[0:00] Amen. Well, this morning will be an act of great self-control for all of us. There's food aroma that's coming into the area and the temptation will be that you won't be able to consecrate at all on what's being said.
[0:27] But I pray that what's said from God's Word will also be something that's nourishing this morning, feeds you. It's unintentional but very appropriate that we started. The song said this morning, taste and see that the Lord is good.
[0:47] And we're going to do that. We can continue to do that this morning, but we're going to do that too as we fellowship together, eat together. And if you weren't prepared for that this morning, it's okay. There's plenty of food back there.
[1:02] And as soon as we're done worshiping together, we're going to bring some tables out. We'll do our normal shuffle, but we've got extra time today.
[1:13] That's been preaching longer, don't worry. We've got extra time today so that we can set up tables in this very spot right here. So there'll be a little transition after we finish, and then we're going to share our Thanksgiving meal together as we fellowship together.
[1:33] So it's going to be good. So if you didn't plan on a stay anyway, it'll be a great time to fellowship as we fellowship together. And yeah, it's Cornerstone cello-ship. Is that what we are?
[1:47] Yeah, we're just a cello-ship right here. We're a cello-ship. We're getting closer. We're getting closer. It's moving that way. In January, the plan right now is that we will covenant together and become a church officially together.
[2:05] We're functioning in many ways that way. We will officially become that as we nail down many things about belief, practice, all those kinds of things.
[2:15] We've been talking about those things Wednesday nights as we gather together. It's been really good. We've talked about starting a discussion on elders this week, and started some good healthy discussion this week.
[2:29] It's a Wednesday night. We will not meet this Wednesday because, of course, Thanksgiving is Thursday. We've got family coming in. People are traveling to see family and hosting family and all kinds of stuff.
[2:39] So we won't meet this Wednesday, but we'll pick it back up the following Wednesday and continue on as we lay the foundation. We're really working hard to lay a good foundation for Cornerstone Church, and I think it's going to be fantastic.
[2:58] I would ask you to pray for me this morning just because, I don't know, some of you might remember the characters on a TV show from times past called the characters of Doug and Wendy Weiner.
[3:12] Anybody remember that? One or two? Okay, there were some skiffs that were done. This is Doug and Wendy Weiner, and they complained about everything. One thing that they complained about as they went into the restaurants, they would say, Oh, I can't eat this. I can't eat that. I can't eat this because I've got diverticulitis.
[3:34] And they would complain about it the whole time. It was really kind of funny. Until I have diverticulitis. And so I've had some minor stomach trouble in the past.
[3:52] And if you don't know, if you're new to knowing us, by minor, I mean I almost died in the hospital for several months because my large intestine exploded.
[4:04] Because of diverticulitis and disc infection, whatever, all that. So anytime it acts up, I do get slightly nervous. And I've had a couple of flare-ups here in the last month or so, including right now.
[4:20] So the sermon may be way shorter today. Or, you know, if I get to feeling good, I may feel so relieved. I'll just go all day.
[4:32] So just pray for me. Okay. It is just a strong, strong cramp right in my gut right now.
[4:48] So just let me in that way. But we're going to continue on. We've been talking about the passage in Ephesians.
[5:01] And this morning I want you to turn in your Bible to Colossians. So Colossians chapter 3. And we'll be looking at verse 15 and following.
[5:17] As we continue this discussion about living a radiant life. A life that shines because of Christ.
[5:29] And as you're turning there, I came across this letter. And it was kind of an open letter. In fact, it was titled An Open Letter to the People that Don't Say Thank You.
[5:43] Okay. So this was somebody complaining about that. They said, Dear people that do not say thank you. I've come across too many people like you recently.
[5:55] You know the kind of people that refuse to thank others for kind gestures. Just two days ago I paid for a girl's sandwich because she didn't have enough money.
[6:05] Did she say thank you? No. And was I upset? Yes. First of all, I know that your parents raised you better. And even if they didn't, saying thank you is a courtesy that one can learn.
[6:21] Secondly, why don't you thank others? Are you too entitled to say thank you? Are you too lazy to say thank you?
[6:32] Honestly, what is it? Just in case someone hasn't informed you already, I'm writing this to let you know that not saying thank you is rude.
[6:43] It's unacceptable. It's extremely irritating. Not saying thank you shows a lack of compassion and appreciation for those around you. I've noticed that you don't respect the people who are providing for you with their services.
[6:56] The people who are going out of their way to help you. The people who are being kind toward you. Below are examples of instances where you should thank others. When someone holds the door open for you.
[7:10] When someone says bless you after you sneeze. When someone lets you into their lane. When someone offers you a compliment. When someone gets you a present.
[7:23] When you're waited on by a waiter or a waitress or the cashier or a teacher or a bus driver. So, if you're not saying thank you, you might want to start today.
[7:36] Sincerely, a really annoyed individual. I read through that and I just thought, you know, I think all of us have seen that or experienced that with people from time to time.
[7:51] And as you come to Colossians, I really think what we might be hearing from the Apostle Paul is really Paul expressing maybe a slightly annoyed God who's expecting thankfulness from us.
[8:10] We tend to live pretty thankless lives. And it shows. People do not know what you feel.
[8:22] But people do see what you do. Gratitude is what you feel. But thanksgiving is what you do.
[8:33] You can feel thankful and not show your thankfulness. You can be grateful for things and not show your gratitude.
