfill A commandment 205 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:50,520 from God to give praise to His name, it furthers my 206 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:54,600 consciousness of God. Not just His Holiness, but His 207 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:57,880 nearness. And not just His nearness, but 208 00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:02,200 His willingness. Listen to what the Bible says. 209 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:09,640 The Bible says this in 2nd Corinthians 915. 210 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:15,360 Thanks being to God for His indescribable gift. 211 00:19:16,120 --> 00:19:17,920 What's the gift? The gift of the eternal life. 212 00:19:18,120 --> 00:19:19,600 How did we receive the gift of eternal life? 213 00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:23,680 Because of His willingness to come and die, right? 214 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:28,320 He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might be made 215 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:30,920 the righteousness of God in Him. He willingly did that. 216 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:36,120 He did not think equality with God something to be grasped, but 217 00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:39,200 He willingly took on the form of a servant, became a man and 218 00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:43,520 died. The Bible says, For you know the 219 00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:46,560 grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, yet 220 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:49,560 for your sake he became poor. That youth through his poverty 221 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:53,600 might become rich. He did that willingly. 222 00:19:55,040 --> 00:20:00,680 And when you fulfill a command to to God to rejoice always, to 223 00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:04,040 to give thanks to Him, to praise His glorious name, it 224 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:10,000 automatically furthers your consciousness of who God is by 225 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:14,480 understanding His Holiness. By understanding his nearness, 226 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:17,600 by understanding his willingness, by understanding 227 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:24,600 his forgiveness, Paul would say in First Timothy 112, I thank 228 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:30,440 Christ Jesus my Lord for he because of him I was shown 229 00:20:31,120 --> 00:20:39,040 mercy, Mercy. I was forgiven, the Bible says 230 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:47,160 in Nehemiah 917 Thou art a God of forgiveness. 231 00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:57,520 Ephesians 432 God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us. 232 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:05,880 That's what our Lord has done. And whenever I fulfill A 233 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:15,360 commandment by God to obey Him because I love him, He discloses 234 00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:19,320 himself to me. It furthers my consciousness of 235 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:24,080 God that I might understand who he is and what He's done. 236 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:27,960 If you go through the through the Bible, you can understand 237 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:30,280 more about his greatness, more about his goodness, more about 238 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:33,720 his loving kindness, more about his graciousness, more about his 239 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:37,040 uniqueness as God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy 240 00:21:37,040 --> 00:21:39,360 Spirit. All that is just open up to me 241 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:42,360 because I've obeyed the commandment of God, because I 242 00:21:42,360 --> 00:21:50,760 love him so. So the Bible teaches that when I 243 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:55,960 give thanks to God and praise his glorious name, it fulfills A 244 00:21:55,960 --> 00:22:01,160 commandment from God. And once it fulfills the 245 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:03,920 commandment from God, it furthers my consciousness of 246 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:12,080 God. And then it forges my 247 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:19,520 convictions about God. It forges my convictions. 248 00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:25,440 It solidifies my convictions. It strengthens my convictions. 