(Breath of Life Theme Music) 00:00:01.23\00:00:07.00 Sermon #B696 - Happy Thanksgiving 00:00:07.04\00:00:20.15 Dr. Byrd: And I want to invite you to take your Bibles and turn with me to the Book of 1 00:00:20.18\00:00:26.49 Thessalonians 5. And we are going to go to verse number fifteen, 1 Thessalonians 5:15. 00:00:26.52\00:00:37.33 The word of God says to us, 1 Thessalonians 5:15, and we are going to read through verse 00:00:37.37\00:00:39.67 number twenty three. 1 Thessalonians 5:15, the word says, "See that none render evil 00:00:39.70\00:00:49.41 for evil unto any man, but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves and to all 00:00:49.44\00:00:57.82 men." Verse number sixteen says, "Rejoice evermore." Verse seventeen says, "Pray without 00:00:57.85\00:01:05.46 ceasing." Verse eighteen says, "In everything, give thanks for this is the will of God and 00:01:05.49\00:01:15.60 Christ Jesus concerning you." Verse number nineteen says, "Quench not the spirit." Verse 00:01:15.64\00:01:26.15 twenty, "Despise not prophesyings." Verse twenty one, "Prove all things. Hold fast 00:01:26.18\00:01:35.16 that which is good." Verse twenty two, "Abstain from all appearance of evil." And then 00:01:35.19\00:01:44.17 verse number twenty three, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly. And I pray, God, 00:01:44.20\00:01:49.17 your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus 00:01:49.20\00:01:56.78 Christ." Today, we challenge you with the subject, Happy Thanksgiving. Father in Heaven, 00:01:56.81\00:02:03.92 Lord, today, we just praise Your holy name. We thank You for what we have experienced in praise 00:02:03.95\00:02:12.86 and worship in the Sabbath School Bible Study Children's Ministries. We thank You for the 00:02:12.89\00:02:20.74 Music Ministry of Aaron Spencer. But now God, we need a word from You. If we do not hear from You, 00:02:20.77\00:02:30.35 what will we do? So speak. And make Your word plain. Lord, as I say each week, forgive me of my 00:02:30.38\00:02:46.70 sins and hide me behind Your cross. At the appeal time move God, move by Your power, spread 00:02:46.73\00:03:01.78 about Your grace. We pray this prayer in the name of Jesus, Amen. Happy Thanksgiving. Have 00:03:01.81\00:03:13.22 you noticed now that many people refer to Thanksgiving Day simply as Turkey Day? Turkey, turkey, 00:03:13.25\00:03:20.86 and turkey, that is all they talk about on Thanksgiving. We have baked turkey. We have fried 00:03:20.90\00:03:28.94 turkey. We have sliced turkey. We have jerk turkey. We have smoked turkey. Even the vegans 00:03:28.97\00:03:37.85 now talk about tofurky Society talks more about turkey on Thanksgiving than they do 00:03:37.88\00:03:43.75 thanksgiving on Thanksgiving. And because they talk more about turkey on Thanksgiving instead 00:03:43.79\00:03:50.29 of thanksgiving on Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving has become a day when people worship a created 00:03:50.33\00:03:57.67 thing, a turkey, more than they do the Creator. People value a creature more than they value 00:03:57.70\00:04:06.37 the Creator. This dates back, my friends, to the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. And Eve, 00:04:06.41\00:04:12.71 after being deceived by Satan, confronted Adam with the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and 00:04:12.75\00:04:18.99 Good and Evil. And Adam had a decision to make, "Do I go with the gifts, or do I go with the 00:04:19.02\00:04:25.29 giver? Do I go with the creation, or do I go with the Creator?" And because Adam 00:04:25.33\00:04:32.10 chooses to be with her rather than to be with God, Adam chooses death. That choice 00:04:32.13\00:04:36.97 brings about the fall of man. And because he fell, we all now have fallen. And so now, we live 00:04:37.01\00:04:43.91 in a world where creation is valued more than the Creator, where physical and material 00:04:43.95\00:04:48.88 blessings are valued more than spiritual blessings. And while we should be thankful for 00:04:48.92\00:04:56.26 physical and mental blessings, I believe I have got a witness that knows we ought to be 00:04:56.29\00:05:06.67 thankful more for spiritual blessings, because every good and perfect gift is from above. 