¤¤
00:00:02.00\00:00:07.87
>> Today, we gather together
to feast on hymns of joy
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and Thanksgiving.
Let's begin by reading
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responsively
together. Your parts will be on
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the screen.
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Our first him for singing is
"Come, O Christ." You have the
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lyrics right inside your
bulletin on a piece of paper
that looks like this.
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Stanza three will be the choir
and organ only. Let's feast on
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Thanksgiving and
hymn singing today.
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[ "Come, O Christ" begins ]
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¤¤ ¤¤
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¤¤ ¤¤
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¤¤ ¤¤
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¤¤ [ Congregation sings ]
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[ "Son of God,
Eternal Savior" begins ]
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¤¤ ¤¤
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>> ¤ Bind us all as one together
¤ ¤ In Thy Church's sacred fold
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¤ Bind us all ¤ Weak and
healthy ¤ Poor and wealthy
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¤ Sad and joyful ¤ Young and old
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¤¤ ¤¤ ¤ Is there want or pain
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or sorrow? ¤ ¤ Make us all the
burden share ¤ Are there spirits
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crushed and broken? ¤ ¤ Teach
us, Lord, to soothe their care ¤
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[ "Come, O Christ" resumes ]
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¤¤ ¤¤
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¤¤ [ Congregation sings ]
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>> Words of joy today
are taken from Psalm 98.
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"Oh, sing to
the Lord a new song!
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For He has done
marvelous things;
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His right hand and His holy
arm have gained Him the victory.
00:09:09.74\00:09:15.12
The Lord has made known His
salvation; His righteousness He
has revealed in the sight of
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the nations. He has remembered
His mercy and His faithfulness
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to the house of Israel; All the
ends of the Earth have seen the
salvation of our God.
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Shout joyfully to the Lord, all
the Earth; Break forth in song,
rejoice, and sing praises.
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Sing to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of a
Psalm, with the trumpets
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and the sound of a horn; Shout
joyfully before the Lord, the
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King." This is God's word. May
we be touched by God's abundant
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joy today. [ "Praise to the
Lord, the Almighty" begins ]
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¤¤ ¤¤
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¤¤ [ Congregation sings ]
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¤¤ ¤¤
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[ "Fairest Lord
Jesus" begins ] ¤¤
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¤¤ ¤¤
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¤¤ [ Congregation sings ]
00:13:15.06\00:13:29.64
[ "Ode to Joy" begins ] ¤¤
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¤¤ ¤¤
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[ Congregation sings ]
00:15:21.32\00:15:25.59
[ "In Heavenly
Love Abiding" begins ]
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¤¤ [ Congregation sings ]
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¤¤
00:18:06.92\00:18:13.36
¤¤
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¤¤
00:19:42.64\00:19:48.42
¤¤ ¤¤
00:20:32.29\00:20:46.07
¤¤
00:20:46.07\00:20:52.85
¤¤ ¤¤
00:21:26.95\00:21:42.56
¤¤
00:22:04.75\00:22:08.66
>> "Oh, God, our hope we cannot
measure. Our path to life is
00:22:54.04\00:23:02.54
free. Our Savior has our
treasure. And He will walk with
00:23:02.54\00:23:12.25
me and thee." Amen.
00:23:12.25\00:23:13.86
We humans are
wired for optimism.
00:23:18.46\00:23:22.13
I read a book last year
by an MD named Lissa Rankin.
00:23:22.13\00:23:24.73
Title of her book --
"Mind Over Medicine."
00:23:24.73\00:23:27.97
My little sister, Carrie, said,
"Dwight, you need to read this."
00:23:27.97\00:23:30.47
My little brother, Greg, says,
"Dwight, you need to read this."
00:23:30.47\00:23:32.84
I decided I needed
to read it, and I did.
00:23:32.84\00:23:35.71
Glad I did.
Here's the physician,
00:23:35.71\00:23:37.85
Lissa Rankins', bottom
line. I'll put it on the screen
00:23:37.85\00:23:39.98
for you.