[8:46] God wants you to feel grateful and reveal His glory by expressing thankfulness. Part of who we are as believers in Christ.
[8:58] Colossians and Ephesians are two parallel books. Paul wrote these at the same time, we assume, likely in his Roman imprisonment time.
[9:12] These are letters from a Roman jail from Paul. They're expressing the supremacy of Christ, especially in Colossians. And in both of these, giving clear instructions for us on how we are to live as believers.
[9:29] So in Ephesians, we saw a very beautiful picture of us walking in the light. And this theme of walking in the light of Christ, as Christ has shown the light in our hearts, revealed the gospel to us.
[9:45] It is now us reflecting that light in our life by walking in certain ways. And as he goes through that letter, you see all of these ways of walking in the light of Christ.
[10:00] Colossians is following the same theme. And you can tell that these letters were written at about the same time, if not at the same time, because they're following the same pattern.
[10:11] And the same ideas are being expressed in the same order. And so if you read them back to back, you'll see it really clearly. But especially in these sections, you see parallel ideas, even though they're worded differently in both letters.
[10:27] Which helps us to kind of get a deeper understanding of what's being said in one letter or the other. So we can look at one and read it, and then in the other, read what he said about the same subject.
[10:39] And you get it from slightly a different wording. And you say, oh, I see it a little differently now. Colossians is much shorter. But both of these letters are getting into the business of people's lives.
[10:54] It's the pastor meddling in their life, right? And that's what we do. We comfort the afflicted, and we afflict the comfortable, right?
[11:06] That's our job. We communicate God's word, and we encourage, and we challenge. And it's to help all of us be challenged to conform our life to God's word, so that we live in the same shape of God's word.
[11:22] In Ephesians, you get the description of walking in the light, like we talked about in the last few weeks. Radiant life because of Christ, because of the gospel. It's a life of contrast.
[11:35] It's enabling us to experience and show the effects of the gospel in our life. And so, Paul identifies the personal and corporate expressions of thanksgiving in this as being something that's essential if you're wanting to shine the light of Christ.
[11:53] To live a life of gratitude and thanksgiving. One that not only feels thankful, it's one that expresses thankfulness to God and to others. To show your thankfulness to God by ministering to others and serving others.
[12:07] And so, we saw the walk of urgency and the walk of discernment and the walk under the influence of the Holy Spirit. And in Ephesians, he moves on to walking in harmony with everybody by being a thankful kind person.
[12:24] The thankfulness that you have to God. Ephesians 5, he said, address in one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual psalms. Singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.
[12:36] Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
[12:46] And this thankfulness to God being played out in the context of the corporate body. So, it's not just me being or feeling grateful for thanks.
[12:57] It's me expressing gratitude to God. And not just in thanksgiving. You might even just say it's in thanksliving.
[13:08] You're living out your gratitude. And so, in the parallel in Colossians, he's saying in terms not of walking in the light, but of putting on Christ.
[13:21] So, now you're putting off your old self. And you're putting on Christ. And in putting on Christ, today we're shifting over there to look at his perspective here.
[13:33] On the same issue as we talk about shining with thanks today. So, if you found a place in Colossians 3, go ahead and stand. And let's read this together.
[13:43] Colossians 3. And did I have verse 15? Where did we start? You told me 16. You start wherever you want.
[13:54] I'm going to start at 15. You'll start showing up at 16. Go catch up. Alright. Colossians 3, verse 15.
[14:06] And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. To which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
[14:19] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom. Sing you psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thanksgiving in your hearts to God.
[14:38] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
[14:52] Father, may you bless the reading of your word today. May you shape us into a people who feel gratitude. And a people who show gratitude.
[15:07] People who express gratitude to others as we express gratitude to you in our hearts. As we minister.
[15:17] As we serve. As we live. As we worship. As we study. As we make application of your word. May Christ be exalted in all of this.
[15:29] May he shine in us. So that he might shine through us. As thankful. We love you. We praise you. Christ in your name. Praise you.
[15:40] Amen. It's one thing to be gracious. Another thing to give thanks. So to the Colossians here. These are people being instructed in the same way of Ephesians.
[15:55] But here they're being instructed to put on Christ. And there's three factors that you see divided in this passage. That's why I went to this passage. Because as I read it as the parallel.
[16:06] You can see so clearly the division of it. Breaking down. As you see that word thankfulness used. Three times from verse 15 through 16 into 17.
[16:18] And three different ways that he's applying this thanksgiving and thankfulness. That you see in the text. And so as you see it as we put it together.
[16:30] I think it becomes three factors for us. In putting on Christ. And radiating Christ through thankfulness. Especially radiating him in a dark and unthankful kind of world.
[16:44] Amen. Thank you. And so there's three factors that we see. There's three factors. If you're wanting to kind of chop this down. Number one it's going to be that we understand the mandate for thankfulness.
[17:01] Understand the mandate for thankfulness. Number two. To find an expression for the motivation of thankfulness. Keyword motivation.
[17:14] First keyword mandate. And then thirdly that we actively maintain thankfulness. Keyword maintain. And you see this division here in the text.
[17:27] In verse 15. Where at the end. He ends this statement in the imperative. Which means this is a command. It's a command form.
[17:38] This is some expectation. You are to perform. You're to be. But the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Keep this in mind.
