WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.879 Well, this morning, we're going to be concluding 00:00:04.879 --> 00:00:08.400 with the time of communion at the end of the 00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:11.759 service. But I wanted to spend a few moments 00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:17.339 on this Thanksgiving weekend out of Psalm 107. 00:00:18.359 --> 00:00:20.460 You're going to want your Bible today. You might 00:00:20.460 --> 00:00:25.620 want your notebook. As I was in Psalm 107, I 00:00:25.620 --> 00:00:29.489 was struck by the beauty of the pattern. that 00:00:29.489 --> 00:00:33.049 is seen. It was a continued pattern through the 00:00:33.049 --> 00:00:37.369 first half of the chapter. And as we did that, 00:00:37.409 --> 00:00:40.829 I'm like Psalm 107 just like wrote my sermon 00:00:40.829 --> 00:00:45.329 for me. But I want to just begin by opening with 00:00:45.329 --> 00:00:48.369 verses one and two. Give thanks to the Lord for 00:00:48.369 --> 00:00:53.310 he is good. His love endures forever. Let the 00:00:53.310 --> 00:00:57.130 redeemed of the Lord. Tell their story. That's 00:00:57.130 --> 00:01:00.530 just what the girls were talking about. Let the 00:01:00.530 --> 00:01:04.890 redeemed tell their story. Nobody else can tell 00:01:04.890 --> 00:01:09.250 your story. Only you can tell your story. So 00:01:09.250 --> 00:01:16.329 tell your story. And so Emerson said this. He 00:01:16.329 --> 00:01:19.849 said that if the stars came out only once a year, 00:01:20.209 --> 00:01:24.730 everybody would stay up all night to behold them. 00:01:27.560 --> 00:01:31.120 We have seen the stars so often that we don't 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:34.859 bother to look at them anymore. We have grown 00:01:34.859 --> 00:01:39.599 accustomed to our blessings. I had that thought 00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:41.780 when a couple of weeks ago, Darren and I were 00:01:41.780 --> 00:01:48.640 flying home from Texas, from Dallas. And we were 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:51.459 flying. Now, I typically don't want a window 00:01:51.459 --> 00:01:53.799 seat. I can't look out the window because I get 00:01:53.799 --> 00:01:56.629 sick. But I was doing pretty good because I had 00:01:56.629 --> 00:02:00.670 my Dramamine in me. And so as we were coming 00:02:00.670 --> 00:02:05.769 down into St. Louis, I thought it was so rude. 00:02:05.829 --> 00:02:08.189 The lady in my row kept her window closed the 00:02:08.189 --> 00:02:11.849 whole time, so I couldn't see anything. So I'm 00:02:11.849 --> 00:02:15.610 looking out at somebody else's window, and it 00:02:15.610 --> 00:02:22.419 was the peak fall colors. flying down over St. 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:27.199 Louis. It was a sea of colorful trees. And then 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:32.020 I start looking around the airplane, and I see 00:02:32.020 --> 00:02:36.620 not one person looking out the window. They all 00:02:36.620 --> 00:02:41.319 were on their phones and tablets. And I had the 00:02:41.319 --> 00:02:45.189 thought, beyond just the fact that... We have 00:02:45.189 --> 00:02:48.729 this sea of beauty outside our window. We've 00:02:48.729 --> 00:02:51.930 grown so accustomed even to the idea of flying 00:02:51.930 --> 00:02:56.610 that we don't look at what's outside our window. 00:02:57.189 --> 00:03:02.569 We grow accustomed to our blessings. And so today 00:03:02.569 --> 00:03:06.889 as we are reading through Psalm 107, I want us 00:03:06.889 --> 00:03:10.189 to take a few moments on this Thanksgiving weekend, 00:03:10.229 --> 00:03:14.860 and I want us to call to mind. The blessings 00:03:14.860 --> 00:03:18.659 that he has given to us. The Israelites had this 00:03:18.659 --> 00:03:23.159 problem themselves. They even in the wilderness 00:03:23.159 --> 00:03:26.580 had grown accustomed to their blessings. They 00:03:26.580 --> 00:03:29.560 were without food and they were longing for the 00:03:29.560 --> 00:03:36.460 food of Egypt. And they begin to complain. They 00:03:36.460 --> 00:03:39.699 begin to complain. And so what does God do? He 00:03:39.699 --> 00:03:42.860 begins to feed them every morning with manna. 00:03:44.729 --> 00:03:47.610 Every morning, I'm like, man, you don't even 00:03:47.610 --> 00:03:52.090 got to cook. You don't got to do dishes. Right? 00:03:53.189 --> 00:03:56.009 I have dishes I have to go home and wash today. 00:03:57.349 --> 00:04:00.449 This is my reality. But if food, like, I don't 00:04:00.449 --> 00:04:02.110 care. You have me to your house. I don't care 00:04:02.110 --> 00:04:04.030 what you cook for me. I didn't have to cook it, 00:04:04.069 --> 00:04:06.509 and I'm not cleaning it up. So I will take great 00:04:06.509 --> 00:04:11.710 joy in that food. But the Israelites grew accustomed 00:04:11.710 --> 00:04:15.069 to their blessing. And they got a bit of a complaining 00:04:15.069 --> 00:04:18.649 spirit. And they said this, but now our whole 00:04:18.649 --> 00:04:22.769 being is dried up. They're so dramatic. Our whole 00:04:22.769 --> 00:04:28.790 being is dried up. There is nothing at all except 00:04:28.790 --> 00:04:32.970 this manna before our eyes. I kind of feel this 00:04:32.970 --> 00:04:36.490 way when Darren's in Petersburg. He hasn't been 00:04:36.490 --> 00:04:38.889 there in like four months. So he's there today. 00:04:38.949 --> 00:04:41.209 So I can again say whatever I want because he's 00:04:41.209 --> 00:04:45.779 not here. I feel this way when I'm in the living 00:04:45.779 --> 00:04:48.000 room and I can hear Darren roaming the kitchen. 