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What Jesus Was Thankful For | 1 Thessalonians 5:18 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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Well, today's a special Sunday because, as you know, we are
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setting apart this service to recognize and celebrate God's
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faithfulness to us as a church family.
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And I want to let you know that taking the time to dedicate a
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Sunday to turn our attention to that and reflect on the
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beginnings of this ministry and how the Lord has guided us step
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by step over the years is not just an excuse to add another
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event to our calendars. More than that, it is an
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occasion for us to worship because the Bible tells us that
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when a community, people come for heartfelt, intentional
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adoration for what God has done, that is worship.
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But Thanksgiving is not limited to a service.
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It's not limited to a celebration.
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The possibility of glorifying God in that attitude and that
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act has been granted to each of us as individuals.
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Private gratitude, heartfelt individual Thanksgiving.
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And so I want to take this day where we are obviously thanking
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the Lord as a body to instill and to strengthen that
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conviction in our hearts to be a thankful people.
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And so that the celebration and the joy that we are tasting
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today would join us and go with us for the long haul leaving
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this place this evening. And so I began earlier this week
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to just think about the Scriptures, the verses, the
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examples of Thanksgiving. And strangely, it was this verse
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that was brought to my attention.
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You don't have to turn there. You know it very well where Paul
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commands the Philippian church in Philippians 25.
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Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.
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Now you might be wondering, OK, that's a wonderful verse, but
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what does that have to do with gratitude?
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Well, here's how you can translate Paul's command there
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by the Spirit. Think like Jesus thinks.
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Think like Jesus thinks. And then it dawned on me, when
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you read the Gospels, you don't only find the Lord preaching,
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delivering, healing, serving, abstaining, over all, obeying
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the Father. If you read carefully, you will
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find the Lord Jesus Christ thanking the Father.
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And there are actually 4 distinct occasions where we find
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the Son of God expressing gratitude to God.
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And we're going to look at those four occasions in a moment here.
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But I want to tell you upfront what the goal of this message
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is. And this is where I'm going to
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ask you to turn to the Epistle to the Colossians in chapter 2.
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Consider with me two verses about why we need to focus a
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message on Thanksgiving. Colossians chapter 2 beginning
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in verse 6. The scripture says Therefore as
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you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and
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built up in Him, and established in the faith, just as you were
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taught. 3 very important words abounding in Thanksgiving.
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Don't just be thankful. I want you to abound in
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Thanksgiving. Do you know what it means to
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abound in something? Do you know when something is
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abounding? The original word here is to
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overflow, to not even just meet a certain measure for it to
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spill over what one might consider a standard overflow in
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Thanksgiving. So Paul is talking about the
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lifestyle of a Christian that doesn't just express
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appreciation here and there. Now he's talking about a way
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that our faith can connect to certain truths, and those truths
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feed the heart to the point that it becomes swollen and enlarged
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and even overflowing with this constant awareness of the
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goodness of God that then naturally expresses itself in
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Thanksgiving. See, Paul is not saying abound
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in Thanksgiving as a way to force Christians to just act in
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a thankful way. That's never, that's never the
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goal of any command in the Scripture.
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What he's saying here instead is that you should turn your
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attention on certain realities and revelations that will then
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result in this. And yes, like any spiritual
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discipline, there is a level of training and exercise and
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intentionality, but there is also this promise that the
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Spirit is able to carry us in it.
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So understand this. Listen, the thing that should
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mark us as believers in the realm of gratitude is that we
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should be abounding in it. And I wasn't planning to say
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this until earlier this morning came to my mind because I'm
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concerned that with a message on Thanksgiving and looking at
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different reasons why we should be grateful to God that we would
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hear that and the response at the end of the service would be
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all right, thanks brother. I'll be a little bit more
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positive this week than I was last week.
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Thanksgiving is much more serious than that.
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Implementing it, understanding it, when you actually look
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carefully in the Scriptures, there's much more at stake of
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being a thankful people. It's just not a matter of you
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being a little bit more chippy on a Monday has different
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factors at play that I think most Christians don't even
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realize. Let me give you an example.
