1 00:00:05,466 --> 00:00:07,000 Great. 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,000 It's not an emotion. 3 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:11,000 It's not a feel. 4 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,666 It's not some nostalgic or wistful memory of what has been, 5 00:00:15,466 --> 00:00:18,466 or some nebulous hope of what might be. 6 00:00:18,866 --> 00:00:22,633 It's not a fair weather friend that draws close to you in the summer, 7 00:00:23,100 --> 00:00:26,100 and then abandons you in the winter. 8 00:00:26,500 --> 00:00:29,133 It's not dependent on circumstances 9 00:00:29,133 --> 00:00:32,000 or only for warm, fuzzy moments. 10 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:35,466 Gratitude, after all, is a choice, 11 00:00:36,266 --> 00:00:40,500 an act of the will where we place ourselves completely in God's will. 12 00:00:40,700 --> 00:00:45,866 No matter what happens, a determination to hope in the most, in the midst 13 00:00:45,866 --> 00:00:50,766 of both happiness and sorrow, to give thanks for the good things he has given 14 00:00:51,133 --> 00:00:53,900 and the good things he has taken away 15 00:00:53,900 --> 00:00:56,900 in inexpressible confidence in his love 16 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:01,666 and inexplicable peace in his will that turns pain into joy. 17 00:01:01,966 --> 00:01:03,933 Trial and trial. 18 00:01:03,933 --> 00:01:07,633 Side to side and suffering, and to redemption. 19 00:01:08,500 --> 00:01:09,133 Gratitude. 20 00:01:09,133 --> 00:01:14,566 Give thanks to God not because things are good, but because he is good. 21 00:01:15,066 --> 00:01:18,400 In gratitude, our wills become one with God 22 00:01:18,733 --> 00:01:22,166 so that we bless him for the life he has given us 23 00:01:22,166 --> 00:01:25,500 and longed for the day when he calls us home. 24 00:01:27,466 --> 00:01:30,033 Not my will, but yours. 25 00:01:30,033 --> 00:01:32,300 Become. 26 00:01:32,300 --> 00:01:34,966 And so for all the good things that are to come, 27 00:01:34,966 --> 00:01:37,966 and all the heartaches to 28 00:01:38,033 --> 00:01:39,900 oh Lord, 29 00:01:39,900 --> 00:01:44,633 we give you thanks. Oh! 30 00:01:48,633 --> 00:01:51,600 I want to focus this morning 31 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:54,000 and next week on what it means 32 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:57,000 to live lives of gratitude and thanksgiving. 33 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:01,000 G.K. Chesterton said this 34 00:02:02,500 --> 00:02:03,933 that when it comes to life, 35 00:02:03,933 --> 00:02:06,933 the critical thing is whether we take things for granted 36 00:02:07,500 --> 00:02:10,500 or take them with gratitude. 37 00:02:11,633 --> 00:02:14,300 Charles Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers 38 00:02:14,300 --> 00:02:18,000 that the world has been graced with, said this. 39 00:02:19,500 --> 00:02:22,666 It's not about how much you have, but how much you enjoy. 40 00:02:23,266 --> 00:02:26,266 That makes happiness. 41 00:02:26,666 --> 00:02:28,000 Brené Brown 42 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:31,000 said, what separates privilege from entitlement 43 00:02:31,266 --> 00:02:34,266 is gratitude. 44 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:37,300 Ironside, 45 00:02:37,300 --> 00:02:40,100 great theologian, said we'd worry less 46 00:02:40,100 --> 00:02:43,100 if we praised more then. 47 00:02:44,300 --> 00:02:45,900 When I was thinking about this whole idea 48 00:02:45,900 --> 00:02:49,700 of gratitude and thanksgiving, I put it this way. 49 00:02:50,833 --> 00:02:53,100 Thanksgiving is what defeats 50 00:02:53,100 --> 00:02:56,100 this discontentment and discouragement. 51 00:02:57,233 --> 00:03:00,233 Thanksgiving defeats it. 52 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:02,633 The Bible says in Psalm 53 00:03:02,633 --> 00:03:05,633 92 one that it is good 54 00:03:05,900 --> 00:03:08,900 to praise the Lord. 55 00:03:09,100 --> 00:03:09,966 Good. 56 00:03:09,966 --> 00:03:12,000 It's good to give thanks. 57 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,466 Yeah. 58 00:03:14,466 --> 00:03:16,066 Because God deserves it. 59 00:03:16,066 --> 00:03:16,800 Yeah. 60 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:19,800 It's good for us. 61 00:03:20,966 --> 00:03:23,966 And David writes in Psalm 103, 62 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:27,600 a model that we can use. 63 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:30,600 To help us 64 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:33,666 give thanks, to understand the need for the necessity of it 65 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:37,000 and how to do it. 66 00:03:38,733 --> 00:03:40,933 David says that giving thanks 67 00:03:40,933 --> 00:03:44,166 and being grateful has to be a priority of life, 68 00:03:45,500 --> 00:03:50,500 has to be a way of life that it needs to come from something more 69 00:03:50,533 --> 00:03:53,533 than a response to the good circumstances that we're in. 70 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,600 And I need to point this out 71 00:03:58,266 --> 00:04:02,166 that most of us find it a bit more natural 72 00:04:03,300 --> 00:04:05,000 and easier 73 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:07,766 to give thanks, and to be grateful 74 00:04:07,766 --> 00:04:10,500 when things are going well 75 00:04:10,500 --> 00:04:13,500 right? 76 00:04:13,900 --> 00:04:15,300 But we have to understand 77 00:04:15,300 --> 00:04:18,200 that being grateful and giving thanks does not mean 78 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:21,200 being happy. 79 00:04:23,366 --> 00:04:25,033 Many times in Scripture 80 00:04:25,033 --> 00:04:28,933 we have examples of people and communities that gave thanks to God 81 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:33,300 because they had just experienced some physical way, his goodness, 82 00:04:33,900 --> 00:04:36,333 and as a result, they just praised him and gave him things. 83 00:04:36,333 --> 00:04:39,100 But there are just as many 84 00:04:39,100 --> 00:04:43,733 individuals and communities in Scripture that learn to give thanks 85 00:04:43,733 --> 00:04:47,300 and to be grateful when things were not going wrong, 86 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:50,666 when it was painful, 87 00:04:50,666 --> 00:04:53,666 when they didn't necessarily feel 88 00:04:53,700 --> 00:04:56,700 the goodness of God. 89 00:04:57,933 --> 00:04:59,100 It's it's 90 00:04:59,100 --> 00:05:02,100 our words are to praise him in the storms. 91 00:05:04,166 --> 00:05:06,866 And man. 92 00:05:06,866 --> 00:05:08,466 See us. Lewis. 93 00:05:08,466 --> 00:05:11,466 I was doing some some study again last night, 94 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:14,633 about this idea of Thanksgiving and gratitude. 95 00:05:14,633 --> 00:05:16,600 And I came across this C.S. Lewis quote. 96 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:17,800 I want to share it with you. 97 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:20,800 He says we ought to give thanks for all for it. 98 00:05:21,100 --> 00:05:23,400 If it's good because it's good, 99 00:05:24,900 --> 00:05:28,066 if it's bad, fortune because it works in us. 100 00:05:28,066 --> 00:05:32,700 A patience, humility, and contempt for this world 101 00:05:33,066 --> 00:05:36,066 and the hope of our eternal country. 102 00:05:37,133 --> 00:05:40,133 You give thanks. 103 00:05:41,500 --> 00:05:44,500 Do any of you know who Horatio Spafford is? 104 00:05:47,133 --> 00:05:47,800 The master. 105 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:49,266 Do any of you know the hymn? 106 00:05:49,266 --> 00:05:53,966 It is well, with my Soul and Horatio is the one who wrote that. 107 00:05:55,366 --> 00:05:57,000 And when I was a young man 108 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:00,033 coming up in church, I heard his story. 109 00:06:00,900 --> 00:06:03,900 And the story that prompted the writing of that hymn. 110 00:06:05,733 --> 00:06:09,433 And so I did some research just to make sure I got the the details correct. 111 00:06:09,466 --> 00:06:12,466 I want to share it with you. 112 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:13,033 Though. 