00:23:39.98\00:23:41.68
Wow. And then,
to prove her point,
00:23:54.96\00:23:57.73
she cites study
after study after study.
00:23:57.73\00:24:01.57
Take the case of knee
pain and knee surgeries.
00:24:01.57\00:24:04.24
This is fascinating.
00:24:04.24\00:24:06.07
"The New England Journal of
Medicine" featured Dr. Bruce
00:24:06.11\00:24:09.64
Moseley, an orthopedic surgeon
renowned for the surgeries he
performed on people with
00:24:09.64\00:24:13.65
debilitating knee pain. Some of
you know exactly all about that.
00:24:13.65\00:24:18.99
Now, the here's the
crucial line. In a randomized
00:24:18.99\00:24:24.09
double-blind placebo -- you know
placebo is something that's fake
-- placebo controlled clinical
00:24:24.09\00:24:28.86
trial published in one of the
most highly respected medical
00:24:28.86\00:24:32.43
journals today, patients of Dr.
Moseley were divided into two
groups. All right, group number
00:24:32.43\00:24:38.27
one. These are the ones that
want the real deal from this
00:24:38.27\00:24:41.94
great doctor. And they get it,
all right? They want that super
surgery. Group number two
00:24:41.94\00:24:49.22
underwent an elaborately crafted
sham or fake surgery during
00:24:49.22\00:24:55.09
which the patient was sedated.
Three incisions were made in the
00:24:55.09\00:24:59.33
same location as in the real
surgery, and the patient was
shown a prerecorded tape
00:24:59.33\00:25:03.30
of someone else's surgery on the
video monitor. I'm absolutely
00:25:03.30\00:25:07.90
sure you could not get by with
that today. I'm just sure of it.
Dr. Moseley, even, by the way,
00:25:07.90\00:25:13.81
splashed water around to
mimic the sound of the lavage
00:25:13.81\00:25:18.01
procedure where they have to
clean out the wound. As
expected, 1/3 of the patients
00:25:18.01\00:25:23.89
getting the real deal surgery
experienced resolution of their
00:25:23.89\00:25:27.56
knee pain. That's about his
success rate. But what really --
Listen, what really shocked
00:25:27.56\00:25:32.53
the researchers was that those
getting the sham or fake surgery
00:25:32.53\00:25:36.43
had the same result. 1/3 of
them reported, "You know, Doc,
00:25:36.43\00:25:40.50
that was a wonderful surgery.
I feel better. You took my pain
00:25:40.50\00:25:46.47
away." In fact, at one point in
the study -- this is interesting
-- those who had received
00:25:46.47\00:25:49.98
the sham surgery were actually
having less knee pain than those
who had gotten the real surgery,
00:25:49.98\00:25:56.28
probably because they hadn't
undergone the trauma of the
00:25:56.28\00:25:59.32
surgery. Listen, folks we are
wired -- We are wired for
optimism. We want to believe the
00:25:59.32\00:26:06.76
best. And when we do, the
results can be stunning. Take a
00:26:06.76\00:26:13.17
study they did with 34 college
students. I said this morning,
this is a beautiful
00:26:13.17\00:26:21.04
representation of 34 college
students. So you can picture
00:26:21.04\00:26:25.75
this age group. Here's the
study. It was actually published
in the "Pavlovian Journal
00:26:25.75\00:26:29.68
of Biological Science." So I
have a 15-year-old PowerPoint
00:26:29.68\00:26:35.99
creator/producer, and he was
with me yesterday. And I said,
Do you know who Pavlov is?
00:26:35.99\00:26:40.10
Yo, he's like, "Man that
rang the bell and the dogs
00:26:40.10\00:26:43.26
salivated." That's the one, so
it's a journal named after him.
00:26:43.26\00:26:47.57
In this study, 34 college
students were hooked up to
monitors and told that the
00:26:47.57\00:26:52.17
electric current would be passed
through their heads. Study
participants were warned
00:26:52.17\00:26:58.18
that they might experience
headaches as a side effect.