00:05:06.70\00:05:13.71 Yes. Thanksgiving is a name for food, fun, football, and fellowship. But it is not just a 00:05:13.74\00:05:25.02 holiday every fourth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving is a distinctive holiday. It does not 00:05:25.05\00:05:29.29 celebrate someone's birthday. It does not commemorate a noteworthy battle. But 00:05:29.32\00:05:37.33 Thanksgiving is a day that has been set aside to express our thanks to God. So then 00:05:37.37\00:05:46.47 Thanksgiving is not Turkey Day. Thanksgiving is Thank God Day. Now, we could choose a lot of 00:05:46.51\00:05:57.85 texts on Thanksgiving including Psalm 95:2, "Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, 00:05:57.89\00:06:06.96 and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms." We could choose Psalm 100, "Make a joyful noise 00:06:07.00\00:06:10.37 unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before His presence with 00:06:10.40\00:06:16.27 singing." Or we could choose Psalm 105:1, Psalm 106:1, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 118:1, or Psalm 00:06:16.30\00:06:24.71 136:1 where all of these six say, "O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good and His 00:06:24.75\00:06:32.69 mercy endureth forever." But I like what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:15-23, 00:06:32.72\00:06:43.16 because it is in this text that Paul offers eight characteristics on Christian 00:06:43.20\00:06:48.20 etiquette of how Christians ought to act toward one another. Quickly, let us go through 00:06:48.24\00:06:55.81 these, because I know some of you want to get to your after-Thanksgiving-Day meal. 00:06:55.84\00:07:04.85 Number one, Paul says in verse number fifteen, "Do not render evil for evil on to anyone." In 00:07:04.89\00:07:13.83 other words, friends, you cannot live the Christian life based on the payback mentality. You 00:07:13.86\00:07:19.10 cannot go around trying to get even with folks who have wronged you. Two wrongs never made a 00:07:19.13\00:07:23.41 right. If you kick my dog, then that does not mean I can kick your cat. Christianity is not an 00:07:23.44\00:07:29.68 eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth, because that will leave everybody snaggletooth and 00:07:29.71\00:07:36.65 blind. If you are a follower of Christ, you must return good for evil. Number two, Paul says, 00:07:36.69\00:07:42.16 "Rejoice evermore." I do not know about you, but I do not have time for a religion that 00:07:42.19\00:07:44.56 will not let me rejoice. In fact, I do not have time to be a part of a church that will not 00:07:44.59\00:07:51.63 let me rejoice before COVID and after COVID even during COVID when I am in this church 00:07:51.67\00:07:58.74 preaching to myself. When I come to church, I am not trying to be down. I am not trying to be 00:07:58.77\00:08:04.58 despondent. I am not trying to be defeated. I get enough of that during the week. But when I 00:08:04.61\00:08:13.42 come into the house of God, when I step up into the holy of holies, I do not know about you, 00:08:13.46\00:08:18.76 but I have come to rejoice, because he woke me up this morning, started me on my way. 00:08:18.79\00:08:27.84 He put food on my table and clothing on my back, made a way out of no way, turned my 00:08:27.87\00:08:34.14 darkness into day. God has brought me from last year's Thanksgiving to this year's 00:08:34.18\00:08:42.78 Thanksgiving despite and in spite of coronavirus, the racism, the hurricanes, the 00:08:42.82\00:08:51.73 wildfires. God has brought me here. And so when I come and step in this pulpit, I come to 00:08:51.76\00:08:56.93 rejoice that God raised me, that God saved me, that God delivered me, that God rescued me. This is 00:08:56.97\00:09:04.41 the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. I have come to praise the name 