113 00:06:13,033 --> 00:06:16,566 The story behind it is well With My Soul was written 114 00:06:17,666 --> 00:06:21,366 really out of two tragic events in Horatio's life. 115 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:24,600 The first was a result 116 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:27,600 of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. 117 00:06:28,033 --> 00:06:30,600 And Horatio was a very successful lawyer, 118 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:33,600 who had a it was very wealthy, 119 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:37,333 and he had a lot of investment in property in Chicago. 120 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:43,000 And the fire of 1871 burned down most of his property, 121 00:06:43,733 --> 00:06:45,266 and he faced financial ruin. 122 00:06:45,266 --> 00:06:47,066 Added to that two years later. 123 00:06:47,066 --> 00:06:51,400 And in 1873, there was the great downturn in the economy. 124 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:53,600 And he lost everything. 125 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,600 So he knew what it was 126 00:06:56,766 --> 00:06:59,533 to be wanted to lack and have things taken away. 127 00:06:59,533 --> 00:07:02,533 But more than that. 128 00:07:02,566 --> 00:07:05,100 He had planned a trip to England for 129 00:07:05,100 --> 00:07:09,333 he and his family to go help Dwight L Moody's evangelistic efforts. 130 00:07:09,333 --> 00:07:12,333 He was one of the greatest evangelists at this world to see. 131 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:15,800 And he and his family were going to go to England, set sail from America 132 00:07:15,900 --> 00:07:19,933 across the Atlantic Ocean, and go help Dwight L Moody with his evangelism work. 133 00:07:21,566 --> 00:07:22,400 At the 11th 134 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:26,133 hour, Horatio got word that there were some zoning issues 135 00:07:26,133 --> 00:07:27,900 that were related to the property 136 00:07:27,900 --> 00:07:30,900 loss because of the Great Fire, and he had to stay in Chicago. 137 00:07:31,133 --> 00:07:35,033 But the tickets already being purchased sent his wife and his four daughters. 138 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:36,233 Her name was. 139 00:07:36,233 --> 00:07:40,000 And his four daughters names were Annie, Maggie, Bessie. 140 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:43,800 Antonella sent them ahead and he would meet them in England later, 141 00:07:45,666 --> 00:07:49,500 while crossing the Atlantic, the ship that his wife and four daughters 142 00:07:49,500 --> 00:07:53,333 were in collided with another vessel and sank rapidly, 143 00:07:54,300 --> 00:07:57,166 and his four daughters drowned 144 00:07:57,166 --> 00:08:00,166 and his wife survived. 145 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:02,500 When he got word that this had happened, he, 146 00:08:02,500 --> 00:08:05,700 right after it got word that it had happened, received a telegram 147 00:08:05,700 --> 00:08:09,166 from his wife that simply said saved alone. 148 00:08:12,333 --> 00:08:13,200 Shortly after 149 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:16,600 receiving that word, he hurriedly got on a ship 150 00:08:17,466 --> 00:08:21,400 and sell to England to meet in grief with his grieving wife. 151 00:08:23,166 --> 00:08:26,166 And it was during that trip. 152 00:08:27,900 --> 00:08:30,000 That as the ship sailed past 153 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:33,000 the very spot where his four daughters had drowned, 154 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:37,200 the Holy Spirit gave him the words 155 00:08:37,466 --> 00:08:40,500 to the hymn it as well with my soul, and I want you to hear 156 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:44,500 the haunting phrase 157 00:08:44,500 --> 00:08:46,900 that that hymn begins with, 158 00:08:46,900 --> 00:08:50,733 when peace like a river attend this my way. 159 00:08:51,500 --> 00:08:54,500 When sorrows like sea billows roll. 160 00:08:56,733 --> 00:08:58,666 Whenever my lord, 161 00:08:58,666 --> 00:09:01,233 thou hast taught me to say 162 00:09:01,233 --> 00:09:03,400 it as well. 163 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:06,400 It is well with my soul. 164 00:09:11,633 --> 00:09:14,633 It is good. 165 00:09:14,766 --> 00:09:17,766 To give thanks to the Lord. 166 00:09:18,466 --> 00:09:20,700 And it's a necessity 167 00:09:20,700 --> 00:09:23,700 to learn to do that. 168 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:25,600 In the middle of the seas. 169 00:09:30,666 --> 00:09:33,666 And so David gives us a model. 170 00:09:35,433 --> 00:09:37,133 Of how to give praise to God. 171 00:09:37,133 --> 00:09:39,533 And why. 172 00:09:39,533 --> 00:09:43,800 But I want us to understand it's not reserved for those times when we're happy. 173 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:46,800 And you don't have to be happy to do it. 174 00:09:49,766 --> 00:09:50,700 It's what the Bible calls 175 00:09:50,700 --> 00:09:53,700 a sacrifice of praise. 176 00:09:55,866 --> 00:09:56,500 It's it's 177 00:09:56,500 --> 00:10:00,000 it's it's it's it's the kind of praise that I've been through. 178 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:03,700 Hell type of hallelujah. You. 179 00:10:05,700 --> 00:10:08,700 And so Psalm 103, if you'll turn with me in your Bibles, 180 00:10:09,566 --> 00:10:12,300 Psalm 103, 181 00:10:12,300 --> 00:10:16,366 David writes, praise the Lord, O my soul, all my inmost being. 182 00:10:16,366 --> 00:10:18,500 Praise his holy name. 183 00:10:18,500 --> 00:10:21,200 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget 184 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:24,200 not all his benefits. 185 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:26,333 David begins 186 00:10:26,333 --> 00:10:29,333 with the command to his own soul. 187 00:10:30,966 --> 00:10:33,966 He knows what's inside, 188 00:10:34,366 --> 00:10:38,900 and he makes a command and the demand of his own soul to praise the Lord 189 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:41,800 all my soul. 190 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:45,133 Because the truth is that there are times when everything within 191 00:10:45,133 --> 00:10:48,133 us doesn't feel like praising God right? 192 00:10:48,966 --> 00:10:51,966 There are times when everything within us 193 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:55,400 is filled more with doubt than with praise, 194 00:10:55,533 --> 00:10:58,466 with confusion and pain, than thanksgiving. 195 00:10:58,466 --> 00:11:00,366 And we don't feel like praising the Lord. 196 00:11:00,366 --> 00:11:03,366 And so David starts with the command to his own soul. 197 00:11:03,366 --> 00:11:05,466 You saw 198 00:11:05,466 --> 00:11:08,700 we'll choose as a deliberate decision 199 00:11:08,700 --> 00:11:11,700 to give praise to the Lord Most High. 200 00:11:19,300 --> 00:11:20,233 Gratitude 201 00:11:20,233 --> 00:11:23,233 must be a deliberate and intentional choice, 202 00:11:24,233 --> 00:11:26,533 not simply the response 203 00:11:26,533 --> 00:11:29,133 of good circumstances. 204 00:11:29,133 --> 00:11:32,133 And gratitude is not our natural default. 205 00:11:34,066 --> 00:11:36,400 It's not often 206 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:38,900 that our first perspective 207 00:11:38,900 --> 00:11:41,900 is a perspective of thanksgiving and gratitude. 208 00:11:44,233 --> 00:11:45,000 Do you ever. 209 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:48,000 Have you ever known anybody? 210 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:52,366 That the only things they see in this world are things they wish were different? 211 00:11:55,166 --> 00:11:57,700 Right. 212 00:11:57,700 --> 00:12:00,433 Did you ever know anybody that. 213 00:12:00,433 --> 00:12:03,000 That no matter what is before them, 214 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:06,000 they see things they don't like? 215 00:12:07,333 --> 00:12:07,566 Like. 216 00:12:07,566 --> 00:12:08,533 Like gratitude. 217 00:12:08,533 --> 00:12:09,833 Thanksgiving is not necessary. 218 00:12:09,833 --> 00:12:12,733 Our natural bent. 219 00:12:12,733 --> 00:12:15,733 And so David has to command himself 220 00:12:16,666 --> 00:12:19,833 that his primary focus will be on the goodness of God 221 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:23,000 and the blessing of God, not on his troubles 222 00:12:23,033 --> 00:12:26,033 and not on his desires. 