Brother John sang that last weekend
in Kingsport, and I ask him to do that every single time he
comes. Man, I love that song. Turn with me, if you would, back
to Psalm 105, where we just read from. Psalm 105. What I want to do
this morning is pick up where we've left off. I was thinking
about this morning all week long. I've been thinking about this
weekend all week long and asking the Lord to lead us to the messages
of the week. And I had heard of some of the
people who said they were going to travel and come. And Thought about how much I love
you. And. You know, this is family, this
really is family. I mean, this is family. So I deeply want to pick up where
we have left off this morning. Brother Mike, Friday night. told
us that all of the blessings of God are only found in Christ. Isn't that what the Word says?
I mean, you know, we look at these wonderful things, but outside
of Christ, none of them apply to us. None of them. He told
us that illustration. All those who were outside of
the ark They suffered that judgment of God, but all those who were
in the ark were blessed people. Life was inside that ark. And then yesterday morning he
told us. That the watering of God's spirit. The refreshment of Christ himself. Is only to God's sheep. Right,
he only opens that well. The watering of the well of Christ
to God's sheep, right? He does not. Open up this word
to everybody. He just doesn't do it. Christ
didn't come to die for everybody. He came to die for his elect
came back for his sheep. And I want us to. Strongly point
that out before we get into this. Everything we're about to look
at, I want us to remember that this is in Christ, and it's to
His elect. It's according to His purpose
and His will. I don't want to give a false
hope to anybody, but I sure want to give some hope to somebody.
And it's to those who are in Christ, chosen by God. With all
of that being clearly set up, I want to pick up where we left
off. This is with all of God's people this morning that are
in Christ, looking to Christ, needing Christ, feeding on Christ,
following Christ. If you are that sheep this morning,
I want to use Psalm 105 verse 1 for a text. This will be a
platform for this message. And what it says is, Oh, give
thanks Unto the Lord. Call upon his name. Make known
his deeds among the people. That's what I want to do this
morning. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord. There are so many things that
we have to be thankful for, aren't there? Man, there's so many things. Eternity is not enough time,
a span of time that has no end is not enough time to thank our
God for everything he's done for us and given us in Christ.
We have so many things to be thankful for. But this morning,
I just want to acknowledge seven of them. Seven of them. Seven things that I'm thankful
for. I thought about this and I searched
the scriptures and I found seven things that I just deeply, deeply. Personally, from this heart,
this cold, stony, dead heart, whatever the Lord will allow,
I want to give thanks to our God. For seven things in particular,
I know every believer feels the same way. I know they do. We're
going to go through the scriptures now and see what these seven
things are. The first one is in John chapter 3. Go with me
over to John chapter 3. John chapter 3. Verse 16 says. For God so. Loved. For God so loved. Do you know
where this whole thing started? This whole thing. Start. to finish the whole thing,
salvation, security, eternity. Do you know where this whole
thing started? Love. That's where it started. That
is amazing. Verse 16 says, For God so loved
the world. And we've already taken just
a minute to say who he's talking about in this world, right? But
for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Now Christ did not redeem us. And Christ did not cleanse us. And Christ did not make us holy. And Christ did not make us righteous
so that God would love us. This verse of Scripture says,
because God so loved, that's why Christ redeemed us, and that's
why He cleansed us, and that's why He made us holy, and that's
why He made us righteous. It's because God loved us. Our
time was a time of love. You know that story about that
child that was cast into the field, polluted in his own blood,
and nobody wanted him? And he said, Your time is a time
of love. Go with me to Romans five. Romans five, verse eight says. But God commended his love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us while
we were yet sinners. That's amazing. It's just amazing. Oh, the love that drew salvation's
purpose. Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Greater
love. Why did he die? Well, it's because
it was in the contract. No, it's because he loved us. I'm so thankful that our God
is love. That's what the word says. God is love. Any love that is, is God. There's any love in here, it's
God in here. God is love. Thank God he loved us. That's
the first thing I'm thankful for. Here's the second, go with
me to First Corinthians chapter 11. 1 Corinthians 11 verse 24 says, And when he had given thanks,
he break it and said, Take, eat, this is my body which is broken
for you. This do in remembrance of me. I am so thankful. for the body
of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm so thankful that God became
a man. You know, we say that all the
time. I say that all the time. God became a man. I say that
all the time. God became a man. And then I
got to thinking about that. I am so thankful that God became
a man. God is spirit. Isn't that what
our Lord said in John? God is spirit. Thank God, God
became a man. There was a woman. About six or eight months ago,
who had a. Illness, a terminal illness,
and she did not want to go through it, she wanted to end her life
and just be done with it, and she called it dying with dignity. Do you remember that? Dying with
dignity. She just was going to go out
to wherever it was OK to do that and be done with it. Sinners
have no idea what is waiting for them on the other side. They
have no idea. And if that woman left this earth
without Christ and that's between her and God, but if this woman
