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[0:00] Why is His name glorious? Why is His name glorious? Why is He awesome?

[0:33] Died for our sins. He's merciful. He's forgiving. He created all of us.

[0:43] That's the only reasons God's amazing or awesome. He's the only one true God.

[0:55] It's amazing that He doesn't wipe all of us off the face of the earth every day. You know, there's a lot of truth in that. You know, when God, in the days of Noah, it says God looked around the earth and He saw an awful lot of evil and there were very few righteous actually.

[1:10] Noah and his family were the only ones. And God said, all right, I'm done. I have had enough. And you think about that and I guess, think about that question in your own life.

[1:22] Have you ever said that to your children? All right, that is enough. Have you ever said those words? Most of you that have had children at some point have just gotten to the point where you've put up with enough and you say, all right, that's it.

[1:39] I'm done. And I don't know what happens after you say to your children, I'm done. That probably varies a lot from parent to parent. I know in Tammy and I, as we raised our children, when we got to the point that said, that's it, that is enough.

[1:56] It usually didn't end well after that. Did it, Caleb? At that point, there were consequences.

[2:06] I'll just put it that way, whatever those consequences are. You know, in the days of Noah, God said, that's enough. And we see the consequences. God sent a great flood and wiped out everyone except for Noah and his family.

[2:19] But you know, after that, God made a promise, didn't He? That He would never again destroy the earth with a flood. And that was a promise that God gave. And whenever we see a rainbow, it says that is a sign, a reminder of that covenant that God made with mankind, that He wouldn't destroy the earth again with a flood.

[2:36] But what we have to understand is there will be a day that God again says, all right, that's enough. It's time. And at that point, guess what? Christ is going to return and He's going to gather up believers and that home in heaven is waiting and for the rest, there's going to be what?

[2:54] Consequences. But this morning, what many of you said, one of the reasons God is awesome, that God is amazing, is because God is a merciful God. And really, we're going to look at that this morning.

[3:05] And I said last week that I thought we were done in Romans. I was wrong. Because as I was looking at chapter 15, there were just some verses that I couldn't go without sharing. So we are in Romans chapter 15 this morning.

[3:18] If you have your Bible, which I hope you do, please turn, follow along. There's Bibles in the back always. Grab one if you need one. If you don't own one, keep it. If you know of someone that needs one, give it to them.

[3:28] We can get more. But God's Word, that's His message for us. It is so important we have that in our hands and that we read it and use it. Romans chapter 5 is where we're at this morning.

[3:40] Excuse me. Chapter 15, verse 5. And once you've found that, if you're able, I'm going to ask if you would stand this morning as we read God's Word. Romans chapter 15, beginning in verse 5.

[3:54] And this is what God's Word shares. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[4:10] Wherefore, receive you one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy.

[4:29] As it is written, for this cause I will confess to you among the Gentiles and sing to your name. And again He says, rejoice you Gentiles with His people.

[4:40] And again, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and laud Him, all you people. And again Isaiah says, there shall be a root of Jesse. And he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in him shall the Gentiles trust.

[4:54] Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

[5:12] Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly to you in some sort as putting you in mind because of the grace that is given to me of God, that I should be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.

[5:32] Let's bow our heads as we pray together. Lord God, once again, we thank You for this morning. We thank You for each one that's come here to Your house. And Lord, I would just pray that You would remind us that as we've come into this place, as we've come into this sanctuary, that we can look around physically and we can see one another.

[5:56] But Lord, remind us that we can just as much know that You are here among us. Lord, even though we can't see You with our physical eyes, I pray that You'd help us to sense You with our spirit, just to know that You are here in this place, that You care about us, that You love us, that You have a message for us, that You have a plan for us, that You have a desire for our lives.

[6:20] And Lord, I just pray that You would speak to each one of our hearts this morning through Your Word, that You would challenge us, that You would just help us to more and more have a desire to serve You and to be the people You want us to be. As individuals, as a church family, just help us to grow in the ways that You want us to grow. Thank You again for this time that You've given us. And it's in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. You can be seated this morning.