00:09:04.44\00:09:11.41 of Jesus. I have come to lift the name of Jesus. I have come to bless the name of Jesus. I 00:09:11.45\00:09:18.39 have come to magnify the name of Jesus. God has kept me safe. God has kept my wife safe. God has 00:09:18.42\00:09:23.56 kept our children safe. God has kept this church saved. And I have come to praise His name. So 00:09:23.59\00:09:28.76 even in your house, in your living room, in your bedroom, in your kitchen, if God has been 00:09:28.80\00:09:34.74 good to you, you ought to say something. God has blessed you. You ought to say something. If 00:09:34.77\00:09:39.71 God has been your bridge over troubled waters, you ought to say something. If God has paid 00:09:39.74\00:09:44.41 your bills and you had no money to pay your bills, you ought to say something. Somebody right 00:09:44.45\00:09:50.72 now, you have been a beneficiary of South Central Conference Operation Impact. Somebody right 00:09:50.75\00:09:56.22 now, you ought to bless the name of Jesus. Because if God has kept you, if God has delivered 00:09:56.26\00:09:59.96 you, if God has saved you, if God has rescued you, if God has redeemed you, if God has 00:10:00.00\00:10:07.57 protected you, if God has spared you, you ought to say something. Let the redeemed of the Lord say 00:10:07.60\00:10:12.87 so. Rejoice evermore. I am coming back to rejoice in a minute, because somebody still 00:10:12.91\00:10:15.94 does not have that. Number three, Paul says, "Pray without ceasing." If there is anything 00:10:15.98\00:10:22.78 that life has taught me, it has taught me how to pray. Somebody knows that if you are a child of 00:10:22.82\00:10:26.72 God, you will learn how to pray. I wish I had a witness in this place. You see? We got to pray 00:10:26.76\00:10:33.73 without ceasing, because the devil is always busy. The devil is busy. When you are asleep, 00:10:33.76\00:10:40.67 the devil is busy. When you are awake, the devil is busy. When you think you are at your 00:10:40.70\00:10:42.77 spiritual best, the devil is busy. When you are at your spiritual worst, the devil is 00:10:42.80\00:10:49.18 busy. When you got your guard up, the devil is busy. When you got your guard down, the devil 00:10:49.21\00:10:55.65 is busy. The bottom line is the devil is busy. Satan is on the loose The devil is never 00:10:55.68\00:11:00.56 satisfied for peace to prevail. Satan is the author of confusion. And whenever he can 00:11:00.59\00:11:05.19 get a foot in, he will. That is why Paul says, "You got to pray without ceasing." That means do 00:11:05.23\00:11:13.67 not ever stop praying. With much prayer, there is much power. With some prayer, there is some 00:11:13.70\00:11:24.75 power. With little prayer, there is little power. With no prayer, there is no power. Prayer, I 00:11:24.78\00:11:26.82 still believe, changes things. Prayer is still high time. Prayer time, I will say it, is 00:11:26.85\00:11:29.48 high time. Pray for your family. Pray for your children. Pray for your friends. Pray for your 00:11:29.52\00:11:31.69 spouse. Pray for the church. Pray for the elders. Pray for the deacons. Pray for the 00:11:31.72\00:11:36.96 deaconess. Pray for me. And while you are saying Amen to pray for everybody else, pray 00:11:36.99\00:11:41.63 for yourself. Number four, Paul says, "In everything, give thanks for this is the will of 00:11:41.66\00:11:45.83 God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Now, you need to understand. When I was a child, 00:11:45.87\00:11:48.77 I was taught to say thank you. When someone did something for you, you said, "Thank You." I do 00:11:48.80\00:11:50.77 not understand some of the young people today. You do something for them, they do not say thank 00:11:50.81\00:11:56.91 you. I have to remind them, "You do understand the words thank you." Because if you did not say 00:11:56.95\00:12:01.82 thank you back in the day, it was a reflection on your upbringing and your home 00:12:01.85\00:12:08.12 training. Are you hearing what I am saying? Because my Daddy did not believe in being 00:12:08.16\00:12:13.76 embarrassed, I had better say thank you in response to someone's kindness towards me, 00:12:13.80\00:12:20.44 because the hard head in my house is made of soft bottom. Are you hearing what I am 00:12:20.47\00:12:25.17 saying? The Bible used to say, and the old saints used to believe, that you spare the rod, 00:12:25.21\00:12:31.91 you spoil the child. Are you hearing what I am saying? Back in my day, there was no timeout. 