[17:49] Okay. What we just said from Ephesians was. That we're living a life of urgency. Discerning the will of the Lord. And being influenced by the Holy Spirit.
[18:00] Now. So think of the parallels here. As he's describing this. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. To which you were indeed called.
[18:10] In one body. Corporate. Together. And be thankful. And so. In the context of corporate experience. Not business.
[18:21] I know that word gets a little crazy. We're thinking corporate. What do you mean by that? I just mean. Either individually. Personally. Or corporately. Together. As a body of believers.
[18:33] And so you see this. Thankfulness. That word first. There. Be thankful. It's an imperative. It's a command. And then. Verse 16. And so let the word of Christ. Dwell in you richly.
[18:45] So first. You're letting the peace of Christ. Rule in your hearts. And now the word of Christ. Dwell in you richly. And you see the parallel. Ideas of Ephesians. Of being filled with the Holy Spirit.
[18:59] And having discernment of the will of God. Because you know the word of God. And this whole idea. Going back and forth. You look at these together. And you realize. That the inspired word of God.
[19:11] Is the substance. That God is going to use. To bring peace internally to you. And guard and guide your heart and mind.
[19:22] His word is the substance. So that you need to be richly. Filled with the word of God. So that the Holy Spirit. Takes the substance. Of the inspired word of God.
[19:34] And applies it internally to you. And when he does. The peace of God. Is going to rule in your heart. And it's going to become the guide. The referee for the thoughts of your mind.
[19:45] And so that's the important. Factor here. So I'm getting ahead of myself. But this is the division. Okay. You see the imperative. That he starts with. The command form. Be thankful.
[19:57] And then. In verse 16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Admonishing one another. In all wisdom. Singing psalms. Hymns. Spiritual psalms. With thanksgiving.
[20:07] In your hearts. To God. And you notice immediately. That this is something. That's going to God. This expression of song and singing.
[20:18] But it's also going. To the corporate body. Of believers around me. It's teaching and admonishing. And singing. Together. In the corporate experience.
[20:30] In a way that's expressing. Something inwardly. That has transformed my heart. Something that is changing me. Day by day. The dwelling of the Holy Spirit.
[20:40] That work inside of me. Is working its way. Outside of me. So that the gratitude. That I feel. Internally. Is now being seen.
[20:50] In thanksgiving. Outwardly. Acts of thanks. On the outside. Not just gratitude. You feel that. And it's incomplete.
[21:01] Until you give it. And now I'm grateful. And I show my thanksgiving. And then.
[21:12] The third part. Let the word of Christ dwell in your reach. That teaching and admonishing. Singing. And whatever you do. Whatever it is. In whatever ways you're doing. In word. Or read. Do everything.
[21:23] In the name of the Lord Jesus. Giving thanks to God the Father. Through him. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks.
[21:34] The thanksgiving. Is flowing from. The inside out. Because of a mandate. Command. And a call. In my life. To do so. And.
[21:45] Now it's working its way out. In the body. Expressing it. Ministering to others. With it. And. In all the things that I do. I need to maintain. This mindset.
[21:56] And this is. The three factors. That are going to enable us. To radiate. The transformation that comes. Because of Jesus.
[22:06] Living. Inside of us. Through the Holy Spirit. The transformation. That's happening. In our life. So number one. We have to understand.
[22:17] The mandate. For thankfulness. So again. Two factors here. One. The command. That's in the imperative. Connected to the calling. Of your life. So it's a call.
[22:29] And a command. You're called to this. By God. It's the calling. Of your life. The response. Of your life. To the grace of God. That's been shown to you. Because Jesus. Took your sin.
[22:41] Every sin. That you've ever committed. Every sin. That you're going to commit. Today. Every sin. In the future. As long as you live. On the face of this earth. Has been taken.
[22:52] On the person of Christ. At the cross. His blood. Applied. To your life. And the response. Of that.
[23:03] He's calling you. To me. So that. The Holy Spirit. Living inside of you. Now. Is going to reflect. The transformation. That he can bring. And. And with him. Inside of you.
[23:14] Now. You've seen the light of Christ. Because of. Because of the revelation. That God's given you. You've understood. The gospel. Right? You've understood.
[23:24] The gospel. Right? Right. Amen. And you understood. The gospel. And you responded. To the gospel. And now. You've been changed. There's a call. On your mind. You've seen the light.
[23:38] And now. You reflect the light. Whatever. Whatever. Reflects light. Is light. Paul said. Remember. Ephesians. In the context.
[23:51] It's in the context. Of the body. You've been called. And so. In this body. Now. This is a place. Where you're going to shine. The light of Christ together. And the corporate experience.
[24:01] Together. Is where. You're going to. Live this out. It's one of the main places. It's not the only place. But this is a main place. If we're going to shine. The light of Christ.
[24:12] And if you're going to put. Christ on. Because in the discussion here. If. If you. Go back to chapter three. In Colossians. Or verse one. Of chapter three. Who's he talking to?
[24:25] If you look at your Bible. You can see who he's talking to. If you've been raised with Christ. So this is conditional. He's. He's saying. Not all of you are going to do this.
[24:36] Because all of you. In this room. Haven't been raised with Christ. All of you. In the church. Jesus said. There's. There's wheat. And tares together.
[24:47] And one day. God's going to separate this all out. We can't see. The invisible church. We see the visible. We're having to work with the visible. Trying to discern. One day. God's going to separate out.