00:04:48.680 --> 00:04:52.540 And I hear the refrigerator being opened. And 00:04:52.540 --> 00:04:54.759 I know he's just standing there staring at it. 00:04:54.839 --> 00:04:57.600 And I'll call out suggestions. There's this in 00:04:57.600 --> 00:04:59.439 there. There's this in there. There's this in 00:04:59.439 --> 00:05:01.100 there. I'm going to go to Thornton's and get 00:05:01.100 --> 00:05:05.879 a hot dog. Right? This is all we have in here, 00:05:05.939 --> 00:05:10.420 healthy stuff. I'm drying up. I need a greasy 00:05:10.420 --> 00:05:16.850 hot dog. Nothing but manna. They are experiencing 00:05:16.850 --> 00:05:22.750 a miracle of God's provision every morning. And 00:05:22.750 --> 00:05:27.430 they grew tired of it. How many of you remember 00:05:27.430 --> 00:05:31.250 Keith Green? Some of you older ones. Darren and 00:05:31.250 --> 00:05:34.490 I are big Keith Green. We read his book. I read 00:05:34.490 --> 00:05:38.730 his book multiple times. Love Keith Green. And 00:05:38.730 --> 00:05:42.149 so he wrote. How many of you remember his manna 00:05:42.149 --> 00:05:49.829 song? Oh, yeah. Oh, no. Manna again? Manna waffles. 00:05:50.069 --> 00:05:54.350 Manna burgers. Manna bagels? Filet of manna. 00:05:54.589 --> 00:06:00.569 Manna patty? But manna bread. And then he goes 00:06:00.569 --> 00:06:03.449 on to say this. We once complained for something 00:06:03.449 --> 00:06:07.949 new to munch. The ground opened up and had some 00:06:07.949 --> 00:06:11.600 of us for lunch. He had a way of really getting 00:06:11.600 --> 00:06:17.579 to the heart of things. In Numbers 11, this is 00:06:17.579 --> 00:06:22.120 what happened. God finally sends meat to them. 00:06:22.699 --> 00:06:25.540 But in the sending of the meat, in the provision 00:06:25.540 --> 00:06:28.540 of the meat, God gets exasperated with them. 00:06:29.860 --> 00:06:34.720 And it says that they buried the people who had 00:06:34.720 --> 00:06:39.870 been so greedy for meat. They called the place 00:06:39.870 --> 00:06:46.649 graves for the greedy. Graves for the greedy. 00:06:48.250 --> 00:06:50.810 I don't know about you, but I don't want my life 00:06:50.810 --> 00:06:55.089 to be a grave of the greedy. I don't want to 00:06:55.089 --> 00:07:00.170 become so accustomed to my blessings that I have 00:07:00.170 --> 00:07:03.069 a complaining spirit and I forget to be thankful. 00:07:03.930 --> 00:07:08.180 And so in Psalm 107, We're going to look here 00:07:08.180 --> 00:07:11.860 in this rhythm of this psalm, the beauty of this 00:07:11.860 --> 00:07:15.480 psalm. And we're going to, some of this is going 00:07:15.480 --> 00:07:17.360 to apply. You're going to be like, ah, that was 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:23.060 me. That's who I was before Christ. Some of you 00:07:23.060 --> 00:07:26.540 in here might say, that's me now. I need Christ. 00:07:27.279 --> 00:07:29.720 But we're going to begin, we'll just begin from 00:07:29.720 --> 00:07:33.439 the beginning once again in verse 1. Give thanks 00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:37.199 to the Lord. For he is good, his love endures 00:07:37.199 --> 00:07:41.319 forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their 00:07:41.319 --> 00:07:46.100 story. Those who he redeemed from the hand of 00:07:46.100 --> 00:07:50.920 the foe. Those he gathered from the lands, from 00:07:50.920 --> 00:07:55.160 east and west and north and south. Some wandered 00:07:55.160 --> 00:07:59.519 in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:03.860 where they could settle. They were hungry. and 00:08:03.860 --> 00:08:10.100 thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. This person 00:08:10.100 --> 00:08:14.339 would be the distressed wanderer, and that might 00:08:14.339 --> 00:08:18.139 have been some of you, wandering from this thing 00:08:18.139 --> 00:08:21.600 to the next thing, hungry and thirsty, unable 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:25.519 to find anything that can satisfy, anything that 00:08:25.519 --> 00:08:28.699 can settle your spirit to say, I'm home, I'm 00:08:28.699 --> 00:08:33.230 at rest, I'm at peace, I'm content. You were 00:08:33.230 --> 00:08:39.090 this desert wanderer, this distressed wanderer. 00:08:40.289 --> 00:08:44.429 When we look, we see in the New Testament a wonderful 00:08:44.429 --> 00:08:46.850 example of this, and Kathy was even referring 00:08:46.850 --> 00:08:50.669 to it. In Luke 15, we have the account of the 00:08:50.669 --> 00:08:53.669 prodigal. And when I read the account of the 00:08:53.669 --> 00:09:00.210 prodigal, I see a distressed wanderer. He, in 00:09:00.210 --> 00:09:03.210 verse 13, the younger son, it says he gathers 00:09:03.210 --> 00:09:06.470 everything that he had, and he set off for a 00:09:06.470 --> 00:09:10.450 distant country where he squandered his wealth 00:09:10.450 --> 00:09:15.610 in wild living. He was going from one thing to 00:09:15.610 --> 00:09:18.169 the next thing to the next thing, but nothing 00:09:18.169 --> 00:09:23.519 could ever satisfy. Nothing could ever fill this 00:09:23.519 --> 00:09:27.179 hunger he didn't know what it was for, this thirst 00:09:27.179 --> 00:09:33.340 he didn't recognize why it was there. And so 00:09:33.340 --> 00:09:36.539 it says, after he'd spent everything, there was 00:09:36.539 --> 00:09:39.340 a severe famine in the country, and he began 00:09:39.340 --> 00:09:43.440 to be in need. So he went and he hired himself 00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:46.720 out to a citizen in the country who sent him 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:51.399 to his fields to feed the pigs. Let's remember, 00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:55.360 you might think pigs are cute, and we'd certainly 00:09:55.360 --> 00:09:58.440 enjoy eating pigs, but for him, this was an unclean 00:09:58.440 --> 00:10:03.379 food. This was an unclean animal. It's bad enough 00:10:03.379 --> 00:10:06.639 that he's going to take care of these pigs, but 00:10:06.639 --> 00:10:14.679 for his culture, these are unclean animals. Verse 00:10:14.679 --> 00:10:18.559 16, he longed to fill his stomach with the pods 00:10:18.559 --> 00:10:22.080 that the pigs were eating. But no one gave him 00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:27.960 anything. And then there's verse 17. And it says, 00:10:28.100 --> 00:10:33.259 he came to his senses. I pray that over my kid. 00:10:33.399 --> 00:10:38.899 He came to his senses. He said, how many of my 00:10:38.899 --> 00:10:42.159 father's hired servants have food to spare? And 00:10:42.159 --> 00:10:45.460 here I am starving to death. I will set out and 00:10:45.460 --> 00:10:47.980 go back to my father and say, I've sinned against 00:10:47.980 --> 00:10:51.549 heaven and you. I'm no longer worthy to be called 00:10:51.549 --> 00:10:54.789 your son. Make me like one of your hired servants. 