249 00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:29,360 It shapes my convictions about God. 250 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:36,920 Think of Martin Rinkert when he would fulfill A commandment by 251 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:42,360 God to give thanks. It helped him understand and see 252 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:51,760 God for who he is and only shaped and solidified his 253 00:22:51,760 --> 00:23:01,040 convictions about God. You can see that in the life of 254 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:08,680 Jonah as he sat in the belly of the fish, his convictions about 255 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:15,280 God were forged. Or Job after you'd lost 256 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:19,680 everything in Job 121. The Lord gives and the Lord 257 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:21,840 takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. 258 00:23:23,640 --> 00:23:27,360 His convictions were only forged all the more through his adverse 259 00:23:27,360 --> 00:23:33,160 circumstances. Or even Habakkuk looked at him 260 00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:34,960 last week. Habakkuk chapter 3. 261 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:40,960 His convictions were forged all the more when he became 262 00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:45,320 conscious about his God and his sovereignty and his wisdom. 263 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:52,400 But how about Daniel the prophet? 264 00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:58,280 Turn back with me, if you would, to Daniel chapter 6. 265 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:10,120 Daniel chapter 6. Daniel is the one man who led in 266 00:24:10,120 --> 00:24:19,440 two world empires. Daniel was taken off into 267 00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:25,880 captivity when he was around 16 years of age. 268 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:35,160 He was taken from his family. He was taken from his town. 269 00:24:37,360 --> 00:24:45,040 He was hauled off into captivity for 70 years and yet all the 270 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:51,920 while Daniel was one who fulfilled A commandment from God 271 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:58,760 by giving thanks to the Lord, and it only furthered his 272 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:04,320 consciousness of God and only forged his convictions about 273 00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:12,440 God. And he was one who would pray 274 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:18,440 and give Thanksgiving to God every single day. 275 00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:27,720 When you come to Daniel chapter 6, he overseas the 120 different 276 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:32,840 state traps and commissioners in the land. 277 00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:38,800 He's put in charge. And those who did not know the 278 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:42,880 Lord, we're not happy that Daniel was put in charge. 279 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:52,720 And so they came against him, trying to defame the man's name 280 00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:56,960 and to get him removed from his position of authority. 281 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:04,000 Understand that that Daniel was there primarily because of the 282 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:07,320 sovereignty of God. God placed him there. 283 00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:11,960 God put him there. God was going to use him there. 284 00:26:14,360 --> 00:26:17,400 But there was something about the person humanly that was 285 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:21,000 unique because the Bible says in Daniel 6 verse #4 that he had an 286 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:27,720 extraordinary spirit. It wasn't what everybody else 287 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:29,960 had. He his character was, was 288 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:33,040 unique. And it goes on to say in verse 289 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:37,280 number #5 and six that he was faithful to his God. 290 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:43,600 He was committed to his God. And so from the divine 291 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:45,560 standpoint, God placed him there. 292 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:50,160 But from the human standpoint, he was a man of great character 293 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:56,760 who honored his God. And so the efforts of those he 294 00:26:56,760 --> 00:27:04,720 oversaw to discredit him, they could find nothing about the 295 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:07,480 man. They could find nothing in the 296 00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:10,240 man because he was of supreme integrity. 297 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:19,680 And so they decided to have the king, King Darius, sign a decree 298 00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:27,240 that you could not bow down and worship or pray to any other God 299 00:27:29,360 --> 00:27:36,600 than the great king himself. So Darius did, and this is 300 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:41,760 Daniel's response in verse #10 Now when Daniel knew that the 301 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:44,560 document was signed, he entered his house. 