223 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:30,200 And there are times that you and I, like David himself, 224 00:12:30,300 --> 00:12:34,000 must command out of our soul that we will praise the Lord 225 00:12:35,633 --> 00:12:38,633 even when we don't feel like it. 226 00:12:39,866 --> 00:12:41,800 And we'll praise God for who God is, 227 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:44,800 and we'll praise God for what he's already done. 228 00:12:46,033 --> 00:12:49,033 Because if we're honest, he's already done enough. 229 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:53,100 Praise the Lord, all my soul and all that is within me. 230 00:12:53,900 --> 00:12:55,233 I mean, think about what he's saying. 231 00:12:55,233 --> 00:12:56,666 Everything in me 232 00:12:57,766 --> 00:13:00,300 turn it into praise. 233 00:13:00,300 --> 00:13:02,966 There are times when what is in me is fear. 234 00:13:02,966 --> 00:13:05,466 There are times when what is within me is doubt. 235 00:13:05,466 --> 00:13:08,466 There are times what is within me is confusion. 236 00:13:08,466 --> 00:13:11,400 There's times that what is within me is pain. 237 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:14,566 There's times that what is with me is discouragement. 238 00:13:14,566 --> 00:13:17,566 There are times. 239 00:13:17,733 --> 00:13:20,733 And he says, everything in me. 240 00:13:22,566 --> 00:13:25,566 Praise God. 241 00:13:27,433 --> 00:13:30,366 It's living the truth 242 00:13:30,366 --> 00:13:33,366 of Hebrews 1315. 243 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:35,566 Through Jesus, therefore, 244 00:13:35,566 --> 00:13:38,566 let us continually offer to God a what 245 00:13:39,433 --> 00:13:42,033 a sacrifice of praise 246 00:13:42,033 --> 00:13:44,800 the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 247 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:47,800 I want you to know it's worth the sacrifice of praise. 248 00:13:48,033 --> 00:13:51,033 There are times my friends went to praise God 249 00:13:51,366 --> 00:13:54,266 feels like sacrifice, looks like 250 00:13:54,266 --> 00:13:57,366 it's painful and it's difficult. 251 00:13:57,700 --> 00:13:59,633 And it doesn't come easy. 252 00:13:59,633 --> 00:14:02,733 And it's not natural. It is a sacrifice. 253 00:14:04,866 --> 00:14:07,866 Like something inside of me is dying. 254 00:14:11,766 --> 00:14:14,766 And I will praise him. 255 00:14:17,533 --> 00:14:19,633 I was thinking about this. 256 00:14:19,633 --> 00:14:22,633 You know what the opposite of praise is? 257 00:14:22,900 --> 00:14:25,900 David tells us the opposite of praise is forgetfulness. 258 00:14:27,166 --> 00:14:30,300 Praise the Lord, all my soul and all that is within me. 259 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:34,133 Praise the Lord and forget not all 260 00:14:34,133 --> 00:14:37,133 his benefits. 261 00:14:37,500 --> 00:14:39,133 Praise is remembering 262 00:14:39,133 --> 00:14:42,133 the blessing and favor of God, 263 00:14:43,066 --> 00:14:46,200 and the opposite of praise is forgetting. 264 00:14:48,833 --> 00:14:49,600 So when you and 265 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:52,666 I live with an attitude that is not gratitude, 266 00:14:53,700 --> 00:14:56,700 when we have this perspective not of thankfulness, 267 00:14:57,300 --> 00:15:00,300 but of lack. 268 00:15:00,566 --> 00:15:03,566 It's the opposite of praise. 269 00:15:04,900 --> 00:15:05,666 The Bible says 270 00:15:05,666 --> 00:15:08,666 that God lives in the praises of his people, 271 00:15:08,933 --> 00:15:11,566 and if God lives in the praises of his people, 272 00:15:11,566 --> 00:15:14,266 who is it that lives in the opposite of that? 273 00:15:19,466 --> 00:15:22,800 If the opposite of praise is forgetfulness, and God lives 274 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:26,800 in the context of praise of his people, who lives in the context 275 00:15:27,233 --> 00:15:30,233 of forgetfulness. 276 00:15:32,333 --> 00:15:34,733 You want to say it that way? 277 00:15:34,733 --> 00:15:35,000 Yeah. 278 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:38,000 The evil one. 279 00:15:41,466 --> 00:15:44,466 And David says, stop. 280 00:15:44,700 --> 00:15:47,700 Don't forget God's goodness. 281 00:15:49,633 --> 00:15:52,633 Don't forget his mercy and his grace. 282 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:54,933 Gratitude. Hear me. 283 00:15:54,933 --> 00:15:59,133 Must be a disciplined daily choice. 284 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:04,000 It's got to be a daily discipline. 285 00:16:04,666 --> 00:16:07,666 We must sometimes make ourselves 286 00:16:08,100 --> 00:16:11,100 praise God. 287 00:16:11,133 --> 00:16:14,133 I suggest that every prayer 288 00:16:14,433 --> 00:16:17,433 should begin with thank you. 289 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:20,100 No matter no is we're praying about God. 290 00:16:20,100 --> 00:16:22,566 Thank you. 291 00:16:22,566 --> 00:16:23,700 Thank you for your mercy. 292 00:16:23,700 --> 00:16:24,766 Thank you for your grace. 293 00:16:24,766 --> 00:16:27,766 Thank you for the opportunity to approach your throne. 294 00:16:28,666 --> 00:16:30,000 Thank you that you're not going to ban it. 295 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:33,000 Thank you. 296 00:16:36,333 --> 00:16:38,233 I give you permission as your pastor 297 00:16:39,700 --> 00:16:42,700 to consider the way of my prayer. 298 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:46,400 Whenever you hear me pray, hold me accountable 299 00:16:47,466 --> 00:16:48,766 that my prayers would begin 300 00:16:48,766 --> 00:16:51,766 with thanksgiving and gratitude. 301 00:16:54,066 --> 00:16:55,200 I want God to live 302 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:58,533 in the context of my praise and my prayer, so I will thank him. 303 00:17:01,733 --> 00:17:02,833 And so David starts 304 00:17:02,833 --> 00:17:05,833 with the command to his own soul. 305 00:17:06,733 --> 00:17:09,666 You will praise the Lord, he says to himself. 306 00:17:09,666 --> 00:17:13,566 And then he gives us reasons why it's good to give thanks and praise. 307 00:17:14,433 --> 00:17:18,166 And the first he says, is this reasons to thank God. 308 00:17:18,933 --> 00:17:21,933 It's because of his forgiveness and because of his healing. 309 00:17:22,866 --> 00:17:25,866 In verse three of Psalm 103, he says, 310 00:17:27,166 --> 00:17:28,300 praise the Lord, all my soul. 311 00:17:28,300 --> 00:17:31,500 Do not forget all his benefits and the first ones he lists 312 00:17:31,500 --> 00:17:35,800 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. 313 00:17:39,566 --> 00:17:42,566 He says the key to thankfulness 314 00:17:43,466 --> 00:17:46,466 begins with remembering the mercies of God. 315 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:50,333 The key to being grateful 316 00:17:50,333 --> 00:17:53,000 is to remember right up front 317 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:56,333 the mercy of God, and then his mercy. 318 00:17:56,633 --> 00:17:58,966 He forgives our sins. 319 00:17:58,966 --> 00:18:03,533 It's so interesting and significant to me that the first thing that David says, 320 00:18:03,533 --> 00:18:07,500 the benefit of God is, is not over my physical health. 321 00:18:07,633 --> 00:18:10,633 It's about my spiritual salvation. 322 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:14,400 He forgives your sins. 323 00:18:14,633 --> 00:18:17,533 Even more than healing, what we thank God for 324 00:18:17,533 --> 00:18:20,533 is the forgiveness of sin. 325 00:18:21,233 --> 00:18:25,033 First John one nine says, if we confess our sins, God is faithful 326 00:18:25,033 --> 00:18:29,366 and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 327 00:18:31,766 --> 00:18:33,300 And so David starts off with, 328 00:18:33,300 --> 00:18:37,400 remember what he's done, the foremost priority 329 00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:42,300 of the goodness of God, the mercy of God, the compassion of God, the grace of God 330 00:18:43,466 --> 00:18:46,466 is the forgiveness of sin. 331 00:18:48,533 --> 00:18:51,033 We have to realize 332 00:18:51,033 --> 00:18:52,600 that God does heal. 333 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:55,233 Certainly our soul, 334 00:18:55,233 --> 00:18:56,900 life, death and resurrection. Jesus. 