00:12:31.95\00:12:35.85 Somebody knows what I am talking about. But my Daddy believed you may not have money, but you can 00:12:35.88\00:12:39.52 have manners. You may not be rich, but you do not have to be rude. You may be poor, but you 00:12:39.55\00:12:45.16 can be polite, because everybody can say thank you. Does anyone hear what I am talking about 00:12:45.19\00:12:47.13 today? Number five, "Quench not the spirit." In other words, Paul says, "Do not suppress 00:12:47.13\00:12:52.23 God's spirit." When God's spirit is moving in somebody's life, when God's spirit is moving in 00:12:52.27\00:12:59.91 the room, do not quench the spirit. That is why I believe in having church. And you will have 00:12:59.94\00:13:07.95 plan for church, but you got to leave some room for the Holy Ghost. You got to leave some 00:13:07.98\00:13:14.42 room for the spontaneity of the Holy Ghost. Sometimes, we can sing a song. And we do not need 00:13:14.46\00:13:20.30 to move to the next thing. We just need to stay there and savor and marinate the ministry 00:13:20.33\00:13:25.10 and song. Are you hearing what I am saying? Quench not the spirit. Sometimes, yes, I have 00:13:25.13\00:13:29.74 to study. Then sometimes I prepare. But sometimes when I am up here preaching, the Holy 00:13:29.77\00:13:35.24 Ghost starts speaking to me. And He says, "Tell my people this. Tell my people that." Quench not 00:13:35.28\00:13:40.58 the spirit. Number six, "Despise not prophesyings." In other words, do not despise those who 00:13:40.62\00:13:44.59 have a word from the Lord. But then number seven, Paul says, "Prove all things. Hold fast 00:13:44.62\00:13:48.32 that which is good," which really clarifies number six, because while you do not want to 00:13:48.36\00:13:53.06 despise the prophesyings, on the other hand, Paul is saying, "Do not be gullible. Prove all 00:13:53.09\00:13:58.00 things. Check everything out, and keep only what is good." When someone comes running up to 00:13:58.03\00:14:06.07 you telling you something they found in the word of God, "I have got new light," you better 00:14:06.11\00:14:12.91 check that new light out. Are you hearing what I am saying? You better check it out. Prove 00:14:12.95\00:14:17.09 all things. There are four tests to a true prophet, four tests to a true prophet. Because 00:14:17.12\00:14:24.99 everybody is coming up to me talking about, "Pastor Byrd, the Lord, told me to tell you this. 00:14:25.03\00:14:34.40 The Lord told me to tell you that." Well, I am needing the Lord to tell me. Are you hearing 00:14:34.44\00:14:38.97 what I am saying? Four tests of a true prophet. Number one, "They speak according to the 00:14:39.01\00:14:46.11 word of God," Isaiah 8:20. Number two, whatever the prophet prophesies, according to 00:14:46.15\00:14:52.75 Deuteronomy 28:9, "It must come to pass." Number three, "By their fruit, you shall know 00:14:52.79\00:14:56.69 them," Matthew 7:20. And 1 John 4:1-4, "Believe not every spirit, but try the spirit to 00:14:56.73\00:15:03.60 see if they have God, because there are many false prophets that are gone out in the world, 00:15:03.63\00:15:08.84 because the true prophet will confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." Number eight, 00:15:08.87\00:15:16.54 "Abstain from all appearance of evil." In other words, avoid the appearance of evil. The old 00:15:16.58\00:15:19.48 saying says, "If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, quacks like a duck, then probably, it 00:15:19.51\00:15:24.62 is a duck." So if you do not want to be a duck, do not look like or do not act like a