302 00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:48,760 Now, in his roof chamber he had windows open towards Jerusalem. 303 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:56,000 He continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying 304 00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:04,760 and giving thanks before his God as he had been previously doing. 305 00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:09,640 He did the same thing he always did. 306 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:16,440 He prayed and he praised his God. 307 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:23,880 You see, we we get so wrapped up in preserving and protecting our 308 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:33,080 lives that we forget to pray and to praise the God who truly is 309 00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:35,040 the protector and preserver of our life. 310 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:41,080 So because we forget to pray and praise the God who protects and 311 00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:45,760 preserves, we set out a journey to protect and to preserve our 312 00:28:45,760 --> 00:28:50,080 own lives as if we are God of our lives and the true God of 313 00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:57,000 the universe is not. But Daniel knew that the only 314 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:02,640 way to be protected and preserved was to pray and to 315 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:05,080 praise. So we did. 316 00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:09,080 He knew the outcome. He knew what was going to 317 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:13,960 happen. But his convictions were forged 318 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:19,880 in conflict. His convictions were shaped and 319 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:25,160 molded in conflict because he had fulfilled the command from 320 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:29,480 God that furthered his consciousness of God, that 321 00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:32,600 forged his convictions about his God. 322 00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:43,120 He wasn't afraid, wasn't scared. He distrusted Darius, was a 323 00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:50,080 strong because he loved Daniel, but he knew there was no way out 324 00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:55,320 of the document that he signed. So Daniel was thrown into the 325 00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:57,440 lion's den. Of course, you know the story. 326 00:29:58,400 --> 00:29:59,920 Almost everybody knows the story. 327 00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:08,880 But in the very next day, Darius wakes up at dawn, verse 19, at 328 00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:11,960 the break of day, and went in haste to the lion's den. 329 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:16,080 When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a 330 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:19,000 troubled voice. The king spoke and said to 331 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:23,320 Daniel, Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom 332 00:30:23,320 --> 00:30:29,920 you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions? 333 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:36,040 Then Daniel spoke to the king. O king, live forever. 334 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:40,120 My God sent his Angel and shut the lion's mouths. 335 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:45,760 They have not harmed me it as much as I was found innocent 336 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:50,760 before him. And also towards you, O King, I 337 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:59,240 have committed no crying. Incredible narrative the Lord 338 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:05,680 gives us about Daniel. My God was able to do exactly 339 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:10,880 what he said He would do. The Bible says in Ephesians 340 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:14,640 chapter 3 that our God is able to do exceeding abundantly above 341 00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:17,320 all that we can ever ask or think according to the power 342 00:31:17,320 --> 00:31:21,040 that works within us. Our God's able to do that. 343 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:27,480 He's able to go way beyond what we can ever ask or think because 344 00:31:27,480 --> 00:31:33,040 he's equipped us with his power. And I wonder if, if if you have, 345 00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:37,040 you have seen that in your life and in your family that your God 346 00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:40,720 is able to do way beyond what you