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Do you know that the scriptures describe Thanksgiving as a light
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to the soul that will keep your heart from growing dark?
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Listen, a lack of gratitude is like leaving a city gate wide
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open, leaving darkness to enter more easily.
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And once it's in, it will become the breeding ground for
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uninvited vices and sins to take over.
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You might think that's an exaggeration, and I'm here to
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tell you this is not me, this is the scripture.
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So you're in the New Testament, me in the book of Romans chapter
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1, and look up Paul's words there in verse 21 of Romans one.
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Notice how he describes a people who are ensnared by a variety of
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sins. Romans 121 For although they
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knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him.
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But they became futile in their thinking, And here it is, and
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they're foolish. Hearts were darkened.
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What led to their hearts being darkened?
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A lack of gratitude, among other things.
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So you see, there's something about thankfulness that protects
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you. And in order for us to be kept
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from a darkening taking place, a blackness blanketing our souls,
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Thanksgiving is the repellent. It is the guard.
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It is a shield. Because look what Paul describes
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in the same context as the ugly consequences of a heart that is
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not filled with ongoing thanks to God, among other things.
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Look at verse 29. You're there in Romans one.
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Look at verse 29. They the same people who did not
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honour God, who give thanks to them.
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They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil,
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covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder,
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strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers,
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haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of
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evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless,
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ruthless. Do you see the connection and
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the train of thought? These vicious qualities become
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more possible when your heart is less aware and willing to
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express Thanksgiving to God. In other words, if you want to
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avoid being filled with all manner of unrighteousness, your
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heart needs to abound in Thanksgiving.
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Think about it. It's much more difficult to lust
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when you're abounding at Thanksgiving.
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Yeah, it's a lot harder to go out there and commit adultery
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when you're grateful for your spouse.
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Despite all the difficulties and challenges.
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If you're grateful, if you, if you can see the gift, if you can
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recognize God's Providence in that person, it's a lot more
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hard to go out there and think that you're going to find
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something better. It's a lot more difficult to
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become covetousness when you're grateful for what God's
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Providence and his perfect leadership has been granted you.
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It's a lot more difficult to crave something that doesn't
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belong to you. It's a lot more challenging to
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slice up somebody's reputation with slander and gossip when you
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are willing to recognize the good in them and the blessings
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that God has brought to you through them.
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Do you see the wisdom of Thanksgiving?
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It's not a matter of you and I just being happier.
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It's needed for effective spiritual warfare.
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I don't think people teach that when it comes to spiritual
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warfare. When's the last time I ever
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heard? Be thankful if you want your
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heart to be strong against sin, But I'm here to tell you it, and
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I want to fuel our hearts today in the place of gratitude by
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looking at our ultimate example in the Lord Jesus Christ and
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considering 4 separate occasions where the Gospels tell us that
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He said thank you, thank you the Lord Jesus #1 gave thanks for
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God's immense grace. Let's turn to the first
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scripture in Luke chapter 10, verse 21, Luke 1021.
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Lord, train our hearts to be thankful today.
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It says here in that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit
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and said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that
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you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding
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and revealed them to little children.
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Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will in all of the
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gospel accounts. You want to know something
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remarkable? This is the only place where
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we're explicitly told that Jesus Christ rejoiced.
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Not that he didn't express jubilation in other places,
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surely he did. But this is the only place in
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all of the Gospel accounts where we are explicitly told that
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Jesus rejoiced. And it wasn't just a natural
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joy, it was a joy that was supernaturally inspired, that it
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sprung from the innermost part of his being because he rejoiced
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in the Holy Spirit. This means many important
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things, many things, one of which is the evidence of the
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Spirit's work in your life and mind.
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He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, which tells me one of the
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clearest signs that the Holy Spirit is working in a
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Christian's heart is that they desire to give thanks.
