Sunday March 21, 2021 AM

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Michael Dirrim Pastor of Sunnyside Baptist Church OKC "Call Upon the Name of the LORD Whom you Praise" Part 7 Sunday March 21, 2021 AM

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Alright, good morning. It's good to have
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Jay and Wylene playing together here this morning. A few announcements as we get started this morning.
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We're glad that you're here to worship with us at Sunnyside Baptist. Looking ahead in the upcoming week, come back this evening for our evening service at 530 and then
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Wednesday dinner at 545 and at 630 on Wednesday Bible study and prayer for the adults and tag for the kids.
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And then April is just right around the corner and that means Good Friday and Easter. So our
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Good Friday service along with the Lord's Supper, that'll be on April 2nd at 630 p .m.
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here at the church. And then on Sunday, April 4th, we'll celebrate Easter together here on Easter Sunday.
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There will not be an evening service that Sunday. Our final verse for this week comes from Philippians chapter 2 verses 10 and 11.
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So that that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
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Lord to the glory of God the Father. We still have some needs in the nursery, the infant room in particular during the
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Sunday school hour. Please see Marla Hovarter if you can help in that aspect and feel free to ask any questions related to that.
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Operation Christmas Child, giving towards that is still going on. So small stuffed animals and toys here in the month of March and then they'll probably be a little bit different thing when
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April gets started. And then tag just has some craft needs you can see those in your bulletin as well.
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Any other announcements before we get started with worship this morning? All right.
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Well we're gonna have a time of prayer and preparation and then when we're done with that Jerry Brown will open us in prayer.
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Father we thank you for this day. Thank you for the beautiful sunshine and the hope of some more heat.
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Just pray for the day for our that our hearts are open to hear what you have to say through your word.
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Thank you for the freedom to carry our own word and to come to church and to spend time fellowshipping with your people.
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What a joy it is to be here and see our brothers and sisters.
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Just be with us today. Help us to understand what you have for each one of us to learn today individually as you speak to us individually.
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Just thank you for your word and the clarity and the perfection of it.
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Just be with us today. Protect us, guide us, help us to keep our eyes stayed on you.
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Christ's name amen. Would you stay with me for our call to worship?
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Our passage this morning is found in Psalms chapter 60. We'll be reading verses 11 and 12.
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Read with me together. O grant us help against the foe for vain is the salvation of man.
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With God we shall do valiantly. It is he who hath tread down our foes.
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What a
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Savior. If you have your Bibles, open to 1st
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John. Beginning in 1st John this morning we're gonna be reading starting chapter 1 verse 1 through chapter 2 verse 2.
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John chapter 1. That which was from the beginning which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands concerning the word of life.
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The life was made manifest and we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the
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Father and was made manifest to us. That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you so that you too may have fellowship with us and indeed our fellowship is with the
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Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
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This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.
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If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness we lie and do not practice the truth.
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But if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his
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Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
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If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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If we say we have not sinned we make him a liar and his word is not in us.
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My little children I'm writing these things to you so that you may not sin but if anyone does sin we have an advocate with the
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Father Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
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Would you pray with me? Father your word is perfect your word is holy and without error.
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Thank you for these words. Thank you for your words here.
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Words full of hope. Father we thank you for Jesus Christ the propitiation for our sins.
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Forgive us Father when we disobey your commandments when we lie, when we steal, when we lust, when we are angry.
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Help us to confess those to you that we might be right with you through the blood of Jesus Christ and through the washing of your word.
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Father as we worship together as your holy church this morning help us to hold fast to your scripture to listen with our hearts to the truth of your word and to go out from here equipped to share those truths with others.
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A lost and dying world that needs the God of light to shine in their lives.
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Father thank you for your goodness to us. Thank you for your grace and for your mercy.
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It's in all this we ask in Jesus name amen. You may be seated.
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Our next two songs are also in our blue handmills page 560 for the beauty of the earth and then after that page 4 how great thou art.
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Come before you this morning and it has been a wonderful few weeks of many weeks of hearing from your word here in the
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Psalms about how glorious you are how praiseworthy you are and how we are to to give you the glory and the honor or what a treasure it is what a blessing it is to have these instruments of praise the organ and the piano these servants of yours singing and helping to lead us all in song.