Although not one volt of current
00:26:58.18\00:27:05.92
was actually used, more than two
thirds of the students reported
00:27:05.92\00:27:10.66
headaches. "Man, this is killing
me. Boy, they told us that,
00:27:10.66\00:27:13.96
right? Yeah. No wonder I got
that headache." We are wired for
optimism. We want to believe the
00:27:13.96\00:27:20.00
best, or in this case, the
worst. And the results conform
00:27:20.00\00:27:25.64
to our mind-set. Guess what?
Lissa Rankin quotes Ralph Waldo
00:27:25.64\00:27:30.98
Trine, and when I saw this line
-- I'm gonna put it on the
screen now -- when I saw this
00:27:30.98\00:27:34.38
line, I said, "This is truth.
This is truth." Here's the line
00:27:34.38\00:27:39.12
on the screen. I'm gonna let
that hang on the screen for a
moment. Isn't that something?
00:27:45.33\00:27:50.00
The moment I saw it, I said,
"Man, that's the truth." Now,
I've had to rephrase it
00:27:50.00\00:27:54.67
for me to keep remembering it.
So I'm going to put my little
rephrasing on the screen
00:27:54.67\00:27:58.71
for you right now.
00:27:58.71\00:28:00.51
That's it.
00:28:05.75\00:28:07.65
So much of how we think becomes
a self-fulfilling prophecy,
00:28:11.75\00:28:16.73
doesn't it? "Oh, man, I feel the
depression coming on." No, you
00:28:16.73\00:28:20.70
don't. "Yes, I do. I'm telling
you, it's getting worse." "I'll
00:28:20.70\00:28:27.44
never do well on this exam. I
just don't have the smarts. I
know I'm going to flunk it."
00:28:27.44\00:28:33.31
Ohh. Never say to your mind
what you don't want your body to
00:28:33.31\00:28:39.25
hear. "Nobody loves me. No. I'm
the most unlovable human being
00:28:39.25\00:28:45.69
in the world." Well, guess what?
You just became one. Don't,
00:28:45.69\00:28:50.09
don't, don't say that to
yourself. Mnh-mnh. Never say to
00:28:50.09\00:28:54.56
your mind what you don't want
the rest of you to hear. We are
wired for optimism.
00:28:54.56\00:28:59.80
So when we embrace pessimism too
many times, we have ourselves to
00:28:59.80\00:29:04.91
blame. Now, she devotes, in this
book, five or six pages to the
contrast between pessimists
00:29:04.91\00:29:10.81
and optimists. Here they are.
I'm going to run them by you.
00:29:10.81\00:29:14.68
Turns out optimistic patients
recover better from coronary
bypass surgery, enjoy healthier
00:29:14.68\00:29:20.99
immune systems and live longer.
They fare better when suffering
from conditions such as cancer,
00:29:20.99\00:29:26.29
heart disease, and kidney
failure. Wow. "I know this is
00:29:26.29\00:29:29.73
bad, but I'm going to get over
it. I'm going to be fine one
day." Hmm. Here's another one.
00:29:29.73\00:29:33.90
Let me put it on the screen.
00:29:33.90\00:29:35.34
Isn't that amazing? In fact,
she found out... that a positive
00:29:51.55\00:29:59.86
attitude also affects -- she
quotes a study on this -- our
ability to ward off
00:29:59.86\00:30:04.40
infection. So what they did
in one study was they gathered a
00:30:04.40\00:30:07.44
group of participants. They
measured their personality
types, and then they
00:30:07.44\00:30:12.61
told them that they were giving
them either a cold or the
influenza or a flu.
00:30:12.61\00:30:16.41
So they obviously put some
viruses in their nose. And what
00:30:16.41\00:30:21.48
did they discover? They
discovered that those with sunny
dispositions were more resilient
00:30:21.48\00:30:25.59
than those without. Last one.
Come on, let me put it on the
00:30:25.59\00:30:29.96
screen. Hey, which patient do
you think the doctor enjoys
visiting, the pessimist or the
00:30:38.53\00:30:43.27
optimist? It's a no-brainer.