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How do we know that? Because we told again, he
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rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and the first words that come out of
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Jesus mouth is what I thank you. I thank you Father, Lord of
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heaven and earth. So if you're a person here who
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should be, we all should be seeking the continuous infilling
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of the Holy Spirit. I can guarantee you one thing
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based on the Scripture that you will find yourself growing and
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longing and yearning to express gratitude to God, and you'll
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even find yourself spontaneously doing it.
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So this is an encouragement. Why is it encouragement?
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Because Thanksgiving is a work of the Holy Spirit.
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He inspires that desire. He makes it a lifestyle.
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The more we depend on him and long for Him to harness our
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hearts and our tongues and our thinking.
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Here's Jesus rejoicing in the Holy Spirit, and the first thing
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that comes out of His mouth is I thank you.
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Many people come up with strange ideas of the manifestations of
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the Spirit, and the Bible is very plain and clear about them.
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I don't think it's often brought up that if the Holy Spirit
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really moves in you and me, then you're going to be moved to give
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thanks. That's what it says.
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He's our helper. The Lord has granted us this
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gift to guide us in all matters and including this.
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Can I point this out? Notice how Jesus addresses God.
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He addresses God as Father while simultaneously honoring him with
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the highest title that you can ascribe to anybody with majesty
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and power. He says you are the Lord of
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heaven and earth. What do I take from that?
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Well, you know, you have some Christians who see God as
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Father, but they don't see him as King.
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And you have some Christians who see him as King, all sovereign,
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but not as an intimate, loving Father.
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But here's Jesus filled with the Holy Spirit, and he says, I
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thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.
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Do you see how the Holy Spirit helps us in everything, not just
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in how you thank God, but in how you view God?
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But what was it that Jesus was thankful for at this moment?
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Look again at this verse. He says that you have hidden
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these things from the wise and understanding and reveal them to
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little children. What are these things?
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What is he talking about? Well, as usual, context provides
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clarity. When did the Lord Jesus rejoice
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in the Holy Spirit? Look back at the beginning of
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verse 21 in that same hour. So something took place recently
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that served as a catalyst for Him to outburst with this prayer
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of thanks. And all you have to do is read
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the preceding verses to realize what he's Speaking of.
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So look back here and look at verse 17 of Luke 10 and you'll
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see what he's talking about when He says these things.
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The 72 returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons
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are subject to us in your name. And he said to them, I saw Satan
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fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you
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authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the
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power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.
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Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this that the spirits are
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subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in
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heaven. Ah, there it is.
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So these things that Jesus said were hidden to some yet revealed
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to others include the empowerment of His disciples,
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their experience of the authority of His name, divine
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protection from the evil 1 and their names being written in
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heaven. And when the Lord saw the 72
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disciples relishing in those realities, he could not help but
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turn to the Father and say Thank you, Father, that you are
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willing to unleash these graces to little children.
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In other words, what Jesus is saying is thank you Father, for
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being willing to give such blessings to those who are the
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least deserving. You know, you don't have to do
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much investigation or studies to look at how the world treats
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people. And it's common knowledge that
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those who are wealthy and those who are intelligent and those
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who are beautiful and attractive tend to get more respect than
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others. But that's not how God's Kingdom
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operates. God reserves his rewards not
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necessarily to the powerful and to the wise, but to those who
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operate in childlike faith characterized by dependency and
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humility. In fact, what he means by this
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is that those who are boastful right when he says these things
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are hidden from the wise and understanding.
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What he means by that is that those who are boastful and
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reliant on their strength and their thinking, they are barred
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from such blessings. But God has opened his arms to
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those who acknowledge their weakness and their ignorance.
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So what is Jesus ultimately really giving thanks to God for?
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God's grace. And I wonder if as followers of
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Jesus, we have ever taken the personal time to to thank God
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that when he redeems sinners and that when he recruits servants,
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he does so with boundless grace because Jesus does.
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Can I ask you something? I want, I want this to be really
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practical here. When was the last time not in a
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service? Not because the worship team or
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the praise team or the preacher told you to?