335 00:18:56,900 --> 00:18:59,900 But he also heals our bodies. 336 00:19:00,533 --> 00:19:02,666 And he does it in a number of different ways. 337 00:19:02,666 --> 00:19:05,933 And it's good to be wise and thankful for all the ways that God does. 338 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:10,333 Sometimes God chooses to heal, and he's done this throughout 339 00:19:10,533 --> 00:19:13,866 throughout the the revelation of himself to humanity. 340 00:19:13,866 --> 00:19:15,600 He's healed people. 341 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:18,600 And sometimes it has been through the medical profession, 342 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:22,400 and sometimes it has been through the direct touch of his hand. 343 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:27,300 But he's always just think for a moment, let's go back 100 years. 344 00:19:28,166 --> 00:19:31,166 If 100 years ago, we could look forward to our present day 345 00:19:31,266 --> 00:19:36,900 and and see the healing that people can experience 346 00:19:36,900 --> 00:19:40,300 now that they couldn't, then we're think that's what the hand of God 347 00:19:41,300 --> 00:19:44,300 imagine. 348 00:19:44,900 --> 00:19:46,666 So he's always healed. 349 00:19:46,666 --> 00:19:49,666 Sometimes it's at the touch of his hand. 350 00:19:49,700 --> 00:19:52,700 We have all kinds of stories of people in his church, 351 00:19:53,333 --> 00:19:56,333 when the doctors had no idea what they were going to do, and there was no answer. 352 00:19:56,333 --> 00:19:59,333 And then suddenly God showed up. 353 00:19:59,333 --> 00:20:02,333 There's a young man in our youth ministry right now 354 00:20:03,300 --> 00:20:06,300 that that exactly happened to. 355 00:20:09,166 --> 00:20:10,633 But but we have to understand 356 00:20:10,633 --> 00:20:14,100 that after every healing, eventually there's going to be a. 357 00:20:17,166 --> 00:20:19,500 Death. 358 00:20:19,500 --> 00:20:22,500 No heat, no physical healing is eternal. 359 00:20:24,900 --> 00:20:26,766 And I was just studying this. 360 00:20:26,766 --> 00:20:29,066 I don't know if you've heard this study recently. It just came out. 361 00:20:29,066 --> 00:20:32,066 But so far in America, 362 00:20:32,100 --> 00:20:35,100 the mortality rate is just about 100%. 363 00:20:35,700 --> 00:20:38,700 I don't know if you heard that study. It. 364 00:20:39,466 --> 00:20:42,900 And so God can heal and heal and heal and eventually will die. 365 00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:46,700 The one 366 00:20:46,700 --> 00:20:49,700 healing that will never die is the healing of the soul, 367 00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:54,466 the eternal and secure. 368 00:20:56,033 --> 00:20:58,800 And so it's ripe for the able to say, remember all those benefits. 369 00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:02,100 He heals your soul and heal your body. 370 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:06,466 And the great thing about the body body healing is that ultimately, 371 00:21:06,466 --> 00:21:11,366 if you understand biblical theology, when Christ returns and the new heaven 372 00:21:11,366 --> 00:21:14,366 and the new earth are established, we get a new body. 373 00:21:15,233 --> 00:21:18,233 This one is a frail tent that is passing away. 374 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:24,233 But when I live with Christ forever on a new earth, he gives me a new body 375 00:21:24,233 --> 00:21:27,233 to the physical world with the new physical body. 376 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:31,166 So ultimately it's all going to be healed 377 00:21:31,166 --> 00:21:33,233 and everybody in Christ will experience that. 378 00:21:33,233 --> 00:21:35,200 To be the soil on the Bible and all of you. 379 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:36,766 Be bold because it's beautiful. 380 00:21:36,766 --> 00:21:39,300 When God heals you, right? Matt? 381 00:21:50,100 --> 00:21:53,266 The Bible puts so much emphasis on the healing of our soul. 382 00:21:53,266 --> 00:21:55,233 First, 383 00:21:55,233 --> 00:21:59,833 there's a crazy verse in in Matthew ten, do not be afraid 384 00:21:59,833 --> 00:22:02,833 of those who can kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. 385 00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:06,633 Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy 386 00:22:06,633 --> 00:22:09,633 both soul and body in hell. 387 00:22:11,066 --> 00:22:13,200 And be thankful for all his benefits 388 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:16,200 that he healed your soul. 389 00:22:20,500 --> 00:22:23,700 And then David goes on and he says, praise the Lord, all my soul. 390 00:22:23,700 --> 00:22:26,466 Forget not all his benefits. 391 00:22:26,466 --> 00:22:27,466 Who forgives your sin? 392 00:22:27,466 --> 00:22:29,800 Who heals you? 393 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:33,033 And then he says, be thankful for redemption. 394 00:22:34,366 --> 00:22:36,466 Now this is a it's a biblical word. 395 00:22:36,466 --> 00:22:39,200 I want to explain what redemption is. 396 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:43,266 But but the Bible says in verses 4 or 5, who redeems your life on the pit 397 00:22:44,233 --> 00:22:47,233 and crowns you with love and compassion. 398 00:22:50,266 --> 00:22:51,233 Who satisfies 399 00:22:51,233 --> 00:22:54,333 your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed? 400 00:22:54,333 --> 00:22:56,200 Like the eagles? 401 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:58,166 This is redemption. 402 00:22:58,166 --> 00:23:01,400 What redemption is, is the beginning of a thing 403 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:04,400 because of a payment that's been paid, 404 00:23:04,466 --> 00:23:07,200 that I've lost something, I've sacrificed something, 405 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:10,200 and someone is holding that thing as ransom 406 00:23:10,633 --> 00:23:14,000 and is demanding payment so I can get it back. 407 00:23:14,866 --> 00:23:17,500 And the act of making that payment 408 00:23:17,500 --> 00:23:20,166 is called redemption. 409 00:23:20,166 --> 00:23:23,166 Here's what we have to understand that because of sin, 410 00:23:23,433 --> 00:23:26,433 I was held for ransom 411 00:23:27,766 --> 00:23:30,633 and sin was my captor. 412 00:23:30,633 --> 00:23:33,633 And sin held me for ransom. 413 00:23:34,133 --> 00:23:37,300 And the ransom that sin demanded was a life. 414 00:23:39,533 --> 00:23:42,000 And Jesus stepped in 415 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:45,333 and paid my ransom with his life. 416 00:23:47,066 --> 00:23:49,333 And when I remember the ransom 417 00:23:49,333 --> 00:23:53,666 that was paid for my redemption, and I praise him for it. 418 00:23:55,933 --> 00:23:58,900 And so David says to be grateful for 419 00:23:58,900 --> 00:24:02,400 not only did Jesus step in and pay the ransom 420 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:05,400 that was demanded for my life by sin, 421 00:24:05,766 --> 00:24:09,000 Jesus not only paid my ransom by giving his life, 422 00:24:09,100 --> 00:24:12,100 then he took his life back up. 423 00:24:12,500 --> 00:24:15,366 It's called resurrection. 424 00:24:15,366 --> 00:24:17,633 And because of the resurrection, David says 425 00:24:17,633 --> 00:24:21,766 he provides satisfaction and provision of every good thing. 426 00:24:21,900 --> 00:24:24,866 So praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all 427 00:24:24,866 --> 00:24:27,866 his benefits. 428 00:24:27,900 --> 00:24:30,900 He's redeemed it. 429 00:24:31,533 --> 00:24:32,366 And when I give 430 00:24:32,366 --> 00:24:37,200 thanks for God's mercy and for his grace, and for the redemption 431 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:41,300 that he's provided through his life, it grounds me in the realization of his love. 432 00:24:45,766 --> 00:24:48,766 And when I choose not to be grateful 433 00:24:49,100 --> 00:24:51,000 and not to praise him for this 434 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:54,433 redemption, it's the opposite of being remembered, 435 00:24:55,933 --> 00:24:58,933 of remembering his love, forgetfulness. 