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Thank you for Miss Wylene I thank you for Lisa for their talents the new song we sang today doxology to you for the old songs we sang today full of meaning and tradition
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I think of my brother Jimmy Harrison his favorite favorite him how great thou art
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Lord this is true no matter how many decades we live on this earth Lord we know that you are great we know it by your grace by the gift of your word through the
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Holy Spirit by what you show to us of your faithfulness. Today is a wonderful day to gather together and to give you praise to remember our
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Savior Jesus Christ risen from the dead alive forevermore reigning from your right hand that it is in the light of his resurrection and this the year of our
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Lord and we come together and that we look at this holy scripture your
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God breathed this this God breathed word your word to us and I pray father that you would feed us and she would nourish us and lead us to to follow your son that you would grace us with these many mercies for his sake the one with whom you are well pleased amen invite you to open your
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Bibles to Psalm 116 and we're going to be looking at verses 12 through 19 today the
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Lord who is praiseworthy in all things is trustworthy at all times we spent a great deal of time considering how it is that we trust in the
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Lord in times of suffering in time in the fight for faith in the middle of the fight how do we trust the
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Lord how do we how do we go about praising him and we've had a lot to meditate on and to consider and apply from verses 1 through 11 now moving into verses 12 through 19 will notice that there is more structure there is consideration of the
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Lord in his bounty and his and his abundant goodness to his to his people there is mention of both cup and sacrifice the symbols of a feast and so we move out of struggle and pains and pains and trouble and sorrow into a time of reflection a time of rejoicing a time of Thanksgiving and celebration we move from the fight to the feast but it doesn't matter what kind of time it is the
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Lord is praiseworthy in all things and so he is trustworthy at all times and when we call upon the
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Lord whom we praise it's not only during the struggle but it's also during the times of abundance and peace and blessed rest in many ways as we read psalm 116 we get a feel for the pattern of the life of Israel as a people we remember their afflictions and their sorrows their their enslavement in Egypt and how the
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Lord faithfully brought them up out of Egypt through the trials and difficulties of the wilderness and then brought them into the promised land so he he brought them out of sorrow and suffering and he brought them to a feast a land flowing with milk and honey and he had been teaching them all along the way to to call upon him to trust in him not to trust in in chariots and in horses to trust in alliances with powerful
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Kings but to to recognize that that he was there everything did they need bread he would give it to them from heaven did they need water he would give it to them out of a rock did they need victory in battle he would deliver them in ways that only he could he was teaching them all along the way that they were to call upon his name through all of their various trials and struggles but then then when they came into the land when they when they came out of the fight and they came into a feast after the land had been conquered and unsettled and they looked about at this bounty what were they then to do
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Deuteronomy chapter 8 verses 10 through 11 and then
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I'll read verses verse 17 we could read the whole thing but we did that some months ago you could read it for yourself
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Deuteronomy 8 here's some highlights you get the idea of the chapter
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God's through Moses speaks to those coming into the land he says when you have eaten and are full right when you're at the feast then you shall bless the
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Lord your God for the good land which he has given you they eat and they get full from the land but it was still the
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Lord yes it wasn't manna from heaven falling six days a week double portion on Friday but it was still the
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Lord giving them that food and that bounty so when they were full they were to bless the
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Lord verse 11 here's the warning beware that you do not forget the
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Lord your God by not keeping his commandments his judgments and his statutes which I command you today what's the danger for 17 here's the danger this is the this is the attitude of forgetfulness in the heart for 17 then you say in your heart my power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth they were to call upon the name of the
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Lord whether they were in the struggle in the fight in the affliction or whether they were sitting at the feast he was the same
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God on both sides of the Jordan he was to be trusted and praised and depended upon as much in the wilderness so also in the land the same goes for those who have been brought back from Babylon from Persia who have been brought back to the land that God has restored them there for them to be busy doing his will to to await in faithfulness the coming of the
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Messiah there in that land in that city same
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God on both sides of the Euphrates same God whether they are under direct oppression or they're back in the land and things are going well does it doesn't matter called upon the name of the
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Lord whom you praise is the admonition it's a fresh challenge for the worshiper of God having been brought out of the great struggles and God answering prayers and the suffering and affliction have been largely left behind and we look at that and it's a great abundance for us on all sides and things are going well to stop calling upon the name of the
