Good evening. If you will, let's
begin turning to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Lord willing, this weekend we
received a new microphone for our broadcasting from the church
there in Kingsport, Tennessee, and I'm thankful for them. And
then the other day, we received a new mixing board. So hopefully,
for us here, we're a bunch of people broadcasting,
y'all here. I know you care, but the cutting in and out of
the speakers sometimes, that ought to be fixed. But as Kierma
has time, she's awfully busy now. Hopefully this weekend,
we're gonna switch them out and Sunday we'll have a new mixing
board and we got a new microphone and if somebody else wants something
new, he's gonna have to wait till next year. But I'm thankful
to them, it's been a great blessing for them to help us in such a
way. And years down the road, hopefully we're in a position
where we can help others. If the Lord would enable us to work
in that direction, it'd be good. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. If I was going to try to find
out how to do something, if I wasn't doing too good of a job at something,
I would find somebody that did it better than me and I'd say,
how do I do it? I had put struts on a vehicle
a few months back and so I looked it up and I found somebody that
had done it already and had done a good job. And I said, why don't
you show me how to do that? And I did. And I put struts on
my vehicle. We have children. I found someone
that did a real good job of raising children, made them children
of mine. And I went and asked them, I was like, how did you raise
your children? What about this? What about that? And they told
me, and I did what they told me, and it worked out pretty
good for us. I'm thankful. That makes good
sense, don't it? Doesn't that make good sense?
What if we need to learn how to pray? What if we need to learn
how to be thankful? What if we need to learn to have
a spirit of humility? That'll make you thankful. And
that'll make you pray. Should we have a good example
in that? We talk a whole lot about humility, don't we? Here's
a quote from 1978 from the mountain genius. We talk a lot about humility. We read a lot about humility.
But we see very little humility. I'll say it one more time. We
talk a lot about humility. We read a lot about humility,
but we see very little humility. Is that true? That's true in
my experience. That's true in 1978, it's true
in 2022, whatever year it is. And we'll look at two verses
here real, probably briefly. 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 17,
we'll begin. 1 Thessalonians 5, 17, pray without Ceasing means don't stop. Do it all the time. In everything,
give thanks. Does that say most things? What's
your Bible say on that? In everything, give thanks. For, because, why? Why would you do that? Why would
you be thankful over those things? This is the will of God. In Christ
Jesus, Was that something concerning you? We talk a lot about that. We read a lot about that. Do
we do it? Do I? Am I thankful for those that
despitefully use me? Am I thankful for those thorns
that the Lord's put in my side right now? That I cry to him,
Lord, take this away. Oh, make it stop. Please, Lord,
please. I can't take it no more. I can't.
I can't take it. Make it stop! Or do I say, thank you, Lord.
Thank you for those that persecute me. Those that would just straight
spit nails at me if they could. They'd cut my throat if they
wouldn't know law against it. Thank you for that, Lord. You've
given that. You, in your providence, in your power, it's pleased you,
in Christ, concerning me, to have this happen. Thank you.
Thank you. Are my shoulders set a little
different when I say thank you instead of when I'm crying out?
Is there a little bit different walk in this world between somebody
that believes God and somebody that talks about believing God?
There's a difference, ain't there? Sure is. The new creation hits
thankful. That new creation that's thankful
and sees God's hand and everything, that leads to forgiving. That leads to being apologetic. that leads to being merciful
and tender and mature and easily entreated. Somebody that don't
walk in a room, you go, oh, man. Hey, look, do you guys see this
tree? You find something else to talk about, don't you? Oh,
good night. Don't get them started. That's
not easily entreated, is it? Boy, if you've got a new spirit
in you and you've been forgiven much and you see God's sovereignty
in all things and his salvation and every molecule that moves
through this creation of His. That's foreign to some people.
That's foreign to most people, to the vast majority of human
beings walking this earth. The experience of being thankful
is a foreign thing. They can read about it, they
can talk about it, but you don't see it in them. You don't see
it in them. That leads to everything else. To pray without ceasing,
is not to meet your scheduled time. Well, it's 7.15 a.m. I wanna spend 15 minutes praying
to the Lord. That ain't what he's talking
about. That sounds good. That looks good to religious
folks. That ain't what he's talking about. Pray without ceasing or
the preparation of your physical meal. We have gathered now to
eat the food that the Lord has provided. We will ask him to
bless this to our bodies. We'll get that in a minute. That
ain't what he's talking about. Not talking about praying out
loud and being spiritual all the time. It's being in communion
with the Lord, dwelling on things above, on the Lord, on His will,
on His power, His glory, His gospel, His people that He has
already saved, that He's already put a new creation in. Think
about them. I think about you. Y'all think
about me, you tell me. Thank you. That makes me say
thank you. Thank you for thanking me for
thanking you. We just keep going back and forth. I've had some very dark times
in my life after the Lord saved me. Where I'd go a long time
without considering anything or anyone other than myself.