[6:52] You know, as we talk about all the things that we need to be thankful about when it comes to God, all the things that make God an awesome God, all the things that make God an amazing God, there is one thing that we truly, well, there's more than one, but one of the things that we truly need to be thankful for is mentioned in the first verse that we read, verse 5, because it tells us something very clearly about God. It says, the God of what? The God of patience.

[7:25] How important is that in our lives that God is patient with us? How important is that? Scale of one to ten, how important is it that God is patient with you? I heard several tens. Eleven? I heard an eleven. I would say probably the eleven is accurate, but whether you want to go beyond the scale or not. But you think about God being a God of patience and how important that truly is. Because again, when you start thinking about God, He is our Father. That's a parent kind of figure. And when you think about a parent, there is a time for each one of us as parents, if you were a parent, that maybe you lost your patience with your children, that your patience ran out. Again, what happens when your patience runs out? You say things you don't want to. You do things maybe that you regret.

[8:24] But it's hard to always have that kind of patience that you need to have. You know, and it's especially true when our children do something over and over and over again after we told them not to. And you see them just continue to follow in that and your patience just gets worn thin until it's gone all together. But then you think about our lives, our spiritual lives as Christians and as believers. How often do we fail over and over again? How many times have you had to come back to God to say, I'm sorry for something that you had done not just that time, but already 25 times in your life or maybe a hundred times in your life and you find that you've fallen into that same trap again and have to go back to God and say you're sorry. How often does that happen?

[9:05] And it can be any sin that you want to pick out. And I know we pick on some sins more than others, but it can be the sin of pride. It can be the sin of lying. It can be the sin of how we treat others.

[9:22] I mean, there's so many things that can fall into that category that we may fail time and time again or even just not keeping God as a priority in our life. We talked about seeking what? The kingdom of God first. Seeking God first. How often do we fall short of that and we need to tell God, I'm sorry.

[9:40] And folks, that happens in our lives over and over again. The Israelites, God's chosen people were no different as you read through the Old Testament. And as we read through in Bible study, we're in 1 Samuel, but for the people of Israel, God's chosen people, do you know what their spiritual lives were like?

[9:56] It was a roller coaster. Up, down, up, down, close to God, away from God, close to God, away from God, close to God, away from God, over and over and over again. And you can look at them and sometimes we do and we think, well, how stupid could they be? God does this for them and then the very next chapter, you're reading about them turning away from God. But then you think sometimes there's like 20 years between that chapter and the next chapter. And then you start to think, well, yeah, a lot can happen in 20 years. A lot can happen in 10 years. A lot can happen in one year. A lot can happen in a month to where at one point we commit our lives to God and the next minute we find we're not keeping Him as a priority. Does that happen? And we need to return to God and say, God, I'm...

[10:44] I'm... Finish that. God, I'm sorry. God, I have failed. God, I have let you down. God, I have not been the person that you want me to be. Folks, this is why it is so important that God is a God of patience because He is patient with us. When we're willing to come back to Him and say, I'm sorry, God is patient. He doesn't say, too late, you're out of luck. You had one too many chances. I'm done with you. God doesn't say that. Three strikes and you're out. That is not the God we serve. Aren't you glad that God loves us just as much every time we return to Him? That's the God of patience that it's talking about. The God of patience. Look in verse 5 again. Now the God of patience and He is a patient God. And you know what? This isn't... You want to know just how patient God is? You know that's part of the reason He hasn't returned yet? Because He's a God of patience?

[11:49] Peter said that God is long-suffering. That means patient, not willing that any should perish. God doesn't want anyone to perish. That's why He is long-suffering. That's why He is patient, but it says He is not slack concerning His promise. He said that Christ is going to return and He's going to wrap everything up and He will do that, but He's trying to show as much patience in that as He can, giving people time and opportunity to come back to Him. That is the God of patience that we serve.

[12:18] Verse 5, now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one towards another according to Jesus. So it says that because God is a patient God, He is a God of long-suffering with us, He wants us to be like-minded towards each other. What does that mean?