Come on. We are wired for
optimism. Which is why, by the
00:30:43.27\00:30:49.68
way, worship always begins with
praise. Come on, think with me
00:30:49.68\00:30:55.45
now. Praise is the most
optimistic spiritual activity
your mind and body can engage.
00:30:55.45\00:30:59.79
One of the shortest psalms in
all of Holy Scripture leaps off
00:30:59.79\00:31:04.19
the page with its optimism, and
Chaplain José just led us
through a moment ago.
00:31:04.19\00:31:08.83
Let me put it back on the screen
so we get it -- Psalm 100. This
00:31:08.83\00:31:12.03
is a shorty. But look
at all the optimism here.
00:31:12.03\00:31:14.40
"Shout for joy."
Boy, that's optimism
00:31:14.40\00:31:16.24
right off the bat. By
the way, the King James says,
00:31:16.24\00:31:18.77
"Make a joyful noise."
"Make a joyful noise to
00:31:18.77\00:31:22.41
the Lord, all the Earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness."
00:31:22.41\00:31:24.88
Optimism again. "Come
before Him with joyful
00:31:24.88\00:31:27.15
songs." Optimism.
"Know that the Lord is God."
00:31:27.15\00:31:30.25
Come on. Does it get better?
Yep. "It is He who made us, and
00:31:30.25\00:31:35.76
we are His; we are his people
and the sheep of his pasture."
You are not a little bit of
00:31:35.76\00:31:41.20
faithless flotsam being batted
about on the winds of change.
00:31:41.20\00:31:47.14
No, no, no, no, no, no. You've
got God's fingerprints all over
00:31:47.14\00:31:50.44
you. You are not here by
accident. You're not here on
this planet by accident.
00:31:50.44\00:31:54.04
You were made by Him, and you
were wired for optimism. Keeps
00:31:54.04\00:32:01.05
going. When you come into the
church, "Enter His gates with
thanksgiving and his courts
00:32:01.05\00:32:04.39
with praise." Optimistic, are
you kidding? "Give thanks to Him
00:32:04.39\00:32:07.26
and praise His name...
00:32:07.26\00:32:09.06
Can I get an amen for
that psalm? Come on. Optimism.
00:32:14.10\00:32:17.57
We were wired for optimism.
Wow. Worship always begins with
00:32:17.57\00:32:24.87
optimism. It begins with...
¤ Praise God, from whom all
00:32:24.87\00:32:29.91
blessings flow ¤ ¤ Praise Him,
all creatures How's it go? Here
below. ¤ Praise Him up
00:32:29.91\00:32:35.85
¤ Heavenly host ¤ Praise
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ¤
00:32:35.85\00:32:43.32
For centuries, some
of God's closest friends
00:32:43.36\00:32:46.86
on Earth who speak
English have begun their worship
00:32:46.86\00:32:51.43
with that beautiful
four-line confession.
00:32:51.43\00:32:53.70
It's called a
doxology. Doxology is a word,
00:32:53.70\00:32:56.64
is an English word made of two
Greek words, "doxa," which is
00:32:56.64\00:32:59.61
"glory," and "logos," as
you already know, is "word."
00:32:59.61\00:33:02.24
So this is a word of
glory. A word glorifying God.
00:33:02.24\00:33:08.42
Why do I glorify
God? Because it's from Him
00:33:08.42\00:33:11.09
all blessings flow.
Boy, I'm telling you what.
00:33:11.09\00:33:14.52
Safari. Another
beautiful prayer.
00:33:14.52\00:33:18.06
Another beautiful prayer.
And I love how you ended it.
00:33:18.06\00:33:21.33
You didn't do this.
You didn't do this in --
00:33:21.33\00:33:23.77
in first church, but I love
that "alleluia" at the end, huh.
00:33:23.77\00:33:28.00
Yeah. She called an audible,
and that was beautiful. That was
00:33:28.04\00:33:31.91
optimistic all the way through.
She's saying she's thanking God.
She said, "What a joy,
00:33:31.91\00:33:36.04
what a privilege." Oh, and
there are people suffering.