00:10:55.230 --> 00:10:58.750 So he got up and he went to his father. What 00:10:58.750 --> 00:11:03.830 did he do? He went back to the source. He went 00:11:03.830 --> 00:11:06.909 back to that place that would satisfy the hunger, 00:11:07.009 --> 00:11:10.690 that would satisfy the thirst, that would be 00:11:10.690 --> 00:11:14.769 his resting, his home place. I am at rest here. 00:11:16.289 --> 00:11:22.299 He was a distressed wanderer. And in Psalm 107, 00:11:22.379 --> 00:11:25.200 verse 6, here's what the distressed wanderers 00:11:25.200 --> 00:11:29.279 do. They eventually will cry out to the Lord 00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:34.620 in their trouble. And he delivered them from 00:11:34.620 --> 00:11:39.059 their distress. He led them by a straight way 00:11:39.059 --> 00:11:42.940 to a city where they could settle. He brought 00:11:42.940 --> 00:11:47.080 them home. They cried out to the Lord, and he 00:11:47.080 --> 00:11:50.960 brought them home. If this is you today, you're 00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:52.639 saying, I don't know, there's just this thing 00:11:52.639 --> 00:11:56.360 I can't be satisfied. I can't seem to settle 00:11:56.360 --> 00:11:59.240 into anything. Some people like this will go 00:11:59.240 --> 00:12:02.740 from job to job to job to job, relationship to 00:12:02.740 --> 00:12:05.580 relationship to relationship, church to church 00:12:05.580 --> 00:12:10.960 to church, because they can't find in God what 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:16.840 they need. And so they search everywhere. Let 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:19.120 those, how many of you would say, that was me, 00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:22.519 I was a distressed wanderer. I had a hunger and 00:12:22.519 --> 00:12:25.000 a thirst and I didn't know how to satisfy it, 00:12:25.019 --> 00:12:27.840 right? Many of you raising your hands. And so 00:12:27.840 --> 00:12:30.860 those who were the distressed wanderer, if that 00:12:30.860 --> 00:12:34.820 is you, verse 8 and 9, let them give thanks to 00:12:34.820 --> 00:12:39.240 the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful 00:12:39.240 --> 00:12:44.639 deeds for mankind. For he satisfies the thirsty, 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:48.960 and he fills the hungry with good things. How 00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:51.779 many of you, God has done wondrous deeds on your 00:12:51.779 --> 00:12:56.740 behalf. He has satisfied you. He has filled you 00:12:56.740 --> 00:13:01.080 with good things. Give thanks today. Give praise 00:13:01.080 --> 00:13:08.460 today. The distressed wanderer. In the next portion, 00:13:08.700 --> 00:13:16.759 we see another. In verse 10, some sat in darkness, 00:13:17.080 --> 00:13:22.480 in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron 00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:26.500 chains because they rebelled against God's commands 00:13:26.500 --> 00:13:32.000 and despised the plans of the Most High. So he 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:36.399 subjected them to bitter labor. They stumbled 00:13:36.399 --> 00:13:41.330 and there was no one to help. Some of you came 00:13:41.330 --> 00:13:45.690 out of the place of great darkness. The chains 00:13:45.690 --> 00:13:48.049 of the kingdom of darkness were heavy around 00:13:48.049 --> 00:13:53.429 your neck. And it wasn't until he came, and there's 00:13:53.429 --> 00:13:56.289 a beautiful passage that says that he ushers 00:13:56.289 --> 00:13:59.470 us out of the kingdom of darkness and into the 00:13:59.470 --> 00:14:02.629 kingdom of light. Right? How many of you, that's 00:14:02.629 --> 00:14:06.129 me. I was ushered in out of the darkness and 00:14:06.129 --> 00:14:12.289 into the light. I read. the account of a young 00:14:12.289 --> 00:14:15.950 lady named Sophia. This is a little lengthy, 00:14:16.070 --> 00:14:18.730 but I think you're going to be blessed by her 00:14:18.730 --> 00:14:22.169 testimony. It was printed in Christianity Today. 00:14:23.490 --> 00:14:27.830 But she tells her story saying, my earliest memory 00:14:27.830 --> 00:14:32.909 is of crying inside a locked supply room. My 00:14:32.909 --> 00:14:36.970 mother had sold me as a child laborer, as she 00:14:36.970 --> 00:14:42.169 often did. I was three. At four, my mother sold 00:14:42.169 --> 00:14:48.190 me for $58 as a child laborer to the imam of 00:14:48.190 --> 00:14:51.990 the neighborhood's Muslim community. I lived 00:14:51.990 --> 00:14:55.289 in a locked room and by age 25 gave birth to 00:14:55.289 --> 00:14:59.690 two girls, both taken from me immediately. At 00:14:59.690 --> 00:15:04.190 this point, life became unbearable. It felt unbearable, 00:15:04.250 --> 00:15:07.990 and when I began, it's when that unbearable moment 00:15:07.990 --> 00:15:12.240 hit her. that she began to hear a gentle whisper 00:15:12.240 --> 00:15:19.600 in her ear, it's okay, just stay alive. I didn't 00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:23.240 know who or what this voice was, but it comforted 00:15:23.240 --> 00:15:28.240 me. It was powerful yet gentle. One night, not 00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:31.919 long after the birth of her second child, she 00:15:31.919 --> 00:15:35.200 awoke at three in the morning to the voice telling 00:15:35.200 --> 00:15:39.259 me to escape through the window. I was confused, 00:15:39.419 --> 00:15:44.779 but the voice said, it's time. I bargained with 00:15:44.779 --> 00:15:49.340 the voice. If I jump, you have to promise I'll 00:15:49.340 --> 00:15:52.860 get back everything I have lost. It was a second 00:15:52.860 --> 00:15:57.360 story window. Helped by a woman in the community, 00:15:57.480 --> 00:16:00.480 she was sent to another town to work where a 00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:03.879 U .S. Army officer began to pursue her romantically. 