[24:58] The sheep. And the goats. And all of those things. And it's going to become. Very clear. And this is you. In the church. Who have been raised. With Christ.
[25:09] The Holy Spirit. Opened your eyes. To the gospel. You were raised from the dead. You were filled with his Holy Spirit. You have strength. And power. That's not your own. And because of that.
[25:21] Even in verse 1. Christ seated you. In the right hand of God. And he set your mind. On things above. Not on things that are on the earth. For you have died.
[25:32] And your life. Is hidden with Christ. In God. And when Christ. Who is your life. Appears. Then you will appear. With him in glory. Well what are you supposed to do. Until then.
[25:44] Verse 5. Put to death. Therefore. What is earthly. Put it to death. And then down to verse 12.
[25:56] And you list all these things. Things that you should be putting to death. Actual practice. Of spiritual life. Is putting to death. Mortifying. The things in your life. That are earthly.
[26:07] And. Verse 12. Putting on. As God's chosen ones. Holy and beloved. That's who you are.
[26:19] Christ. You're to put on something. And he's using a description. Of like putting on a garment. Like putting on clothes.
[26:31] You're to be clothed. Christ. Christ. It's the description. Of putting off something. And when he says. Put to death. It's the. Putting away.
[26:42] Of something. Like something. That is filthy. Something that's dirty. I mean. You. I carry a baby. And. Oh they're so cute. They're so cuddly.
[26:53] And. And we just love the whole. And then all of a sudden. They just throw up on them. Right. And it's. And it's. And it's mom and dad. Like. I want to thank you. It's okay.
[27:04] But if it's not yours. You're. Horrified. You know. You're. You're. You know. Especially if you've never been around babies much. Or whatever.
[27:14] And you're just. You're trembling. It's just so. Disgusting. Or their diaper. We won't go into descriptions. But. No.
[27:24] I won't. I won't go. I won't. I won't. I won't. I won't. But. But. It gets on you. And all of a sudden. You. You're going to. Put that garment off.
[27:35] And just. Repulse. In. In kind of a repulsed way. You're going to. Throw that garment off. And you're going to put something clean on. And what Paul is saying. Is it's your life in Christ.
[27:46] And. And because of. This calling in your life. That God has raised you up from the dead. And he's given you life in Jesus. He's called you. To put off your old life. Like something repulsive.
[27:56] And something. And all of these things. And. And we think of these things like. As he. As he describes. The list of things here. You must put them all away.
[28:08] Like anger. Wrath. Malice. Slander. Obscene talk from your mouth. Lying to one another. You're. You're to. Put off. The old self.
[28:18] With its practices. And put on. The new self. Which is being renewed. In knowledge. After the image. Of his. Its creator. And this is the.
[28:31] Repulsive. Putting off. Of the old garment. And all of that behavior. The things I used to be. And used to. Used to do. And I am not. That. I have got to be.
[28:42] At a place where I learned. To be repulsed. By what I used to be. This is. Being thankful. The state.
[28:54] Of being thankful. And living. A life. Of gratitude. Like that. Is. The sum total. Of. Putting off. All that you used to be.
[29:05] And putting on Christ. And when you put on Christ. And radiate with him. You're living out the calling. And the imperative. And so this is given.
[29:16] To us. In a very. Very. Clear. Command. And I. I understand this. You understand this. We. We play cards. Periodically. Or at our house. Play it with no.
[29:28] Or. A rope. Or some of those games. You know. And we'll. Play cards. But every time. I forget the movie. I. I. For some reason. I just can't keep it in my head. We don't play it.
[29:38] Regularly enough. For me to. Like have the habits. Of those things. And so. Every time we play it. It's like. Okay. Tell me how we do this again. Right. Anybody else like that? Is it just me? Okay. We got a couple of you.
[29:49] That will. Admit it. I. I can't keep it in my head. And so. It's kind of like that. Paul. Establishing. The foundation. You can't play. If you don't know the rules.
[30:04] You're to let the word of Christ dwell. In you richly. You're to know. The will of God. So that you're. Discerned. This is part of radiating.
[30:15] With Christ. And me being. Grateful. Showing the life. Of thanksgiving. Is the radiating. Of God's word. Transforming. So we got.
[30:27] In the rules. Number two. It's not just. The mandate. Knowing the mandate. We do know. The mandate. We hear it. We understand that. But now. We've got to find. The right expression. The right expression.
[30:39] And that is. The motivation. For thanksgiving. We see what it affects here. And there's two specific things. That he mentions here. Teaching and admonishing.
[30:50] And singing. So you see the corporate experience. Right? Of worshiping together. Teaching and admonishing. One another. Not just the past word teaching.
[31:02] But us. Teaching one another. Admonishing one another. Finding expression. Of an inward change. It's the melody.
[31:13] In my heart. To God. He said. In the teaching. And here. It's from the heart. It's something. That's happening. In my heart. Something that's filling. My heart. And my mind.
[31:24] God's word. Is dwelling in me richly. It's dwelling in me. Holy Spirit's alive. It's not just in my head. It's dead.
[31:34] Cold. Back. It's the Holy Spirit. Taking the word of God. It's dwelling in me richly. It's alive in me. The word of God. Is living and powerful. Sharper than any two-wayed sword.
[31:45] It pierces the division of soul. The spirit. The joints and marrow. It's the discerner of thoughts. And the attempts of the heart. It's the discerner. And the Holy Spirit. Using his word.
