Are We Grateful

Okay, thank you. Thank you so much. Has it ever happened that you've given some people something and sometimes it may be for no other reason? Thank you. No other reason, but maybe it just slipped up or situations, but they never demonstrated gratitude. Has it ever happened to you? And when it does happen, how do you feel? How do you feel when people do something for you or whatever? Or you obey your partner? You do something for others and they don't even mention, thank you. It kind of leaves you a little bit of a sad taste, doesn't it? It kind of leaves you. Now, obviously, you'll still continue being giving, but it just kind of, it doesn't leave a good taste.

Now, how much more does God feel if we are not grateful? And so, my question today is, are we grateful? I wanted to start by turning to Luke 17. And yeah, we have the story about 10 people that were leprous in Luke 17. And we'll start in verse 11. Luke 17. Now it happened as he Christ went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And then as he entered a certain village, they met him 10 men, were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, Jesus, master, have mercy on us.

And when he saw them, Christ said to them, Go, show yourselves to the priests. There's a couple of lessons here. In first one, they had to do something. They could have said, Why? Why don't you just heal me right now?

But he said, Go and show yourselves to the priests. And so it was that as they went, they re-cleansed. They were healed from the leprosy. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned. And with a loud voice, can you imagine the joy that he had? Right? I mean, he was happy. He was rejoicing. He was grateful. And he glorified God. Giving God glory is a form of thanks.

It's a form of gratitude. And he fell down on his face, at his feet, giving him thanks. Indeed, giving God glory is a way of showing gratitude. And by the way, it says, Yeah, he was a Samaritan. He wasn't a Jew. Which implies maybe the others were Jews. So Jesus answered and said, Were there not ten? Wasn't there ten that were cleansed, that were healed? Christ never even asked, Was there only you? They got cleansed. He knew that they were cleansed. Where are the other nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God?

It was to give God thanks, to give glory. Accept this foreigner. Accept, as we'd call in this country, an alien. That's what it is. And he said to him, Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well. Yeah, because he did have faith, because he believed, and then he went to the priest, as it says, and then he was cleansed.

So, we can see, yeah, a miracle. And Baryah is a lesson. A lesson of the importance to God, to Christ, of people being thankful and to glory God, to give God the glory for what had happened. Do we have things to give God glory? Do we have things to give God thanks? For one, simple things, yes, is word, which is truth, which is life. There's the God's work that is the only hope for mankind. God's loving kindness, mercy for you and I, and for the whole world, ultimately, the truth that we have.

What about our health? Sometimes we're only really grateful for our health when we don't have it. You know, when we're young, oh, well, you know, we don't even think about giving God thanks for feeling good. But it's only when, oh, this knee is getting, bothering me to realize, well, this, I was grateful. I'm grateful for the other knee. Or when you got this terrible migraine, oh, I'm so grateful when I don't have a migraine.

You know, sometimes we need a little bit of a little prick, or a little poking, you know, to say, hey, you need to be more grateful. There's so many things we can be grateful. You know, some people are very intelligent, really very intelligent. Are they grateful for being able to think clearly? Are we grateful that you and I can think?

Are we grateful that we can see, as we heard? Some people are struggling with their sight. We're grateful we can walk. Grateful that we can talk, that we can hear. So brethren, have you thought about being grateful as being, or rather, being thankful, being thankful as an example of giving an offering? It's interesting because if you go back to Leviticus, right in the beginning of the book of Leviticus, if you turn with me to Leviticus, Leviticus, in chapter 1 talks about a burnt offering.

That means the whole offering is completely burnt. That's a complete sacrifice. In analogy, Christ sacrificed a complete sacrifice. The second one, in chapter 2, is the grain offering. The grain offering is one of fine flour, an offering basically symbolizing bread, the bread of life that we have. Again, pointing to Christ, our bread of life.

But the third one, in chapter 3, is a peace offering. A peace offering. And this peace offering, it's one of a sweet aroma. In fact, all first three are sweet aromas to God. The next two are not, which are the sin offering and the trespass offering. But these three are sweet aromas to God. You can see that in chapter 3 at the end of verse 5, this is an offering made by fire as a sweet aroma.