00:16:04.820 --> 00:16:08.629 She followed him to Chicago. where it was not 00:16:08.629 --> 00:16:12.289 the fresh start she had hoped for. During the 00:16:12.289 --> 00:16:15.110 next six and a half years, the man abused me. 00:16:16.269 --> 00:16:19.789 I tested positive for HIV, developed tuberculosis, 00:16:19.789 --> 00:16:22.889 and landed in the hospital, wrecked with despair. 00:16:23.269 --> 00:16:27.429 All the money I'd earned working in Chicago went 00:16:27.429 --> 00:16:30.490 toward my medical bills. Soon I had nothing left, 00:16:30.629 --> 00:16:34.029 and the officer sent me back to Bangkok. I never 00:16:34.029 --> 00:16:38.100 saw him again. For three months, I languished 00:16:38.100 --> 00:16:42.940 alone in a hospital bed. My legs became paralyzed, 00:16:42.980 --> 00:16:46.080 and though I could hear what went on around me, 00:16:46.100 --> 00:16:48.879 I could not move or see. I could not remember 00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:53.899 my name or who I was. During this season of torment, 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:58.320 I silently called upon every God I knew, yet 00:16:58.320 --> 00:17:03.029 nothing happened. An American friend visited 00:17:03.029 --> 00:17:07.009 and talked about Jesus with me, asking, why don't 00:17:07.009 --> 00:17:11.970 you ask Jesus to be your Savior? Unable to say 00:17:11.970 --> 00:17:14.690 anything or acknowledge that I had heard, I cried 00:17:14.690 --> 00:17:17.329 out to Jesus in my heart, if you are with me, 00:17:17.450 --> 00:17:23.950 come save me. For three months, I languished 00:17:23.950 --> 00:17:32.180 alone in a hospital bed. This season in that 00:17:32.180 --> 00:17:35.420 torment, she called on Jesus, but nothing had 00:17:35.420 --> 00:17:38.400 changed, right? She didn't see any change at 00:17:38.400 --> 00:17:45.119 all. But what she did is what Psalm 107, verse 00:17:45.119 --> 00:17:49.380 13 now says again. They cried out to the Lord 00:17:49.380 --> 00:17:53.720 in their trouble, and he saved them from their 00:17:53.720 --> 00:17:56.980 distress. He brought them out of darkness, the 00:17:56.980 --> 00:18:00.599 utter darkness, and broke away their chains. 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:03.980 She didn't know it yet, but she had called on 00:18:03.980 --> 00:18:08.339 Jesus, and he was at work bringing her out of 00:18:08.339 --> 00:18:12.259 darkness and breaking her chains of bondage and 00:18:12.259 --> 00:18:22.519 infirmity. Her story continues. After crying 00:18:22.519 --> 00:18:25.119 out to Jesus, she went for six weeks without 00:18:25.119 --> 00:18:30.859 food or medicine, only water. Yet strangely, 00:18:31.079 --> 00:18:34.880 I never felt like I was alone, because the voice 00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:37.420 that had spoken to me all those years ago spoke 00:18:37.420 --> 00:18:45.339 again, live. That's all it takes, one word, live. 00:18:47.160 --> 00:18:50.579 In that little house, I understood that it had 00:18:50.579 --> 00:18:54.680 been Jesus' voice all along. And in his presence, 00:18:54.779 --> 00:18:58.319 I slowly came back to life. My wounds healed. 00:18:58.460 --> 00:19:01.599 My spirits lifted. And one day, it seemed as 00:19:01.599 --> 00:19:05.160 if Jesus was telling me, come out. See, her family 00:19:05.160 --> 00:19:08.420 had sequestered her in isolation in that little 00:19:08.420 --> 00:19:12.319 room. And now Jesus is saying to her, come out. 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:17.099 I stumbled out of the wooden house like Lazarus. 00:19:17.720 --> 00:19:20.380 My family, the villagers, and the doctors who 00:19:20.380 --> 00:19:23.759 tried to heal me were all shocked. A pastor in 00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:26.519 Bangkok had visited me while on my deathbed. 00:19:27.079 --> 00:19:30.039 After my miraculous healing, he brought me to 00:19:30.039 --> 00:19:34.019 a ministry called The Well to help me recuperate. 00:19:35.140 --> 00:19:38.359 I told him I wanted to learn more about the voice 00:19:38.359 --> 00:19:41.599 that had brought me back to life. And that's 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:45.299 when I gave my life to Jesus. The pastor helped 00:19:45.299 --> 00:19:48.480 me enroll at a Baptist seminary in Bangkok where 00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:52.220 I received my biblical studies certificate. Not 00:19:52.220 --> 00:19:55.720 long after I graduated, I felt God calling me 00:19:55.720 --> 00:20:00.259 back to return to the Muslim community I had 00:20:00.259 --> 00:20:08.180 escaped. Only God can do this in a life. Go back, 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:13.890 God said. Learn to forgive and love them. The 00:20:13.890 --> 00:20:16.410 community still had both my daughters, and they 00:20:16.410 --> 00:20:18.789 didn't want to return them to me because I had 00:20:18.789 --> 00:20:23.210 become a Christian. But I slowly reestablished 00:20:23.210 --> 00:20:26.009 connections. I brought food and had meals with 00:20:26.009 --> 00:20:29.230 people. I accompanied elderly women to the hospital 00:20:29.230 --> 00:20:32.369 and shared how Jesus had befriended and saved 00:20:32.369 --> 00:20:36.130 me. Eight years after I returned to the community, 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:39.859 The imam who had enslaved me called me on the 00:20:39.859 --> 00:20:43.259 phone, was dying of cancer and wanted to see 00:20:43.259 --> 00:20:46.880 me. I sat next to him and he asked me to forgive 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:50.420 him and said, can you give me bread and coffee? 