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Lord to stop confessing our dependence upon him to leave out that part of the model prayer asking for our daily bread if you stand with me
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I'm gonna read the psalm psalm 116 let us hear the fight and the feast and how we are to call upon the name of the
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Lord no matter the time this is the word of the Lord I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my supplications because he has inclined his ear to me therefore
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I will call upon him as long as I live the pains of death surrounded me and the pains of Sheol laid hold of me
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I found trouble and sorrow then I called upon the name of the Lord O Lord I implore you deliver my soul gracious is the
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Lord and righteous yes our God is merciful the Lord preserves the simple I was brought low and he saved me return to your rest
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O my soul for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you for you have delivered my soul from death my eyes from tears and my feet from falling
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I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living I believed therefore
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I spoke I am greatly afflicted I said in my haste all men are liars what shall
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I render to the Lord for all his benefits toward me I will take up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the
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Lord I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all his people precious in the sight of the
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Lord is the death of his Saints O Lord truly I am your servant I am your servant the son of your maidservant you have loosed my bonds
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I will offer to you the sacrifice of Thanksgiving and will call upon the name of the
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Lord I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all his people in the courts of the
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Lord's house in the midst of you Oh Jerusalem praise the Lord this is the word of the
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Lord you may be seated it is folly who takes credit for smooth sailing as if she controls the weather but she is just a stowaway it is wisdom who navigates by a compass of humility and faith when we have smooth sailing we have a different type of quandary a different type of challenge to our faith how is it that we actively trust in the
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Lord when all is well when there seems to be no pressing need driving us to our knees driving us to the
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Lord in desperation how is it that we actively trust in the Lord when all is going well it's not entirely different than when things are going poorly if the struggle when things are going poorly is to find things to praise him about perhaps also in when things are going well it's hard to find things to trust him in and yet the praise should still be there in the midst of the feast
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God Saints remember his goodness God's slaves recognize his presence they actively praise
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God that's what we see in verses 12 through through 19 it's very orderly as we as you read through it yourself two sets of four verses very structured paralleling the thoughts even some of the words are exactly the same and so when we look at this orderly feast especially we think about the cup of salvation and the the sacrifice of Thanksgiving when we when we think about these these themes how is it that the
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God's people continue to praise him and trust him even when things are going well well
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I think partially it's by recalling the warnings that we are to continue to trust in the
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Lord that we are content we are to continue to give him praise that we are to continue to offer him
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Thanksgiving less less disaster strike failing to remember
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God's goodness while enjoying the good invites the catastrophe of Eden or we begin to redefine good in terms of ourselves rather than rejoicing in God notice how the
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Saints here remember God's goodness first by asking a question what is the question what shall
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I render to the Lord for all his benefits toward me the worship of God the praising of the
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Lord is often attended in equal measure by declaration and question and the reason for that is is because of our limitations because of our inability to comprehend the whole of the good of God of the grace of God of the character of God of the nature of God we are we are not in mastery of the content when it comes to the glory of God we are very often in the position of asking questions questions that do not aim to subvert his authority not the questions that critique his revelation but but the questions which actually affirm the mystery of his goodness the the worship of God is very often this way listen to the doxology in Romans 11 all the depths of the riches of both the wisdom and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out for who has known the mind of the
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Lord or who has become his counselor or who has first given to him and it shall be repaid to him for of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be the glory forever amen you hear the declaration and you hear the question they they go together because it's in the it's in these questions that we worship the particular question here in chapter
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Psalm 116 what shall I render to the
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Lord for all his benefits toward me you get the word render in the word all this this particular question dares the field of mathematics and the labor of accounting to give a satisfying answer the word render means to settle accounts to to to balance the books and then the word all all the benefits all of the acts of grace all of the the good provisions of the
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Lord the psalmist staggers at this thought he says how could
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I ever repay God how could
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I ever repay God the difficulty starts right away you see when attempting to total all the