duck. 00:15:24.65\00:15:31.19 Are you hearing what I am saying? The seasoned saints used to say, "Shun the very 00:15:31.23\00:15:35.56 appearance of evil." I grew up in a home where my parents told me, "If you are invited to the 00:15:35.60\00:15:40.54 party, if you are invited to a birthday party..." I am not talking about a birthday party 00:15:40.57\00:15:43.44 per se. I am talking about a club party. "If you are invited to a party, you are going to 00:15:43.47\00:15:49.44 say, 'No.' " But they said, "You ought to be living your life in such a way that someone does not 00:15:49.48\00:15:51.88 even feel comfortable asking you to go to the party." You should be living your life, friends of 00:15:51.91\00:16:01.16 mine, in such away that people do not even feel comfortable coming to you with mess, that 00:16:01.19\00:16:07.50 they do not even feel comfortable coming to you with gossip. Avoid the very 00:16:07.50\00:16:11.87 appearance of evil. But remember. I said, "This is my Thanksgiving text." So I do not 00:16:11.90\00:16:20.84 deal so much with all the Christian etiquette principles as I do with Thanksgiving. But I 00:16:20.88\00:16:23.04 want to deal with two principles, two and four, that we shared. Principle two was, 00:16:23.08\00:16:29.35 "Rejoice evermore." And principle number four was, "In everything, give thanks." Now, 00:16:29.38\00:16:35.16 we always preach principle number four during Thanksgiving time, "In everything, give 00:16:35.19\00:16:39.59 thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." But today, I want to deal 00:16:39.63\00:16:41.20 specifically with principle number two, "Rejoice evermore." I told you I was coming back to 00:16:41.23\00:16:48.40 this verse. Now, this principle, this verse, verse sixteen, "Rejoice evermore," is two 00:16:48.44\00:16:54.54 words. Do you know the shortest verse in the Bible? Most of you will jump up to say the shortest 00:16:54.58\00:17:01.82 verse in the Bible is John 11:35, "Jesus wept." And that is true. But that is true only in 00:17:01.85\00:17:06.62 the English version. In the Greek version of the Bible, the shortest verse in the Bible is 00:17:06.65\00:17:12.96 this verse right here, verse eighteen. It is the shortest verse in the Bible, "Rejoice 00:17:12.99\00:17:22.34 evermore." And in case you did not know, in case you did not know verse sixteen, "Rejoice 00:17:22.37\00:17:28.28 evermore," in case you did not know, short verses in the Bible say a lot. Because it is not 00:17:28.31\00:17:32.35 always the quantity, but it is the quality. I wish I had a witness in this place. Because 00:17:32.38\00:17:38.25 it does not have to be everlasting to be eternal. Are you hearing what I am saying? 00:17:38.29\00:17:43.22 Verse sixteen, one verse, two words, "Rejoice evermore." The verb here is rejoice, and the 00:17:43.26\00:17:47.96 verb is imperative in nature which means it is forceful, "Rejoice!" Paul is trying to 00:17:48.00\00:17:57.01 tell us. But not only is it imperative, but it is also in the present tense which means it 00:17:57.04\00:18:03.65 is neither past nor it is in the future. Paul is saying, "You should have rejoiced." Paul is 00:18:03.68\00:18:10.42 not saying, "You should have rejoiced in times past." And neither is Paul saying, "You 00:18:10.45\00:18:12.82 should wait to rejoice in times future." Paul is saying, "Rejoice right now." You see? 00:18:12.85\00:18:15.66 When we rejoice, we have joy. Joy, remember, is different from happiness. There is a 00:18:15.69\00:18:20.00 distinction between happiness and joy. Happiness is based on an external stimuli. Joy is 00:18:20.03\00:18:24.47 based on an internal revelation. You all ought to hear what I am saying. Happiness is based on 00:18:24.50\00:18:30.31 what somebody else does for you. When someone gives you money, you are happy. When someone 00:18:30.34\00:18:33.78 tells you, "You preach well," you are happy. When someone tells you, "You are sang well," 00:18:33.81\00:18:39.31 you are happy. When someone compliments you, you are happy. Ladies, when