can ever imagine, what you 347 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:43,200 can ever conjure up in your mind. 348 00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:51,840 Because of the power that works within us, our God is able to do 349 00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:59,840 incredible things. But if we disobey a command 350 00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:05,640 which says we are to give thanks in everything, we are to rejoice 351 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:08,200 always, we are to praise His glorious name. 352 00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:12,600 And God gives us that command repeatedly all throughout the 353 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:18,920 Scriptures. If we don't do that, then we 354 00:32:18,920 --> 00:32:25,000 will not receive a further understanding of who God is, and 355 00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:28,320 therefore our convictions about Him will become very, very weak. 356 00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:38,560 But not Daniel, not Job, not Paul, not those heroes of faith 357 00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:42,800 in Hebrews Chapter 11. No, their convictions were 358 00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:47,480 shaped and strengthened and solidified because they were 359 00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:52,480 people of praise. So what is the purpose of praise 360 00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:57,040 Number one? It fulfills a command from God 361 00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:05,520 #2 it furthers our consciousness of God #3 it forges our 362 00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:12,600 convictions about God. And once it does that, it just 363 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:26,960 fuels our commitment to God. It fuels our commitment to God. 364 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:35,960 It's almost like our commitment is set ablaze with passion, with 365 00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:40,160 drive. And so our commitment to God 366 00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:48,480 never wavers, never goes by the wayside simply because we 367 00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:54,360 understand who our God is. We shared with you Acts 16 about 368 00:33:54,360 --> 00:33:56,200 Paul and Silas when they're in prison. 369 00:33:57,840 --> 00:33:59,680 Paul and Silas were men of praise. 370 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:05,800 They fulfilled the commandment from God, thus further in their 371 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:09,040 consciousness of God, thus forging their convictions about 372 00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:13,159 this God they served only fueled their commitment while they were 373 00:34:13,159 --> 00:34:21,840 in prison to praise and to pray to their God without ever 374 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:25,600 knowing they would be set free from the shackles that 375 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:31,560 enraptured them. Same is true with the apostles 376 00:34:31,560 --> 00:34:34,880 of Acts chapter 5. They were men of praise. 377 00:34:34,880 --> 00:34:36,600 Read Acts 2. The early church gathered 378 00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:39,080 together and they praised God daily. 379 00:34:39,199 --> 00:34:42,360 They were a people of praise. They understood that they were 380 00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:46,400 on this this pathway that it was all about praise and they 381 00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:49,600 understood the the priority of praise and they understood the 382 00:34:49,600 --> 00:34:52,440 prerequisites to praise. And, and they completely 383 00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:55,440 understood that they were a people of praise that had been 384 00:34:55,440 --> 00:34:58,880 formed by God for his glory and for his honor that they would 385 00:34:58,880 --> 00:35:01,160 declare his praise. They understood that they they 386 00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:05,400 understood that praise was befitting, becoming, beautifying 387 00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:07,840 their lives. They understood that they praise 388 00:35:07,840 --> 00:35:17,880 God daily, so when they were flogged and and beaten, all they 389 00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:20,920 did was rejoice because their convictions had already been 390 00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:27,160 forged and just fuel their commitment, all of them more to 391 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:30,360 keep on preaching the Word even though they were beaten because 392 00:35:30,360 --> 00:35:33,800 they did. What a great testimony. 