It is an offering, it's an offering as a sacrifice of peace offering. But now, this offering is described in a little more detail, this peace offering, in chapter 7. So turn with me to chapter 7 of Leviticus. And if you read there, starting in verse 11. So Leviticus 7 verse 11. This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offering. So it's talking about this third type of offering, which is a peace offering. You can offer it for two reasons. If, verse 12, he offers it for a thanksgiving.

So the peace offering, one of the reasons, is for giving thanks. The other reason, you've got it in verse 15, is if the sacrifice of this offering is a vow or a voluntary offering. So the peace offering could be for one or two reasons. The first one, the main one, is thank you. And the other is, you're making a promise to God, and you're binding it with an offering.

Or you're giving a voluntary offering, a special offering, for another specific reason. So it's a special offering. But basically, it's an offering of thanksgiving. So, have you considered that giving God thanks? When you and I are doing it, we are offering God, spiritually speaking, a sacrifice, a peace offering of thanksgiving. Now another interesting section. Let's just look at a slightly different angle now.

You know there's a section in the Autonomy. It's also in the videos, but we're going to look at the Autonomy. Chapter 28, which is so often called the chapter of blessings and cursings. Right? Remember blessings and cursings. So let's go to the Autonomy 28. The Autonomy 28. So there's a number of scriptures there about blessings on obedience, from verse 1 to 14. And then from verse 15, the eyes, the curses on the disobedience.

Because 1, you were supposed to do on Mount Gerzim, and on Mount Ebal, you're supposed to do the disobedience ones. So if you don't know, I'll buy it. And it goes on on to different things. So let's look at the ones related to obedience. And look at it in verse 11 and 12. The Autonomy 28, I beg your pardon, I'm looking at the wrong scripture.

The Autonomy 28, verse 45 to 47, the ones disobedience, sorry, the ones disobedience, verse 45 to 47. It says, Moreover, he's talking about disobedience, all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. So these curses for disobedience, and they shall be upon you, verse 46, for a sign and a wonder, and you are the sinner forever. Why?

Verse 47, Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything. In other words, you've been blessed. And part of that attitude of being blessed and being grateful, you should serve God with joy and gladness. So let's go back to that leper, which was a Samaritan. He came and thanked Jesus and gave glory to God, thanking, and He was joyous.

And Yah is saying, when you were being blessed through the abundance of everything, many people we talk in the States, where they got so much stuff, they don't know where to put it.

You've got stuff. You don't know what to do with it. How do you, you go to, some people go to their children and they still got stuff. And what are we gonna do? Well, well, we'll do a garage sale. It's just stuff. Because you've been so blessed, there's no room to receive it.

And we should be with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because God has blessed us.

But they did not serve God, because when God blesses us, our gratitude should be one to say, I want to do what God tells me to do, as a sign of gratitude.

It's like that leper came to Christ and said, thank you. If Christ would have told him to do something else, he says, with pleasure, because you're so happy.

It's this thing that we need to show great gratefulness for the many blessings that God gives us. God's given us many blessings. We need to be, as there is a song, count your blessings, we need to be looking at those things.

And we need to say, because of that, we need to joyfully say, thank God, and in retribution, do what he wants us to do. It actually is like a circle. The problem is we forget we be blessed.

The problem is we forget that we've been blessed. We take it for granted.

Turn with me to Psalm 103. Psalm 103. So we're going to remember, giving God, thank you. Offerings of thanks is a sacrifice, which means it's actually a job we've got to do, which sometimes you may think, oh well, I don't want to thank him again. Well, we need to. We need to. Are we grateful? Psalm 103. So we're going to look at a few Psalms here, one after another. Just to give you an example, Psalm 103, we're going to start in verse one. Bless the Lord.

There was giving God glory, oh my soul. Look at the attitude of David, and all that is within me, bless God's name. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

Who forgives all your uniquities. Who heals all our diseases. Who redeems your life from destruction.

Upon repentance, upon us changing, you will give us eternal life. Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies.

Reverend, he has an interesting word, loving kindness.

He in Hebrew is a word spelled H-E-S-E-D, which is kind of related to a covenant.

In other words, that you have faithful, faithful loyalty.

It's said usually as H-E-S-E-D, but it's translated as loving kindness, which is correct, because it's God's faithful loyalty towards us that he shows loving kindness towards us.