[31:55] In me. So that it's dwelling. Extravagating. Overflowing. And so. So the idea here is.
[32:07] Is that. The word of God dwelling in me. Is the internal. And the spirit of God in me. Is internal. Working on me. And it's overflowing. In the teaching.
[32:18] And admonishing. Of one another. It's giving instruction. It's the word. Dardasco. Which means. We get the word. D to K. There was an old. Ancient document.
[32:29] Called the D to K. And it was the summary. Of the apostles teaching. So to speak. But it was kind of. We don't even know who did it. But some of the ideas. In there. I read it the other day. It's a pretty short read.
[32:40] But some of it's kind of weird. You know. It's like. How do you. The apostles would teach us. You know. To discern false prophets. And how do you discern a false prophet. And it would say.
[32:52] Because. If a prophet stays. More than two days. He is a false prophet. I'm like. What? Where do you get that? Maybe there's some Old Testament law.
[33:02] And I've got to really look back. Is there something about staying three days. That's what the market is. So I've got to make sure. We've got a guy coming. That's going to speak. In a couple of weeks. His name is Timothy Kidd.
[33:14] He's a good friend of mine. And. He's going to come. Preach. Two weeks from now. I think. But. But I told him. I said. Right after I read that. I said. Now. I've let. Let people know.
[33:24] That you're coming. But I do want to be sure. That you do leave. On Sunday. Because if not. I will have to mark you as a false prophet.
[33:34] I'm going to be. I'm going to be. We crack up together. But the idea is. It's teaching. It's instruction. It's instructing one another.
[33:46] We are instructing one another. In our conversation. And he gives the range of it. Because he gives the didique. Which speaks of formal instruction. And admonition. Which is more informal.
[33:58] Which can be a range of things. To encouragement. To instruction. To warning. To those kinds of things. And so this is a range of things. So it's basically. In all your conversation with each other.
[34:12] Where you. Overflowing. From being. Richly filled with God's word. Which you should be. That's why we do d-groups. Because we're trying to get in God's word.
[34:23] Get together to encourage each other. We're going to start those up soon. D-groups. Where we. Have a reading plan. That we read through during the year. And memorize verses together.
[34:34] And. And encourage each other. So we're going to do that. But the reason we do that. Is to get in the word. Because we've got to be in the word. We want it. In us richly.
[34:45] I want to be full of it. Because. If I'm. If I'm allowing the Holy Spirit. To take these things in me. It's going to overflow. In my conversation. The reason.
[34:56] We don't talk about God's word. As much as we should. Is because we're not in God's word. As much as we should be. That's why it's not part of your conversation.
[35:09] That's why when you get together. With your family. And that spiritual conversation starts. Why you leave the room. Because you're not in the word. You're not feeding on us. You're not richly full of it.
[35:21] Might be full of it. But you're not full of this. And Paul's saying. You've got to be richly filled with it. That's how you're going to shine.
[35:33] That's how you're going to put on Christ. You're going to show. You're going to wear them like a garment. That can be seen. And singing.
[35:46] And here he gives a range of things too. Because. This is not. Just three categories. Of music. That we are required to sing and worship.
[35:58] That's not what this is saying. In fact. I had to make sure. I started reading commentaries. Because I was thinking. Well psalms. I know what the psalms are. And hymns. I've got a hymn book.
[36:09] I know what the hymns are. And spiritual psalms. I guess that's just anything. If you think else. The extra. Miscellaneous. You know. And that's really not what this means.
[36:20] Because when he says psalms here. As I consulted. 40 commentaries and books. Literally. I started going through. And I was not finding what I was thinking. I was like. Well maybe this guy's wrong.
[36:31] And so I go to another. No. 40. And out of the 40. There were like 3. That said to the contrary of this. 37 of them said. Including this issue.
[36:43] When. It describes the psalms here. There is no definite article. In describing psalms here. He is not referring to the psalms.
[36:56] He is referring to psalms. Psalms are a kind of music. Where poetic words. Are put with instruments. And all he is saying here.
[37:07] Is psalms. That would certainly include. These psalms. But it is not exclusively. These psalms. So when he is talking about this.
[37:19] It is beginning. A range of overlapping ideas. For him to give you the picture. That it is all kind of music. As one.
[37:29] Commentator said. Describing the. The kinds of singing. That we would see in the early church. It would describe. In the early church.
[37:40] They would practice. Acapella singing. No musical instruments. Most of the time. Because there weren't. Everybody wasn't talented. In instruments. And so. Evidence.
[37:51] Historically. Would show. Acapella singing. It would show. The kind of singing. In the church. That would be called. In response. Kind of singing. There would be a call. From the cantor.
[38:02] In front of the room. And he would. Say something. And the congregation. Would respond. In song. There would be solos. There would be specialized. Roles. In music. In music. But.
[38:14] There are periods. In history. Thousand year periods. Where there's no music. At all. In our churches. And so. We've got to be really careful. About the applications. We made to this. That we don't begin to practice.
[38:26] Out of trying to be careful. That we don't practice. Eisegesis. As opposed to exegesis. Exegesis. Exegesis. Is us. Studying the text.
[38:36] And deriving the truth. Extracting it. From the text. Exegesis. I see Jesus. Is us having an idea. And imposing it. On the text. So if I come to the.