[12:37] What's that? Do the same for each other, which means what? Be patient with each other. How are you at that in your life? Being patient with the people around you?

[12:51] We can talk about a couple different ways. How about your physical family? How patient are you with them? I seriously want you to think about it. Your physical family, the people that are around you, how patient are you with them? Is it sometimes very hard?

[13:13] Take a lot of deep breaths. And some of us, again, are naturally more patient people than others, aren't we?

[13:32] All of us have different levels of patience, but God also asks all of us to improve in that area, to be patient with each other, that that means someone may do you wrong.

[13:44] And what does the Bible say we need to do? Okay, there's only one answer for that, and it's an easy one. What does the Bible say that we need to do? Forgive them.

[13:57] To truly show the patience that God shows us, He's patient and He forgives us, we need to be patient and forgiving with others. Folks, that needs to be part of our existence. And being like-minded towards each other means that we need to be patient with each other.

[14:11] That means that everybody doesn't need to think the way that you do. Everybody does not always need to agree with you. Everybody needs to agree with me instead. But we sometimes think that way because we think we're right, and that's not the truth.

[14:26] When it says like-minded, again, that doesn't mean that we need to agree on everything. But look at what it says in the next verse, because it tells us what we need to be like-minded about in verse 6. That you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God.

[14:41] One mind. That means that all of us need to be in one mind. That means think the same way. Now, at first, you can look at that and think, how in the world are we all going to think the same way?

[14:55] Because there's a lot of things we may think differently about, right? But it says with one mind and one mouth to do what? Glorify God. That is what we need to be in agreement on.

[15:06] There's a whole lot of other things we can disagree about. You know what? I don't care. That's all right. We can root for different ball teams. We can have different views on this subject or that subject, whatever.

[15:17] But the one mind we need to have is that we are serious about glorifying God. That that is our priority in our minds. It all goes back to that seeking first the kingdom of God.

[15:29] That should be something we all have in common. Again, in the world that we live in, so many times the things that are brought up are those things that we have that are differences. Things that divide us.

[15:40] Things that keep us apart. And people want to focus on those. But for a body of believers, for the family of God, there is one thought and one thought alone that should unify us, that should draw us together.

[15:52] Not just here at Bethel, but the greater church around the world. And that is the one mind we have in glorifying God. That means in putting Him first.

[16:02] That means in doing things that God is pleased with. We should all be in agreement on that. That's not that complicated, is it? No. One mind glorifying God.

[16:12] But it doesn't just say one mind. With one mind and one what? Mouth. Mouth. So our thinking and also what we say, the message that we send out to the world, we should have one mind in that.

[16:25] We should have one message that we send out to the world. Is that true of the church today? Does it have one message that it's sending out to the world? No. Yes or no? What do you think? Does church have one message that it's sending out?

[16:37] No. That's what church it is. You know, I think this is an area that is the greater church we're falling short in. And we can't always control all of that, but we can control what happens in our lives.

[16:49] And hopefully what happens in our church body. And this is something that I pray that we have one message about. That we are like-minded. That we have one mouth, one message that we're getting out in glorifying God.

[17:01] And what is that message to the world around us? What is the one thing to glorify God? What is that message that we should be sending out? Jesus saves.

[17:12] There's a few different words that you can use, but it all comes down to one thing. God is love. Anything else? The truth.

[17:25] You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. I think the truth is probably a good way to sum it up. The message that we need to tell people is that God has a plan for you. God has a plan for you.

[17:39] And it's found in the truth of His Word. Folks, that's the message we need to be sending out. God has a plan for your life. Because is that true? Does God have a plan for every one of our lives?

[17:50] Yes. I heard several yeses, but folks, every one of you should say yes. God has a plan, doesn't He? Okay. Turn to the person next to you and say, God has a plan for you.

[18:07] Okay. That's great that we tell each other. That's a start, isn't it? But it's comfortable telling each other that. That's pretty easy to do, isn't it?

[18:18] Now, it says our message, one mouth to glorify God, one message that we get out. That message needs to get out of these four walls, doesn't it?