I like, personally, I like to relate it. This Hebrew word H-E-S-E-D, which happens many times in a Bible, to a New Testament word called grace. Grace. It's God's graciousness for us.

He's loving kindness for us, which is a faithful loyalty towards us. He satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.

Look a little bit further in Psalm 105, again starting from the beginning.

Oh, give thanks to the Lord. Call upon His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples.

Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him. Talk of all His wondrous works. Glory in His holy name.

Let the hearts of those rejoiced who seek the Lord, seek the Lord and His strength. Seek His face forevermore. Remember His marvelous works, which He has done, His wonders and the judgments of His mouth.

And here He is, David, giving God glory, giving God thanks, rejoicing.

You and I need to remember, as it says here, remember.

What God has done.

Do you know what we do? We remember what He hasn't done. We forget what He has done.

Look at verses 41 through 45. He opened the rock and water gushed out. It ran in dry places like a river. For He remembered. You know what God is faithful. He remembered His promise, His holy promise, and Abraham, His servant. He brought out His people with joy. Talking about out of Egypt.

His chosen ones with gladness. They were happy.

Oh yeah, afterwards, then they started grumbling and complaining. He gave them the lands of the Gentiles, and they inherit the labor of the nations. Yeah, they went to a land which they had not built, and they got the stuff that they were built by others.

With the intent that they might observe His statutes and keep His laws. God blesses us. God blesses us with many things.

One of the things that we need to have is a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and part of that sacrifice as a result of that, we want to observe and do what He tells us to do.

That is, in a sense, our thank you, our return to Him.

Oh, is it because He wants these harsh laws on us? No! Because God's laws are for our good.

You know, I get criticism from some people saying, well, as in the United Church of God, are preaching that you are saved by going to the feast.

No! You are saved freely by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

That's what we are. How many times do we say we are saved by the faith of Christ? Not our faith, otherwise it will be my works. It's Christ's faith.

But now, because we are saved, can I just go and start killing people? Because I'm saved!

So I can just now kill people? No! Of course not! Because I am safe from the ultimate death. Yes, I'm still living in this life. The final ultimate salvation is still to come, but I'm safe from that death penalty freely. It does not give me a reason then to go and kill and murder people.

Oh, you understand that? Of course, people understand that.

And in fact, they understand that as for nine commandments, but not the tenth one, which actually happens to be the fourth. Right? They understand that about that. So they say, but therefore, I just recently got an oath from somebody. You know, we've been saved by grace.

It's all we are a new man. It's all we are a new heart. And so, forget about the Sabbath, forget about the holy days. That is only material, because it's the heart. We are the new man. Christ is in us. Hogwash. Hogwash.

You see, we have to obey.

Not because obedience is what's going to save us, what saves us is the blood of Christ, but we have to obey to show him that he has now cleared us of the guilt. We must not continue committing to be guilty again, because he's not going to die for us twice. So, he says, yeah, God blessed, these are the likes of all these things, they left Egypt in gladness.

Why? That they might observe his laws. And elsewhere it says, choose life. Choose life that it may be well with you.

God's laws are not hard. They offer our good.

If I don't have to worry about people stealing from me, if I don't have to worry that people are going to kill me, if I don't have to worry about these things, the laws are good, because they show God's love and show respect to fellow man and respect to God. And when God says, hey, I want to have a meeting with you today, I say, yes, sir. I don't say, oh, no, I'm not coming. I'll go when I feel like. God says he wants to have a meeting with us. That's why he calls the Holy Convocation.

And I can't say to him, I'll go when I feel like.

Because that's not showing, as we heard in the sermon yet, fear and respect for God.

And so it is important for us to understand that obedience is actually an expression of gratitude. So we actually looked at a number of ways that we can show gratitude as a sacrifice, saying thank you, but as obedience, which is also an expression of gratitude. And look in Psalm 106, again, starting from verse one. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for his good, his mercy endures forever.

David was a man of the God's heart, because he, one of the reasons he was very grateful, and he could give God thanks. And he said his mercy endures forever. Look at verse 13 and 14.

He took about, and when they forgot his works, and they did not wait for his counsel, but lasted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. They forgot God's blessings. They forgot what God had given to them, and they lasted. They disobeyed. So you can see again, when we are grateful, we obedient. When we forget what we received, then we walking in lust, and sin of ingratitude. Look at chapter 107. We start reading in verse one.