somebody gives you 00:18:39.35\00:18:48.52 flowers, you are happy. But joy is not happiness. Joy is something that is internal based 00:18:48.56\00:18:54.10 on a revelation. It is not based on an external stimuli. Because when - thank You, Jesus - I know 00:18:54.10\00:18:58.43 who God is, when I know what God has done in my life, it does not make a difference what happens 00:18:58.47\00:19:00.17 on the outside, but it is based on who I know and what I know on the inside. Joy works from the 00:19:00.20\00:19:02.30 inside out. Let me break this down. Somebody is still not getting it. If you do not have 00:19:02.34\00:19:05.64 joy right now, do not blame your circumstances. Your circumstances were never meant 00:19:05.67\00:19:08.24 to bring you joy in the first place. You all ought to hear what I am saying. If you build 00:19:08.28\00:19:09.61 your life on circumstances, you are going to be miserable just as often as you are happy. You 00:19:09.64\00:19:11.18 need a source of joy that does not change - are you hearing what I am saying - an internal 00:19:11.21\00:19:12.91 perspective that comes from only knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. My joy is based 00:19:12.95\00:19:15.05 on the fact that I know Jesus. And this joy that I have, you all did not give, and you cannot 00:19:15.08\00:19:19.65 take away. I do not know if you all remember it. I am a young man. But I am an old man in a 00:19:19.69\00:19:25.66 young body. And back in the day in church, I do not know if you remember this, but we used to 00:19:25.69\00:19:30.87 sing a hymn. It was a hymn number three-forty. We have heard a joyful sound, Jesus 00:19:30.90\00:19:35.54 saves, Jesus saves; Spread the gladness all around, Jesus saves, Jesus saves. Anybody 00:19:35.57\00:19:42.18 remember that song? Anybody remember that song? We have heard a joyful sound, Jesus 00:19:42.21\00:19:47.15 saves. Let me tell you something. Whenever the gospel is preached, whenever Jesus is 00:19:47.18\00:19:49.05 preached, it is a joyful sound. It is a joyful sound to those who hear it. And I believe that 00:19:49.08\00:19:51.05 one of the reasons our evangelistic interest is waning is because we have lost that 00:19:51.09\00:19:53.86 sense of joy in the gospel. We are not excited about it like we used to be. We are not 00:19:53.89\00:20:01.70 enthusiastic about it like we used to be. We are not on fire like it used to be. But I, in 00:20:01.73\00:20:10.14 the name of Jesus, have heard a joyful sound. Jesus saves. Jesus saves. So when I am preaching to 00:20:10.17\00:20:17.38 two thousand people in this church or whether I am preaching to two people in this church, I 00:20:17.41\00:20:24.25 going to sound the loud cry. We have heard a joyful sound. Jesus saves. Jesus saves. Some of us 00:20:24.29\00:20:26.72 think that it is our sacred duty to be gloomy, to be sad, the frozen chosen, dill pickle 00:20:26.76\00:20:33.93 Christians who go through life acting like smiling is a sin and laughter is an abomination. 00:20:33.96\00:20:43.17 Before COVID-19, some folks would sit up in church service all day long, never sing, never 00:20:43.20\00:20:48.78 smile, never pat a foot, never moan, never groan, never say Amen, never do anything. But I 00:20:48.81\00:20:58.65 dare you, when we come back to church, you are going to be excited. Are you hearing what I 00:20:58.69\00:21:05.19 am saying? But I need you to know, I could not go anywhere for three or four hours and do 00:21:05.23\00:21:10.33 nothing. And when we present our faith as dull, as dry, as boring, when we give the 00:21:10.37\00:21:14.17 impression that knowing Christ means becoming a dry, dull, boring religious person, who can 00:21:14.20\00:21:20.14 blame the younger generation for rejecting the gospel? God has called me to be grateful and not 00:21:20.18\00:21:26.48 grumble. We grumble when the air or the heat go out in our homes. But what about those who have no 00:21:26.51\00:21:29.95 home? We grumble when we get a cold or a headache. But what about those dying