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When was the last time you just on your own have paused and
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meditated that there is a final day coming where you will stand
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before God and the record of your sin will be pulled out with
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100% accuracy and what's on that record will determine your
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eternal fate? When was the last time that you
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breathe out a thanks because on your record, because of your
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faith, will be stamped boldly, forgiven?
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Not because of you being part of a superior race, not because you
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passed an exam for eternity, or that you impress God with your
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amount of sacrifices, but simply because you trusted in the Lord
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Jesus Christ? May we never come to a point in
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our faith where the good news becomes old news.
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Beyond that, when's the last time have I thank God that when
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He uses people, he's willing to use the foolish things according
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to the world, the weak things, things that are despised, even
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the things that are not, so that they would become something so
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that no man may boast. When that means that means that
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we all qualify to be used by God.
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I have no reason to live besides being used by God.
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Honestly, to be with Christ is better.
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And like Paul, I, I wrestle because Paul says I want to go
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be with Christ, but the only thing that I got going for me is
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staying here and bearing fruit for his Kingdom.
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I don't ever have to worry or fear that there is something
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outside of my control that will limit me from being used by the
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Lord. That's what we're here to do
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today, to really recognize that God has used this church for his
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glory and nobody can take credit for it.
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Nobody. The first instance that we look
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together here is that Jesus gave thanks to the Father for his
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boundless grace. But here's the second place.
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Turn with me to John chapter 6 #2 The Lord Jesus gave thanks
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for physical needs being met. We see the Lord doing this at
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both the feeding of the 5000 and the feeding of the 4000, but we
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can merge them in the same thought.
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Now I know that these miracles of provision are very familiar
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to us, but I want us to consider carefully John's perspective on
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the feeding of the 5000, because we're going to learn something
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about the what and the when of the Lord's Thanksgiving in this
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manner. Look at John 6 beginning in
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verse 9. There is a boy here who has five
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barley loaves and two fish. But what are they for?
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So many Jesus said, had the people sit down.
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Now there was much grass in the place, so the men sat down about
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5000 in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and
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when he had given thanks, there it is.
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When he had given thanks, He distributed them to those who
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were seated, so also the fish as much as they wanted.
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I want you to look at what Jesus gave thanks to God for.
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And when he gave thanks for the what is clear, right?
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Jesus took the loaves from the little boy that he donated, and
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he had given thanks for those loaves.
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But what are 5 loaves for 12 grown men, let alone 5000?
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And those are just men. Then you have their wives and
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their children. What are you?
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This is more of an opportunity to worry than to worship 5
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loaves. So here you are.
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You have a need. We need a we need to feed a few
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1000 people. Anybody want to make a donation?
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And the only donation that came in was 5 pieces of bread.
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That's it. That's all we can cough up here.
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That's not what the Lord does. He takes the bread.
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He gives thanks. The average person would panic,
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but we're considering the mind of Christ here.
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Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus.
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Jesus Christ truly gave thanks to God because He had this
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awareness of God's perfect wisdom manifesting in His
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perfect provision. You know, Thanksgiving is not
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always about responding to seeing what you desire to come
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to pass. We reserve our Thanksgiving for
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that right. We have these goals and these
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longings, and we have these expectations.
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And only when those things transpire do we say God is
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faithful. Look what He did.
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He answered exactly what I was looking for, exactly what I laid
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out before him. God came through.
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You should rejoice when your prayers are answered.
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But Thanksgiving should not be kept solely for those
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testimonies. It should equally be offered as
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a declaration of trust and contentment in God's gradual
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leading. That's what Jesus does here.
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You know, Matthew Henry, the great English Bible scholar, was
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reported to have been robbed by thieves at some point in his
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life. And many of us have benefited
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from Matthew Henry's writings. They're available online for
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free. One of the greatest scholars in
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church history. But they found an entry in his
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diary of that fearful occasion when he was robbed.
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And let me quote and read to you what he wrote in his diary.
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Quote Matthew Henry says let me be thankful right there.