436 00:25:00,300 --> 00:25:02,666 And when I'm grounded in the realization 437 00:25:02,666 --> 00:25:05,666 and remembrance of his love, David says, 438 00:25:06,500 --> 00:25:07,166 you get strength. 439 00:25:07,166 --> 00:25:10,166 Like the eagle. 440 00:25:10,500 --> 00:25:13,400 It's good to give thanks to the Lord. 441 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:17,066 So praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. 442 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:20,766 You were held for ransom, 443 00:25:20,766 --> 00:25:22,800 and sin demanded that ransom 444 00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:25,800 be paid with a life. 445 00:25:27,333 --> 00:25:28,633 And we have a choice 446 00:25:28,633 --> 00:25:31,633 to pay that ransom ourselves. 447 00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:35,166 And the payment ourselves of that ransom 448 00:25:35,166 --> 00:25:38,166 will be our lives and eternity in hell. 449 00:25:39,033 --> 00:25:42,033 I don't recommend you try that. 450 00:25:44,033 --> 00:25:47,400 Or to accept the ransom payment of Christ, 451 00:25:48,666 --> 00:25:51,666 his life, his death, his resurrection 452 00:25:52,233 --> 00:25:54,766 that pays your ransom for you. 453 00:25:54,766 --> 00:25:57,766 Forget not all his benefits. 454 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:05,500 In verses six and seven, I'm not going to read the whole thing, 455 00:26:05,500 --> 00:26:05,866 but verse 456 00:26:05,866 --> 00:26:09,633 six and seven, David goes on and talks about God's righteousness and his justice. 457 00:26:12,166 --> 00:26:12,533 And then 458 00:26:12,533 --> 00:26:15,566 he comes back around and verses eight and nine and ten and he says this. 459 00:26:15,566 --> 00:26:17,433 The Lord is compassionate and gracious. 460 00:26:17,433 --> 00:26:18,966 I love these verses. 461 00:26:18,966 --> 00:26:20,533 You need to underline these. 462 00:26:20,533 --> 00:26:22,100 You need to remember these. 463 00:26:22,100 --> 00:26:24,600 You need to highlight these in your Bible. 464 00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:29,100 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love. 465 00:26:29,233 --> 00:26:34,400 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever. 466 00:26:35,033 --> 00:26:37,900 He does not treat us as our sins deserve 467 00:26:37,900 --> 00:26:40,900 or repay us according to our iniquities. 468 00:26:41,033 --> 00:26:43,100 That's beautiful. 469 00:26:43,100 --> 00:26:46,100 David reminds us of God's mercy and God's grace 470 00:26:47,100 --> 00:26:50,100 and how profound they are 471 00:26:50,333 --> 00:26:50,900 and their worth. 472 00:26:50,900 --> 00:26:53,100 Praising God for and thanking God for. 473 00:26:53,100 --> 00:26:56,100 Regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. 474 00:26:58,266 --> 00:26:59,566 And the context 475 00:26:59,566 --> 00:27:03,300 to understand the incredible depth and magnitude 476 00:27:03,300 --> 00:27:07,400 and magnificence of God's mercy and his grace, the context for the best. 477 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:09,766 Remembering that is a context of our own sin. 478 00:27:11,366 --> 00:27:14,366 And so David rightly says 479 00:27:15,166 --> 00:27:18,166 he is slow to anger, 480 00:27:18,266 --> 00:27:21,266 but he is righteously anger over sin. 481 00:27:23,766 --> 00:27:26,333 He will not always accuse, though he will just 482 00:27:26,333 --> 00:27:29,333 so he makes sure that we know our transgression. 483 00:27:30,666 --> 00:27:33,066 He'll make sure we understand. 484 00:27:33,066 --> 00:27:36,066 You stand accused because of your sin. 485 00:27:36,300 --> 00:27:37,400 You need to understand that. 486 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:40,400 But he won't always accuse. 487 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:41,700 He'll be righteous. 488 00:27:41,700 --> 00:27:45,300 The anger, the fact that sin is separated us from him, no doubt. 489 00:27:46,633 --> 00:27:49,633 But he won't harbor that anger. 490 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:53,533 But because his mercy and his grace are so profound 491 00:27:53,533 --> 00:27:57,466 that he will not treat us as our sin deserves, because our sin deserves 492 00:27:57,933 --> 00:28:00,800 to be treated harshly. 493 00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:03,866 And so God took that deserving us of our sin 494 00:28:03,866 --> 00:28:07,766 and place it onto His Son and treated His Son harshly in our stead. 495 00:28:12,066 --> 00:28:12,933 And he won't repay us 496 00:28:12,933 --> 00:28:15,933 according to our iniquities. 497 00:28:16,733 --> 00:28:19,800 He took my iniquity and placed that on his son, 498 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:22,800 and took his son's righteousness, and placed it on me. 499 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:29,533 So praise the Lord, oh my soul, 500 00:28:29,533 --> 00:28:32,533 I forget not his benefits. 501 00:28:36,900 --> 00:28:38,466 I want you to know the difference 502 00:28:38,466 --> 00:28:41,466 between the way God treats us and the way 503 00:28:41,466 --> 00:28:44,466 we treat each other. 504 00:28:44,966 --> 00:28:46,100 You and I. 505 00:28:46,100 --> 00:28:49,100 We have the tendency to nurse our grievances, 506 00:28:50,033 --> 00:28:52,500 right? Right. 507 00:28:52,500 --> 00:28:53,400 I mean, probably not. 508 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:56,400 You, but maybe the person you're sitting next to. 509 00:28:57,600 --> 00:29:00,600 We have we have the tendency to nurse our grief. 510 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:05,033 You know, that person. 511 00:29:05,033 --> 00:29:07,766 And you know what they did 512 00:29:07,766 --> 00:29:10,766 right? 513 00:29:11,533 --> 00:29:14,533 You you heard what they said. 514 00:29:17,500 --> 00:29:17,866 Right. 515 00:29:17,866 --> 00:29:20,866 You know, you know how they did you wrong. 516 00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:26,466 You you know, that post was all about you. 517 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:32,100 You remember what they 518 00:29:32,100 --> 00:29:35,100 said behind your back. 519 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:39,600 We have a tendency to nurse our grievances. 520 00:29:43,300 --> 00:29:46,200 God is different. 521 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:48,800 He chooses to release 522 00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:50,800 his anger. 523 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:53,800 And there's a grievance against our sin. 524 00:29:57,966 --> 00:30:00,066 When we're sinned against, 525 00:30:00,066 --> 00:30:03,000 our tendency is to treat others 526 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:06,000 like they treated us. 527 00:30:06,666 --> 00:30:09,666 Only right. 528 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:13,200 Right. 529 00:30:13,700 --> 00:30:16,400 Not so with God. 530 00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:18,400 He treats us according to the full measure 531 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:21,400 and magnitude of his mercy and his grace. 532 00:30:23,866 --> 00:30:24,600 Praise the Lord. 533 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:26,466 Oh my soul. 534 00:30:26,466 --> 00:30:29,466 Forget not all his benefits. 535 00:30:30,733 --> 00:30:32,700 Forgives. 536 00:30:32,700 --> 00:30:34,500 Heals. 537 00:30:34,500 --> 00:30:37,500 He redeems. 538 00:30:38,066 --> 00:30:40,500 And he responds to us 539 00:30:40,500 --> 00:30:43,500 according to the fullness of his mercy and his grace. 540 00:30:48,566 --> 00:30:51,566 Give thanks. 541 00:30:51,966 --> 00:30:52,700 For as high as 542 00:30:52,700 --> 00:30:56,366 the heavens are above the earth, so great is love for those who fear him. 543 00:30:56,466 --> 00:31:00,100 As far as the east is from the west so far has he removed 544 00:31:00,100 --> 00:31:01,366 our transgressions from us. 545 00:31:04,500 --> 00:31:06,066 The common idea in ancient 546 00:31:06,066 --> 00:31:09,066 times is that there were these levels of have the heavens, 547 00:31:09,833 --> 00:31:12,766 and the first level of the heavens was just the, 548 00:31:12,766 --> 00:31:15,766 the place where the birds fly and the clouds live. 549 00:31:16,966 --> 00:31:19,966 But above that was the heaven of the cosmos, 550 00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:23,533 or the planets, and the stars reside, and above 551 00:31:23,533 --> 00:31:26,533 that was the heaven of God's throne. 