00:20:51.359 --> 00:20:56.059 I was stunned. He had locked me up for years. 00:20:58.680 --> 00:21:02.779 Why should I forgive and serve him? What was 00:21:02.779 --> 00:21:07.569 I even doing sitting there next to him? Then 00:21:07.569 --> 00:21:11.809 I remembered Jesus and his command to forgive 00:21:11.809 --> 00:21:17.269 and love my enemies. I took the bread. I believe 00:21:17.269 --> 00:21:20.890 this is the table of the Lord. I took the bread 00:21:20.890 --> 00:21:25.230 and I gave it to the imam. And the chains in 00:21:25.230 --> 00:21:31.849 my heart broke. I felt true freedom at last from 00:21:31.849 --> 00:21:35.130 this man and those terrible years. Later, right 00:21:35.130 --> 00:21:37.950 before he died, the imam asked if I wanted to 00:21:37.950 --> 00:21:42.410 have my daughters back. He didn't need to ask 00:21:42.410 --> 00:21:47.230 twice. Today, my two daughters, 25 and 32, live 00:21:47.230 --> 00:21:51.210 with me. When I jumped out of that window, I 00:21:51.210 --> 00:21:54.069 asked God to give me everything back. He kept 00:21:54.069 --> 00:21:57.490 his promise. He kept my daughters safe and returned 00:21:57.490 --> 00:22:04.970 them to me. He has transformed my suffering into 00:22:04.970 --> 00:22:08.849 an open door to minister to others in dire situations 00:22:08.849 --> 00:22:12.930 in Thailand, including prostitutes, abandoned 00:22:12.930 --> 00:22:15.369 children, and those who have been trafficked 00:22:15.369 --> 00:22:19.880 or without homes. Listen, only God can bring 00:22:19.880 --> 00:22:23.500 you out of that kind of darkness. Only God can 00:22:23.500 --> 00:22:26.839 break those kind of chains of bitterness and 00:22:26.839 --> 00:22:32.559 woundedness. Only God can do that. And for some 00:22:32.559 --> 00:22:35.400 of you, you might say, well, my story isn't that. 00:22:35.559 --> 00:22:39.059 Listen, it doesn't matter. Your darkness may 00:22:39.059 --> 00:22:42.960 be different. Your chains may be different. They 00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:46.359 may be of a lighter weight chain or maybe a heavier 00:22:46.359 --> 00:22:49.380 chain. It doesn't matter. There's no chain that 00:22:49.380 --> 00:22:53.779 is too heavy or too strong for the power of Jesus 00:22:53.779 --> 00:22:58.079 Christ. Not one. There's no darkness that cannot 00:22:58.079 --> 00:23:01.880 be lit up with the light of Christ. And so for 00:23:01.880 --> 00:23:05.839 some of you, this was you. You were in the darkness. 00:23:05.859 --> 00:23:11.960 You were captured by the chains. Maybe it's you 00:23:11.960 --> 00:23:16.269 today. Maybe you're in a darkness. Maybe you 00:23:16.269 --> 00:23:21.789 have chains. We have a great deliverer, Jesus 00:23:21.789 --> 00:23:26.549 Christ, who's just waiting to shed light in your 00:23:26.549 --> 00:23:31.069 darkness and break every chain. And so those 00:23:31.069 --> 00:23:35.660 of you who were darkness dwellers, Psalm 107 00:23:35.660 --> 00:23:39.180 verse 10 calls to you. Let them give thanks to 00:23:39.180 --> 00:23:43.299 the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful 00:23:43.299 --> 00:23:47.599 deeds for mankind. For he breaks down gates of 00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:53.140 bronze and cuts through bars of iron. So give 00:23:53.140 --> 00:23:58.059 praise, give thanks. Hallelujah. The next portion 00:23:58.059 --> 00:24:02.579 of Psalm 107, the next person that we find in 00:24:02.579 --> 00:24:07.000 this chapter, In verse 17, some became fools 00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:10.779 through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction 00:24:10.779 --> 00:24:14.559 because of their iniquities. They loathed all 00:24:14.559 --> 00:24:19.400 food and drew near the gates of death. This next 00:24:19.400 --> 00:24:25.579 person is the rebellious one. Israel, God's people 00:24:25.579 --> 00:24:28.500 in the Old Testament, this is their story, isn't 00:24:28.500 --> 00:24:34.380 it? Time and time again, they would rebel. Against 00:24:34.380 --> 00:24:40.440 the Lord. In fact, in Isaiah 48, he gives a picture 00:24:40.440 --> 00:24:47.019 of Israel. It's not a great picture. In fact, 00:24:47.079 --> 00:24:51.339 he says, listen to this, you descendants of Jacob. 00:24:51.460 --> 00:24:55.880 You who are called by the name of Israel. I knew 00:24:55.880 --> 00:25:00.140 how stubborn you were. Your neck muscles were 00:25:00.140 --> 00:25:05.539 iron. Your forehead was bronze. Some of you in 00:25:05.539 --> 00:25:11.779 here were very stubborn in bowing to your Lord. 00:25:12.160 --> 00:25:17.000 You came the hard way to bow before the Lord. 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:23.000 You had a neck of iron. Your forehead was bronze. 00:25:24.019 --> 00:25:26.319 You could just like beat your head against the 00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:34.210 wall. He goes on to say, I am the Lord your God 00:25:34.210 --> 00:25:39.589 who teaches you what is best for you. This is 00:25:39.589 --> 00:25:42.109 the thing about the stubborn, rebellious one 00:25:42.109 --> 00:25:44.509 is they think they know what's best for themselves. 00:25:45.450 --> 00:25:47.950 And God is saying, no, I'm the one that teaches 00:25:47.950 --> 00:25:51.269 you what is best for you, who directs you in 00:25:51.269 --> 00:25:54.730 the way you should go. This is my favorite passage. 