[38:47] I come to the text. And I say. When he's talking about psalms. It's just. The psalms. And I come to hymns. And I immediately think. Of my hymn book.
[38:57] And. And I've had. Posts. You know. People posting. Just remind me. Of the value of hymns. I love hymns. In our hymn book. I value them. I encourage their use.
[39:09] Regularly. Because we need to preserve them. But keep in mind. He's not talking about. Our Baptist hymnal. He's talking about. Kinds of songs.
[39:20] That praise God. And so. As I heard somebody. Speak on this issue. They were. Talking about. The importance of hymns. Held up their hymn book.
[39:30] And said. This book. Is on the same plane. With my Bible. And I thought to myself.
[39:40] You are a false teacher. Your hymnal. Is not on the plane. With your Bible. The inspired. Infalent.
[39:51] All sufficient. Word of God. Has no equal. Our words. Assembled. Are no equal. To this. Amen. Every song. That we sing. Must subject itself.
[40:02] And bow. To the word of God. Amen. And if it doesn't. We're not singing it. Amen. The reality is. God has given us. A variety of things.
[40:12] And the issue here. As one commentator said. Is not the beat. Of the music. But the heart. Of the music. And its content. It is associated. With the teaching. Of God's word.
[40:23] Which implies. That its substance. Must be. According to the word of God. And the spirit. Of this music. Is to be. Transformative music. That affects us.
[40:34] Because of the indwelling. Holy Spirit. It should affect us. I ran through. The descriptions. Psalms.
[40:45] As. I'm just going through. The different notes. Of the commentaries. Psalm has. The great word. Psalmos. Has. Its very root. In the idea.
[40:56] Of musical. Instrumentation. Originally. A song sung. To the accompaniment. The accompaniment. Of a heart. Ultimately. This specific idea.
[41:06] Was not always present. Giving. Giving way. To an emphasis. On praise. As one commentator said. It is not possible.
[41:17] And this was the theme. Of many. Over and over. It is not possible. To distinguish. Sharply. Between. Between. The three terms. Of psalms. And hymns.
[41:29] And songs. That are spiritual. In nature. They are the most. Common words. Used. In the. Septuagint. Which is the Greek. Old Testament. For religious songs.
[41:40] 138. Times. And occurring. Interchangeably. Even. In the titles. Of the psalms. Themselves. The exact. Relationship. Of the word. Three words. Is hard to determine.
[41:51] Another one said. Another one said. They are difficult. To determine. As to their precise. Differences. We look at these. The three words. Are brought together.
[42:01] In this. And this was the other theme. These three words. Are brought together. With a view. Of rhetorical. Force. Meaning. That he's identifying.
[42:11] These overlapping. Ideas. To say. Yes. Psalms. Yes. These songs. Psalms. Of all kinds. Hymns. Songs of praise. And even. Odes. That are.
[42:23] Songs. Of any kind. Except here. He gives the distinction. Spiritual. Odes. Meaning. That they are in line. With the Holy Spirit. In line. With the revealed word of God. The teaching.
[42:34] That is to originally. Fill us. Three words. Used here. Psalms. Hymns and songs. Cannot be precisely. Distinguished from one another. As different kinds.
[42:44] Of sacred music. One commentator. Stuart Custer. Represents. A commonly made distinction. Saying. That psalms. Here. It refers to actual songs. Of the Hebrew Psalter.
[42:55] Hymns. It refers to the songs. Of worship. Addressed to God. And spiritual songs. Denotes any other song. Of elevated style. With edifying content. But. This is more.
[43:07] Than can be said. For sure. Especially. About these last two. John MacArthur says. That this can refer to. That. This reference to songs.
[43:19] Or songs. Of any sort. Such as solos. Or anthems. Hymns. Which would be songs of praise. Specifically to Christ. In the context. And spiritual songs.
[43:31] Probably. He says. Songs of testimony. That cover a broad category. That include. Any music. Expressing spiritual truth. The intent. The intent. As Barber says. Of the author. Here.
[43:41] However. Is to simply give latitude. For all kinds of musical expressions. Giving praise to the Lord. We should preserve old songs. And we should sing.
[43:53] With zeal and freshness. In new songs. It's a matter of the heart.
[44:04] Not just the beat. I think of Christmas. You know. Coming up. And just the. Christmas is past.
[44:15] You know. The one. Just thinking through. And one. I've shared it. A long time ago. Just. Christmas morning. Going to grandma's house. You know. Opening gifts. And we would go to our house.
[44:27] And then we'd go to grandma's house. Then we'd go to my aunt Rosemary's house. And then we'd go here and there. And we. It'd be like a. You know. Parade. Christmas celebrations. We'd go through. And glean whatever toys we could get.
[44:39] That's what Christmas was about. To me. To my mom. And. And. And I can remember going to my grandmother's house. And we'd gather around. My grandmother so proper. You know. Sang in the first Baptist choir.
[44:51] You know. Sixty. Seven years. And. She passed away. A few years ago. But. Just so proper. So. Hair. Always exactly the same.
[45:01] I mean. From pictures. When I was little. To day she died. Exactly the same. And. Just so proper. We'd go over there. With two brothers. And my younger sister. To me.
[45:11] And we'd open gifts. And we'd take turns. And go through. And. It's my. Everybody goes. Oh. She got me a shirt. Oh. That's cool. That's great. Got me a. You know. Laser gun of some kind.