Left this earth without Christ, I promise you right now she is
wishing she is back in this world suffering from whatever illness
she had. Sinners have no idea what is
waiting on the other side. No idea. Isaiah 53 says that
our Lord's body was despised. It was rejected. It was full
of sorrows and grief. It says that his body was stricken,
smitten of God. We don't know anything about
that. The goodness of God is in this
atmosphere. He causes it to rain on the just
and the unjust and the sun shines on the just and the unjust. He
gives us this air. But it says that he was stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted. We could never enter into what
that means, to be stricken of God. It says that his body was wounded,
it was bruised, it was chastised, it was full of stripes, whipped
by God. It says his body went through
the same thing that a lamb goes through in the slaughter. Isaiah 52 says his body was more
marred than any man so much. So much so, they had to put a
plaque over his head telling everybody who he was. He was
horribly disfigured. Can you imagine the disciples
going, that's our Lord? Who is that? This is Jesus, King
of the Jews, marred. As sinners against God, that
is what is waiting for you and me on the other side. That's
what's waiting on the other side. But in this verse of Scripture
right here, he said here, Here is my body which was absolutely
broken for you. We can't enter into that. We
think, well, that's wonderful. Oh, man. Thank God for the body of the
Lord. One of these days, I pray the
Lord allows me to enter into what it means that God became
a man. God, a body hast thou prepared
me. What for? to be broken and bruised
and stricken and ripped and whipped. Why? For you. For you. Go with me to Ephesians 5. Ephesians 5 verse 30 says, For
we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones. Everything he suffered and everything
he accomplished has been applied to us, for we are members of
his body. We're members of his body. All
of that punishment was given to us in his body. All of the
glory that he received has been given to us in his body. Thank God for the body of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God for his love and thank
God for his body. Here's the third thing. Go with
me to first Peter chapter one. 1 Peter 1 verse 18 says. For as much as you know that
you are not redeemed with corruptible things. As silver and gold from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot. who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last
times for you. I thank God for the precious
blood of the Lamb." Thank God for the precious blood of the
Lamb. Listen to this. I pray that God
would cause sinners this morning to listen to this, if there happens
to be a sinner in here this morning. If there is one center in here
this morning, and I can tell you, I'm one. Centers not anonymous. My name is Gabe Stoniker and
I'm a center. If there are any centers in here, listen to this.
Everything that I have ever done. And man, when I say that in my
38 years flashes before my eyes, I think, oh, man. Don't you? Everything I have ever done has
been washed away in a flood, an absolute flood of that precious
blood. Just washed away. Oh, I did it.
No, you didn't. What do you mean I didn't? It's
gone. It's gone. Everything I have ever done is
gone. They're all taken away, away. Did you hear what the Lord Jesus
Christ said to me? They're all taken away. Yeah, but I still remember them.
Well, forget them. God said, I'll remember your
sins no more. They're all taken away. Thank God for this precious blood.
Down at the cross where my Savior died. Down where for cleansing
from sin I cried, right there to my heart God poured that blood
all over me." Was the blood applied. Glory to His name. I'm so thankful
for that blood because He said, when I see that blood, I will
pass over you. Thank God for His love. Thank
God for that body. Thank God He prepared a body.
Thank God for His blood. Thank God. Here's the fourth
thing. Right here in 1 Peter 1, the end of verse 20 says,
You, verse 21 says, who by Him do believe in God that raised
Him up from the dead and gave Him glory that your faith and
hope might be in God, who by Him you do believe." You believe. I am so thankful for his calling. Thank God he called me. Thank
God he said my name. Thank God he opened my eyes. I'm so thankful that he put his
faith in this heart. It's not my faith. It's the faith
of Christ that he put in this heart right here. Listen to this. I get to believe the gospel. I get to believe the gospel. I'm one of the ones who gets
to believe the gospel. Man, we take that for granted. Thank God. So are you. You get to believe the gospel,
you get to believe the gospel. Why won't people believe? If
I had a dictionary right here, white pages with black words,
and I pointed out a word and I read them the definition, everybody
would say, OK, All right, so here we have it
right here in black and white. Oldest book in the world. Why won't men and women believe? You show it right there. Why
won't men and women believe? Here's why. They can't. They
can't. Bless their hearts. They just
can't. It is a gift. It is a present. For by grace are you saved through
faith, and that's not of yourself. It's a present from God, the
One who loved us. It's a present. We were chosen
to be allowed to believe the Gospel. What must I do to be
saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
But that is impossible unless God chooses us to allow us to
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Man, aren't you thankful for
that? It's a high and heavenly honor, literally. That present
is a high and He's going to raise us up. It's a high and heavenly
honor. God has allowed us to see His
holiness. And He has allowed us to see
His sovereignty. And He has allowed us to see
His glory. And He has allowed us to see
His mercy. And this calling that we have been blessed with, it
brings rest, and it brings comfort, and it brings peace. This I recall
to my mind. This is why I have hope. It's
of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed. And I believe that.