552 00:31:26,833 --> 00:31:29,833 And I don't know which of these David may have had in mind. 553 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:33,000 I don't even know if David understood the fact that the earth was a 554 00:31:33,433 --> 00:31:35,933 is a sphere, though they're the Old Testament 555 00:31:35,933 --> 00:31:38,400 prophets certainly did, and it's clear in their writings 556 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:40,166 David probably understood that. 557 00:31:40,166 --> 00:31:43,000 And but I don't know which you know, what he was thinking about 558 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:44,700 as far as the heavens are, brother, but it matter. 559 00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:49,200 Any of those heavens is far above sea level. 560 00:31:49,266 --> 00:31:52,066 Do you understand? 561 00:31:52,066 --> 00:31:53,133 Doesn't matter which one of you. 562 00:31:53,133 --> 00:31:56,133 The fact is, you said, look, there's a great chasm 563 00:31:56,600 --> 00:31:59,100 as far as the heavens are above the earth. 564 00:31:59,100 --> 00:32:01,200 So great is his love for those who fear him. 565 00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:02,033 But watch this. 566 00:32:02,033 --> 00:32:03,100 David goes a step further, 567 00:32:03,100 --> 00:32:06,166 and I love one through the Holy Spirit spiritual Holy Spirit. 568 00:32:06,300 --> 00:32:09,300 He says, he says, as far as the East is from the West, 569 00:32:09,300 --> 00:32:11,633 so as he removed our transgressions from us. 570 00:32:11,633 --> 00:32:15,466 I'm so thankful David didn't say, as far as the North is from the south. 571 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:18,000 Here's why. 572 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:21,000 Because you can start in the south and go north 573 00:32:21,266 --> 00:32:23,866 until you get to the North Pole. 574 00:32:23,866 --> 00:32:24,800 And at the North Pole. 575 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:27,000 Suddenly north meets south. 576 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:31,600 Is that next step is south getting Kinston. 577 00:32:32,100 --> 00:32:35,833 You go south as far as you can until you get to the South Pole. 578 00:32:37,066 --> 00:32:40,066 And the moment you get to South Pole, South means North. 579 00:32:41,433 --> 00:32:44,533 I'm so glad he didn't say so far as north is from the south, 580 00:32:45,433 --> 00:32:48,100 because that would mean that my transgressions 581 00:32:48,100 --> 00:32:51,100 will meet me one day. 582 00:32:51,233 --> 00:32:53,900 East and west are different. 583 00:32:53,900 --> 00:32:55,566 You start east. 584 00:32:55,566 --> 00:32:57,400 I don't care how far around the globe you go. 585 00:32:57,400 --> 00:33:00,400 You will always go east. 586 00:33:00,500 --> 00:33:01,866 Think about it. 587 00:33:01,866 --> 00:33:02,900 You go west. 588 00:33:02,900 --> 00:33:05,100 I don't care how far west you go. 589 00:33:05,100 --> 00:33:05,933 You're always. 590 00:33:05,933 --> 00:33:09,466 And there's no point in the cosmos where east meets west. 591 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:14,666 And he's saying God's love and compassion are so profound that he has removed 592 00:33:14,666 --> 00:33:19,066 your transgressions as far as the East is from those they will never meet you again 593 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:23,433 because of the death and resurrection of Jesus. 594 00:33:23,433 --> 00:33:26,700 Forget not all his benefits. 595 00:33:27,966 --> 00:33:29,033 He's worthy of praise. 596 00:33:29,033 --> 00:33:33,000 Does any of this that David as enumerated this, is any of it 597 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:36,300 contingent upon the circumstances of his life? 598 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:39,566 None. 599 00:33:39,566 --> 00:33:42,566 Forget not all his benefits. 600 00:33:42,666 --> 00:33:46,933 God's mercy and his grace are so much greater than we've ever imagined. 601 00:33:47,100 --> 00:33:50,100 And David says it necessitates our praise. 602 00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:54,966 Verses 13 and 14. 603 00:33:54,966 --> 00:33:58,133 It gets really personal as a father has compassion on his children, 604 00:33:58,200 --> 00:34:01,200 so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him, 605 00:34:02,300 --> 00:34:05,300 for he knows how we are formed. 606 00:34:05,333 --> 00:34:08,233 He remembers that we're dust. 607 00:34:08,233 --> 00:34:11,166 In Genesis two, the story is told the account 608 00:34:11,166 --> 00:34:15,000 of our creation, that human was made from the dust of the earth. 609 00:34:15,033 --> 00:34:17,266 And I'm so thankful that God remembers 610 00:34:18,233 --> 00:34:21,233 that I am a dirty creation. 611 00:34:24,033 --> 00:34:26,266 He knows me, 612 00:34:26,266 --> 00:34:27,966 and because he knows that 613 00:34:27,966 --> 00:34:30,966 I am a dirty creature. 614 00:34:33,066 --> 00:34:34,966 He doesn't have great expectations 615 00:34:34,966 --> 00:34:37,966 of me, and I appreciate that. 616 00:34:38,833 --> 00:34:41,833 He remembers who I am. 617 00:34:42,266 --> 00:34:44,166 And in the knowledge of who I am. 618 00:34:44,166 --> 00:34:47,166 The Bible says, As the father has compassion on his children, 619 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:51,000 so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him, that 620 00:34:52,266 --> 00:34:57,000 can you adequately put into words the compassion 621 00:34:58,200 --> 00:35:01,200 and the love you have for your children? 622 00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:03,900 Can you put that into words 623 00:35:03,900 --> 00:35:06,900 adequately enough to express that up? 624 00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:09,966 I can't, 625 00:35:09,966 --> 00:35:12,966 I know what it feels like. 626 00:35:14,433 --> 00:35:15,933 But I can't put it into words. 627 00:35:15,933 --> 00:35:17,400 It's so profound. 628 00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:20,233 Mom's. 629 00:35:20,233 --> 00:35:23,233 Can you adequately describe 630 00:35:23,533 --> 00:35:28,100 the depth and the veracity of the love you have for your kids? 631 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:34,600 How do you express them? 632 00:35:34,833 --> 00:35:37,833 You can't verbalize that, but you can show it. 633 00:35:38,233 --> 00:35:41,233 You feel it. 634 00:35:41,333 --> 00:35:44,333 And as deep as that is, 635 00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:47,400 so the Lord has compassion on us kids. 636 00:35:48,533 --> 00:35:51,533 But also it says on those who let. 637 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:54,733 On those who fear. 638 00:35:54,733 --> 00:35:55,900 Though God is love. 639 00:35:55,900 --> 00:35:58,833 And that is that's biblical. 640 00:35:58,833 --> 00:36:00,633 Those who experience the pointed 641 00:36:00,633 --> 00:36:03,633 and direct compassion of God 642 00:36:04,066 --> 00:36:07,066 are those who fear him. 643 00:36:07,733 --> 00:36:10,733 Not everybody. 644 00:36:12,600 --> 00:36:14,266 To fear means to respect him, 645 00:36:14,266 --> 00:36:17,266 to honor him, to obey him, to love him 646 00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:19,466 and those who fear him. 647 00:36:19,466 --> 00:36:23,000 This compassion, this incredible, indescribable love. 648 00:36:24,700 --> 00:36:26,233 They feel the direct, 649 00:36:26,233 --> 00:36:29,233 pointed experience of that. 650 00:36:30,600 --> 00:36:31,500 All praise the Lord. 651 00:36:31,500 --> 00:36:33,233 Oh my soul, 652 00:36:33,233 --> 00:36:36,233 forget not all his benefits. 653 00:36:38,666 --> 00:36:40,933 And even more, verse 17 and 18. 654 00:36:40,933 --> 00:36:43,766 But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those 655 00:36:43,766 --> 00:36:46,500 who fear him and his righteousness with their children's children, 656 00:36:47,466 --> 00:36:49,500 with those who keep his covenant 657 00:36:49,500 --> 00:36:52,500 and remember to obey his precepts. 