[45:22] Oh. That's awesome. And it's my. Youngest sister. And she opens up. The gift. And. And I'll paraphrase. But she's basic. She basically. Throws it to the side.
[45:33] And says. What is this garbage? And she was like. Five. And the oxygen. Left the room. Like. Always. Oh. And everybody.
[45:44] Just horrified. As we looked at her. And like. What. Have you done? And she said. I always get ripped off. On Christmas. You're like.
[45:55] Oh my goodness. As Shakespeare said. There is no tooth. Like a serpent. So sharp. That an ungrateful child. Right.
[46:09] As believers in Christ. Our gratitude. Or ingratitude. Is shown. When. When. When. Not being filled.
[46:20] With God's word. And God's spirit. We are not. Admonishing. Teaching one another. And singing. To one another. In all kinds of songs. That are affecting us.
[46:33] The truth. Is affecting us. So much. That I'm showing it. From the inside. Change. And transformation. That's happening. That's putting a melody. In my heart. That I'm going to sing.
[46:43] And when we sing. Our worship songs. They should be. Theologically accurate. They should follow. The teachings. Of the apostles. And be clear in that. But make no mistake.
[46:55] We should be. Feeling these songs. As we sing them. Amen. The gratitude. Of our heart. Should be expressed. In reality. And it should come together.
[47:07] When we sing. On a Sunday morning. And we blank. Stare. At the words. On the screen. And mumble. Our words. Together. With absolutely.
[47:18] No engagement. Of our heart. We're missing. The point. Of this. Amen. God. Has called you. To be a people.
[47:29] Who are zealous. For you. Amen. He's done things. In your life. And you. As a response. To that. Should do. What the psalmist said. In Psalm 149. One. Praise the Lord.
[47:39] Sing to the Lord. A new song. His praise. In the assembly. Of his saints. You. Together. Should be singing. His songs.
[47:50] Living it out. Praising God. From your heart. In a way. That shows. That you are actually. Affected. By the things. That you will be. And the things. That God has done. Isaiah 42.
[48:01] 10. Sing to the Lord. A new song. His praise. From the ends of the earth. You who go down. To the sea. And all that is in it. You islands. And all who live in them. Sing a new song.
[48:13] To the Lord. And even. When it comes to the end. In Revelation. It's reminding us. Even in the last days. In John's vision. And they sang a new song.
[48:25] Saying. You are worthy. To open the scroll. And take it. Take the scroll. And open it. Seals. Because you were slain. With your blood. You purchased. For God. Persons. From every tribe. And every tongue. And every people.
[48:36] And every nation. Let the whole earth. Be filled. With his praises. It's often a heart problem. God told his people.
[48:48] Through Amos. In Amos chapter 8. Take away from me. Actually. Chapter 5. Amos chapter 5. Verse 23. Take away from me. The noise. Of your songs.
[48:59] To the melody. Of your hearts. I will not listen. Does God listen. To the melody. Of the heart. And the voice.
[49:12] As expressions. Of the heart. The playing. Of the keyboard. And a guitar. A string instrument. A trumpet. Whatever the instrument. Might be. God's listening.
[49:22] To the expression. Of the instruments. As expressions. Of the heart. Here he said. Take away. The noise. Of your songs. The melody. Of your heart. I will not listen. But let justice.
[49:33] Roll down. Like waters. And righteousness. Like an ever. Flowing. Stream. Songs. Hymns. Spiritual songs. Characterizing. A heart.
[49:44] Of gratitude. To God. And this. Is thanksgiving. To him. Internally. Motivated. Externally.
[49:55] Displayed. And then. Verse 3. The third use. Thankfulness. Thankfulness. Thankfulness. Here. We are to actively. Maintain thankfulness. Maintaining.
[50:08] Keyword. In the first one. Is demanded. It's a command. Keyword. In the second. Is the motivations. The internal. Working its way out.
[50:20] And then thirdly. To maintain thankfulness. Because notice how it says it. And whatever you do. Whatever you do. In word.
[50:33] What you say. And deed. Whatever you do. Whatever it is. That you're doing. You are to do it. This way. This gratitude.
[50:44] To the Lord. For what he's done. The response. To his calling. The feeling of his word. His Holy Spirit. Showing itself. In your life. Is going to be shown. This way. As you teach. As you admonish.
[50:55] As you sing. The hymns. The songs. The spiritual songs. Making melody. In your heart. To God. And then. Whatever you do. Word or deed.
[51:06] Do everything. In the name of the Lord. Jesus. Giving thanks. To God. The Father. Through him. Maintaining.
[51:18] All the areas. Of my life. And really. It's kind of the idea. I build things.
[51:29] I put things together. I don't claim to put things together well. I do put things together. I fix things. I'm in my house. Or whatever. And I share this illustration. And often.
[51:39] You've heard the illustrations. Where I would talk about. Something that I've put together. And I. And I. You know. Get through it. And get to the end. And just about.
[51:50] At the last step. Realize. Something that the first step. Was left out. And then. I have to stop. And go. And it's the dilemma.
[52:03] Will Brandy know? Is this going to fall apart? Because I left this out. Is it.
[52:13] Where can I get by? This not being a part of it. And invariably. I look at it. I go. It's got it. It's got to be done. And then I have to take it. All the way back apart. Down to where that part goes.