He's allowed me to believe that. His Word is now a lamp unto my
feet and a light unto my path. The Word that no one outside
of His calling can believe. We bought a house in Kingsport
about a year and a half ago, and we searched, and Hannah searched
and searched. I went to the study, but Hannah
went to every open house. She went everywhere, and she
went to one open house, and the realtor was there. Oh, what do
you do? What does your husband do? As
soon as you tell him you're a preacher, my husband's a preacher, you
know, well, it's on. All right, so it's questions
and all those things. One of his questions was, what
version of the Bible do you use? And Hannah said, the King James
Version. He said, you mean the new King
James Version? She said, no, the King James
Version. He said, no, that's impossible. He said, you're talking
about the new King James. She said, no, we use the King
James Version. He said, nobody understands that. And he's right. Nobody understands it. Go with me to Ephesians 1. Ephesians 1 verse 9 says, Having
made known unto us the mystery of his will. According to his
good pleasure, which he have purposed in himself, he has made
known to us the mystery of his will. We are not in darkness. We are not. Wondering what's
waiting for us, are we? We're not sitting here questioning
what's on the other side, are we? It says. Having made known unto
us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he
hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness
of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven, which are on earth, even in him." We're not scared of the unknown.
Do you know why people are so afraid to die? The unknown. The unknown. And we're not scared
of the unknown. We know who God is. Aren't you
so thankful for that? We attended a wedding. Many years
ago. And this this poor, pitiful excuse
of a preacher conducted this wedding and he closed it with
a prayer and he closed his prayer unto God, whoever he or she may
be. He has called us out of darkness
into light. Aren't you thankful for that? Thank God for His love. Why would
He love us? Thank God for His body. Why would
He die for us? Thank God for His blood. Why
would He take that vileness off of us Enter his body to the point
that it just pressed drops of blood out of him. To flow on
us. Thank God for his calling. Here's
number five. This one is especially personal
to me. Go with me to Ephesians three. Ephesians three, verse seven
says, whereof I was made a minister, according to the grace of God
given unto me by the effectual working of His power unto me,
who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given,
that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches
of Christ. I am so thankful for his ministry. I am so thankful. You know that his ministry is
our life? You know that? I get to preach the gospel. Necessity is laid upon me. I
woe be unto me if I don't preach the gospel, but I get to preach
the gospel if God would give me his message and put his gospel
in me. And if I would not get up here and speak of myself,
but if Christ and his spirit, I get to preach the gospel. You
know how hard it is to stand up in front of people and talk?
Have you ever had to do that? I asked Hannah on the way over,
how would you like to get up in front of all these people
and have to talk? But I get to preach the gospel. I didn't put myself in this position.
I know I didn't. I know I didn't. I also know
that no man put me in this position. My father did not put me in this
position. Brother William in Kingsport
asked me last Sunday. He said, how long has it been
since you've when was the last time you were at your dad's?
Uh, your dad's place. And I said, it's been a long
time. It's been a year and a half. It's too long. It's just too long.
I'm coming back sooner. If the Lord is willing. He said,
have you ever preached in one of his conferences before? And
I said, no. I've been a pastor in Kingsport
for two and a half years. My first one. I said, as a matter
of fact, I've only preached there maybe four times. In the seven
years that I've been preaching started in 2008. And I'm so thankful
for that because I know my father didn't put me into the ministry.
God did. And here's the thing about it,
he put you into the ministry, too, and he put you into the
ministry and he put you and he put you and he put you and he
put you and you into the ministry. We were called into his ministry. You have been called to do all
that you do for the glory and honor and praise of God Almighty. Why get up and go to work? Why
tomorrow? Why back to the grind? Why the
glory of God? The spread of his gospel, that's
why. We are all collectively in the
support and the promotion of the declaration of the unsearchable
riches of Christ. Every one of us. And God has given us a heart
to preach His gospel into all the world. Every creature. Man,
thank God for this ministry. Aren't you so glad we have a
place to come on Sundays and Wednesdays and worship God that
He would bring us, give us a heart to be there, Give us a heart
to take it seriously. This is not trivial like meeting
the president, we're meeting with God. Thank God for his love. Thank
God for his body. Thank God for his blood. Thank
God for his calling. Thank God for his ministry. Here's
number six. Turn with me to Philippians 1. Philippians 1 verse 3 says, I
thank my God upon every remembrance of you. And I do. I thank God for you. What would
this life be like if I didn't have you? Really? What would this life be like?