00:33:36.04\00:33:39.25
Yes. We remember the Ratnam
family -- tragic death. We
remember Sharon Dujon,
00:33:39.25\00:33:44.82
the manager of WAUS, who's not
doing well in the hospital right
00:33:44.82\00:33:50.53
now. We lifted them up, but that
doesn't take our optimism away.
No, We enter Your gates
00:33:50.53\00:33:55.93
with thanksgiving. We
enter your courts with praise.
00:33:55.93\00:34:00.20
You say, "Ah, come on, Dwight.
Get off your high horse. I don't
00:34:00.20\00:34:03.74
feel like I'm very blessed right
now." Well, I'm glad you told me
that, because optimism is not
00:34:03.74\00:34:09.38
something you feel. It's
something you believe. So when
Jesus says to somebody
00:34:09.38\00:34:17.69
He's just touched, "Yo,
according to your faith, let it
00:34:17.69\00:34:23.96
be to you," you're not gonna
feel this, you won't look
different, but if you believe,
00:34:23.96\00:34:30.53
you'll be different. It's
not how you feel, it's how you
00:34:30.53\00:34:34.90
believe. And I believe that God
is alive and well in my life
today. By the way, even when the
00:34:34.90\00:34:38.67
news is bad, terribly bad,
optimism still reigns. Oh, boy.
00:34:38.67\00:34:43.11
Do you remember this story? Dark
and awful day when the enemy
00:34:43.11\00:34:46.28
was marching on the outnumbered
and outgunned people of God. The
00:34:46.28\00:34:51.29
leader calls for a massive
prayer meeting. I love that when
00:34:51.29\00:34:54.09
leaders realize, "You know, we
can't change this. I don't care
how bright our team is, we can't
00:34:54.09\00:34:58.29
change this." And they bring all
the people in. They say,
"Listen, we got to be
00:34:58.29\00:35:00.76
praying over this." And that's
what this leader did. And from
00:35:00.76\00:35:06.00
the oldest to the youngest, they
all gathered and the leader
himself prayed and the prayer
00:35:06.00\00:35:10.04
went something like this. "Oh,
Lord God Almighty, God of our
fathers and our mothers,
00:35:10.04\00:35:16.01
we are in huge trouble. An enemy
is coming on us. We have no
00:35:16.01\00:35:22.48
power to overcome this enemy."
And then I remember the last
line of the prayer.
00:35:22.48\00:35:25.32
I'll never forget it, and I hope
you remember it, as well. "We do
not know what to do,
00:35:25.32\00:35:30.63
but our eyes are upon you."
Optimism. We're not giving up.
Yeah, well, you know the story.
00:35:30.63\00:35:41.07
Everybody knows the story. Right
there in the middle of this
massive prayer meeting,
00:35:41.07\00:35:44.27
guess what? One of the worship
leaders -- I love our worship
00:35:44.27\00:35:46.88
leaders because they know how to
praise. And one of the worship
leaders leaps to his feet in the
00:35:46.88\00:35:51.55
middle of the prayer meeting,
and he cries out. "I have a
00:35:51.55\00:35:56.25
message from God." "Oh, yeah.
What did you hear?" "Don't be
afraid of this enemy horde.
00:35:56.25\00:36:00.46
Go out to face them tomorrow.
You will be victorious in God's
00:36:00.46\00:36:05.96
power." And then, the king and
all their people, all the
people, they just fall on their
00:36:05.96\00:36:09.86
faces. The Bible says, "In
worship before God." And then
00:36:09.86\00:36:14.27
comes this line. And you've got
to see this. This is 2
Chronicles 20:19. "Then some of
00:36:14.27\00:36:18.37
the Levites" -- These are the
worship leaders and the singers
00:36:18.37\00:36:21.01
and the choir. Now I know how
some people are with praise
music. Oh, they don't like loud
00:36:29.38\00:36:33.19
praise music. No, no. Tone it
down, tone down. Turn it down,
00:36:33.19\00:36:38.06
turn it down. Can't do that. You
can't do that when that spirit
of praise comes over you.