And I ain't alone. I know a lot of Lord's people
that's went through that. Dark times. Dark times. You just
don't ain't no light. Brilliant man once said, Lord
made brilliant. He said, the covenant of grace will not be
broken. But communication may be. Communication may be. The covenant
will not change. Sonship will not change. Family
ain't gonna change. But boy, I tell you what, he
might cut you off from communication. He may hide his face. That often
happens when we absent ourselves from the gospel, from worshiping
him, from hearing Christ preached and lifted up. Paul said, when
Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also
appear with him in glory." Christ is our life. Our life. They say, well, it's Wednesday,
time to go to church. We're coming to worship our God.
This is life. What else matters? Nothing. Well,
what if that inconveniences you? So what? Well, I'm tired. Me too. It's time to worship
God. We got to go hear about Him.
He's our life. He ain't everybody's life. That's
well, God is love. That's plastered all over this
county. It's on every bumper sticker
you can find. God's love. I love him. Because he first
loved me. That ain't, that ain't common.
That's some scripture you can throw people, you can have, sling
some things at them. Keep them busy, keep something
to chew on, but Christ is our life. It doesn't feel like it
sometimes though. People give lip service. They call when there's
a need. Give a test in school, there'll
be prayer. Let bullets fly on a battlefield. Somebody will
cry, oh God, help. When they need some kind of temporal
worldly blessing. And it's hard sometimes to give
thanks for everything. I just need to say it. There's
people that lied to folks, and they're lying to them right now. This is how God's people ought
to be. Oh, hush. What won't a child of God do,
other than forsake him because the Lord keeps him? There's some
times it's just plain hard to be thankful. There's some things
I'm just not happy with. I know I ought to be thankful. The Lord did this, but buddy,
that's a jagged pill, isn't it? That's a hard thing to do. And
for the things that's so easy to be thankful for, how rarely
am I thankful for? Things that's easy to be thankful
for. We got a lot to be thankful for. It's 72 degrees in here
right now. How rare am I thankful for the
things I ought to be thankful for. Whether it's pain or pleasure,
we ought to pray to the Lord and thank him. Whether it's a
gain or a loss, it's increased money or outgoing of money. Whether
I have just, well, I just feel really good today. I ain't hurting.
I can move real good, or I've got the worst migraine I've ever
had. Thank you for this migraine,
Lord. Thank you. It's His will in Christ concerning
you, concerning me, isn't it? Whether it's rain or drought,
whether it's president, a new one or an old one, the line at
the grocery store is short or it's long, I want to give thanks
in everything. Everything. Pray without ceasing
in everything. Give thanks for, because, this. What thing in everything? That
thing. You think of it right now. That thing. This is the
will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Believers do pray. That's a mark of a believer,
isn't it? Ananias, the Lord said, go down there and saw Tarsus
is on that street. Go be his brother. He said, well,
hold on, Lord. Much like we saw Eliezer had
some questions the other day with Abraham, didn't he? And
they said, I've heard about this fella. He said, behold, he prayeth. Not go through some polished
routines that's just gross and rehearsed and theatrical. That
man prayed. Oh, I like to hear somebody pray
when they haven't been taught how to yet. when they haven't memorized
things to say yet. You put a pistol up their head
and you'll get some true prayer. You'll get some earnest prayer.
We ought to pray. We ought to have communion and dwell on the
Lord always. But we must be taught that. Our Lord teaches us here.
Look in Luke 18. Luke 18. I had to have an unfeigned prayer.
There was a thing that came up on TV the other day. It was a
malingerer. I was watching court TV. And they had a definition
pop up. Bloop! Tells you what a malingerer
was. Someone that malingles. And I thought, how do they have
to tell people what this is? And I thought, oh, I was in the
military. That was a chargeable offense, malingering. That's
when you fake being, and it said feigning a disease or illness.
And I said, well, you better explain to them what feigning
is, too. That's just as hard as malingering. We gotta be taught these things.