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I'm like what do you mean let me be thankful you had your purse
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taken from you? No, he says let me be thankful
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1st that I was never robbed before. 2nd although they took
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my purse so they didn't take my life.
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Third, although they took my all, it was not much.
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This is my favorite. 1/4 Let me be thankful because it was I who
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was robbed and not I who was doing the robbing.
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You see, the strength of your Thanksgiving is very much
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dependent on the accuracy of your perception of who God is.
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And the more comfortable and the more firmly you grasp the
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character of God, the nature of God, the promises of God, the
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better you and I are able to sincerely walk in a place where
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we can give Thanksgiving. And it will be an aroma to the
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Lord, and it will be a fragrance before men.
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And that's why Paul could say something like give thanks in
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all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
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for you. First Thessalonians 518 which
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leads me to the when? When did Jesus give thanks?
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He took the bread. And when he had given thanks,
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people might think that he took the bread, he multiplied and
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gave it. And then he gave thanks for the
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miracle. He gave thanks before the
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miracle. And we see here that this is a
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principle for us, that God's worthiness of Thanksgiving
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should be granted even before what we hope comes to pass.
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And how fitting is that example for us as a church?
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Do we have a need for a bigger place?
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Yes. If you don't know it, just come
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downstairs after the service. You'll feel it a little bit.
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We do. But what are you going to do?
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Wait to give our songs of praise and thanks until God comes
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through for us? No, that's not what I see in my
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Jesus. I consider us being in this
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physical place a miracle. I don't doubt that for a moment.
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I don't. But I also like to consider this
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place in our situation as 5 loaves in our situation and
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circumstances. 2 fishes that were provided through the
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selflessness of another church body called Church of Our Savior
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who extended and donated their love to us.
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And here we are. We are waiting for God to do
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more, but we also are, by way of example, charged to give thanks
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that Providence has placed this in our hands.
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He deserves glory for what he's done in these past three years.
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It's my genuine hope that when you and I go home tonight, you
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will go home with a renewed sense of purpose and strength to
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be grateful for what God placed over your head.
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For the kind of car that He allowed you to drive, For the
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kind of clothes that He afforded you.
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For the things that are in your cupboards.
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For the meal, every meal that He sets before you as a continuous
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acknowledgement of His perfect leadership in your life.
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Do you might have dreams and desires and hopes?
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Absolutely. Will they be realized
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immediately? That's not how God works.
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But He's still worthy of thanks. You know, we're trying to do
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this in our home from time to time.
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I'll look up my wife it just random times of the day and I'll
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say love. Tell me three things you're
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thankful for. And we can do this all the time.
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Sometimes we do it while we're talking in bed.
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Sometimes we're in the kitchen cleaning things up.
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And I'll say, tell me three things you're thankful for.
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And she'll say things she'll tell me, OK, what are you
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thankful for? And I'll say some things.
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It's impossible to do something like that and be in a bad mood
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after unless you're just doing it mindlessly.
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And in that little practice, I'm telling you, conversations pop
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up. And so now we're switching it up
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a little bit, OK, Not the obvious things, you know, like
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family, one another and stuff. Tell me other things that you're
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thankful for. And then you get more specific.
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And then now you're, you're, you're broadening your
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understanding of how God is blessing you beyond what he, he
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does plain and clear before your sight.
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Jesus expressed thanks for how God met his needs step by step.
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Let's follow him in that. Let's go to the Third Point,
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John Chapter 11. The Lord Jesus gave thanks for
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his access in prayer. This is the testimony, the
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miracle of the raising of Lazarus from the dead in John
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11, verse 41, as he's ready to call out Lazarus, His name.
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And as many have noted before, if Jesus did not call out
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Lazarus his name, everybody would have raised from the dead
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of that grave site. But notice what happens before.
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This moved me so tremendously, right?
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He says here in verse 41. So they took away the stone, and
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Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that
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you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me,
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but I said this on account of the people standing around, that
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they may believe that you sent me.
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Read carefully. Look again what he says Thanks
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for, Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
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So through Jesus's words, you know what I gained from this?