393 00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:43,640 If you got your Bible, turn me for a moment to John's Gospel, 394 00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:56,910 the 6th chapter. Giving thanks to God truly fuels 395 00:35:58,950 --> 00:36:04,230 your commitment. And we're going to use Jesus as 396 00:36:04,230 --> 00:36:08,990 the illustration because he was committed to doing the Father's 397 00:36:08,990 --> 00:36:14,880 will, was he not? And in John chapter 6, you had 398 00:36:14,880 --> 00:36:20,200 you had the feeding of the 5000. It's the only miracle in the 399 00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:22,560 Bible outside of the resurrection that's recorded at 400 00:36:22,560 --> 00:36:27,360 all four Gospels. And so there's, there's a reason 401 00:36:27,360 --> 00:36:33,240 why Matthew, Mark, Luke and John recorded this miracle. 402 00:36:34,600 --> 00:36:38,000 Yes, it's because they were under the inspiration of God and 403 00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:43,600 yes, they were obedient to God. But yet if it's repeated 4 times 404 00:36:44,160 --> 00:36:51,240 and the only miracle that is it must be significant, it must be 405 00:36:51,240 --> 00:36:57,240 important to understand, we, we must grasp the meaning of this 406 00:36:57,240 --> 00:37:02,080 marvelous meal that was beyond anything we could ever 407 00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:05,080 understand. Because he only counted to the 408 00:37:05,080 --> 00:37:08,640 men in those days. So it's 5000 men not counting 409 00:37:08,640 --> 00:37:11,400 their wives and not counting their children. 410 00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:15,000 And Jewish families tended to be large families, not small 411 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:16,640 families. So you think of somewhere 412 00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:21,920 between 20 to 25,000 people, a lot of people. 413 00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:29,440 And they come to the end of the day and Christ asks the 414 00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:33,400 question. He asked a question to all the 415 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:39,360 men, but he specifically asked Philip because Philip is from 416 00:37:39,360 --> 00:37:47,400 Beseda and the feeding of the 5000 takes place in Beseda. 417 00:37:50,400 --> 00:37:53,840 And he asked a question, not because the Lord is looking for 418 00:37:53,840 --> 00:37:56,840 information. Our Lord doesn't need any 419 00:37:56,840 --> 00:37:59,400 information. There's nothing He doesn't know. 420 00:38:00,760 --> 00:38:05,240 So when the Lord asks a question, it's not for His 421 00:38:05,240 --> 00:38:10,680 information, it's for your illumination. 422 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:17,680 So you want to understand, so you will grasp what it is God is 423 00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:23,840 doing. And He asked the question for 424 00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:30,840 the purpose of examination, because he was going to test his 425 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:34,280 men. They had been with him and seen 426 00:38:34,280 --> 00:38:40,400 him perform many, many miracles. So when he asked the question, 427 00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:47,680 verse #5 where are we to buy bread so that these may eat? 428 00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:52,560 He, he's thinking now that they're, they, they, they've 429 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:57,720 seen the miracles. There's no reason to doubt that 430 00:38:57,720 --> 00:38:59,560 God can do whatever he wants to do. 431 00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:06,920 But instead, they begin to think through things logically, 432 00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:18,240 rationally, humanly. He asked Phillip because he's 433 00:39:18,240 --> 00:39:21,680 from Beseda, and maybe he knows about all the restaurants in 434 00:39:21,680 --> 00:39:23,960 Beseda. Maybe he knows about fast food 435 00:39:23,960 --> 00:39:26,680 places that are open after dark in Beseda. 436 00:39:26,800 --> 00:39:30,240 Maybe Phillip knows the place, the location where there will be 437 00:39:30,240 --> 00:39:33,560 enough food to feed 25,000 people. 438 00:39:37,440 --> 00:39:45,880 But the answer Give him my Phillip is 200 anari worth of 439 00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:52,640 bread is not sufficient for them for everyone to receive even a 440 00:39:52,640 --> 00:40:01,040 little anari was one day's wage. 200 days wages is not nearly 441 00:40:01,040 --> 00:40:10,520 enough to defeat all the people they're they're thinking in 442 00:40:10,520 --> 00:40:14,280 terms of. Of pennies. 443 00:40:14,280 --> 00:40:22,280 But they're not thinking in terms of power, they're thinking 444 00:40:22,280 --> 00:40:26,640 from a logical perspective. None of them money. 