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Lord's benefits when you're trying to measure grace you're immediately bewildered a child you see could never repay the debt that he owes his mother how much more the created to the
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Creator and then the Creator how his think about how his reign falls upon the just and the unjust how his son rises upon the righteous and the wicked how his
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Holy Spirit gives breath gives life to all living creatures even those who would use that same breath to curse
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God rather than bless him and we call this common grace and this kind of grace is immeasurable in and of itself how much more than the special grace of God at work in the life of this believer one whose heart has been circumcised one who fears the
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Lord who who loves the Lord one who has who has taken a hold of the shadows of Christ and believing in him has been joined with his substance what about the special grace of God the forgiveness of God the new birth the being justified in the sight of God being adopted brought into union with the
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Lord how are you going to ever measure that and if you can't measure it how could you ever repay it
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I trust that we are all confronted by that worshipful quandary if you if you cannot calculate what you owe you can't repay it and and and when all you have is what has been given to you what are you going to give to the giver see that's the right way to take our seats at the feast that's the right way to take our seats at the feast holy bewilderment it is in the pondering of the unanswerable that our praise is animated we're pondering and unanswerable because it humbles us
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I'm never gonna be able to repay God so why would you even ask the question you ask the question to see how impossible it is to answer it how limited we are in our ability to understand it and our ability to adequately respond it humbles us and humility wets our appetite for hallelujah we want to avoid the stupor of self -centered abundance the barnology of Jesus's fool in the parable
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I will build bigger barns I have abundance that means that I glorify and maximize me
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Oh Abraham had an abundance and he was the friend of God and eager to serve his master when he arrived how do we how do we stay trusting in the
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Lord even when everything is going well well we ask ourselves questions we ask ourselves questions and and they lead us to worship the
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Lord and to trust in him we don't have to ask necessarily this question it's a great question what shall
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I render to the render to the Lord for all of his benefits toward me great question but we can ask other questions too you could ask yourself how many thanksgivings should
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I offer for all of God's forgiveness of my sins and ponder the unanswerable here's one when did
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God start loving me now if you ponder that biblically it'll humble you but this is an important way for us to to worship the
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Lord to call upon the name of the Lord to praise the Lord to trust him when things are going well we ask questions to remember his goodness and secondly we see the knowledge to asking questions not just in questions but also in receiving or shall
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I render to the Lord for all his benefits toward me I will take up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the
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Lord so the question is asked and here's the the first response that the psalmist gives and it doesn't really resolve the mystery of course it's not supposed to the idea of taking up this cup the image is taking into his hands he's receiving something from the
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Lord how am I going to render unto the Lord all that I owe him for his goodness I will receive from him the cup of salvation and do so in the name of the
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Lord calling upon the name of the Lord a cup of wine was often part of the sacrifices offered to God the feasts that the
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Jews would keep in their worship filled calendar this would became so widespread and customary that even by the time of Christ there were like four cups of wine that were attached to the
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Passover feast which is why Jesus when he took up the cup at Passover with his disciples at that last supper he took up the cup and he offered it to his followers offering himself as their salvation a cup of salvation how will
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I what shall I render to the Lord for all of his benefits toward me I will take into my hands
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I will receive from God the cup of salvation I will I will I will receive in the name of the
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Lord all of this grace and all of this abundance in Christ significantly this is the cup of salvation not to the cup of wrath that we hear a lot about in the
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Old Testament as well for Christ drank the cup of wrath to provide for us the cup of salvation this is a cup that is a part of a feast of abundance for the
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Good Shepherd prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies he anoints the head our cup runs over so we see the
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God -fearing psalmist this worshipper he remembers God's goodness in receiving by faith the cup of salvation he he calls upon the name of the
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Lord salvation belongs to God and to the Lamb who is on the throne here here he is sitting at the feast and he's what shall
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I do to to repay the Lord I can't I can't render anything back to him I can't settle the accounts I'm going to receive from God in the name of the
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Lord what he offers what an abundance forgiveness and justification adoption he does and he does not fail to pray dependently we think that calling upon the name of the
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Lord well that's you know that's the 9 -1 -1 things are you know things get really bad that's when we call upon the name of the