00:36:38.06\00:36:42.16
You leap to your feet with a
very loud voice. You sing the
00:36:42.16\00:36:48.67
praises of God. I knew I'd
get an amen from this group. >>
00:36:48.67\00:36:53.51
Amen. >> Wow. And it gets even
better. And by the way, they
haven't even seen the results
00:36:53.51\00:36:59.48
yet. Can you believe this?
Talking about optimism, this is
00:36:59.48\00:37:02.25
optimism. They haven't even seen
the results, and they're
thanking God in advance.
00:37:02.25\00:37:05.29
That is optimism at its highest.
And God honors optimism. 'Cause
he says, "Boy, girl,
00:37:05.29\00:37:11.26
I wired you for that. Good for
you." But then I love what comes
00:37:11.26\00:37:15.70
next. "Early the next morning,
after consulting the people,
00:37:15.70\00:37:17.70
King Jehoshaphat appoints
men" -- probably women, too --
00:37:17.70\00:37:20.67
"to sing to the Lord and
to praise Him for the splendor
00:37:20.67\00:37:24.17
of His
holiness." What's he doing?
00:37:24.17\00:37:26.14
He's putting
together an impromptu choir.
00:37:26.14\00:37:29.28
"And as they went out at the
head of the army" -- Oh, did you
00:37:29.28\00:37:32.55
catch that? The choir goes out
at the head of the army. Look at
00:37:32.55\00:37:35.92
this fine choir that we have
today. At the head of the army,
00:37:35.92\00:37:39.75
there they go. Man! And what
happens? The instructions are
00:37:39.75\00:37:46.63
this is what you should sing.
"Give thanks to the Lord, for
his love endures forever."
00:37:46.63\00:37:51.83
Oh, I love that.
00:37:51.83\00:37:53.27
Defeated. You know
why? I'll tell you why.
00:38:04.71\00:38:07.52
Because that's
what praise always does.
00:38:07.52\00:38:09.28
It defeats the enemy.
I'm telling you, Lucifer is
00:38:09.28\00:38:12.49
the most pessimistic
and pitiable creature
00:38:12.49\00:38:15.09
in the universe, and if he had
his way, he would turn you into
00:38:15.09\00:38:18.73
a pessimist and pitiable soul.
00:38:18.73\00:38:21.90
Always whining,
always whimpering. "Poor me."
00:38:21.93\00:38:26.70
Not poor you.
Blessed you. Blessed you.
00:38:26.70\00:38:33.27
Wow. I'm telling you, we were
wired for optimism, and praising
00:38:33.27\00:38:38.58
God is the most optimistic and
potent way you possibly,
possibly can worship Him.
00:38:38.58\00:38:46.45
It's the most potent of all.
Oh, I got to put this on here.
00:38:46.45\00:38:52.13
Can you do that? I
altered the 100th Psalm.
00:38:52.13\00:38:55.53
>> Yes! >> Mm. Thank you.
00:39:05.67\00:39:09.01
We've got the right people
in this choir, I can tell you.
00:39:09.01\00:39:12.15
We got the right ones.
Isaac Watts comes along
00:39:12.15\00:39:15.52
and he takes Psalm 100 --
in some places, it's called
00:39:15.52\00:39:18.59
"Old Hundred" Not the tune.
00:39:18.59\00:39:20.12
This is a different
tune. Isaac Watts paraphrases
00:39:20.12\00:39:22.26
"Old 100," and when he comes
to the third stanza, he picks up
00:39:22.26\00:39:25.86
on this very loud voice.
00:39:25.86\00:39:27.50
Watch this. Third
stanza. " We'll crowd Thy gates,
00:39:27.56\00:39:30.30
O God, with thankful
songs, high as the heavens
00:39:30.30\00:39:33.84
our voices raise."
Now read that again.
00:39:33.84\00:39:36.54
"High as the
heavens our voices raise."
00:39:36.54\00:39:39.57
That's very loud
praise. Oh, I love that.
00:39:39.57\00:39:43.41
My, oh, my, oh, my.