445 00:40:28,760 --> 00:40:33,160 And you finds a lad with a couple of fishes and a few 446 00:40:33,160 --> 00:40:37,800 loaves of bread, brings them to the Lord. 447 00:40:39,600 --> 00:40:43,760 That's all we got. Don't have anything else. 448 00:40:46,080 --> 00:40:54,000 So listen to what the Lord says in verse #6 this He was saying 449 00:40:54,000 --> 00:41:01,400 to test Him, for He himself knew what He was intending to do. 450 00:41:04,040 --> 00:41:10,240 That little phrase is enormous. He test them, He gives them an 451 00:41:10,240 --> 00:41:16,600 examination because he wants to know where they are with their 452 00:41:16,600 --> 00:41:22,280 perception of God. He wants to know what they're 453 00:41:22,280 --> 00:41:26,160 thinking about what God can do. But they're not thinking about 454 00:41:26,160 --> 00:41:28,760 what God can do. They're thinking about what they 455 00:41:28,760 --> 00:41:33,600 can do. And yet that little phrase 456 00:41:33,600 --> 00:41:38,640 speaks volumes as to our relationship with the Lord, 457 00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:46,000 because the Lord always knows what He intends to do with your 458 00:41:46,000 --> 00:41:49,800 situation. He's got a plan. 459 00:41:49,800 --> 00:41:54,400 He knows what he's going to, what he's going to do. 460 00:41:54,480 --> 00:42:01,640 And miss your difficulty, miss your pain, because he has a 461 00:42:01,640 --> 00:42:05,800 plan. But He also knew not just what 462 00:42:05,800 --> 00:42:11,600 he he intended to do at that moment, but He knew what He 463 00:42:11,600 --> 00:42:16,600 intended to do for the salvation of lost souls. 464 00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:23,040 He knew what He intended to do because if you read go down to 465 00:42:23,040 --> 00:42:29,680 verse #11 it says Jesus then took the loaves and having given 466 00:42:31,040 --> 00:42:38,040 thanks, I would have loved to have been there to hear the 467 00:42:38,040 --> 00:42:44,440 prayer of Thanksgiving that God would give there on the northern 468 00:42:44,440 --> 00:42:49,560 shores of the Sea of Galilee, the little village called Beseda 469 00:42:51,440 --> 00:42:58,600 with 25,000 people around. I wonder what the prayer of 470 00:42:58,600 --> 00:43:03,640 Thanksgiving sounded like coming from the lips of the Son of God. 471 00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:11,520 Bob didn't tell us. It's just that he took the bread 472 00:43:13,280 --> 00:43:18,920 and he gave thanks. I really truly believe that it 473 00:43:18,920 --> 00:43:26,880 fueled his commitment to fulfill the Father's will because later 474 00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:32,400 on in John Six, he, he would end up talking about bread from 475 00:43:32,400 --> 00:43:36,200 heaven. That he was the manner that came 476 00:43:36,200 --> 00:43:40,840 down out of heaven, that he that he was actually the bread of 477 00:43:40,840 --> 00:43:45,440 life. Knowing that he would sacrifice 478 00:43:45,440 --> 00:43:46,920 his life. And then on the eve of the 479 00:43:46,920 --> 00:43:50,360 crucifixion, he would take the bread, He would break the bread. 480 00:43:50,440 --> 00:43:53,880 He would give thanks for the bread, which was representative 481 00:43:53,880 --> 00:43:59,080 of his body and said this bread is my body which is given for 482 00:43:59,080 --> 00:44:01,800 you. Do this in remembrance of me. 483 00:44:04,080 --> 00:44:06,040 So you go back to John chapter 6. 484 00:44:06,240 --> 00:44:09,960 And this prayer of giving thanks goes way beyond thanking the 485 00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:13,680 Lord for some fishes and some bread that He was going to 486 00:44:13,680 --> 00:44:17,440 multiply over and over again. I mean, actually, just think 487 00:44:17,440 --> 00:44:20,320 about it. He could have just said bread 488 00:44:21,320 --> 00:44:27,280 for everyone and they all would have had bread, fish for 489 00:44:27,280 --> 00:44:30,400 everyone and they all could have had fish. 490 00:44:31,680 --> 00:44:36,120 But that's not what he did. He, he gave this instruction for 491 00:44:36,120 --> 00:44:40,200 his men to set them down into groups of 50 and 100. 492 00:44:42,040 --> 00:44:43,680 And then they would come back to him. 493 00:44:43,840 --> 00:44:45,720 They would receive fish and bread. 494 00:44:45,880 --> 00:44:49,040 They would take it to those groups, come back, receive more 495 00:44:49,120 --> 00:44:52,640 fish and bread, take it to the next group, come back, receive 496 00:44:52,640 --> 00:44:55,360 more fish and bread. And they just kept doing it over 497 00:44:55,360 --> 00:45:01,200 and over and over again. And they only had just a few 498 00:45:01,200 --> 00:45:06,760 fishes and bread to begin with. But God was using these men in 499 00:45:06,760 --> 00:45:11,400 an exercise that would help fuel their faith and their commitment 500 00:45:11,400 --> 00:45:15,880 to God to give thanks for all that He does and how He provides 501 00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:18,120 because He's a great provider of man. 502 00:45:21,680 --> 00:45:26,960 It was all said and done. They had 12 baskets full of 503 00:45:26,960 --> 00:45:31,840 bread and fish and the word for basket in John Sixes cofinos, 504 00:45:32,880 --> 00:45:37,720 which were a little coffin like baskets that would keep their 505 00:45:37,720 --> 00:45:43,760 food for the day. And God was showing them that 506 00:45:43,760 --> 00:45:49,520 they would have food for their meal on the next day. 507 00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:55,200 And God was giving thanks because he was doing something 508 00:45:55,680 --> 00:45:59,720 miraculous among them, but he was giving thanks because it 509 00:45:59,720 --> 00:46:03,640 just fueled more his commitment to God to be the bread of life 510 00:46:03,760 --> 00:46:05,800 for the souls of lost men and women. 