[0:00] I was in a place of business this week and they asked me, said, where are you pastoring now? I said, well, they never have voted me out, so I'm still at Witcher Creek.
[0:21] I guess I'll stay. It'll be all right. When I come here, I did not have gray hair, I did not wear glasses, and I really wasn't all that fat.
[0:37] Look what you've done to me. Amen. 1978. Can you believe that?
[0:51] 1978. 1978. And that group was in here doing our revival, having all that homecoming stuff. Hey, I was here when I was here.
[1:04] All right. Well, as the Holy said, God's been good. This week is Thanksgiving week.
[1:15] Thursday is Thanksgiving day. And I appreciate Luke. And food and football.
[1:30] But I think we've got more to thank God for than food and football. Let's look in the 100th Psalm this morning.
[1:43] Psalm 100. Some of you don't even have to open your Bibles. An old familiar Psalm. Don't Matthew look good sitting here?
[1:59] Amen. All right. Psalm 100. Psalm 100. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord. All ye lands.
[2:11] Not just Israel. But ever lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord, He is God.
[2:26] It is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving.
[2:37] Into His courts with long faces. That says that Bible Tim was reading now. Enter into His courts with praise.
[2:50] Be thankful unto Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good. Amen. His mercy is everlasting. Amen. His truth endureth to all generations.
[3:02] If you'll look there at the head in the Psalm 100, the subtitle says, A Psalm of Praise. Have you praised God lately?
[3:13] Amen. I've got all kind of things to praise God for. Thank God for the food on my table. Thank God for the clothes on my back.
[3:25] God's provided the automobile that I drive. The shoes on my feet. The roof over my head. Everything I have this morning is because God has been good to me.
[3:38] Amen. I didn't deserve it. Amen. I could have been one of those street people down there at a rescue mission somewhere. But today, I'm a rich man because God has been good to me.
[3:51] All right. Let me pray. Heavenly Father, today, I thank You, Lord, for Your goodness to me. This time of the year, Father, we are dedicated, this nation at least, at one time, had dedicated a day that we would stop and give thanks to God for His wonderful goodness to the children of men.
[4:14] Now, Father, I pray today that You'd help us as we preach this sermon. Lord, just to remind people of the providence, the sovereignty of God that has taken care of us thus far.
[4:27] And, Lord, You promised that You'll take us all the way home. Our Father, I pray that You would help us as we preach. May the words of God find lodging in the heart of somebody.
[4:40] And, our Father, they receive it. And receiving it was an enablement to save their soul. In Jesus' name, amen. A psalm of praise, a psalm of thanksgiving, and a praise to thank God for His goodness.
[4:58] We praise God because, number one, He's worthy of being praised. The first mention of the word praise in the Bible is at the birth of Judah.
[5:10] And, oh, Leah got to praise in God for Judah being born. You know, there's a long line of succession there that with the birth of Judah started the line towards the birth of the line of the tribe of Judah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
[5:28] But, praise is something that needs to be heartfelt and not manufactured. Without heartfelt praise in a church, a church service is vain.
[5:41] The church service is empty and useless. And, the church becomes a place where vain words are spoken by vain men who see the ministry as a vocation instead of a calling.
[5:56] And, people who sit in the pew and see it just as something that we do because that's what we've always done. But, whenever God gets down in your soul and gets down in your heart, you have something to praise God for.
[6:11] We need to stop today and thank God. This day. We live in is a busy day. And, everybody is running to and fro.
[6:23] And, there's a spirit of hurry about everything that you see. We need to just stop and wait on the Lord. That spirit of hurry has invaded our churches today.
[6:35] And, we want a little old sermonette for a Christianette so he can get outside and smoke his cigarette and go on to the house. That's the way we want it done. But, that's not the way we'd really praise God.
[6:46] Solomon called that kind of worship a sacrifice of fools. Many times we run ahead of the Lord instead of waiting on God to do what he has told us he'll do.
[6:59] Look in the book of Ecclesiastes. That's not far away. Chapter 5. And, let me read you a few verses of scripture there. Ecclesiastes chapter 5. I believe that's where I want to go.
[7:11] A couple of books away. I'll start reading at verse 1. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God. And, be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools.
[7:24] For they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth. And, let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God. For God is in heaven and thou upon earth.
[7:37] Therefore, let thy words be few. A dream cometh through a multitude of business. And, a fool's voice is known by a multitude of words. When thou vowest to vow unto God.
[7:50] Defer not to pay it. For he hath no pleasure in fools. Pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow. Than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
[8:01] Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin. Neither say thou before the angel that it was an error. Wherefore should God be angry at thy voice.
[8:13] And destroy the work of thine hands. For in the multitude of dreams and many words. There are also divers vanities. But fear thou God. Now, that is the observation of an unsaved man.
[8:27] That the book of Ecclesiastes is written not from a Christian standpoint. But from a worldly standpoint. And, this old fellow says, hey, you'd be better off if you were just to understand who you are.
[8:41] And, who God is. Where you're located. And, where God is located. We overrate our position today. We're on earth. We're not in heaven.
[8:51] We're not in charge. God's in charge. We pray without praying. And, we praise without praise. And, we sing without singing.
[9:03] But, when that gets down in your soul. And, down in your heart. 1 Corinthians 14 and 5. And, you sing with the spirit also. And, sing with the understanding also.
[9:14] Then, what I'm saying is. Thank God for just getting to be here today. I'm glad I'm here. I'm glad I'm still pastoring a butcher creed.