Divine optimism is always
00:39:53.89\00:39:58.93
reflected in human
praise. A century ago --
00:39:58.93\00:40:03.10
Boy, I'll put some words on
the screen -- my last little
00:40:03.10\00:40:05.83
quote here -- words on
the screen that nailed it.
00:40:05.83\00:40:08.30
This is so right. Look at this.
00:40:08.30\00:40:10.37
Gimme, gimme,
gimme, gimme, gimme.
00:40:18.71\00:40:21.78
Keep reading. "We do
not pray any too much."
00:40:21.82\00:40:24.45
No, no, no. "But
we are too sparing
00:40:24.45\00:40:27.12
of giving thanks." Is it
Thanksgiving that's coming
00:40:27.12\00:40:29.66
up now? "We are too sparing
00:40:29.66\00:40:31.99
of giving thanks.
Pray, pray earnestly
00:40:31.99\00:40:34.83
and without ceasing,
but do not forget to" --
00:40:34.83\00:40:38.37
What's the word?
Don't forget to praise.
00:40:38.37\00:40:42.54
My, oh, my, oh, my. In
fact, I say let's tear a page
00:40:42.54\00:40:46.17
out of Holy Scriptures
playbook. And every time we have
00:40:46.17\00:40:49.01
a prayer time that we
begin it with praise time.
00:40:49.01\00:40:51.78
Praise time, prayer
time, praise time, prayer time.
00:40:51.78\00:40:54.55
Praise time
first, prayer time next.
00:40:54.55\00:40:57.25
You say, "Dwight, man, I'm gonna
get to that praise time and I'm
00:40:57.25\00:40:59.72
not going to be able to think of
a single thing to say to praise
00:40:59.72\00:41:02.26
God. Well, I'm going to share
00:41:02.26\00:41:03.86
something with you that
I already know you know.
00:41:03.86\00:41:06.06
I learned this little rhyme
as a boy in Sabbath school.
00:41:06.06\00:41:10.73
And I'm imagining that
you also learned it, too.
00:41:10.73\00:41:13.80
If you can't think of anything
else to begin a prayer session
in terms of praise,
00:41:13.84\00:41:18.37
then you just remember this and
you start singing this. ¤ Praise
00:41:18.37\00:41:24.71
Him, praise Him, all you little
children ¤ ¤ God is love ¤ God
00:41:24.71\00:41:34.19
is love ¤ Praise Him, praise
Him, all you little children ¤ ¤
00:41:34.19\00:41:44.90
God is love ¤ God is love Oh,
we were wired for optimism. And
00:41:44.90\00:41:55.34
guess what? We
still are. Amen. >> Amen.
00:41:55.34\00:41:59.65
¤¤ ¤¤
00:41:59.68\00:42:18.87
[ Congregation sings ]
00:42:18.87\00:42:23.44
>> Amen. You got to love
it when the Holy Spirit works.
00:44:37.67\00:44:45.08
In works and in all things, and
through all things, we are wired
00:44:45.08\00:44:51.72
for optimism. You're invited
during this time to bring your
00:44:51.75\00:44:55.32
gifts of food and song,
your tithes and offerings
00:44:55.32\00:44:58.69
and your Thanksgiving
letters, which you just wrote,
00:44:58.69\00:45:01.40
right here to the platform.
00:45:01.40\00:45:03.16
Our pathfinders are going to be
standing here in the front row,
and they will be dismissing
00:45:03.20\00:45:08.67
you by rows. So wait for the
pathfinders to come to your row,
00:45:08.67\00:45:12.97
and they'll dismiss you. You can
also, if you'd like to give a
00:45:12.97\00:45:17.45
gift of Thanksgiving monetarily,
you can use one of the tithe and
00:45:17.45\00:45:21.62
offering envelopes right in your
pews and just write
"Thanksgiving" on it. We invite
00:45:21.62\00:45:27.39
you to come forward using the
side aisles, and as you do, we
invite you to do so with a
00:45:27.39\00:45:33.76
silent praise. You'll have
plenty of time to sing in your
pews. But during that walk down,
00:45:33.76\00:45:39.00
during this processional, take a
time for silent praise. And
remember the thoughts
00:45:39.00\00:45:44.74
of gratitude that you have
towards God. Remember all the
00:45:44.74\00:45:48.54
blessings that He shared with
you. As you come down, you'll
leave your offering
00:45:48.54\00:45:52.98
in the appropriate basket. And
then you'll return, either down
00:45:52.98\00:45:58.35
the center aisle or using the
outside aisles. During that
time, those of us in the pews
00:45:58.35\00:46:05.33
will be singing
together, giving thanks to God.