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Lord to get us out of whatever problem there was but calling upon the name of the
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Lord doesn't only happen when things are really bad they happen also we are to call upon the name of the
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Lord when things are only so so bad when things are fair to Middlin when things are looking up and when things are amazing it doesn't matter what time it is we are to call upon the name of the
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Lord fearing the Lord at all times and we are to receive in the name of the
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Lord the grace of God how hard it is sometimes to receive grace you've been given a gift and it's worth so far outweighs your own self -estimation of your value that it staggers you and you say why and you feel like you shouldn't take it receiving in the name of the
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Lord the grace of God recognizing it's not what we deserve is what he desires to give and do it and receive it in his name but also notice memorial is a way for us to praise verses 14 and 15
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I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all his people precious in the sight of the
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Lord is the death of his Saints so the psalmist says
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I am determined to pay my vows and I and I do it now in the presence of everyone he has made some faith -building commitments to the
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Lord he has made some vows and now he's going to keep them he's going to finish them up and he's gonna do so in the presence of God's people now he's not trying to repay
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God and pay God off and make things even through these vows he knows he can't do that that's that's not why he made these vows that's not why he's keeping these vows he is doing this as a way to praise as a way to worship
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God and by paying his vows to the Lord in the presence of the people he is yes seeking accountability see
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I declared that I would do this and I have done it because God is worth it not only is he doing it for accountability but he's also doing it to stir them up to love and to praise
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God when when one God -fearing worshiper looks at another and he sees that that person's sacrifice for the
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Lord that person's dedication to the Lord what happens to the first one observing it well
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I'm encouraged to see that I am actually stirred up to more service and to more commitment to the
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Lord this is not the virtue signaling of Pharisees hey everybody look here what
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I just did the psalmist is not using it because he fears the Lord he is not using religion for a covering to look good he's using religion for communion and his love for God and so he keeps his vows in the presence of the people behold the public gratitude of a saved saint but he does this and what does he say as he keeps his vows as everyone looks on here is a psalmist here is the one who has been suffering greatly the pains of she all laid hold of him that the pains of death surrounded him he found nothing but trouble and sorrow and he was laid low and great affliction everybody knows what he's been going through and he comes through it and he's on the other side of it and he pays his vows to the
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Lord he says what precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints that is his reflection upon the faithful deliverance of the
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Lord precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints God is not wasteful regarding the life of his
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Saints he says I am here today and able to pay my vows to the
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Lord because of the way he views me I didn't
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I didn't you know succeed and and win the day he doesn't come through and pay the vows and say
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I conquered no he comes through and says God kept me alive that's why
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I'm here today and able to pay my vows because God kept me alive that's the only reason why precious in the sight of God is the death of his
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Saints and God delivered him and saved him protected him and restored him and did so again and again and he comes through all of that affliction on the other side he knows how much
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God loves him he knows how much God loves him and so he pays his vows in the presence of the people do you not know that a couple of sparrows only cost one coin and yet not one of them falls to the ground without God knowing it
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Jesus says and he said to his listeners to his disciples he says the very hairs on your head are all numbered by God and then
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I can almost hear him laugh when he says don't worry don't be anxious you are worth more than many sparrows that's funny yeah you're worth more than 10 ,000 sparrows but Jesus puts it in a funny way don't worry you're worth more than many sparrows how anxious how pent -up how how tense the disciples are as they hear what discipleship means what following Jesus means and they may have to end up standing before Kings and and the
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Sanhedrin and and Jewish councils and city councils and they're going to be targeted for their faith and they're like lambs among wolves and and they're getting all worked up and tense like oh this is gonna be terrible and Jesus says don't worry
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God has this on the other side of the affliction we realize how much
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God loves us how much he values us and we give him praise we give him praise the worshipper pays his vows and memorializes the loving providential deliverance of the
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Lord and then stirs up the people to do the same when things go well at the feast it is not a time to get slack in praise well now that I'm out of the out of the woods now
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I can just kick back and and do whatever I want it is opportunity it is a moment it is an elevated platform to intentionally creatively and markedly praise