658 00:36:55,766 --> 00:36:57,833 All of this 659 00:36:57,833 --> 00:37:00,433 for those who honor God, 660 00:37:00,433 --> 00:37:03,433 who Revere him, who fear him and respect him, 661 00:37:03,466 --> 00:37:07,900 who love him, who obey him, forgetting all his benefits for you. 662 00:37:09,100 --> 00:37:11,700 And as you live in the context of this relationship 663 00:37:11,700 --> 00:37:14,700 with Christ, even for your children. 664 00:37:15,566 --> 00:37:18,566 Forgetting of his benefits. 665 00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:22,133 And David begins with the command of his own soul. 666 00:37:22,133 --> 00:37:25,133 Oh, so praise the Lord. 667 00:37:26,800 --> 00:37:28,366 All that is within me, within. 668 00:37:28,366 --> 00:37:29,700 Right? Everything. 669 00:37:29,700 --> 00:37:30,933 Praise the Lord. 670 00:37:30,933 --> 00:37:33,100 Don't forget all he starts here. 671 00:37:33,100 --> 00:37:36,100 And then he realizes in this moment 672 00:37:36,233 --> 00:37:38,866 that God is so good and God is so great, 673 00:37:38,866 --> 00:37:42,500 and he's so profound, and his mercy, his grace are so magnificent 674 00:37:42,633 --> 00:37:47,266 that he says it's not enough just for me and my soul to praise him. 675 00:37:50,300 --> 00:37:50,900 Praise the 676 00:37:50,900 --> 00:37:56,100 Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey His Word. 677 00:37:56,533 --> 00:37:59,433 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly host. 678 00:37:59,433 --> 00:38:02,133 You his servants who do his will, praise the Lord, 679 00:38:02,133 --> 00:38:05,433 all his works everywhere in his domain. 680 00:38:05,466 --> 00:38:08,466 What David is saying is that I will 681 00:38:09,033 --> 00:38:12,033 make it my choice, everything to praise the Lord. 682 00:38:12,133 --> 00:38:16,900 But he is so good, and he is so merciful, and he is so loving, 683 00:38:17,033 --> 00:38:21,000 and he is so gracious, and his benefits are so profound. 684 00:38:21,200 --> 00:38:24,200 That is not enough just for me to praise God, 685 00:38:24,300 --> 00:38:27,866 but he calls on the angels of heaven to praise the Lord, 686 00:38:27,966 --> 00:38:31,200 and he calls on the trees of the earth to praise the Lord. 687 00:38:31,333 --> 00:38:35,000 And he even says, the rocks will cry out in praise of the Lord. 688 00:38:35,100 --> 00:38:38,966 Everything in his whole dominion, the stars and the planets 689 00:38:38,966 --> 00:38:43,133 and the mountains and the animals to praise God because he deserves it. 690 00:38:43,133 --> 00:38:43,866 And he's worthy. 691 00:38:45,966 --> 00:38:49,900 Yeah, forget not all his benefits. 692 00:38:50,400 --> 00:38:54,566 Who hangs the stars in the sky and calls them by name? 693 00:38:56,033 --> 00:38:58,766 Who put the planets in orbit 694 00:38:58,766 --> 00:39:01,766 and holds them in perfect tension. 695 00:39:02,266 --> 00:39:06,000 Who creates every being intricacy in their mother's womb. 696 00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:08,500 Knitting together their very DNA. 697 00:39:08,500 --> 00:39:10,633 So fearfully and wonderfully made. 698 00:39:10,633 --> 00:39:12,900 Forgetting not all his benefits. 699 00:39:12,900 --> 00:39:16,633 And he calls on heaven above and earth below 700 00:39:16,733 --> 00:39:19,733 to praise this God and. 701 00:39:21,200 --> 00:39:23,966 And he starts with himself, and he says, God 702 00:39:23,966 --> 00:39:27,066 is too big to be contained within my own soul. 703 00:39:28,866 --> 00:39:30,766 And regardless of the situation 704 00:39:30,766 --> 00:39:35,100 or scenario, because of who God is, he calls on 705 00:39:35,133 --> 00:39:38,133 every living being in the dominion of God 706 00:39:39,066 --> 00:39:44,133 to give praise and thanks to this God. For. 707 00:39:49,866 --> 00:39:53,200 We have to understand that earth meets heaven in the context of praise. 708 00:39:58,400 --> 00:40:00,433 Let God to enter into your reality. 709 00:40:00,433 --> 00:40:03,433 Praise him, oh my soul, 710 00:40:03,633 --> 00:40:05,166 praise his holy name and forget 711 00:40:05,166 --> 00:40:08,166 not his benefits. 712 00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:11,933 And then David realizes 713 00:40:11,933 --> 00:40:15,000 that he does not have command over anything other than himself. 714 00:40:15,900 --> 00:40:18,633 And so he ends where he begins. 715 00:40:18,633 --> 00:40:21,633 Praise the Lord, oh my soul! 716 00:40:22,433 --> 00:40:24,500 Though God deserves it in the context 717 00:40:24,500 --> 00:40:27,500 of his domain, and from every creature of being, 718 00:40:28,266 --> 00:40:31,500 he realizes that the only control he has is over his own soul. 719 00:40:31,500 --> 00:40:34,500 And so he returns where he started. 720 00:40:34,933 --> 00:40:36,700 David, 721 00:40:36,700 --> 00:40:39,700 praise the Lord! 722 00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:47,400 I want you, and I want us as a church 723 00:40:47,500 --> 00:40:50,500 to have a focus this week and next 724 00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:54,566 to begin every thought, 725 00:40:54,566 --> 00:40:56,566 to shift perspective and begin every prayer 726 00:40:56,566 --> 00:40:59,566 with thanksgiving. 727 00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:02,733 And just live in that place of thanksgiving and gratitude. 728 00:41:09,300 --> 00:41:12,300 I want to leave you with these two verses, 729 00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:14,033 and you're just going to have to write them down. 730 00:41:14,033 --> 00:41:15,866 One of them is Habakkuk three. 731 00:41:15,866 --> 00:41:18,866 Habakkuk is one of what's called the the minor prophets. 732 00:41:20,066 --> 00:41:23,066 And this is what the prophet Habakkuk says, 733 00:41:23,666 --> 00:41:26,666 though the fig tree does not bud, 734 00:41:26,833 --> 00:41:29,266 and there are no grapes on the vines, 735 00:41:29,266 --> 00:41:32,266 though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, 736 00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:36,000 though there are no sheep in the pen 737 00:41:36,233 --> 00:41:39,133 and no cattle in the stalls. 738 00:41:39,133 --> 00:41:43,733 Since no everything has been taken away, though, 739 00:41:43,733 --> 00:41:47,500 everything's been destroyed, though everything has left. 740 00:41:47,500 --> 00:41:50,500 Though I have nothing left. 741 00:41:51,966 --> 00:41:54,966 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord 742 00:41:55,166 --> 00:41:58,166 and be joyful in God my Savior. 743 00:42:00,700 --> 00:42:03,700 You and I may be in those moments 744 00:42:04,200 --> 00:42:05,333 where there's nothing left. 745 00:42:10,533 --> 00:42:13,533 Bless the Lord, O my soul. 746 00:42:14,233 --> 00:42:17,233 Forget not all its benefits. 747 00:42:18,033 --> 00:42:20,100 He's forgiven. 748 00:42:20,100 --> 00:42:22,833 He's redeemed. 749 00:42:22,833 --> 00:42:24,533 And he loves with an inexpressible 750 00:42:24,533 --> 00:42:27,533 compassion. 751 00:42:27,600 --> 00:42:29,233 There will be those times in our lives 752 00:42:29,233 --> 00:42:32,233 when all of this is called into question. 753 00:42:32,300 --> 00:42:34,800 And you are tempted to reject it and deny it 754 00:42:34,800 --> 00:42:37,800 because of what you're experiencing. 755 00:42:39,066 --> 00:42:39,933 And in those times, 756 00:42:39,933 --> 00:42:44,300 I want to remind you of Psalm 22. 757 00:42:45,533 --> 00:42:48,900 Psalm 22 is known as a messianic psalm. 758 00:42:49,633 --> 00:42:53,700 It's a psalm that was written in prophecy about Jesus and his crucifixion. 759 00:42:54,700 --> 00:42:58,400 And it's the psalm that Jesus repeated on the cross, quoted on the cross 760 00:42:58,600 --> 00:43:02,633 when he said the words, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 761 00:43:03,300 --> 00:43:06,300 That's verse one of Psalm 22. 762 00:43:07,866 --> 00:43:10,866 And I want you to understand 763 00:43:11,300 --> 00:43:14,400 what Jesus is saying and what he tells us 764 00:43:15,500 --> 00:43:17,733 about thanking God 765 00:43:17,733 --> 00:43:20,733 and praising God in the midst. 766 00:43:22,133 --> 00:43:24,833 Of feeling forsaken. 767 00:43:24,833 --> 00:43:27,833 Notice the words of Christ himself. 768 00:43:29,533 --> 00:43:32,533 My God, my God. 769 00:43:33,566 --> 00:43:36,566 Why have you forsaken? 