[18:30] If it only just bounces around in these four walls, does it do any good? Yeah, maybe for us. What about for the world around us? It needs to go beyond these four walls.

[18:45] That message needs to be carried wherever you go. And here's the thing, you carry that message with you, but do you share that message? That's really what it comes down to. Are you glorifying God with the message that you're giving out?

[18:59] Because that's what God wants, that we may with one mind and one mouth glorify God. God. Is that our purpose?

[19:12] Glorifying God? What does it mean to glorify God? God. It means to raise Him up, to lift up His name, to share Him with the world around us, to tell the world around us what an amazing God we serve, to tell the world around us what an awesome God we have.

[19:28] And we do. You know, when you have something that's awesome in your life, do you have a desire to share it? I think most of you do. And I witness that every week when you have good things happen in your life and you come through the doors or I talk with you in the course of the week.

[19:45] You share those things, don't you? Whether it is a grandchild born or a child born or something great that happens in your family or in your own personal life. When it's something that's that great, you share it, don't you?

[19:59] Okay, I'll tell you, you do because I get to hear it. But folks, our God is something that should be in that conversation. It is not something that is to be kept to ourselves.

[20:10] It is our message. We have a message. You are a messenger of God. But if a messenger goes out, goes to where he's supposed to go, and never delivers the message, what do you think of that messenger?

[20:28] He's not doing his job. What should happen if you don't do your job? You ought to be fired. You agree with that? If somebody doesn't do their job, should they be fired?

[20:42] Okay, now we're back to God being a patient God. Because He doesn't fire us, does He? Even if we sometimes deserve it. Right?

[20:54] We are the messengers of God. He has given us a message to carry out into the world. We have the message. We will go out into the world. You all will.

[21:05] Right? Any of you staying here all week? I'm guessing by 1 o'clock or so, it's going to be empty in here. Right? Did you agree with that?

[21:17] There's some stick around talk for a long time, which is great. But by 1 o'clock, guess what? Lights are going to be off. It's going to be pretty empty in here. So where are you going to be? Trav's going to be hiding in the closet now.

[21:30] I don't know where you're going to be. Out to lunch? Wherever. You're out in the world. You have the message. What are you going to do with it? I hope.

[21:43] That is our message. We need to be in one mind about that. Not just one or two, but all of us. That should be something we have in common. And again, God is a patient. A patient God.

[21:54] He will give us a lot of opportunities. But folks, that is a job that He's put before us. We have a message. And praise God. But it goes on here. For more reasons that we should praise and glorify and understand what an amazing God it is that we serve.

[22:11] Look down in verse 9. Well, look in verse 8 and 9. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made to the fathers.

[22:22] What is it talking about there? Who's the circumcision that it's talking about? We don't talk a lot about circumcision in church. But who's the circumcision that it's talking about? The Israelites.

[22:36] The Jewish people. Those were the circumcision. Way back when God chose Abraham and called Abraham and gave him all the promises. What did He say to the Israelite people or to Abraham's people that they needed to be circumcised?

[22:49] That was one way of showing that they were His people. You can read it way back in the Old Testament. So when it talks about circumcision, it's talking about the Jewish people. And look at what it says.

[22:59] Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the Jews for the truth of God to confirm the promises made to the fathers. Jesus came to confirm all the promises that God had made to the fathers to Abraham and Isaac and just so on and so forth.

[23:13] All the promises God made to them. Jesus was confirmation of that. Jesus was fulfillment of many of those promises. So there we're talking about the Jews. Does that include us?

[23:25] Any of you Jewish? Okay, so most of us are not in that category, right? Now look at verse 9. That's where we come in. And that the...

[23:38] Here's us. Gentiles. Who's a Gentile? Anybody that's not a Jew. Pretty big category, isn't it? And that the Gentiles might glorify God so that we should glorify God for His mercy.

[24:00] Our God is an amazing God. Our God is an awesome God because of His mercy. Mercy is not... Hard to understand.

[24:11] Mercy is not getting what you deserve. That's mercy. Not getting what you deserve. Do you sin in your life? Any who without sin?