511 00:46:07,880 --> 00:46:11,800 That was his aspiration. That was his passion, that was 512 00:46:11,800 --> 00:46:14,360 his dream. That's what he wanted to do. 513 00:46:15,880 --> 00:46:20,400 And this miracle, which is, which is huge in terms of its 514 00:46:20,680 --> 00:46:26,040 numbers, was a small way of he exemplifying the fact that he 515 00:46:26,040 --> 00:46:30,320 was the bread of life and that he would supply the needs for 516 00:46:30,320 --> 00:46:33,360 man way beyond what he could ever imagine. 517 00:46:35,200 --> 00:46:42,440 Because he was a God who truly cares for his people, took the 518 00:46:42,440 --> 00:46:49,840 bread, He gave thanks. And what he said in that prayer 519 00:46:49,840 --> 00:46:55,560 of Thanksgiving is not recorded, but the implications of that 520 00:46:55,560 --> 00:47:05,000 prayer are absolutely huge because in all reality, He was 521 00:47:05,000 --> 00:47:11,600 teaching his men a very marvelous lesson in praise and 522 00:47:11,600 --> 00:47:19,560 Thanksgiving. Because the very next scene, the 523 00:47:19,560 --> 00:47:28,080 scene where Christ would send His men out in the boat and He 524 00:47:28,080 --> 00:47:32,600 himself would go up into a mountain to pray, and they would 525 00:47:32,600 --> 00:47:37,320 find themselves fearing for their lives amidst a huge and 526 00:47:37,320 --> 00:47:42,880 great storm. And Christ would begin walking 527 00:47:43,800 --> 00:47:52,160 on the water to meet His men. And having gotten into the boat, 528 00:47:52,160 --> 00:47:57,880 He would calm the waters. And Mark's account tells us that 529 00:47:57,880 --> 00:48:05,920 the disciples were astonished, but it also tells us this Mark 6 530 00:48:07,280 --> 00:48:16,960 verse #51 it says, or excuse me, verse #52 they were utterly 531 00:48:16,960 --> 00:48:21,320 astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the 532 00:48:21,320 --> 00:48:29,440 incident of the loaves, but their hearts were hardened, cold 533 00:48:30,880 --> 00:48:37,440 and calloused. You see, it's imperative that 534 00:48:37,440 --> 00:48:40,600 you learn from the feeding of the 5000. 535 00:48:42,320 --> 00:48:48,480 There's a reason it's in every gospel, and it's the only 536 00:48:48,480 --> 00:48:53,360 miracle repeated in all the Gospels that Christ himself 537 00:48:53,480 --> 00:48:58,000 performed. Because if you don't learn about 538 00:48:58,000 --> 00:49:02,320 the incident from the loaves, you're not going to make it when 539 00:49:02,320 --> 00:49:06,400 tough times come. Because if you don't trust God 540 00:49:06,400 --> 00:49:11,360 for your daily provisions, you will not be able to trust God 541 00:49:11,360 --> 00:49:17,800 amidst difficult situations. In other words, you must learn 542 00:49:17,800 --> 00:49:22,720 to give praise and Thanksgiving to God no matter what the 543 00:49:22,720 --> 00:49:32,120 situation, even in the midst of a boat on the sea when it looks 544 00:49:32,120 --> 00:49:33,640 like you're about to lose your life. 545 00:49:36,280 --> 00:49:42,120 They struggled at the oars. They try to protect and preserve 546 00:49:42,120 --> 00:49:48,440 their life instead of pray and praise to the One who was the 547 00:49:48,440 --> 00:49:50,640 protector and preserver of their lives. 548 00:49:52,480 --> 00:49:56,520 So important, the purpose of praise. 549 00:49:58,000 --> 00:50:00,360 It truly fulfills A commandment from God. 550 00:50:03,240 --> 00:50:11,000 It helps us understand who God is. 551 00:50:13,680 --> 00:50:20,680 Once we understand who God is, we are truly convicted about 552 00:50:20,680 --> 00:50:24,560 living for Him. That conviction leads to a 553 00:50:24,560 --> 00:50:31,520 lifelong commitment that's unreserved in serving our God. 554 00:50:33,560 --> 00:50:39,800 As you journey, as we journey on the pathway of praise, may we 555 00:50:39,800 --> 00:50:44,360 understand the purpose of praise for each of us. 556 00:50:44,360 --> 00:50:48,400 Let's pray together. Lord, we thank you for today and 557 00:50:48,400 --> 00:50:52,440 all that you do. Lord, you are a great God. 558 00:50:55,440 --> 00:50:59,480 You go way beyond we can ever imagine. 559 00:51:01,880 --> 00:51:06,320 You truly, truly want us to see who you are. 560 00:51:08,280 --> 00:51:14,240 You just simply say obey me. I will disclose myself to you. 561 00:51:14,240 --> 00:51:19,280 You'll be able to see me and all of my splendor and all of my 562 00:51:19,280 --> 00:51:23,040 glory. Once you see me. 563 00:51:23,040 --> 00:51:31,400 You'll be convicted like never before, and your commitment will 564 00:51:31,400 --> 00:51:37,680 never wane in your service of the King or go before us. 565 00:51:39,200 --> 00:51:42,160 You know what's happening in each person's life personally. 566 00:51:43,680 --> 00:51:47,200 You know what's going on in their family, at work, at 567 00:51:47,200 --> 00:51:51,280 school. You know what they're facing on 568 00:51:51,280 --> 00:51:58,400 this day. May they on their journey along 569 00:51:58,400 --> 00:52:04,560 this pathway learn to praise you all the more, more so now than 570 00:52:04,560 --> 00:52:08,960 ever before, because you are the one who protects and preserves 571 00:52:08,960 --> 00:52:13,400 your lives in Jesus name, Amen.