of cancer or 00:21:29.98\00:21:35.06 those stricken with the coronavirus? We grumble when our kids mess up the house. But what 00:21:35.09\00:21:41.53 about those persons who wish they have children, but they do not? So when people talk about 00:21:41.56\00:21:47.27 you, do not grumble. Thank God, because now you know who your real friends are. When you have 00:21:47.30\00:21:52.91 a bad day at work, do not grumble. Be thankful. At least, you have a job. When you cannot 00:21:52.94\00:21:54.11 pay your bills, be thankful. At least, you are not one of your bill collectors. Are you hearing 00:21:54.14\00:21:56.08 what I am saying? When you realize how much work it is to take care of a house, be 00:21:56.11\00:22:01.42 grateful. At least, you have a house. When you get irritated by people's arrogance and anger and 00:22:01.45\00:22:06.72 ignorance and bitterness and insecurity, be thankful, because you could be one of them. When 00:22:06.76\00:22:10.06 you think that everything in this world is terrible and you want to give up, think about all 00:22:10.09\00:22:20.34 the people who have been told they only have a certain amount of time left. They do not want 00:22:20.37\00:22:23.24 to give up. Be thankful. Ellen White says in The Ministry of Healing, page two-thirty three 00:22:23.27\00:22:28.41 that even those things which appear to be against us may work out for our good. Hallelujah, 00:22:28.44\00:22:30.68 somebody, because God would not ask us. Thank You, Jesus, "God would not ask us. Be thankful 00:22:30.71\00:22:39.12 for that," she says, "which would harm us." Stop whining. Stop complaining. Stop 00:22:39.15\00:22:46.13 grumbling, and do not hang out with grumblers either, because sooner than later, you will 00:22:46.16\00:22:48.33 start grumbling. Birds of a feather flock together. I am almost done. But let me tell you 00:22:48.36\00:22:55.24 three ways how to spot a grumbler, so when you see the grumble coming, you are running 00:22:55.27\00:23:00.81 like they are the plague. Number one, I have learned, a grumbler is never satisfied with what he 00:23:00.84\00:23:07.02 or she has. If it is money, he never has enough. If it is his home, somebody else has a nicer 00:23:07.05\00:23:13.46 one. He is an expert in criticism and has a Ph.D. in nitpicking. Nothing is ever 00:23:13.49\00:23:16.12 enough. Number two, a grumbler always has an excuse. Ask him or her why he or she does not buy a 00:23:16.16\00:23:25.27 new car, and he or she says, "The interest rates are too high." Ask him again, and he 00:23:25.30\00:23:30.61 says, "Cars cost too much." Ask him again, and he says, "New cars are rip-off." Ask him why 00:23:30.64\00:23:32.87 he does not buy a used car, and he says, "You are just buying someone else's problems." Ask 00:23:32.91\00:23:39.18 him why he does not fix up the car he has, and he says, "You do not throw good money after bad 00:23:39.21\00:23:46.25 stuff." A grumbler always has an excuse. Number three, a grumbler secretly believes he can never 00:23:46.29\00:23:50.99 succeed. Now, the key word here is "secretly". He may not even be aware that he has given up on 00:23:51.03\00:24:04.11 life. But his grumbling gives him away. You all ought to hear what I am saying. Down in his 00:24:04.14\00:24:17.52 heart, the grumbler believes the game of life is rigged, that the cards of life are stacked 00:24:17.55\00:24:29.76 against him, and he is doomed to failure. Show him a glass of water, and ask him, "Is the 00:24:29.80\00:24:39.07 water glass half empty or half full," and he will say, "I do not know. But the water is 00:24:39.11\00:24:45.21 probably polluted." But stop grumbling. Stop whining. Stop complaining. I have had some 00:24:45.25\00:24:49.45 good days. I have had some bad days. I have had some weary days. I have had some hills to 00:24:49.48\00:24:56.73 climb. But when I look around and I think things over, all of my good days outweigh my bad 00:24:56.76\00:25:00.70 days. I will not complain. God has been good to me. He has opened doors I could not see. So 