[24:23] I'll answer that. No. Do you sin in your life? The answer is yes. For me too. What is the consequence of sin? Death.

[24:34] So what do we deserve? Death. Plain and simple. That is what we deserve. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Not getting that death, but instead getting what?

[24:46] Life. Through Jesus Christ. That is God's mercy. And folks, we better glorify God for that. We better praise Him for that. The Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy.

[24:58] As it is written, For this cause I will confess to you among the Gentiles and sing to your name. Look at verse 10. And again He says, Rejoice, you Gentiles.

[25:09] So again, rejoice who? Us. Us. You. Me. Rejoice. You Gentiles. With who? His people.

[25:20] So who's the His people? If the Gentiles are a separate group, who's the His people? It's not only the Jews. So the Gentiles should rejoice with His people. Verse 11. And again, praise the Lord all you Gentiles.

[25:33] So what is it we should be doing? It's said it three times here. Praising God. And laud Him, all you people. What does it mean, laud? How many times in your life have you used the word laud lately?

[25:46] L-A-U-D. Laud. What does it mean? Praise Him. It's even a little more specific than that.

[25:59] It means to praise in a public context. That means in front of other people. That's public. How many times here did it say that as Gentiles we should praise God?

[26:15] How many times? I'm waiting for you to look. We'll wait.

[26:27] How many times? Verse 10. Rejoice, you Gentiles. Verse 11. And again, praise the Lord, you Gentiles. Laud Him, which is praising Him in a public context.

[26:39] Three different times. It tells us to praise God. To understand the goodness of God. You know, all those promises that God had given to the Jewish people.

[26:50] And God had given them so many. But we as Gentiles, it says that we become part of that. That we become God's people. There are some other verses that we're not necessarily going to look at today.

[27:02] You can write them down. In Gentiles, chapter 3, verses 6. All right. Turn there anyway. Turn to Gentiles. We're going there. Galatians. Turn to the book of Gentiles.

[27:15] Good luck finding that. Let's try Galatians instead. I got the G right. Galatians, chapter 3, beginning in verse 6.

[27:27] You're all going to go home. Oh, the pastor is talking about the book of Gentiles. That guy doesn't know what he's talking about. Galatians, chapter 3, beginning in verse 6. And look here what it says.

[27:39] Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness, know you therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

[27:51] And the scripture for seeing that God would justify the heathen through faith preached before the gospel to Abraham, saying, In you shall all nations be blessed.

[28:02] So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. We become a part of all those promises God gave to his people. We become his people when we have faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

[28:16] All the promises of God's word opens up to us. You see, in the beginning, God had his chosen people. He had Abraham and all those that descended from Abraham. The Jewish people and the tribes of Israel and all those things you read about in the Old Testament.

[28:29] Those were God's people. But now, because of faith and trust in Jesus Christ, now who is God's people? Say, us.

[28:40] We are. All those promises open up to us. Did God have to do that? Did he have to? No.

[28:51] Did he? Yes. Are you thankful for that? Did we do anything to deserve it? We did it anyway. All these things are talking about God's mercy, God's faithfulness, God's love towards us.

[29:06] And that's why it says over and over again to praise him, glorify his name, praise him in a public context. And if you noticed, we didn't have a praise time earlier. Because we're going to do it now.

[29:16] Because we've just read three times it says praise God. And you're going to loud him. You're going to loud this morning. Okay? L-A-U-D. Laud. We're going to laud him this morning.

[29:28] That means to praise in a public context. What do you praise God for? His mercy. What else?

[29:38] What do you praise God for? It says praise God in public. Sharon. Faithfulness and sharing the truth.

[29:51] And I hope we all have that. Annabelle. That he created us. For his love. Serenity. For this church community, this church body that we have here.

[30:06] Jerry. For his healing. Come on. This is your chance to be involved. It says we need to praise him in public. This is what we're doing. He gives us what we need when we need it.

[30:21] Travis. For the mind of God that did all this. Sharon. That he has made us family.

[30:36] What else do you praise God for? Carol. For his blessings every day. We just need to recognize it.