O, he thanks to the Lord for his good, for his mercy endures forever.

You know, he's forgiven us. Christ has given us his life for us. He's given us his blood, his blood to forgive us. Look at verse 10 in the same chapter. Read from verse 10 through 15. He says, Those who sat in darkness and in shadow of death, bounding afflictions and irons, because they rebelled against the words of God, and despised the counsel of the most high. Therefore he brought him down, their heart with labor, they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried. He says, His mercy endures forever, to God in their trouble. And what he did, his mercy endures forever. He saved them out of their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and he broke their chains in pieces. Oh, that man would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness. Oh, oh, that man would just be thankful. And for his wonderful works to the children of men. Look at verse 17. Fools, because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities were afflicted, their soul abhorred all manner of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble. And he saved them out of their distress. He sent his word and healed them. He delivered them from their distress. Oh, that man would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness.

And for his wonderful works to the children of men. Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving.

And declare his works with rejoicing. We need to give sacrifices of thanksgiving.

Do we give that sacrifice of thanksgiving? Are we grateful? Look at Psalm 136. Psalm 136.

In this psalm, it says, time and time again for his mercy and joyous forever.

Every verse ends with that. For his mercy endures forever.

O give thanks to the Lord for his good. For his mercy endures forever.

You give thanks to the God of Gods. For his mercy endures forever.

It actually is a lovely song. Imagine just saying that and putting that into lovely music. That's what it is. It's like a chorus. O give thanks to the Lord of Lords for his mercy and joyous forever.

To him who allowed us great wonders for his mercy and joyous forever. Imagine the chorus saying that. To him who by wisdom made heavens for his mercy and joyous forever. Reverend, it's such lovely situation. Can we enumerate? Can we remember what God has done for us?

Like David Yow was enumerating one after another. Maybe you and I need to make a list of 26 things that we can say. And then at the end of that said, for his mercy and joyous forever. Maybe it's a nice little project for us. You know, he gave us so much things. He's cleansing us daily.

O thank you God for your mercy abounds forever.

Are we grateful to God? Are we grateful to others? What others do to us?

Do we demonstrate that gratitude?

And he says that 26 times.

So brethren, let's look at this again from another different angle. Now I want to look at Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10.

And in Hebrews chapter 10, it's a very section of Scripture that's very encouraging.

That to me it's a very encouragement section, particularly when it's there in verse 19 says, therefore brethren having boldness to enter the holiest. You know what God's throne.

You and I can enter God's throne today in our prayers by the blood of Jesus.

By a new and living way through the veil that is His flesh. Because we have a high priest, which is Christ. That's a very encouraging. And therefore it says, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith. And our hearts, our hearts, cleaned from an evil conscience. You know when you have no guilt feeling? That's what it is.

You have no guilt. What a beautiful situation to be in. What a thing to be grateful about.

But then look at how it continues in verse 23. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for your promise is faithful, and let us consider one another to stir up love and good works. If we are grateful to what God has done for us, we are going to walk in His ways.

Like He is grateful and gracious towards us. We are going to do the same thing. And we are going to do that to others. In other words, like He loves us, we are going to love others and do good works for others. And we're going to stir up. We're going to imitate Him. That's what He wants. And love, God's laws are love. So we stir up love and good works. And how can we stir up love?

When we get together, by conversation, by talking to one another, as we help one another set up the whole, getting things ready, and we serving one another. And we do it with joy. It is a pleasure to do that. And we're very grateful. I'm very grateful for you. You would help in everything, set up the whole, take it down, etc. Very grateful for that. I thank you. And that's how we encourage one another. It says, therefore, when we get together, when we don't forsake the assembling ourselves with one another, we can stir up that service of one towards another. And we know a little bit more about what to pray for others. Like today, we heard an update of one of our brethren that has a problem with his sight. And how? Because we stirred up love one towards another.

And that's lovely. That is important.

So fellowship, Christian fellowship, and being together is another way of showing gratitude to God. Because God gives us the spiritual family, and as appreciating this special family, and being together is a sign of gratitude.