All of the you that God has put in Christ all over this world.
We live in the world, we work in the world, and there is a
difference. God has put a difference. There's
a wall. But God has a you scattered all
over this world, and as soon as you find out, as soon as I
find out that you love Jesus Christ, the high, holy God of
Scripture, Jehovah himself, I love you. I do. I do, what would this
life be like, really? Turn to 1 Thessalonians 2 with
me. 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 13 says, For this cause also thank we
God without ceasing, because when you received the word of
God, which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of
men." And I'm going to tell you, that's how religion receives
the word of God, as the word of men. And he said, When you received
the word of God, which you heard of us, you received it not as
the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which
effectually worketh also in you that believe. For this cause,
we thank God. Thank God that His word is working
effectually. In David said, behold, how good
and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. There's nothing I want more in
this life than to be in unity with you. That's the only thing
I want, really. We're going to dwell together
forever. We're going to dwell together
forever. We're going to we don't get to see each other that much
here. And when we do, we pick up where we left off. But one
of these days, I mean, we're going to dwell together forever.
And I don't understand how amongst a crowd that large, when everybody
is buying for one person, how we can have a private soul relationship
with Christ at all times and be totally connected. And I don't
understand all that, but it's going to happen. And I'm going
to be me and you are going to be you. I mean, you. And I thank God that he's put
us together now, and I thank God we're going to be together
forever in Christ, worshiping Christ at the feet of him. Thank
God for his love. Thank God for his body. Thank
God for his blood. Thank God for his calling, his
ministry, and I thank God for you. Here's the last one, number
seven. And we're never going to run out of things to be thankful
for. Never. This is just the last one this
morning. Go to John 14. This world is
troubling. ISIS is troubling. The government
is troubling. It's all scary. And I try to not watch the news
because it affects me. I can't help it. I would love
to have great faith and I ask the Lord to increase my faith.
But it's a fearful place we live in. And this world is not going
to get any better. You know, well, let's get a new
president in there and everything's going to be better. No, it won't.
It's going to keep going down and keep going down and keep
going down. But John 14 verse 1 says, Let
not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also
in me. In my Father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that
where I am, there you may be also." Thank God He's coming
back. He is not going to leave us here
in this world. Thank God. I thank God so much
for the promise of His return. That's what we're holding to.
That's what we're looking to. That's what we're waiting on.
is his return. First Thessalonians 4 says he's
going to descend from heaven with a shout, and I can't wait
to hear it. First Thessalonians 3 says he's
going to bring all of our brothers and sisters with him, and I can't
wait to see him. And then he's going to take us
to a place that he calls. Now, think about this. Everybody
has some idea of vacation. Right. That you like to go to.
Ours is the beach. And we have a place that we think
is, you know, on this earth, earthly speaking, paradise. You
got some palm trees and the ocean. You can hear it. But all everything that's good
here is tainted by sin, it's all filthy rags. You think that
God is impressed with it? They said, look at the buildings.
He said, oh, that's going to be torn down. All right. Now,
God. calls a place paradise. This
is a place that God says, now listen to me, this is paradise.
Paul said, I was called up there. It's in the third heaven. And
I went to paradise and I heard things that it's not possible
for a human's jaw to move in such a way as to say the things
I heard. It's not possible. He said, I
have not seen and ear have not heard, neither have entered into
the heart of man. Whatever it is that you have
seen, forget that. And whatever it is you've heard,
forget that. And whatever you could imagine
to be the greatest place on earth, forget that. He said, this is paradise. You
know why it's paradise? Jesus Christ is there. Once you
see his face, you're going to say, I've never seen anything
like it. Once you visit, can you wait to hear his voice? I
wonder what his voice sounds like. Once you hear that, you're
going to say, I've never heard anything like it. No man spake
like this man. I could have never imagined the
scriptures were never open to me, and then the altogether lovely
one will step up into the pulpit and say, turn to Genesis 1.1. And we're all going to say this
is paradise. It's absolute paradise. He's going to dwell with us there.
God is somewhere and we're here and we desire Him and need Him
and love Him and look to Him. But one of these days, real soon,
He's going to live there with us. He said, I'm going to dwell
with them. And I'm going to wipe their tears. And I've always
wanted, when I get really happy, I cry. And I've always wondered,
how am I going to express my absolute joy if I can't cry?
Well, He's got a way. He said, I'm going to be your
God. David said, I would have fainted unless I had believed
to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. If
this is all I had, I feel so sorry for people who are not
hoping in Christ and looking to Christ. Oh, this is no, this
is nothing. Thank God He is coming back,
coming back to get us. He's coming back to get us. We
have so much to be thankful for, don't we? Just so much. I thank
you for this time, and I thank you, Dad, for having me. I love
you all, and I pray the Lord will bless His Word.