[52:26] Put that part in. And then start building back. To realize. There's another one. And take it all the way apart. And get all the way back.
[52:38] Down to that step. And put that in. And it's this work of. Making sure. Comparing. And maintaining. And then. For me. I'm thinking. In gratitude.
[52:49] How do I. Show gratitude. Well. I show it. I display it. Corporately. In singing. And encouraging. And teaching.
[53:00] And I can do that. From up here. But I do that. In conversation too. When we're talking about stuff. And I'm making melody. In my heart. Because there are a whole lot. Of things. That could get me down.
[53:12] And could discourage me. And could come between. All of our relationships. But in maintaining this. In everything that you do.
[53:23] In all of these relationships. Because if you read the context here. And the divisions. He's talking about things. That divide us. His body. And this leads right into this. This is how we maintain.
[53:37] I show my gratitude to God. By ministering to you. I express my thanks to God. By ministering in the body. And living it out.
[53:47] And when I do that. I shine the light. Of Christ. 1 Corinthians 10. 31. So whether you eat or drink. Or whatever you do.
[53:59] Do it all for the glory of God. Or Colossians 3.23. Whatever you do. Work at it with all your heart. As working for the Lord.
[54:10] And not a human master. And even in the context. Of expressing to a slave. What kind of work there to be about. A slave is to be this kind of work.
[54:20] Or whatever you do. Work at it with all your heart. Not act externally. But internally. Being transformed. Because of the work of Christ in you.
[54:31] Let it be the overflow of your heart. And maintain your marriage this way. As he goes into chapter 3. Moving into from corporate life.
[54:42] Into family life. In verse 18. Going right into wives and husbands. Parents and children. Children. Slave masters. Kids don't fault my grammar. Whatever you do.
[54:56] Do it. With all your heart. Ephesians 6.5. Bond servants. Are they your masters. With fear and trembling. With a sincere heart.
[55:07] As you would Christ. Not by eye service. Or people pleasing. But as bond servants of Christ. Doing the will of God. From the heart. Rendering service.
[55:18] With a good will. As to the Lord. And not to man. Knowing. Whatever good anyone does. He will receive back from the Lord. This is the follow through. In the context of slave and master.
[55:30] But it's the same idea. In our corporate experience. To do it from the heart. Sing with all your heart. To God. And to one another. Serve and teach.
[55:42] Out of the overflow. Of God's word. That is richly dwelling in you. And thus. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. And know the will of God. Live in urgency.
[55:53] And shine. In the light of Jesus. Because only Jesus can change the heart.
[56:04] You can change your behavior. But you can't change your heart. God changes the heart. Amen.
[56:16] You submit your heart to Him. He'll change you. Gratitude is what you feel. Thanksgiving is what you do. I'm grateful.
[56:30] As I come here today. I've walked through one of the things that I'm grateful for. And I am so grateful. For my family. And I love my wife. I cannot tell you.
[56:42] I love my wife. She. She. Serves me. Relentlessly. She.
[56:53] Loves me. Relentlessly. I'm so grateful for her. I'm grateful for my kids. I love my kids.
[57:04] I'm so grateful for them. They're learning to stand on their own spiritual feet. Learning to walk. And be with men in the name of God on their own. Just like all of us.
[57:17] We're in perfect. Man there. I'm so grateful. Thankful for my church. And I love my church.
[57:29] My own. Chelship. Chelship. Everybody here. Yep. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[57:41] Thank you. I love you guys. I think the relationships that we all have. And it's to varying degrees obviously. We love each other. You know.
[57:52] And I'm so thankful for our church. But in all of that. It's all just what I feel. Everything I just said is what I feel. It's gratitude. But that's not Thanksgiving.
[58:07] My Thanksgiving is. I love my wife. And man. I'm so grateful for her. That I serve her as a physician. I love her like Christ loved the Lord. And I love my kids so much.
[58:19] That I want to include the word of God in their life. Encourage them on their walk. And I teach them the word of God. And I love my church. So that I teach God's word.
[58:29] And try to protect the fellowship. And I try to set things up on a strong foundation. And I'm expressing thanksgiving to God. Because of what he's done. All of these levels. I am thankful.
[58:41] I'm thankful for my salvation. God saved me. Radically saved me. Rescued me from the grave. A high school dropout. A drunk. A ruined man. Man am I grateful.
[58:59] That's what I feel. That I'm going to serve Jesus. Until I see him. I'm going to serve him in his church. I'm going to serve you. Because I'm a believer in Christ.
[59:10] I'm grateful. That's what he's called me to. That's what he's commanded me to be. And in him. I can be that. So can you. Amen.
[59:21] I'll give generously. And I'll serve my friends. I'll do what he calls me to do. And I'll live a life of thanksgiving.
[59:36] I'll close with this. This was a little poem. Came across a couple years ago. Called Treasures. And this guy said it this way.
[59:47] He said. One by one. He took him from me. All the things I valued most. Until I was empty handed.
[59:59] Everything. Every glistening toy was lost. And I walked earth's highway breathing. In my rags and poverty.
[60:11] Till I heard his voice invited. Lift those empty hands to me. So I held my hands toward heaven. And he filled them with a story.
[60:22] Of his transcendent riches. Till they could contain no more. And at last. I comprehended. With my stupid mind.
[60:33] And dull. That God could not pour riches. Into hands. Into hands. Already full of God. Amen.