Our Lord teaches here in Luke 18, verse 1. And he spake a parable
unto them to this end. Here's why he gave them this
parable. That men ought always to pray and not to faint. Saying, there was in a city a
judge which feared not God, neither regarded man. He didn't fear
nobody. And there was a widow in that city and she came to
him saying, avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for
a while, but afterwards he saith within himself, though I fear
not God, nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth
me. She ain't let up. She won't stop asking. I will
avenge her, lest by continual coming she weary me. She's just
gonna keep coming. She ain't gonna quit. And the
Lord said, hear what the unjust judge saith, and shall not God
avenge his own elect? which cry day and night unto
him, though he bear long with them, though he suffers us long,
he hears us when we cry. I tell you that he will avenge
them speedily, speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of
Man cometh, shall he find faith on earth? We are to pray to the
Lord continually. Hebrew writer said, by him, therefore,
let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That
is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name in everything. People want to observe the moral
law. Every step you take, thank you, Lord. Every breath, thank
you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord, in and out.
That's what we ought to do, right? That be in our heart continually
and live by the Word of God 24-7. Why sleep? Have nothing but good
dreams. Thank you, Lord. That's what
we're required to do. We ought to, out of a debt of
gratitude, David wrote this, and I've lived these high moments,
these mountaintop moments. This is our Lord speaking, thankfully,
in Psalm 34. He says, I will bless the Lord,
capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D, the Lord host.
I will bless the Lord at all times, good and bad. His praise shall continually
be in my mouth without ceasing. Oh, isn't that something? Our
Lord communed with his father. constantly on our behalf and
for everything. Everything's a hard thing. That
news came to Job about everything he had and every child he had.
That's a rough day, isn't it? I ain't lived through that. You
lived through that? I haven't. And Job rose and rent his mattel. He tore his clothes off and he
shaved his head and he fell down upon the ground and he worshiped.
What? He worshiped and said, naked
came out of my mother's womb and naked shall return thither.
The Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away. Bless me the name
of the Lord. All you kids are dead, Job. Bless
God. And in this Job sinned not, nor
charged God foolishly. Why? What? No! The fool said
in his heart, no, God. I wish I could keep him saying
no. The Lord Jesus Christ prayed to the Father. And he taught
us how to pray, didn't he? Would you like to know what he
prayed? It'd be a good example for us, wouldn't it? If we was
gonna learn how to do something, we'd find somebody we admire
that does something better than we do, and we still respect them,
and then do what they do. That'd be a good, safe thing,
wouldn't it? We should have comfort knowing if we pray as our Lord
did, and we're truly thankful for the things that he gave thanks
for, that he was thankful for, we're on good ground. that ought
to give us good direction of the things we ought to pray for
and the things we ought to be thankful for. We gotta learn,
we gotta be taught. First thing, Christ prayed and
was thankful for temporal blessings. Worldly things, simple things,
isn't it? We recently looked at it in John
6, he fed those 5,000 people, men, not counting the women and
children, he fed 5,000, and he took those loaves, and when he
had given thanks, he gave thanks. He distributed to the disciples,
and disciples that were set down, and likewise the fishes as much
as they would. He prayed for those fishes and
those loaves. He was thankful. Thank you, Father, for giving
us these fish. Thank you for these loaves of bread. We're
gonna need them. We all have food, and we all
have shelter, and we all have the Lord's oxygen we're breathing
right now, and everything we're provided for, our jobs, our health,
to work, or He's provided us not to do that. We ought to be
thankful in all those things. Give thanks to the Lord. It's
His doing. It's His will in Christ for us,
for our sakes, isn't it? Whenever our Lord prayed, He
just said He gave thanks. Isn't that what it always says?
He gave thanks. What'd He say? Not what man teaches. Not what man teaches. We'll see
this at the end. He didn't say, well, bless this to my body.
I think the Lord's pretty squared away on biology. He knows how
to do that. Thank you for this food, Lord.
I needed this. I was hungry. I need something to eat. Well,
if you ain't that hungry, wait a little bit longer. Maybe you'll
be more thankful. And all things are yours, Lord. This creation you have right
here, this fish and this wheat, this is yours. It's your fish.
It's your wheat. It's your bread. and the providence
you use to have this little boy pack us as his lunch today. That's
your providence. That's your will. For me. Thank
you, Lord. Now that's a heart of thanksgiving,
not a heart of practice and formality, is it? Lord's teaching us something. We ought to pay attention. He's
teaching us. How little I'm thankful for,
and it's shameful, isn't it? And when I do ask, Oftentimes
I receive not, because I ask amiss, that I may consume it
upon my lusts." That's what James told us, wasn't it? Our Lord gave thanks. He was
thankful, genuinely thankful, with an understanding of who
God was for temporal things. And he gave thanks for the work
of redemption. Can you imagine that? I'm thankful
for the work of redemption. I'm thankful the Lord saved me.