[30:47] Amen. Amen. Interaction. Interaction. And other people around us that God puts us in the midst of.

[30:57] Amen. Leonard. I pray for a place to come and see together. Okay. A place that we have. A building that we have. To come together and worship God. For the Bible and the truth it teaches.

[31:10] We haven't gone over here yet. Alan. For salvation. Absolutely. Denise. For his forgiveness. Amen. Christina. For the family that we can have around us.

[31:27] And that God brings together. Where? Sue. For his faithfulness in all situations. His faithfulness in all situations. The good, the bad, the hard, the easy, everything in between.

[31:38] For his son. For his son. Jesus Christ. That he gives us what we need even though it isn't what we want. That he gives us what we need even when it's not what we want.

[31:53] Travis. Peace and security that he gives us. Annabelle. Nate on Wednesday nights. Praise God for Nate on Wednesday nights.

[32:07] That we're praying that he keeps his sanity. Amen. Nate. If you're wondering why I need to keep my sanity. I just praise God only by his hand.

[32:17] We have 15 kids here in Wednesday night. And we've put three of our regular. So I admit it. Again, and I say it every time. But praise God for the ones who want to be there.

[32:28] Not the others. For the 15 that we're in youth on Wednesday night. And amen. Amen. Just happy. For the joy.

[32:39] Mom. A long enough life to enjoy great grandchildren. A long enough life to enjoy great grandchildren. Amen. If your row hasn't said anything yet, guess what?

[32:51] You're in it, right? What else do you praise God for? It says to praise him in public. Is that always easy? You know, here's the thing. If we can't praise God amongst each other, are we going to do it out in the world?

[33:04] If we can't do it in here, folks, there's no way we're going to do it out there. This is the easy stuff. Praising God here because we're all like-minded. You're going to be asked to praise God out there where some people may look at you like you are off your rocker when you start praising God for something.

[33:20] When you give God the glory for something and point it to him instead of yourself, some people are going to think you're nuts. Expect that. But in here, we are like-minded. This is easy, but this is where it needs to start.

[33:33] So what else do you praise God for? We've got a few minutes yet. Loretta? Strength that he gives us to get through life. Zane? Talking to a niece that you haven't seen for a long, long time.

[33:50] Carrie? Praise God for how, between Christmas and our chance that we did at JVC, there's 25 different people from our community that love those kids.

[34:05] So, yeah, praise God for that. Amen. Praise God for those that are willing to volunteer and be involved and share with the youth at the juvenile detention center. Shirley, did you have your hand up?

[34:16] That God never leaves us, that he's always with us. Annabelle's really showing the rest of you up. You know that, right?

[34:27] Annabelle? If you're family. Sharon? That he hears our prayers, that he listens. Don?

[34:39] His grace and mercy. Again, mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don't deserve. Not what he's not giving us that we do deserve, but giving us something we don't deserve.

[34:51] Sarah? Safety, opportunities, and guidance. Amen. Travis? I know there's something that you shared on Wednesday night. I praise God that he randomly just shows up in the most notorious time.

[35:07] You know what I mean? And just, the leverage you breathe when we least expect it. That God shows up maybe when we least expect it and gives us what we have need of. Tina?

[35:18] People that have a heart for God and encourage others. Annabelle? For amazing teachers in your life.

[35:35] And I think all of us have those. Sharon? That he uses us. Even in our imperfections, God still uses us. Don? Yeah.

[35:46] But knowing that every second, every day, he's there to talk to you. That God is there to talk to you every second, every day. Doug?

[35:58] And it's better to bring you to a smile and face. For all the little smiling faces that we have at our congregation and for the families that bring them. Amen. Carol?

[36:09] I think sometimes when we were to have tough tasks in our lives, God doesn't work to you. Okay.

[36:21] That in the difficult times, it draws us closer to God. Amen. Cindy? Cindy? Godly people all around you and your family.

[36:38] Amen. Christina? Christina? Just for my spouse, because I know those little faces aren't smiling and they're looking at you. You're the worst person on the earth that you take over and allow you to call me out.