Look a bit further down in Hebrews chapter 13. Hebrews chapter 13. And let's look in verse 14, starting from verse 14. For Yah we have no continuing sateek, but we seek the one to come. Our goal, brethren, is the New Jerusalem. It's beyond the millennium, beyond all that, the new heavens and new earth when Christ comes, when the Father comes to the earth.

And that's the time of New Jerusalem. That is our ultimate goal, the new heaven and new earth, well after the millennium. Therefore, by him let us continuously offer the sacrifice of praise.

To God, that is the fruit of our lips. It was what we say. Thank you. I'm giving thanks to his name, but not just our lips, but do not forget to do good and to share. It's our actions too, which is part of that sacrifice of thanksgiving.

For with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Serving others is a sacrifice.

Every year. I don't know if it's happened to you, but when you go to the feast, the best feasts are when we serve. The best feast, the most joyable, the most happiness we have at the feast. And when we are involved and we say, how can I help, what can I do? And I know some of us can do more, some of us can do less, but we all need to help, to serve.

The happiest feast is when we serve.

If you want to have a miserable feast, go to the feast and don't serve.

But when you serve, and the more you serve, the happier the feast gets.

Because of such sacrifices God is well pleased.

With such sacrifices God is well pleased. Therefore obey those who rule over you and be submissive, for they watch for your own good. So this obedience is, in a sense, part of an attitude of gratitude. Because we show in gratitude to one another, being grateful, helping those that dare be ruling over you. Why? He says, they watch over your souls as those who must give account. The ministry must give account of how they serve you.

And so let them do so with joy and not with grief. So by showing them respect, it shows them the sign of gratitude and this whole thing, it just grows.

It just grows. You know, one of the pro- there is an English phrase that says something like familiarity breeds contempt. And it's so true.

Contempt means that something is vile, something is mean of no value.

And so familiarity leads a spirit of lack of gratitude.

Don't take things for granted. Don't take for granted your calling. Don't take for granted God's plan for us. Let's all be grateful.

Are we really appreciative of what we received?

It's important that we don't forget the things that God has given us.

Let's turn to Luke chapter 12. Luke chapter 12. Luke chapter 12 verse 32.

Do not fear little flock. Brethren, we are a little flock. Aren't we? Let's just look around. We are a little flock. Do not fear little flock. For it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Do not fear little flock. For it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

It is the father's good pleasure to give and give and give and give.

And give you the kingdom of God. That means being part of his family, being part of being what he is. It's just amazing. It's an amazing gift. You and I cannot even begin, I can't, maybe you can't, but we can't, I believe none of us can, begin to comprehend the joy and the happiness, the extreme joy that will be to be in the family of God. I don't think we can understand really, we can't understand it, but that is good pleasure for us to give.

To give that, look at Ephesians chapter 1. Look at Ephesians chapter 1.

Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 5. This is a scene. Sorry. It just shows how my mind sometimes switches to a different language I don't even know. I just said, it says the following, but I said it in Portuguese. I don't even know I'd say that. I'm sorry. But it says, yeah, in verse 5, it says, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will. According to the good pleasure of his will.

So, we just heard a little bit early in Luke 12 that it says the Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom. Now he says he has predestined us.

Oh, some people are predestined for life and some people predestined for death. No!

God has predestined all of mankind. Mankind was made with a purpose. Why were you born? Why were we born? All of us for one purpose.

To be sons of God in a family of God. And that is his good pleasure. That is his good pleasure.

Are we grateful for that? Are we grateful?

Look at Philippians chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2. 2. Philippians 2 verse 12. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only.

In other words, we're not hypocrites. We obey because we want to obey, not just doing it in front of others. But now much more in my absence.

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

With the true godly respect for God, as we heard in the sermon, work out your own salvation. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do, for he is good pleasure. It is God's good pleasure that you repent. It's God's good pleasure that you do the right things. It's God's good pleasure because if you do the right things, you're doing the things of love, you're walking like God walks, you're being like God, and therefore you have an attitude like God's. Therefore, you imitate God. Therefore, you can be in that family.

Why? For you aren't good. Are we grateful for that? Are we grateful for that?

It is God's good pleasure for us to repent and for us to have the will and the desire without being chased or sang. Do this! Do this! No! You do it voluntarily. It's He's doing God's good pleasure.