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God remembering his goodness we are to make it obvious that God we make it obvious to the
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Saints make it obvious to everyone God has delivered this poor man out of all his troubles that which should be the testimony at the feast remembering his goodness but also we read we see in verses 16 through 19 that God's slaves recognize his presence very much a parallel structure of thought it's an additional layering of humble praise how do we do this first in identifying verse 16
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Oh Lord truly I am your servant I am your servant the son of your maidservant you have loosed my bonds in identifying who we are that's a great deal of idolatry and witchcraft in our society today when it comes to identifying the idolatry comes especially when we try to place someone or something else at the right hand of God we place blackness or whiteness or maleness or femaleness or something at the right hand of God and say this is what giveth light to all men this is the way we see everything when we say oh
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I'm a I'm a white male Christian what I just put white and male at the right hand of God with Christ that's idolatry identifying also is done in the form of witchcraft where you call one you try to change something into something else by just using words it's witchcraft so I identify as a blue fruit loop but usually it's nothing that inane usually it's something like I identify as a damned abomination people are being discipled to do just that the identifying going on here in psalm 116 and verse 16 is not invention it is confession it is agreement with what
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God has already said in his word I'm identifying as this because that's who
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God says I am and what do they identify as he this
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God -fearing worshiper identifies himself as a slave most translations say servant but the
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Hebrew word avid is the word used throughout the Old Testament to describe someone who is owned by someone else so when all of the case law of the
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Old Testament when dealing with slaves you know who can be your slave for how long and how many and what you do with your slaves and in God's society that he constructed for Israel this is the word that's used and so the
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God -fearing worshiper says I am your servant I am your ebb that I am your slave I belong to you I am your servant the son of your maidservant he says you know
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I'm not even one of those seven -year kind or six -year kinds I'm one who was born into the household a slave
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I'm in for good totally owned by you I'm never gonna be released
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I am your property and here I am at the feast this is who I am you own me and you have loosed my bonds and that an incredible contrast of two things
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I am your slave you have loosed my bonds he's not saying I am your slave
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I'm no longer your slave he's saying I am your slave and here is this worshiper having been brought out of Persia back to Jerusalem and he says
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I've got more rest and freedom in you than any prince of Persia he says
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I am your servant and and you have loosed my bonds identifying in this way would have really helped
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Israel from becoming so canonized and they entered into the to the promised land and they're at the feast if they had continued to identify themselves as merely the slaves of the
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Lord who have been delivered up out of bondage in Egypt you have loosed our bonds here we are at the feast and we are still we are your slaves
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Yahweh the Lord the I am who who has redeemed us and delivered us from Egypt that would have kept them from becoming canonized from slacking in the feast and beginning to believe the lie that they themselves had brought themselves this rest and this abundance feasting on the grace of God the abundance of the
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Lord we are didn't we are to never forget that we as believers as Christians that we are bought and paid for the property of the master
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Jesus Christ Romans 622 reminds us but now having been set free from sin you have loosed my bonds but now having been set free from sin and having become slaves of God you have your fruit the holiness in the end everlasting life for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
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Lord through identifying who are we really as we sit at the feast we're just unprofitable servants we're just we're just the slaves of God happy to be here also through offering and notice how this offering of Thanksgiving the sacrifice of Thanksgiving is set in parallel to the previous four verses right at the same point after the identifying
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I will take up the cup of salvation verse 13 and call upon the name of the
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Lord verse 17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of Thanksgiving and will call upon the name of the Lord you see the parallel as with a cup so also with this sacrifice with the cup he's taking he's receiving from the
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Lord with the Thanksgiving sacrifice he's offering it to the Lord these are the motions of worship but what is this sacrifice of Thanksgiving well in Leviticus chapter 7 and verses 11 through 14 as one of my
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Old Testament professors used to say the gospel of Leviticus the gospel of Leviticus chapter 7 we read about the
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Thanksgiving sacrifice verse 11 this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which he shall offer to the
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Lord if he offers it for a Thanksgiving right so sacrifice of Thanksgiving offering a sacrifice of Thanksgiving then he shall offer with the sacrifice of Thanksgiving unleavened cakes mixed with oil unleavened wafers anointed with oil or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil besides the cakes as his offering he shall offer leavened bread with the sacrifice of Thanksgiving of his peace offering and from it he shall offer one cake from each offering as a heave offering to the