00:46:05.33\00:46:08.00
¤¤ ¤¤
00:46:09.50\00:46:23.18
¤¤ [ "Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart"
00:46:23.18\00:46:32.82
begins ] ¤¤
00:46:32.82\00:46:43.06
¤¤ ¤¤
00:46:43.06\00:46:57.41
[ Congregation sings ]
00:46:57.41\00:47:01.78
[ "The Lord Is
My Light" begins ]
00:47:53.44\00:48:00.11
¤¤ [ Congregation sings ]
00:48:00.11\00:48:12.75
[ "For the Beauty
of the Earth" begins ]
00:49:38.14\00:49:43.21
¤¤ [ Congregation sings ]
00:49:43.21\00:49:56.09
[ "'Tis So Sweet to
Trust in Jesus" begins ]
00:51:02.62\00:51:08.10
¤¤ ¤¤
00:51:08.10\00:51:22.84
[ Congregation sings ]
00:51:22.84\00:51:25.71
[ "To God Be The
Glory" begins ] ¤¤
00:53:09.92\00:53:23.00
¤¤ [ Congregation sings ]
00:53:23.00\00:53:36.68
¤¤ ¤¤
00:55:25.92\00:55:38.27
>> Amen. Amen. Let's pray.
00:56:20.21\00:56:24.05
Thank you, God. For
the generosity shown today
00:56:24.05\00:56:29.98
will result in
Thanksgiving to you.
00:56:29.98\00:56:34.26
This service that we've
performed is not only supplying
the needs of God's beloved
00:56:34.29\00:56:40.96
but is also overflowing in many
expressions of thanks to you,
00:56:40.96\00:56:46.63
our good Father, our Creator,
and our Redeemer Friend. In
00:56:46.63\00:56:55.08
Jesus' name, amen. ¤¤
00:56:55.11\00:57:05.05
>> Think of the last time
someone said, "I'm praying
00:57:08.46\00:57:11.66
for you." Didn't
it give you a sense of
00:57:11.66\00:57:13.60
peace and reassurance
that somebody cares for me?
00:57:13.60\00:57:16.23
I know how I feel when I get an
e-mail from one of our viewers
saying, "Yo, Dwight.
00:57:16.26\00:57:19.90
I've been praying for you
lately." There's nothing like
00:57:19.90\00:57:22.64
knowing someone is praying for
you. So I want to offer you an
opportunity to partner -- let
00:57:22.64\00:57:26.44
me, let us partner
with you in prayer.
00:57:26.44\00:57:29.11
If you have a special
prayer request or a praise of
00:57:29.14\00:57:31.01
thanksgiving you'd like to
share with us, I'm inviting you
00:57:31.01\00:57:33.95
to contact one of
our friendly chaplains.
00:57:33.95\00:57:35.85
It's simple to do.
You can call our toll-free
00:57:35.85\00:57:37.82
number -- 877 -- the two
words "HIS WILL," 877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:37.82\00:57:42.96
That friendly voice that
answers, you tell him, you tell
00:57:42.96\00:57:46.09
her what your prayer need
is, we'll join with you in that
00:57:46.09\00:57:49.13
petition.
00:57:49.13\00:57:50.83
May the God who answers prayer
journey with you these next few
days until we're right back
00:57:50.87\00:57:54.74
here together again next time.
00:57:54.74\00:57:58.57
¤¤ ¤¤
00:57:58.91\00:58:17.86
¤¤
00:58:17.86\00:58:27.20