00:25:00.73\00:25:06.37 I will just take time to say, "Thank You, Lord, in the good times. Thank You, Lord, in the 00:25:06.40\00:25:11.94 bad times. Thank You, Lord. I will not complain. "When I come out of this, my praise is going 00:25:11.97\00:25:16.78 to another level. When I come out of this, I do not have time to be cute. When I come out of 00:25:16.81\00:25:20.62 this, I am going to a new level in Jesus. When I come out of this, I am rising to a new level 00:25:20.65\00:25:29.12 in Jesus." That is why you ought to thank God for whatever you go through. You ought to say, 00:25:29.16\00:25:31.36 "Lord, I thank You for my mountains. I thank You for my valleys. I thank You for the 00:25:31.39\00:25:39.27 storms You brought me through." If I never had a problem, I would not know that God could 00:25:39.30\00:25:46.84 solve it. I would not know what faith in God's word could do. Let me tell you something. You 00:25:46.88\00:25:54.72 got to learn how to start praising and thanking God for all the stuff folks thought you 00:25:54.75\00:25:57.35 were crazy for. Be thankful. I am thankful. And because I am thankful, I rejoice. God has put 00:25:57.39\00:26:03.12 no tax on rejoicing. God has putting no restrictions on rejoicing. God has put no 00:26:03.16\00:26:08.30 embargoes on rejoicing. There is no ordinance from God commanding you to be miserable. It is 00:26:08.33\00:26:13.67 alright to be joyful. It is all right to be happy. It is alright to rejoice. I sing, because I am 00:26:13.70\00:26:15.50 happy. I sing, because I am free. His eye is on the sparrow. And I know He watches over me. 00:26:15.54\00:26:20.58 Understand, I am through. But if God has done anything for you, there is no way you can want me 00:26:20.61\00:26:24.55 to be quiet. If God has helped you get the new house, but yet you still want me to be quiet. 00:26:24.58\00:26:27.28 You have got the new car, but you want me to be quiet. You have got the new job, but you 00:26:27.32\00:26:33.46 want me to be quiet. You have been healed of sickness, but you want me to be quiet. But I 00:26:33.49\00:26:35.96 understand. God has been good to me, too. And if you only knew what I have been through, you 00:26:35.99\00:26:45.70 would understand why I praise Him like I do. If you only knew what I have been through, you 00:26:45.73\00:26:50.01 will understand why I give Him glory like I do. You see? Every time we praise God, it makes the 00:26:50.04\00:26:56.61 devil nervous. And I do not know about you, but I want to make the devil nervous. In fact, I 00:26:56.64\00:27:00.15 want to make the devil scared. So rejoice. I said rejoice. Happy Thanksgiving. Rejoice. 00:27:00.18\00:27:06.25 Rejoice evermore. You should be dead buried in your grave, but rejoice. Somebody had 00:27:06.29\00:27:12.49 coronavirus, but you recovered. You ought to rejoice. In everything, give thanks. In the 00:27:12.53\00:27:16.46 good times, praise His name. In the bad times, do the same. In everything, give the King of 00:27:16.50\00:27:22.00 Kings all the things. I am trying to sit down. But on this Thanksgiving Sabbath, my soul is 00:27:22.04\00:27:29.18 getting happy right now. Praise be the Lord. Praise God in the sanctuary. Praise Him in the 00:27:29.21\00:27:39.29 firmament of His power. Praise Him on His mighty acts. Praise Him according to His excellent 00:27:39.32\00:27:56.17 greatness. Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet. Praise Him in the psaltery and the harp. 00:27:56.20\00:28:00.54 Praise Him on the timbrel and dance. Praise Him with stringed instruments Praise Him with the 00:28:00.58\00:28:05.31 loud cymbals. Praise Him with the high-sounding cymbals. Let everything, I said, let 00:28:05.35\00:28:07.72 everything, let everything that has breath praise ye the Lord. Rejoice evermore and in 00:28:07.75\00:28:13.59 everything. Give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Happy 00:28:13.62\00:28:19.63 Thanksgiving. Rejoice evermore. Thank you very much for tuning in to this week's Breath of Life 00:28:19.66\00:28:34.64