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That Jesus believed that prayer was a gift.
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And the sooner you and I believe that about prayer, the sooner we
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will understand prayer, something we get to do, and
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that's something we have to do. Now here's what moved me.
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If Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God while on earth, took the
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time to give thanks to the Father for having this kind of
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channel to him, how much more IA mere creature susceptible to
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inconsistencies and failures. Give thanks to God that that
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throne room of His and that courtyard of His is always
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available to me 24/7. Here's what I'm trying to get
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across. Jesus shows us that we shouldn't
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only be thankful in prayer, we should be thankful for prayer.
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I thank you that you have heard me.
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Now this is fascinating because it shows that Lazarus's miracle
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was the result of prayer. Notice what he says.
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I thank you that you have heard me.
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Past tense meaning that at some point undisclosed to us, Jesus
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Christ came before the Father and acquired his wisdom and his
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guidance about what to do with Lazarus case.
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And at some point in secret, the Father directed him, directed
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him about the timing of when to go to the tomb and how to do it.
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Everything was supplied by the Father to the Son through
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prayer, and that teaches me what what prayer is to the Lord
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Jesus. At least.
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That it was His source of power, that it was the means for his
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fellowship with the Father, that it was the channel of guidance
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that he utilized day by day, moment by moment.
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Yes, Christ was unique in many ways, but these blessings are no
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less available to us in prayer. One of the most convicting
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examples and I love to use illustrations from the Bible.
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One of my most admired individuals in the Scriptures.
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Not because of his name. Trust me, if he was named
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somebody else, I would still say the same.
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Daniel. OK, Daniel was a man of prayer
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and one of my favorite stories there is in chapter 6 when a
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decree went out that it was illegal to pray to anybody
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except the king. You know what Daniel does?
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We're told that at the moment he heard about that document being
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signed, he went home, got on his knees, open the window, prayed
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three times a day like nothing had happened.
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You know what that tells me? That Daniel rather have died,
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did not pray for a month. What do you know about prayer?
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What have you experienced in prayer?
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Where you, without any hesitation said to yourself, I'd
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rather die than not use this gift called prayer.
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And it makes sense. You read Daniel chapter 1 to
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chapter 6 and you see what prayer has done in this man's
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life. You read it after chapter 6.
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You see how prayer provided all these experiences and these
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revelations and these provisions.
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So to Daniel, he thought, to not pray is not to live at least
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abundantly, at least to the fullest.
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Yeah, many people are going about their day without prayer.
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But all the heights that you are missing because you don't see it
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the way you're supposed to see it.
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And I can spend, which I will not do on the pulpit.
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I can use the next 30 minutes to just give testimony after
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testimony about how God has come through by no other way but
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through prayer in such a way that if I had not prayed, I
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should have no reason to believe that he would have come through.
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Jesus says I thank you, Father, that you have heard me.
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And I always say this. Forgive me if I'm repeating
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myself, but we're creatures of repetition.
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Apart from salvation, there is no greater spiritual thrill than
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to know that God in heaven hears my prayers and when he actually
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answers them. What did the psalmist say?
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I love the Lord because He has heard my plea and has answered
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my cry. Therefore, I will call upon them
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all the days of my life. When you actually see a prayer
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answered in a way that it can't be brushed off as coincidence
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or, you know, I think this would have happened even if I didn't
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pray. No, no, like real prayer being
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answered, you'll never be the same.
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You can't. And I'm afraid so many
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Christians don't believe this about prayer that they're
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missing out on that opportunity. Walk in it enough so that when
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God actually comes through, you'll be marked for the rest of
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your life. And you can say like Jesus,
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Father, I thank you that you have heard me, heard me.
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Shall we come to our last point? Let's turn to Matthew together
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in chapter 26. The Lord Jesus not only gave
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thanks for God's immense grace, not only for his physical needs
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being met, not only because God had an open heaven over his
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head. Lastly, the Lord Jesus gave
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thanks for the fellowship made possible by his sacrifice.