Are you thankful the Lord saved you? He was thankful. Get your mind wrapped around
that. Turn over to Luke 22. The Redeemer, capital R, the
Redeemer was thankful for redemption. What a thought. Luke 22, verse
14. And when the hour was come, he
sat down and the 12 apostles with him. And he said unto them
with desire, I have desired, to eat this Passover with you
before I suffered." He desired to eat this Passover
with them. For I say unto you, verse 16, I will not eat any
more, eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
And he took the cup and he gave thanks. Well, thank you for this
water, Lord. He knew what that cup represented.
This ain't just a cup of wine. It ain't just a cup of wine.
Do you understand that? He knew what he was talking about. He
gave thanks for this. And he said, take this and divide
it among yourselves, for I say unto you, I will not drink of
the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come. And
he took the bread and he gave thanks. Lord, thank you for this
bread. Thank you. Thank you for my blood
I'm about to shed in this coming hour. And thank you for this
bread. And he'd break it. He broke it. The determinate
counsel of foreknowledge of God broke that bread, his body, and
gave it to them, and he said, this is my body. He gave thanks
for his body that was about to be broken. This is my body, which
is, what does it say right there? Is given for you. This is my
will concerning you. Do this in remembrance of me.
Likewise, also the cup after supper, saying this cup is the
New Testament, my blood, which is shed for you. He gave thanks
for his shed blood, and he gave thanks for his broken body. You
reckon we ought to? Be a good thing to pray. Thank
you for this bread and wine, Lord, but boy, thank you for
what this represents. Christ thanked the Father for
his electing grace, for giving a people to Christ for him to
redeem. A lot of folks say, well, yeah,
he died on a cross. We're Christians now. You better
define your terms through Matthew 11. He was thankful for sheep to
die for. This good shepherd was not only
thankful for his broken body and his shed blood, he was thankful
for those sheep that he was to have his body broken and his
blood shed for. Matthew 11, verse 25. At that time, Jesus answered
and said, I thank thee, O father. I thank you. Lord of heaven and earth. That's
who he's thanking because Thou hast hid these things from the
wise and the prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes, even
so, Father, for it seemed good in thy sight. I'm thankful you
chose a bunch of sinners. Poor folks, not many mighty,
not many noble. But babes, this natural world
hates salvation to the Lord. They can't stand it. Christ prayed
for it. And he thanked God for it. He
said, I can't believe you believe that. Christ said, Lord, I thank
you. Thank you, Father. Thank you.
That ought to change how we look at it, shouldn't it? He prayed
for those that the Father put him before time. What else did
he pray for? John 17. John 17, verse nine. John 17, nine. I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but
for them, which thou hast given me, for they are thine. He knew
he had physical blessings. He needed to be sustained for
this body that was, you know, a son that was given for us.
And he knew what that meant. That was his broken body. That
was his shed blood. And he was thankful and he prayed
for those that were given of him from the Father. They're
thine. Verse 15, John 17, 15. I pray
not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but thou shouldst
keep them from evil. Lord, you have a will for them.
You're going to use them. They're going to be profitable
servants. They ain't going to sit in the recliner all day.
They're going to do something. They're going to pray. They're
going to listen to a brother or sister that's sick and moaning
and whining and complaining. They're going to have a word
you're going to give for them. They're going to use them. Don't take
them out of this world, but you keep them from evil. Verse 24,
Father, I will, that's Him praying. That's Him glad to do something.
I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where
I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given
me, for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world.
When you're done, when your will's complete with each one of your
children, Lord, I pray, and I'm thankful, they're gonna be with
me. I can't get over that. That's something that I wrote time check. I didn't
have a lot of time to prepare this week. I'm gonna be too far
over, we won't look at it. Lord prayed on Gethsemane, and
three of them, the sleepy three, snoozed right through it. And
he said, couldn't you stay awake an hour? That ought to be a good
indication for preachers nowadays, keep it under an hour. My dad
always told me from birth, from a little tiny fella, a preacher
ought to preach two things, Christ and 30 minutes. He'd probably
have something to say to me if Lord was pleased to keep him.
Our Lord prayed while he was on this earth that we'd be comforted.