770 00:43:38,566 --> 00:43:41,133 Have you ever felt 771 00:43:41,133 --> 00:43:44,133 as if God has forsaken you? 772 00:43:45,366 --> 00:43:48,366 God, where are you now? 773 00:43:51,166 --> 00:43:54,166 Where have you gone? 774 00:44:00,233 --> 00:44:03,233 Why are you so far from saving me? 775 00:44:03,233 --> 00:44:06,233 So far from the words of my groaning. 776 00:44:13,466 --> 00:44:16,466 God, why haven't you done something yet? 777 00:44:23,766 --> 00:44:26,766 It doesn't even feel like you are listening 778 00:44:27,633 --> 00:44:29,600 to my prayers in the grief of my heart. 779 00:44:29,600 --> 00:44:32,600 Like, where are you? 780 00:44:36,633 --> 00:44:37,300 Oh my God. 781 00:44:37,300 --> 00:44:40,966 I cry out by day but you don't answer. 782 00:44:48,433 --> 00:44:51,433 Like all day long. 783 00:44:52,933 --> 00:44:55,933 I'm asking and begging and pleading. 784 00:44:58,900 --> 00:45:01,900 There's nothing. 785 00:45:02,233 --> 00:45:05,233 And you say you love me 786 00:45:05,900 --> 00:45:08,900 and have compassion. 787 00:45:13,866 --> 00:45:16,800 I cry out by night. 788 00:45:16,800 --> 00:45:17,800 And I'm not silent. 789 00:45:17,800 --> 00:45:18,966 But you don't respond. 790 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:27,100 And then Jesus says this through the prophet, 791 00:45:27,100 --> 00:45:29,800 the prophetic nature of Psalm 22. 792 00:45:29,800 --> 00:45:32,800 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One, 793 00:45:33,033 --> 00:45:36,033 and you inhabit the praise of your people. 794 00:45:40,233 --> 00:45:42,000 As we sing, 795 00:45:42,000 --> 00:45:44,700 God, I cry out to you, 796 00:45:44,700 --> 00:45:45,833 and I don't feel you. 797 00:45:45,833 --> 00:45:46,566 I don't see you. 798 00:45:46,566 --> 00:45:49,566 I don't hear you. 799 00:45:49,700 --> 00:45:50,933 And when I'm in those moments. 800 00:45:50,933 --> 00:45:53,633 When it feels like you forsaken me, I will praise you. Because why? 801 00:45:53,633 --> 00:45:56,633 Because you inhabit the praise of your people. 802 00:45:57,366 --> 00:46:00,200 You live in the praise of your people. 803 00:46:00,200 --> 00:46:03,366 When your people praise you, you are there and you show up. 804 00:46:03,500 --> 00:46:06,766 And so though I'm crying out time and time again for you to do something 805 00:46:06,766 --> 00:46:10,666 for you to move, for you to act, for me to feel you, God says, praise me. 806 00:46:13,100 --> 00:46:16,266 I will live in the praise of my people. 807 00:46:16,800 --> 00:46:17,866 I'm enthroned. 808 00:46:17,866 --> 00:46:20,866 The Bible says on the praises of Israel. 809 00:46:23,833 --> 00:46:25,600 You don't feel me? 810 00:46:25,600 --> 00:46:27,200 Praise me. 811 00:46:27,200 --> 00:46:29,400 You don't see me. 812 00:46:29,400 --> 00:46:30,600 Praise me. 813 00:46:30,600 --> 00:46:32,466 You don't hear me. 814 00:46:32,466 --> 00:46:33,766 Praise me. 815 00:46:33,766 --> 00:46:35,700 You don't sense me. 816 00:46:35,700 --> 00:46:37,100 Praise me. 817 00:46:37,100 --> 00:46:39,166 You want to know me? 818 00:46:39,166 --> 00:46:39,933 Praise me. 819 00:46:39,933 --> 00:46:42,933 It's where heaven meets earth. 820 00:46:43,166 --> 00:46:46,166 In the praise of his people. 821 00:46:47,133 --> 00:46:50,133 It is good to give thanks to the Lord. 822 00:46:50,633 --> 00:46:54,066 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. 823 00:46:54,500 --> 00:46:57,600 So I will praise the Lord my God. 824 00:46:58,166 --> 00:47:01,166 All that is within me. 825 00:47:01,700 --> 00:47:03,200 Because I want him to live 826 00:47:03,200 --> 00:47:06,200 in the context of my praise. 827 00:47:10,166 --> 00:47:11,500 It's good to praise the Lord. 828 00:47:11,500 --> 00:47:14,000 Yeah. 829 00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:17,000 I want you to pray with me. 830 00:47:17,666 --> 00:47:18,000 Father. 831 00:47:18,000 --> 00:47:20,333 Thank you. 832 00:47:20,333 --> 00:47:21,833 You are such a good God. 833 00:47:24,133 --> 00:47:27,133 Your compassions never fail. 834 00:47:29,100 --> 00:47:30,000 You don't shift 835 00:47:30,000 --> 00:47:33,000 or turn like the shifting shadows. 836 00:47:33,566 --> 00:47:34,766 You are such a good God. 837 00:47:34,766 --> 00:47:37,633 He will never leave us nor forsake us. Thank you. 838 00:47:37,633 --> 00:47:41,300 Thank you that you've loved us from everlasting to everlasting. 839 00:47:41,333 --> 00:47:44,333 Thank you. 840 00:47:45,866 --> 00:47:48,966 We will choose to praise your name 841 00:47:50,133 --> 00:47:53,066 because you are a good God. 842 00:47:53,066 --> 00:47:56,133 We will choose to live with an attitude of gratitude 843 00:47:56,266 --> 00:47:59,266 because you are a good God. 844 00:48:00,266 --> 00:48:03,266 We will choose to give thanks. 845 00:48:04,200 --> 00:48:05,733 Even in the storm, 846 00:48:05,733 --> 00:48:08,800 and even when the sea billows roll. 847 00:48:10,766 --> 00:48:13,766 Because you are a good God. 848 00:48:15,333 --> 00:48:17,966 Forgive us for when we lose sight of that. 849 00:48:17,966 --> 00:48:20,966 And forget. 850 00:48:21,266 --> 00:48:23,666 In gentleness with mercy and grace. 851 00:48:23,666 --> 00:48:26,100 Remind us 852 00:48:26,100 --> 00:48:29,100 of your benefits. 853 00:48:29,166 --> 00:48:32,166 And causes as a people. 854 00:48:33,633 --> 00:48:36,633 To call our soul to action 855 00:48:37,766 --> 00:48:38,866 and to praise you. 856 00:48:41,133 --> 00:48:44,133 From everything that is within us. 857 00:48:44,733 --> 00:48:47,400 And we bless your holy name. 858 00:48:47,400 --> 00:48:50,400 You are a good God. 859 00:48:51,600 --> 00:48:54,333 In our doubts you are a good God. 860 00:48:54,333 --> 00:48:57,200 In our pain. You are a good God. 861 00:48:57,200 --> 00:48:58,466 In our disillusionment. 862 00:48:58,466 --> 00:49:01,666 You are a good God in our confusion. 863 00:49:01,666 --> 00:49:04,500 You're a good God in our failure. 864 00:49:04,500 --> 00:49:07,600 You're a good God in our dysfunction. 865 00:49:07,600 --> 00:49:10,600 You're a good God. 866 00:49:10,833 --> 00:49:12,566 And all that is within us. 867 00:49:12,566 --> 00:49:15,566 We'll choose to praise your name because you 868 00:49:16,133 --> 00:49:17,700 are a good God. 869 00:49:17,700 --> 00:49:20,000 Yeah. 870 00:49:20,000 --> 00:49:21,633 We invite you to live 871 00:49:21,633 --> 00:49:24,633 in the context of our praise. 872 00:49:25,666 --> 00:49:28,800 Your word says you're enthroned on the praise of your people. 873 00:49:28,800 --> 00:49:31,800 So be enthroned in this moment. 874 00:49:33,566 --> 00:49:34,600 And as we draw 875 00:49:34,600 --> 00:49:38,466 attention to your praise, take up residency. 876 00:49:38,466 --> 00:49:40,900 In those moments, 877 00:49:40,900 --> 00:49:43,800 there are times when we don't feel you, when we don't sense you, 878 00:49:43,800 --> 00:49:45,500 and it causes us to run away from you. 879 00:49:45,500 --> 00:49:48,300 Father, I pray that it would cause us to praise you even more. 880 00:49:50,400 --> 00:49:53,400 And as we do. 881 00:49:53,866 --> 00:49:56,866 Take up residency in our lives. 882 00:49:57,800 --> 00:49:59,933 God, you are enthroned on the praise 883 00:49:59,933 --> 00:50:02,933 of your people you live and inhabit in the praise of your people. 884 00:50:02,966 --> 00:50:05,866 And so we will praise you 885 00:50:05,866 --> 00:50:07,366 regardless of circumstances. 886 00:50:07,366 --> 00:50:10,533 We will praise you and we'll give you thanks. 887 00:50:11,800 --> 00:50:15,400 It's an honor for us to be able to praise you. 888 00:50:15,500 --> 00:50:18,900 It's an honor for us to give you thanks. 889 00:50:20,000 --> 00:50:22,666 You don't owe us anything. 890 00:50:22,666 --> 00:50:24,666 We owe you everything. 891 00:50:24,666 --> 00:50:27,300 And it is an honor 892 00:50:27,300 --> 00:50:29,433 to praise you. 893 00:50:29,433 --> 00:50:32,433 And so accept the praises of your people. 894 00:50:33,366 --> 00:50:35,033 In your name I pray. Amen. 895 00:50:35,033 --> 00:50:36,033 You're right. 896 00:50:36,033 --> 00:50:39,000 Friends, listen. 897 00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:40,933 It is good 898 00:50:40,933 --> 00:50:43,700 to praise the Lord. 899 00:50:43,700 --> 00:50:44,866 Let all that is within 900 00:50:44,866 --> 00:50:47,866 you praise his holy name. 901 00:50:47,933 --> 00:50:50,933 So stand up. 902 00:50:51,066 --> 00:50:54,066 And let all dominion. 903 00:50:54,500 --> 00:50:55,033 Praise God.