00:25:54.930 --> 00:26:01.460 Oh, if only, if only you had heeded. If only 00:26:01.460 --> 00:26:04.299 you had heeded and paid attention to my commands, 00:26:04.440 --> 00:26:09.220 you would have had peace. Your peace would have 00:26:09.220 --> 00:26:13.400 been like a river. Your well -being like the 00:26:13.400 --> 00:26:17.920 waves of the sea. How many of you, you were that 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:20.920 rebellious one. You came to the Lord the hard 00:26:20.920 --> 00:26:28.710 way. Yeah. But there, just like all the others 00:26:28.710 --> 00:26:33.289 in Psalm 107 and verse 19, the rebellious cried 00:26:33.289 --> 00:26:35.890 out to the Lord in their trouble. The Israelites 00:26:35.890 --> 00:26:38.470 knew how to do that. They often had to do that. 00:26:38.750 --> 00:26:42.009 God brought them into captivity, and they would 00:26:42.009 --> 00:26:46.230 have to begin to again cry out to the Lord. And 00:26:46.230 --> 00:26:50.130 always he saved them from their distress. He 00:26:50.130 --> 00:26:55.839 sent out his word and healed them. He rescued 00:26:55.839 --> 00:27:01.220 them from the grave. Praise the Lord. The thing 00:27:01.220 --> 00:27:05.279 is, is that God's even more stubborn. His will 00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:10.400 is even stronger. And his will is to heal you. 00:27:10.480 --> 00:27:13.299 His will is to bring you up out of the grave. 00:27:14.420 --> 00:27:17.259 And so maybe that's you today. Some of you, that's 00:27:17.259 --> 00:27:19.380 who you were. But maybe today you're saying, 00:27:19.480 --> 00:27:22.900 I've been stubborn. I've been resisting the word 00:27:22.900 --> 00:27:27.289 of God in my life. Today is your day to cry out 00:27:27.289 --> 00:27:32.690 in trouble and receive healing. And so you today, 00:27:32.789 --> 00:27:36.410 who were the rebellious ones, hear the call of 00:27:36.410 --> 00:27:40.829 verses 21 and 22. Let them give thanks to the 00:27:40.829 --> 00:27:44.250 Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful 00:27:44.250 --> 00:27:48.109 deeds for mankind. Let them sacrifice, thank 00:27:48.109 --> 00:27:52.009 offerings, and tell of his works with songs of 00:27:52.009 --> 00:27:57.299 joy. Sing it out. Sing out his good works, you 00:27:57.299 --> 00:28:01.500 who are the rebellious ones. All right, our next 00:28:01.500 --> 00:28:05.940 group right here, this is the last one, are the 00:28:05.940 --> 00:28:11.319 fearful ones. In verse 23, some went out on the 00:28:11.319 --> 00:28:14.619 sea in ships. They were merchants on the mighty 00:28:14.619 --> 00:28:18.359 waters. They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful 00:28:18.359 --> 00:28:21.859 deeds in the deep. For he spoke and stirred up 00:28:21.859 --> 00:28:25.680 a tempest that lifted high the waves. They mounted 00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:27.980 up to the heavens and went down to the depths. 00:28:28.180 --> 00:28:31.519 In their peril, their courage melted away. They 00:28:31.519 --> 00:28:34.740 reeled and staggered like drunkards. They were 00:28:34.740 --> 00:28:37.599 at their wit's end. I think these are ones that 00:28:37.599 --> 00:28:41.819 started out as adventurers. They were going out 00:28:41.819 --> 00:28:46.400 on adventurous things on the seas. But then when 00:28:46.400 --> 00:28:48.599 things got a bit stormy, what happened? Fear 00:28:48.599 --> 00:28:52.759 came in. And they became so fearful that they 00:28:52.759 --> 00:28:55.500 staggered like drunkards at their wit's end. 00:28:58.640 --> 00:29:01.519 If that's you, you know what? You're in keeping 00:29:01.519 --> 00:29:06.140 here. You're in good company. Because as we look 00:29:06.140 --> 00:29:09.140 at some people in the Bible, they are just like 00:29:09.140 --> 00:29:14.099 you. They are just like you. Elijah had a great 00:29:14.099 --> 00:29:16.779 victory in the mountaintop where he called down 00:29:16.779 --> 00:29:21.099 fire from heaven, consuming the sacrifice over 00:29:21.099 --> 00:29:24.099 all of the other false prophets. I mean, you'd 00:29:24.099 --> 00:29:27.920 be like spiritually high that day. But then the 00:29:27.920 --> 00:29:30.559 next thing you read, he's running in fear from 00:29:30.559 --> 00:29:37.539 Jezebel. In fact, he has so much fear that he 00:29:37.539 --> 00:29:43.049 just wants to die. But it says that the Lord 00:29:43.049 --> 00:29:46.509 gave him food, gave him water, and gave him rest. 00:29:46.769 --> 00:29:49.829 And after that, he got up and ran 40 days to 00:29:49.829 --> 00:29:54.190 the cave, where in that moment in the cave, God's 00:29:54.190 --> 00:29:58.529 glory, his presence passed before him. And it's 00:29:58.529 --> 00:30:01.250 in that place that God says, I got a couple more 00:30:01.250 --> 00:30:04.130 kings for you to anoint, and it's time for you 00:30:04.130 --> 00:30:09.430 to go anoint Elisha to be raised up after you. 00:30:10.539 --> 00:30:15.599 He wasn't done yet. He got into a fearful place. 00:30:18.619 --> 00:30:21.539 Gideon was hiding out in the winepress from his 00:30:21.539 --> 00:30:24.839 enemies, declaring to be the weakest of the weak, 00:30:24.940 --> 00:30:28.619 when the angel comes and says, O mighty man of 00:30:28.619 --> 00:30:32.460 valor, and calls him to do battle on behalf of 00:30:32.460 --> 00:30:35.220 his people. And he brought peace to the land. 00:30:35.559 --> 00:30:39.740 He was hiding in fear. And then the word of the 00:30:39.740 --> 00:30:43.960 Lord came. Esther, she feared for her life when 00:30:43.960 --> 00:30:46.519 called upon to intercede with the king for her 00:30:46.519 --> 00:30:51.400 people. She didn't want to do it. Ultimately, 00:30:51.519 --> 00:30:55.220 though, we know her famous saying, if I perish, 00:30:55.420 --> 00:30:58.779 I perish. She went before the king and saved 00:30:58.779 --> 00:31:02.759 her people. The disciples, following this great 00:31:02.759 --> 00:31:06.099 miracle of multiplication of food for 5 ,000. 