[36:53] All right. For the things that God does inside of us that we need. Anyone else? Folks, this is praising God.

[37:05] And we're not doing it to take up time in the service. We're not doing it for any other reason other than isn't this what it tells us to do? And again, here it's talking to Gentiles.

[37:16] It's talking to you and I. And it says that we need to praise Him. Remember what an amazing God we serve. What an awesome God we serve. Remember all that He's done for us. But again, that is our message for the world.

[37:27] It is not a message that is meant to be kept inside. And it does something. Understand this. It is meaningful. When we praise God, it pleases God, first of all.

[37:38] And if that was the only thing it accomplished, then it would be worth it, wouldn't it? To praise God, to please Him by praising Him. But you know what else it accomplishes? It encourages other believers, doesn't it?

[37:49] Does it encourage you to hear these praises? It should. And then it can even do something more than that. When you carry that message out into the world and you're praising God out in this world that's full of ugliness and a lot of hard things, when you're praising God, what does it do for the world around you?

[38:05] It points them in a direction, doesn't it? And that direction is towards God. That they know that there is an awesome God out there that they can turn to. That there's a patient God that they can turn to.

[38:18] That there is a loving, merciful God that they can turn to. Because so many times you may hear, oh, I've done too much, I've gone too far. That I can never return to God. Yes, they can. Because God is a patient God.

[38:28] Because God is a merciful God. Because God is a forgiving God. That is the message we need to carry. And it starts with praising God. If people don't know what a wonderful God we serve, why would they want to turn to Him?

[38:42] They need to know how wonderful a God He is. And that starts with our message. All right. That's not hard to understand, is it? We've praised Him in a public context here in the congregation.

[38:53] But now your job is, as you leave here, to keep praising God. Wherever you're at. At work. In your home. At school. I don't care where you're at. Glorify God.

[39:05] Point people to Him by praising Him. And giving Him the credit. Not keeping it for yourself. And if they look at you strange, that's all right. You think they ever looked at Jesus in a strange way?

[39:17] Yeah. Several times they said, He's mad. He's out of His mind. Do you think they ever looked at the disciples in an odd way? Yeah. They said, these guys are nuts. They thought they were drunk at times. The world may think you're crazy.

[39:28] Keep praising Him. Because He is worthy and deserving of our praise. Let's pray. Lord God, thank You once again for this morning that You've given us.

[39:39] I thank You for Your Word. For the truth that it shares with us. And the reminder that it gives us that we have so very many things to praise You for. That You are a God of patience.

[39:49] That You are a God of mercy. That You are a God of grace. That You are a God of grace. That You are a God of forgiveness. All these things, Lord, You have shown to us. And Lord, You tell us that this is to be our message.

[40:00] That we are to be like-minded. That we're to think the same way and that way is to please You. That our message is to be the same and that is that we serve a wonderful God. Help us to carry that message outside these four walls to the world around us.

[40:15] To the jobs that we're in. To the school that we go to. To the places that we gather. Help us to continue to share what an amazing, wonderful God You are. Give us the boldness and the courage.

[40:26] In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. This morning as we close, the altar is open. If you have a need, God is always... If you have a messenger, here's your job. Praise Him.

[40:37] Praise Him. Tell of His excellent greatness. Kind of sums it up, doesn't it? Okay. Now, you're going to leave this place sooner or later. Take that message with you.

[40:49] Okay? Let's pray. Lord God, thank You again for this morning. And I do truly thank You for each person that's here this morning. I thank You for this body that You've brought together. But Lord, as we leave this place, we leave with a purpose.

[41:02] We leave with a message. And I pray, Lord, that we go out like-minded. That we all have that same message. And that is to tell of Your excellent greatness. What a wonderful, great God You are.

[41:13] Help that to be on our lips wherever we go. Help that to be the message that we carry to the world around us. Thank You again for this time. And thank You that You are a great, amazing, wonderful, awesome God.

[41:24] In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. And all God's family said, Amen. God bless you and have a wonderful week. Thank you. Thank you.