John 14 verse 15, John 14, 15. He said, if you love me, keep
my commandments and I will pray the father. If you love me, you
keep my commandments and I'll pray the father and he shall
give you another comforter. and he may abide with you forever.
Even the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because
it seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but you know him, for he
dwelleth in you and shall be in you. I will not leave you
comfortless. I will come to you." I'm going
to pray to the Father. He's going to have to go handle
some business in there. Some things are just too deep
for us to enter into. He's going to have to bear our
sin in his body on a tree. He's going to have to suffer
the full wrath of God in that broken body and that shed blood. He's going to have to make atonement
for his people that he's so thankful for. And he said, while I'm doing
this, just like old Sleepy Three on Gethsemane. He said, you sleep
on, here comes Jesus. I'll take care of it. He tells
us, I ain't going to leave you comfortless. I'm going to send
the comfort. I'm going to send the Holy Spirit.
Who's going to tell you of me? I won't leave you. And he dwells
in you. He dwells in you. And our Lord does this continually.
Can you imagine that? He prays for his people and he
is thankful for his people continually. The Hebrew writer said, wherefore
he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God
by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. That's precious. I'm thankful
when you all pray for me. I'm thankful when you tell me.
That's encouragement to me. I want you to know I pray for
you. That's important. That's important. That's fellows
in the same shit. That's needed. Christ prays for
you. He makes intercession for you
right now. He said, on this earth, I pray
for him, Lord. I pray for him. I ask you a question. People
can't deny that. Will he be heard? He said, there is a tomb at Lazarus.
Father, you hear me always. I know that. Psalm 20, we looked at recently
and throughout the Psalms, the Lord heareth thee. He heareth
the righteous. He hears Christ. Our text says, pray without ceasing
and everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus concerning you. It is his will for us and his
providence. What happened? Yeah, that's His
will. Be thankful for it. In creation,
trees falling or birds squawking real early in the morning and
waking you up, dogs barking throughout the night and you get the windows
open because it's finally cool outside. Ah, neighbors moved
in, they got dogs barking. Lord sent them dogs. I didn't
need to sleep. I can get up and get studying,
get up and do something to serve Him. In salvation, Lord, there's
loved ones. I have, you ain't saved yet.
I pray they're yours. I'll petition, but while I petition,
I'll be thankful, because right now it's right. What's happened
so far is right. Everything that's happened is
His will. We ought to trust and obey. We ought to pray. We ought
to be thankful and everything. Obey what? He's given us this
charge, isn't he? Pray without ceasing, be thankful
and everything. Samuel asked a question. He said,
hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Question mark. Which one
do you think he likes better? You play in church, are you obeying
what he says? He says, behold, to obey is better
than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams. I underline
that for me. I hope I pray without ceasing.
I hope I'm thankful in everything. Lord, make me do that. And he
will. Let's read that another way. It's his will that we do pray. He said, this is his will. He's
gonna make you pray without ceasing. He's going to be your life. You're
going to just be drowning in this all day long at work, and
when you go to the water fountain, and whatever. You take the trash
out. There won't be no trash and glory. It may be a little
thought, but you will thank without ceasing, pray without ceasing
on it. And you're going to be thankful. And we do give thanks.
We're made to pray. And in that prayer, we're so
feeble at, we're made to see Christ, what He's prayed. And
we're made to be more thankful. Keeps happening, don't it? What
a reasonable service for you and I, who the Lord has laid
down his life for, for us to pray and to be thankful for our
daily provisions, for our daily providence he's given in our
lives, for his salvation, for his comfort. Lord, thank you
for your grace that's sufficient. And thank you for not giving
me something I could consume on my lust. Because I'd sure
feel like a million bucks and have a million bucks, but don't
give me what I ask for. I ain't got enough sense to know
what to ask for. Pray to be thankful for those Christ shed his blood
for. And pray to be thankful he calls them out as it pleases
him. And pray to be thankful that we are all comforted. He
sent the comforter to us and that he's interceding for us
right now in everything. What is it? Not just quoting
scripture, but truly communing with our God in spirit and truth.
And then to show our deep gratitude. I don't know why, but we're going
to look at this. 2 Samuel 12, and then we'll close. 2 Samuel 12, this is what comes
to mind. I don't have a smooth transition. I don't have a logical
thing to make this make good sense for you. I'm just going
to read it. Here's man praying. 2 Samuel 12. David had a child, Bathsheba.
bad off sick. Second Samuel 12 verse 15. And Nathan departed unto his
house and the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bear
unto David and it was very sick. David therefore besought God
for the child. David fasted and went in and
lay all night upon the earth. If you know the Lord and you
know one of your children's about to die, you can't even stand up. He lay down on the ground all
night long. You don't say, hey, you all want
to go to Chili's or do you feel like maybe Mexican foods that
sound good? No Chinese? No. He fasted, he couldn't eat. The Lord sent this fast. He laid
on the ground, moaning, crying all night long. And the elders
of his house, verse 17, arose and went to him and raised him
up from the earth. But he would not. Come on, David, get up.