You know, of lately, I've been more sensitive to watching little children.

And some children are amazing. They're just very obedient, very lovely.

But sometimes some children, particularly in this world, they like to test the border and to see how much they can do without being corrected. And because the parents love them, quite often allow a little bit more maybe than they should. But we see that. And therefore, it is as if those little children take pride in the surviving mom and dad. In this world, I see it a lot.

Are the parents happy with that? Are the parents pleased when they say, do this, and they act as if they went home? Do this. And then quite often a parent says, well, it's not so important. So I'll just leave it and talk about something else. Dad is wrong.

That is wrong. Because you're teaching your child to be rebellious.

On the other side, it's lovely to see a child when he turns around and says, with pleasure, mom and dad. It is beautiful.

The child that says, with pleasure, mom and dad is actually showing gratitude. Think about it. Because they're showing respect and gratitude and fear. All these things are interrelated.

That child is showing that.

How beautiful it is when there is this cooperation. So continue reading, yeah, in let's see where we were reading. Philippians chapter 4.

Philippians chapter 4. Okay, verse 4. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say, rejoice. Let your gladness be known to all men. The Lord's attempt. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.

And the peace of God, which is a positive understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. You know, don't be worried about things, but be grateful for what you have. Be grateful for what you have.

Do we give thanks in our prayers, says praying and supplicating, but mixing that with thanksgiving with joy and gladness. It's really so important. Look at Colossians chapter 4.

Colossians chapter 4, verse 2. Continue earnestly in praying, being vigilant in it and thanksgiving. Can you see that? Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. What do we mean being vigilant in prayer? That means that in prayer we're watching ourselves and analyzing and examining ourselves in prayer and asking God to help us to become better people and giving our thanks for what He has given us.

And while you do that, says verse 3, pray for us also that God will open to us a door for the word to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I'm also in chains. So pray for the ministry, that I may be able to make it manifest as I ought to speak, walk in wisdom towards those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. We really need to be careful how we say things, redeeming the time, not wasting time. And as we are doing this with thanksgiving, we're just being very careful what we say and becoming more like God.

Look at Romans chapter 1. Romans chapter 1. Romans chapter 1 verse 18.

There is a section of scripture that is talking about in verse 18, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven. Why is God's wrath revealed from heaven?

Because of sin. Because of sin. He says, because against all ungodliness and unrighteous of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

Because what may be known of God is manifesting them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world is invisible attributes are clearly seen be understood by the things that are made, even his power and Godhead. So they are without excuse. Because they knew God and did not glorify God as God nor were thankful. But became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were hearted. Professing to be wise they became fools. Why is the wrath of God? They didn't recognize what God has done, the blessings of God and they were not grateful. We need to be grateful. We need to give God thanks for what he has done, for being part of a family, for what we have. If not, we're going to be in trouble because the wrath of God is revealed.

And we heard in the sermon, we have to have fear of God. Fear is respect, but also there is a negative component, which is, if we disobedient with who we are and grateful with who we are unfanquable, there is a reward, both positive and negative.

So brethren, what are we teaching our children by our example?

You see, if we're allowing our children, for instance, to be rebellious, quite often our example teaches them, maybe we're not grateful, maybe we're not careful in certain things, and maybe they're learning from us.

Are we grateful?

Look at 1 Thessalonians, the lost scripture that I want to cover today. 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 18. 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 18. In everything, give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. In everything, be thankful. This is a sacrifice. It's a peace offering. It's a sweet-smelling savor to God. You and I need to think about what God has done for us, for our family, for our children, rather than what He has not done.

You know, we can ask God, I want this, I want this, I want this, but you have not answered my prayer.

What? Let me ask you. When your children ask you things, you give them everything they ask you.

But the thing they're asking, their mind is good for them.

The thing we ask Him might be good for us. And yes, it might be good. But God knows better.

God knows better. And we have to have faith and trust in Him that He has our best interests at heart. He says it is good pleasure to give us the kingdom. And so, yes, sometimes we have to go through certain difficulties. You and I sometimes today don't understand why some of those trials and tests. But we have to trust God that is far better. So, let's give God glory for what He gives us. Let us give thanks for everything He's given us. It's a sweet aroma to God, a sacrifice of peace and harmony. So, let us give God thanks in everything.