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Do you know what we do here? Every single Sunday?
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We partake of the Lord's Supper together.
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And I'm not sure if you noticed that, but when Pastor Bennett
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leads us in the breaking of the bread and and the cup, we give
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thanks for each element separately.
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And the reason why we do that is because Jesus modeled that at
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the Last Supper. So it encourages us to take time
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to consider the distinct elements that have purchased our
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salvation, at least what they represent.
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And what do we find here? Let's read Matthew 2626 to 29.
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Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread and after blessing
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it, broke it and gave it to his disciples and said, take, eat,
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this is my body. And he took a cup, and we had
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given thanks. He gave it to them, saying,
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drink of it, all of you. For this is my blood of the
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covenant, which is poured out from many for the forgiveness of
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sins. I tell you, I will not drink
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again of this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it
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new with you and my Father's Kingdom.
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So what can we say here? We can say with complete
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validity that Jesus is in fact giving thanks for the new
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covenant. Absolutely.
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That's not wrong. But I think it's more precise
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than that, at least in this context.
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Not only is He thanking the Father that the new Covenant now
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is about to be inaugurated, I believe that He is thanking the
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Father about what the New Covenant would bring about.
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And in this case, what He is eagerly looking forward to is
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that because of His impending sacrifice, He will one day be
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reunited with His disciples in eternity.
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I believe that was part of His Thanksgiving.
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You're saying really? I'm saying really?
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Why else mention what we see here in verse 29 where He says I
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will not drink of this fruit of the vine until I drink it anew
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with you and my Father's Kingdom.
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So think about it. The moment he establishes this
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communion, he he right away says, I want to let you know
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that we're going to be reunited again that we're going to have
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fellowship forever. You cannot tell me that the Lord
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did not have this longing and this yearning even as he was
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laying out this ordinance for the church.
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He did, and that sets the seal of what this table is about
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every single month when we celebrate, at least in its
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fullness, that we're not just rehearsing what the Lord has
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done, but what He will do to return and reunite us to be with
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Him everlastingly. And it would be unwise for us to
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celebrate our eternal fellowship with a Savior and the Saints
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only once a month. Extend your Thanksgiving about
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what has been made possible through the cross as a daily
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realization. Paul does this over and over
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when he thinks about his relationship, yes, with Christ,
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but with the believers. Years ago, we studied the book
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of Ephesians. We might revisit in years to
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come, but I remember to this day that early in our study of the
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book of Ephesians, there was something that Paul says that he
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did for the church that cut my heart and it's still bleeding in
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a good way. The way this man thought and
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thanked God for Christians was mind boggling to me.
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So you don't have to turn there, but please just lean in because
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we're almost done here. I want to read these verses to
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you. Just listen to this man's
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language of how he gave thanks not for the bread that
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represents the body, but the actual spiritual body of Jesus
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Christ. Namely, the church doesn't know
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what he says in Ephesians one, verse 15.
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For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord
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Jesus and your love toward all the Saints, I do not cease to
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give thanks for you remembering you in my prayers.
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Now this was years ago when this was unpacked to me in great
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detail and I sat back in my chair and this is the thought
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that came to me and I remember it so clearly like it was
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yesterday. When was the last time I took
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the time to come before the Lord and identify people based on
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their fervent devotion to God and their service to the Church
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of Jesus Christ and to thank you for such people?
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Lord, thank you for such people. When was the last time that I
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thank God for his work, not in me, but in somebody else?
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This is what Paul is saying. I can't help but give thanks
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because I'm witnessing something of God's glory in you and I want
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to honor and acknowledge God for that.
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Now here's another place in Philippians one verse three, I
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thank God, I thank my God and all my remembrance of you always
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and every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy.
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Can you imagine that? Can you imagine having such an
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awareness of people in your life that when you pray for them or
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about them, you get excited? This is biblical Christianity.
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I'm just telling you what it's saying here.
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And I'm like, if this is possible, give it to me.
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Here's Paul who says, when I think about you and I pray for
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you, I get giddy. But he doesn't end there.