Neither did he eat bread but thin. And it came to pass on
the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David
feared to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, Behold,
while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would
not hearken to our voice. How will he then vex himself
if we tell him the child's dead? If he's in this bad of shape
when this child's sick, imagine what's going to happen whenever
this child's dead. But when David saw that his servants whispered,
David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said
to his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He's dead. Days David just laid on the ground
and prayed he couldn't get up. Without ceasing, he prayed. And
they said, your child's dead. You didn't get what you asked
for, David. Oh, that's hard. That's heavy prayer. That ain't
saying a prayer. Now he's gonna give thanksgiving. Verse 20. Then David arose from
the earth and washed and anointed himself, changed his apparel.
He went, took a shower, shaved, put on deodorant. Put a little
cologne on. And he came into the house of the Lord. Well,
they're going through a whole lot. They just can't come to
worship. That's the first thing he did. His child died. Go get dressed. We're going to
worship God. He came into the house of the Lord and worshiped.
Then he came into his own house. And when he required, give me
something to eat. They set bread before him and
he ate. And he said unto his servants. Then said his servants
unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? This is
completely 180 degrees from what we thought was right. Man's thoughts
ain't right, are they? What I think is right ain't normal.
The servant said unto him, What thing is this that thou hast
done, that thou didst fall asleep and weep for the child while
it was alive? But when the child's dead, thou
didst rise and eat bread. And he said, While the child
was yet alive, I fasted and wept. For I said, Who can tell whether
God will be gracious to me that the child may live? The Lord
may let this child live, but now he's dead. Wherefore should
I fast? Can I bring him again? I shall
go to him, but he shall not return unto me." He's in glory right
now. I'll go to where he is. He ain't
coming to me. That's over. He can rejoice as to where his
child was. He's conformed to the image of Christ right now.
I miss him. That part's over. Now let's get
back to worshiping God. We ask, He wasn't pleased to do so, amen.
Be thankful and move on. That's different from what the
world talks about, isn't it? We read a lot about it. We talk
a lot about it. You don't see much of it. We
pray for and are thankful for the physical and temporal blessings
we have for the work of redemption, for God making that effectual
in His people, for Him sending the Comforter with a Holy Spirit
that's with us, telling us of Christ for His Constant intervention,
intercession. And we're thankful for those
brethren that the Lord's given the same work in. And he's put
us together. He's gathered his flock together. And we're thankful for that.
We're thankful for that. Happy. Turn over Philippians
1, I'll let you go. Philippians 1. Same mind as David, same mind
as Paul, same mind as those men that preached the truth 500 years
ago, same mind as Abraham. Let this mind be in you, it was
also in Christ. Because he prayed for his people,
for us, and we pray for those that are his. Philippians 1,
we begin in verse 3. I thank my God upon every remembrance
of you, always in every prayer of mine for You all, making requests
with joy. This isn't grievous, but I gotta
pray for him. He saw us with joy. I'm thankful
to do this. It's my privilege. I have brethren
to pray for. For your fellowship in the gospel
from the first day until now, being confident of this very
thing. It's a continuation of the sentence. Being confident
of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. In everything,
we're thankful because we know that the Lord that began this
work in you, he's going to perform it to the end. That's something
to be thankful for. We've got a lot to be thankful
for, don't we? We've got a lot to smile. Turn
them frowns upside down. That's what we ought to do. It's
hard sometimes. We ought to. Let's pray. Father,
thank you for this hour. Lord, teach us. We know you said
in your word plainly, Lord, every child of yours will be taught
of God. We ask, we pray, without ceasing, teach us, give us wisdom, instruct us, give us patience,
give us love for the brethren, give us obedience. Without you, we're nothing. Christ
is our all. Lord, thank you for his redemptive
work. Thank you that you chose a people
to put in him, to be redeemed. Forgive us for what we are. Oh,
thank you for this day. Be with our brethren everywhere,
those that are suffering and those that are involved in everything,
just as we are. Be with them as you promised
you will be. It's because of your son we ask these things.
Amen.