00:31:06.119 --> 00:31:09.160 Again, a great spiritual high. Look at what God 00:31:09.160 --> 00:31:13.559 has done. Yet they get in a boat and they face 00:31:13.559 --> 00:31:19.559 a fierce storm. And they are in fear until Jesus 00:31:19.559 --> 00:31:26.619 calms the storm. Peter. Peter walked on water 00:31:26.619 --> 00:31:32.609 until he began to sink in fear. Peter declared 00:31:32.609 --> 00:31:37.130 he would never deny Christ. And then you find 00:31:37.130 --> 00:31:44.210 him three times denying him. Yet Peter was martyred 00:31:44.210 --> 00:31:49.670 for Christ. There are many. They started out, 00:31:49.750 --> 00:31:53.049 yes, in adventure, I'm going to do great things. 00:31:53.150 --> 00:31:55.950 They ended in fear. But I want to say to you, 00:31:55.990 --> 00:31:59.869 if you've had fear in your life, you've got to 00:31:59.869 --> 00:32:04.190 do it. Psalm 107 says to do in verse 28. You 00:32:04.190 --> 00:32:07.990 cry out to the Lord in your trouble. And he brought 00:32:07.990 --> 00:32:11.509 them out of their distress. He stilled the storm 00:32:11.509 --> 00:32:15.150 to a whisper. The waves of the sea were hushed. 00:32:15.150 --> 00:32:18.630 They were glad when it grew calm. And he guided 00:32:18.630 --> 00:32:22.650 them to their desired haven. For many of you, 00:32:22.670 --> 00:32:25.190 this was you. You lived a life of fear until 00:32:25.190 --> 00:32:30.039 you found safe harbor in Christ. Some of you 00:32:30.039 --> 00:32:35.460 are here today, and you need safe harbor. Christ 00:32:35.460 --> 00:32:40.079 is here for you to cry out to in trouble. And 00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:44.339 so, I believe that courageous adventures are 00:32:44.339 --> 00:32:48.640 hidden somewhere in every heart. So if that is 00:32:48.640 --> 00:32:50.900 you, if you have been the fearful one that Jesus 00:32:50.900 --> 00:32:55.680 brought out, we heed verse 31. Let them give 00:32:55.680 --> 00:32:59.420 thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love. and 00:32:59.420 --> 00:33:03.579 his wonderful deeds for mankind. Let them exalt 00:33:03.579 --> 00:33:06.500 him in the assembly of the people and praise 00:33:06.500 --> 00:33:08.680 him in the council of the elders. Isn't that 00:33:08.680 --> 00:33:12.140 interesting? What an intimidating place. I remember 00:33:12.140 --> 00:33:14.480 when I was being ordained, having to preach to 00:33:14.480 --> 00:33:17.079 our presbytery and our superintendent. I was 00:33:17.079 --> 00:33:20.759 so intimidated and fearful in that moment. And 00:33:20.759 --> 00:33:23.079 I finally had to say, forget it. They need the 00:33:23.079 --> 00:33:24.940 gospel just like everybody else, so I'm going 00:33:24.940 --> 00:33:28.220 to preach it. I had to get rid of that intimidation 00:33:28.220 --> 00:33:30.640 and that fear. And I think it's interesting here 00:33:30.640 --> 00:33:35.700 that that's what this verse, it says, exalt him 00:33:35.700 --> 00:33:38.299 in the assembly of the people and in the council 00:33:38.299 --> 00:33:41.319 of the elders. You would never think that you 00:33:41.319 --> 00:33:45.019 could do that. But you're not a person of fear 00:33:45.019 --> 00:33:48.720 anymore. So you can declare and exalt the Lord. 00:33:50.440 --> 00:33:54.859 And so today my question for you is what is your 00:33:54.859 --> 00:33:59.980 trouble? What is your trouble? What was your 00:33:59.980 --> 00:34:03.059 trouble? What did God do for you when you cried 00:34:03.059 --> 00:34:06.839 out to him? We need to remember our blessings 00:34:06.839 --> 00:34:11.820 today. We need to call to mind what God has done 00:34:11.820 --> 00:34:17.940 for us. And maybe, just maybe, you need to cry 00:34:17.940 --> 00:34:22.900 out to him today. Maybe today you're the distressed 00:34:22.900 --> 00:34:28.320 wanderer, searching, hungry, and thirsty. Maybe 00:34:28.320 --> 00:34:32.340 you're the darkness dweller. The darkness has 00:34:32.340 --> 00:34:35.500 such a hold on you. Your chains have such a hold 00:34:35.500 --> 00:34:39.840 on you. Can I say he wants to deliver you? You 00:34:39.840 --> 00:34:42.139 don't have to walk out of here in darkness and 00:34:42.139 --> 00:34:44.820 in chains. You can leave them at the feet of 00:34:44.820 --> 00:34:49.300 Jesus today. Maybe you've been the rebellious 00:34:49.300 --> 00:34:53.639 one needing to bow in humility to your Lord. 00:34:56.590 --> 00:34:59.449 Maybe you're the fearful one needing to lift 00:34:59.449 --> 00:35:02.769 your gaze to the one who does wondrous deeds 00:35:02.769 --> 00:35:11.829 on behalf of man. Maybe, just maybe, it's you 00:35:11.829 --> 00:35:15.409 today and you need to cry out. We're going to 00:35:15.409 --> 00:35:17.710 be celebrating communion in a moment, the table 00:35:17.710 --> 00:35:21.949 of the Lord. And we celebrate open communion. 00:35:22.750 --> 00:35:26.250 As long as you profess Jesus to be Lord of your 00:35:26.250 --> 00:35:29.070 life, you are welcome to participate in communion. 00:35:30.690 --> 00:35:33.670 But before we take communion, I just want to 00:35:33.670 --> 00:35:38.510 give a moment of opportunity for you. If this 00:35:38.510 --> 00:35:42.030 is you and you're saying, today I need to make 00:35:42.030 --> 00:35:45.730 that decision. Today I need to invite the Savior 00:35:45.730 --> 00:35:50.170 into my life. We want to make room for you today. 00:35:51.690 --> 00:35:56.449 And so here's what we're going to do. We're going 00:35:56.449 --> 00:35:59.230 to take a moment and we're just going to all 00:35:59.230 --> 00:36:03.269 of us bow our heads, close our eyes. I'm not 00:36:03.269 --> 00:36:07.250 going to ask anybody to come up right now. But 00:36:07.250 --> 00:36:09.650 I want us just for a moment to quietly before 00:36:09.650 --> 00:36:14.190 the Lord. If this is what Christ has done for 00:36:14.190 --> 00:36:18.670 you, I want you just to call to mind the beginning. 