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Why is he praying with joy? Verse 5, because of your
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partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
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So here again, thinking to myself, looking at this, this is
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how we should read our Bibles. When was the last time that I
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came before the Lord and I identified people in my life who
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enrich my ministry and make my walk with Jesus Christ that much
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sweeter? When have I given thanks for
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that? Might be thinking, I didn't know
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a message on Thanksgiving can be so convicting.
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I'll tell you why it's convicting because it's not our
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disposition. It's not our disposition and
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that's why the Scripture is absolutely sprinkled with it.
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So we would be reminded you have so much to give thanks, yes, so
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much to be grateful for. And the Bible has been given to
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us as a mirror to be like this is you're missing this, you're
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not seeing this. And that's why we have every
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right to come before the Lord saying, Lord, help me see what I
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can't see. You know, there's a testimony in
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the book of Genesis where where God opens people's eyes to
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things that are before them. Come to Genesis 21.
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Her and her son Ishmael are out in the wilderness.
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They run out of water. And notice what verse 17 says of
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Genesis 21. And God heard the voice of the
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boy, and the Angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to
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her, What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the
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voice of the boy where he is up. Lift up the boy and hold him
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fast with your hand, for I'll make him into a great nation.
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This is it, this is it. I'm telling you we're not going
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further than this. Verse 19.
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Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.
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She went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a
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drink. People debate, did God create
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the well and then show it to her, or was it always there but
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she couldn't see it? I leaned to the latter.
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And it reveals something about us and our humanity, especially
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in our troubles and our trials, that we often cannot see what
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things are right before us that can rescue us, that can bless
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us, that God has supplied for us.
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So I bring this up in closing, that we would ask God for that
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same miracle. There are things that we should
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be thankful for that are right under our noses and we just
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can't see it. But God is so gracious enough to
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open our eyes so that we can give thanks.
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Can I give you a final thought from Jesus giving thanks to the
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Last Supper? It was on the night that he
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would be arrested and put to death, which tells me something
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about his gratitude. He was thankful until his dying
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day. I want to follow my Jesus in
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that way. You know, sometimes as people
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get older in life, they become more cynical.
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They get grumpier because they've sailed through life and
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they've seen the fickleness of people and the evil in the world
41:49
and they just become jaded. That's not your destiny if
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you're a spirit filled Christian.
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I see my Jesus and I see him. Even on the night that he was
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going to be betrayed by one of his own, he just finished
42:00
washing his feet. The devil had entered him
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according to John 13, and yet he can still have the presence of
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mind and the heart filled of the Holy Spirit to give thanks.
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I need that. Can we pray and ask God to help
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us? Lord, we thank you for the
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service. A simple message Lord, but all
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one that convicts us all, including the one who shared it.
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Lord, help us be a people who know the great protection and
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provision of Thanksgiving. Heal our hearts from murmuring
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and grumbling. Help us be like Hagar who is
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able to see things that she missed.
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Even if our eyes are filled with tears, Lord, even if our eyes
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can't seem to pull away from the things that trouble us or
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disturb us, Help us see what you want us to see that can save us
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and sustain us. Lord, from our hearts we say
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thank you for Maranatha Bible Church and as Paul gave thanks
43:06
for the church, as we give thanks to you for this one.
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Thank you for every single believer here who makes this
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ministry possible. Thank you for every servant
43:15
behind the scenes. Thank you for every person who
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sacrificed time and energy for the gospel to go out, for
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believers to be strengthened and encouraged.
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People who have sacrificed their money, people have sacrificed
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their gas, people who sacrificed their homes, their meals.
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Lord, we are grateful and we trust, oh God, that it will be
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rewarded. Lord, we pray that as a church
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moving forward, we would abound in Thanksgiving.
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May that be our portion by your Spirit's help.
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In Jesus mighty name we pray Amen and Amen, Amen.
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We're going to celebrate downstairs in a moment, but
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let's give God a final Thanksgiving and praise and in
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song and worship.