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Lord you should belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offering what's going on here so you're gonna offer a peace offering are you gonna bring an offering to the
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Lord because you worship him because you love him you want to abide with him commune with him what did that look like under the
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Old Covenant you come and the Levite says here's what you bring and you bring it and it is offered up before the
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Lord but one of the one of the cakes is heaved up to the
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Lord King James has a wave offering is waved up to the Lord like this and that one is eaten by the priest who is a mediator between God and man what is happening in the sacrifice in the sacrifice you are sitting at table with God you're having a meal together you bring the
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Thanksgiving sacrifice the the peace offering to God it's offered up to him and then the priest in the place of God sits there with you and you eat together you're at the feast you're at the feast and recognition of all that God has done for you here is this that you have it's from you and I know it's for me but I bring it to you and together we share and we abide together
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Christ is our heave offering our wave offering our offering our even in him he's the one who is from God for us and in him we we abide with God we share in in relationship with God through Christ in it so it's in the name of Christ that we offer up our thanksgivings when we call upon the name of the
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Lord naming naming the blessings of God and saying it's all in Christ you've given all of this to me but I recognize that it's all mine through Jesus Christ and I and I offer it to you in Thanksgiving I praise you and call upon your name and that's the way we stay active in our praise how do we trust
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God when things are going well to the spiritual discipline of Thanksgiving not it doesn't say give thanks in general it says give thanks in everything and everything give thanks for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus that means that we particular eyes are alive so we can give thanks to God give thanks to God that's how we trust the
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Lord and call upon his name even while at the feast and also by consecration verses 18 and 19
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I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all his people in the courts of the
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Lord's house in the midst of you Oh Jerusalem what's going on here once again he says
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I'm paying my vows to the Lord now in the presence of his people but notice where in the courts of the
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Lord's house in the midst of Jerusalem why is that significant in the courts of the
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Lord's house the temple in the midst of Jerusalem that is where the Lord has revealed his faithfulness that is where the worshiper renders his and draws attention everybody's attention to the temple and to Jerusalem why does this worshiper do that well we have to remember he's been he and those with him have been brought out of Persia the instructions from Jeremiah to the exiles was to to be fruitful and to multiply build houses live in them have children make sure that they get married and have children to to not decrease and to pray for the prosperity of their oppressors why because God promised
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I'm gonna bring you back I'm gonna bring you back to the land I'm gonna bring you back to Jerusalem and you're gonna rebuild the temple and all of this because they're in that place in that context
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I'm going to reveal to you the true son of David the Messiah the new covenant and so they have come back there and recognition of the
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Lord's faithfulness and the temple is rebuilt and the Jerusalem is rebuilt and there he is and he's recognizing how faithful God has been and he's bringing attention to the
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Lord in the place where has revealed his name where God has revealed his faithfulness so the thankful slave consecrates himself before God in the place of God's presence how does that translate to us in the new covenant well where has
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God revealed his name where has God shown his faithfulness
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Jesus Christ who said he was the temple who be raised up on the third day and all the promises of God in Christ are yes and how he gathers all his saints into the
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Jerusalem who was our mother which is above Paul says so let us make our commitments ultra clear let us render our faithfulness in the name of Christ you know when we are sitting at the feast and we have an abundance we need to be all the more vigorous and pointing the attention to Jesus Christ right if I am at rest if I am in abundance if I am at peace if I am full of joy if I'm at the feast if I am in good health if things are going well it was not because I figured out a formula it isn't because I played the system it isn't because I have ascribed to all the right things
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I'm sitting at the feast as the slave of Christ and I'm giving him the glory
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I'm giving him the praise I'm drawing attention to who he is promoting him is the only a propriety worth considering look at him that's why
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I'm here at the feast so the attention would be drawn to him so whether in the fight in the midst of the fight for faith or at the feast full of abundance and rest and joy the final word of the psalm is the final word praise the
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Lord hallelujah praise the Lord amen well let's pray together father
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I thank you for the time you've given us today thank you for the reminder that here the same
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God on both sides of the Jordan whether things are going poorly and it's a struggle moment by moment and day by day or in the feast when we have known a great abundance and a great deal of rest and joy father help us to trust you at all times to give you praise at all times for you are worthy to be praised pray these things in Jesus Christ's name amen do you stand with me for our song of benediction our song this morning is gonna be our little black hymnals
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HMA page 119 there is a higher throne the grace of the