00:36:20.050 --> 00:36:24.539 I want you to... Call to mind the glory of what 00:36:24.539 --> 00:36:30.659 he has brought you out of. And if you need to 00:36:30.659 --> 00:36:33.780 do that today, I want you just to begin to tell 00:36:33.780 --> 00:36:39.280 the Lord, Lord, I need you. I'm crying out just 00:36:39.280 --> 00:36:43.889 like in Psalm 107. They cried out to the Lord 00:36:43.889 --> 00:36:47.130 in their time of distress. Today I'm calling 00:36:47.130 --> 00:36:52.929 out, I'm crying out to you in my distress. And 00:36:52.929 --> 00:36:55.469 if that's you, while everybody's got their heads 00:36:55.469 --> 00:36:58.090 bowed, I want you just to lift your hand up so 00:36:58.090 --> 00:37:01.510 I can pray with you this morning. Today is your 00:37:01.510 --> 00:37:05.369 day to be courageous and to lift up that hand 00:37:05.369 --> 00:37:10.630 and say yes to the Lord. I see one hand over 00:37:10.630 --> 00:37:15.980 here. Anybody else before we move on? Maybe you're 00:37:15.980 --> 00:37:18.679 saying he's done that for me once, but I've let 00:37:18.679 --> 00:37:22.159 those old things back in my life. And I need 00:37:22.159 --> 00:37:27.280 to renew my commitment. I need to renew that 00:37:27.280 --> 00:37:29.699 relationship. Yeah, lift your hand in the back. 00:37:30.219 --> 00:37:34.579 Others, here's what we're going to do today. 00:37:34.820 --> 00:37:37.679 We're going to just all of us pray this prayer. 00:37:38.559 --> 00:37:41.360 As one whole congregation, I want you just to 00:37:41.360 --> 00:37:46.219 repeat after me. Heavenly Father, I come to you 00:37:46.219 --> 00:37:53.960 as a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe that 00:37:53.960 --> 00:38:00.619 Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior 00:38:00.619 --> 00:38:05.860 of the world. Today, I make Jesus Lord of my 00:38:05.860 --> 00:38:12.099 life. I believe you died so I could be forgiven 00:38:12.099 --> 00:38:20.679 and rose again to give me life. I receive this 00:38:20.679 --> 00:38:27.739 new life. This is my new beginning. I am a child 00:38:27.739 --> 00:38:35.239 of God. Amen. Amen. Praise the Lord. Praise the 00:38:35.239 --> 00:38:39.480 Lord. I'm just going to say this here. If you 00:38:39.480 --> 00:38:44.000 still have chains that you are carrying and need 00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:46.519 somebody to pray with you, don't leave this place 00:38:46.519 --> 00:38:49.260 at the end of service. We have elders that would 00:38:49.260 --> 00:38:54.460 love to pray with you this morning. And so today, 00:38:54.780 --> 00:38:59.599 we're concluding with a time of communion. We've 00:38:59.599 --> 00:39:01.659 got some of our leaders and our pastors that 00:39:01.659 --> 00:39:04.039 are going to help us. And so if you guys would 00:39:04.039 --> 00:39:08.070 head over to your stations. What we're doing, 00:39:08.110 --> 00:39:12.889 our response time today, is this time of communion. 00:39:14.329 --> 00:39:17.389 It's saying, I remember, I remember Christ, what 00:39:17.389 --> 00:39:22.530 you have done for me. As we take this bread that 00:39:22.530 --> 00:39:27.230 represents the body of Christ, I receive it remembering 00:39:27.230 --> 00:39:31.130 that your body was broken for my brokenness. 00:39:32.559 --> 00:39:35.599 I receive it knowing that I cannot sustain my 00:39:35.599 --> 00:39:39.000 own life. I need the bread of life to sustain 00:39:39.000 --> 00:39:45.480 me. And as we dip this bread in this cup, we're 00:39:45.480 --> 00:39:47.840 acknowledging and we're remembering that it is 00:39:47.840 --> 00:39:52.599 the blood of Jesus that has cleansed us and washed 00:39:52.599 --> 00:39:57.900 us and set a new covenant in place, a covenant 00:39:57.900 --> 00:40:03.960 of peace, a covenant of grace. And so as we move 00:40:03.960 --> 00:40:07.900 toward communion this morning, I want you to 00:40:07.900 --> 00:40:11.179 do it prayerfully. I want you to do it beginning 00:40:11.179 --> 00:40:13.840 to give thanks to God for what he has brought 00:40:13.840 --> 00:40:17.039 you out of. I want us to not take for granted 00:40:17.039 --> 00:40:20.980 what he has given to us, the miraculous provision. 00:40:21.380 --> 00:40:25.659 We don't want to be like the Israelites. We don't 00:40:25.659 --> 00:40:30.639 want to be like manna again, God. We want to 00:40:30.639 --> 00:40:34.179 say thank you, God. for your provision. Thank 00:40:34.179 --> 00:40:40.039 you for what you have sustained me in life. We're 00:40:40.039 --> 00:40:44.000 going to remember what the Lord has done. Our 00:40:44.000 --> 00:40:46.519 lives aren't going to be the graves of the greedy, 00:40:46.699 --> 00:40:52.219 right? They're going to be places full of thanksgiving 00:40:52.219 --> 00:40:57.019 and gratitude, which is the language of the kingdom 00:40:57.019 --> 00:41:02.539 of God. Gratitude and thankfulness. And so I'm 00:41:02.539 --> 00:41:04.679 going to invite you to stand with me this morning. 00:41:06.139 --> 00:41:08.440 The team is going to lead us in worship, and 00:41:08.440 --> 00:41:10.820 as we do, I'm going to invite you to communion. 00:41:12.159 --> 00:41:14.940 This here, Lila's going to start off this section. 00:41:15.039 --> 00:41:19.780 You're going to go back to Dan and Linda. This 00:41:19.780 --> 00:41:22.219 section, Gary's going to start you off over here, 00:41:22.320 --> 00:41:25.880 and you'll make your way forward. You guys are 00:41:25.880 --> 00:41:27.539 going to, your sections are going to come up 00:41:27.539 --> 00:41:29.739 here. David, you're going to start them back 00:41:29.739 --> 00:41:33.039 there to Dennis and Linda. And so as you do, 00:41:33.199 --> 00:41:36.760 let's just worship the Lord. Receive your communion 00:41:36.760 --> 00:41:40.340 and then find a place worshiping at the feet 00:41:40.340 --> 00:41:43.739 of Jesus for a few moments this morning. Make 00:41:43.739 --> 00:41:47.480 the declaration, I'm living my life at the feet 00:41:47.480 --> 00:41:51.719 of Jesus. This is who I am. This is how I live, 00:41:51.780 --> 00:41:55.719 full of gratitude and thankfulness. Amen? Amen.