[9:26] Amen. I've read this. There was no praise in the synagogue. When the Jews came into the synagogue. And, especially after the temple was destroyed.
[9:37] There was nobody allowed to praise God. They did three things. They quoted that scripture there in Deuteronomy. Hear, O Israel. The Lord thy God is one.
[9:48] And, then they said, do not turn from God. If you turn from God. That you will suffer the consequences. And, the third thing they were supposed to have said. Is there's a ribbon of blue around the garment.
[10:00] And, you need to make sure that you're separated to God. Now, that's a gloom and doom type of worship service. You look at verse 1.
[10:11] Make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Now, I don't want to. You know, I don't do too much Hebrew delving around. But, that word means.
[10:23] Make a noise loud enough. To split somebody's ears. With you praising God. Amen. Make a noise loud enough. Amen. And, what we might be called a shout.
[10:36] Amen. You feel like shouting today? I'm not talking about manufacturing one. Probably ought to leave the shouting up to folks that are inclined to shout. You know what I'm talking about?
[10:47] Some of us are. Some of us are not. But, then. Sometimes it can't be done safely. Amen. You get the whole crowd encouraged to shout.
[10:57] The next thing you got. You got a drunken party. Instead of a church. Some people are crazy. Amen. Some people are hypocrites. And, you put them together.
[11:08] And, you have to put some kind of a chill on the meeting to stop that crowd from shouting. But, what I'm saying. Whenever you get God's praise down in your soul. And, you're inclined to shout.
[11:19] It's not. It doesn't hurt a thing for you to lift that hand towards the glory land. And, say. Well, glory. Hallelujah. I'm glad. I'm saved. Amen.
[11:29] My mama used to take out a handkerchief. Waving around. I'm glad tonight. Today. This morning. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. I'm glad I'm saved. Amen. Amen.
[11:40] All right. Paul taught this. Let your moderation be known unto all men. So, you be careful. I'm not trying to pull you out of your seat. All right. I want you to listen to what I'm saying. Rejoice always before God.
[11:53] But, before men have some consideration. All things should be done decently and in order. And, you should be all things to all men. That you might be able to win some of them.
[12:04] Psalm 47 and 1. Joined shouting and triumph and victory. And, it says there. Clap your hands. Oh, you people. Now, boy.
[12:15] You talk about putting a chill on the meeting. I'm getting ready to put a chill on the meeting. You know how I discourage clapping hands. Amen. Do you know why?
[12:26] I discourage clapping hands. Did you ever see? There's not very many times that I say let's give them a hand. I'm not one of them preachers that says let's give Jesus a hand.
[12:37] I'm not. The word applause is not in the Bible. But, whenever they talk about clap your hands. When you talk about a chill on the meeting.
[12:50] Listen to this. The old English had a stiff upper lip. And, whenever they were a servant. Whenever they wanted the servant to do something to go.
[13:02] You know what I'm talking about? Now, you thought we meant. Yeah. Hallelujah. But, what it really meant was. Chop. Chop. Get on the stick.
[13:12] You're going to serve God. Do it. And, do it right now. And, do not do it for the applause of men. That's why I don't like clapping for singing.
[13:23] They think that they are somebody. And, if they're not singing for the Lord. I don't care to hear them. I don't care if they are Bill Gaither. And, that's not to me who they are.
[13:34] If they're not singing for God. Then, I don't want to hear it. And, listen. A man come in here with his hair down to his waist. Ain't singing for God. Preach on, preacher.
[13:45] Hang around. I got a little bit more I want to say. Amen. Amen. Okay. Make it joyful. Clap your hands. It's not applause.
[13:56] But, it's a symbol of submission. And, a symbol of I want to be a servant to God. What you want. I think when Molly was a little girl growing up. She, one of her favorite TV programs was Mr. French.
[14:13] Y'all remember Mr. French? He was a butler or something, wasn't he? He was a man's man. Not like Rock Hudson. But, he was a servant.
[14:28] And, it was his job. Amen. It was his job to make sure that whatever. What was his name? Brian. Yeah, but I don't know.
[14:38] What was his name? Okay. Don't you ever preach against television again. But, anyway.
[14:55] He was, he was the, had the very idea that's implied in this passage of scripture about clapping hands. It wasn't that charismatic deal where everybody's going wild and hollering.
[15:06] Yeah. Now, there are times when people need to be approved of. But, anytime you do anything, if you do it for the glory of God, then you are fine with me.
[15:19] And, a man's fine with me. I don't even like people clapping hands while I'm preaching. And, I go into some places to preach and they won't give me a round of applause.
[15:30] And, I say, hold it. I'm preaching. Amen. You can get through. When I get through, you can do what you want. Praise the Lord. Verse 1, all ye lands. Every nation on the earth.
[15:41] Verse 3 links that with creation. There is not a nation on this earth that God didn't create. Didn't give them their foundation for government.
[15:53] In land, out of land. And, we've taught that before. But, we praise God. He's the Lord of all. Praise God because He's the creator of all.
[16:05] He's the owner of all. And, in the glory, He's the shepherd of all. In verse 3, God is spoken of as being unapproachable. Higher standard than we have.
[16:19] The same verse teaches that we belong to Him. There was an old Presbyterian preacher. His name was Donald Barnhouse. And, I don't know whether you know that man or not.
[16:30] But, he might have been a Presbyterian. He might have been a little bit dry. But, he had a whole lot on the ball when it comes to understanding the Bible. Anyway, he was talking with a Roman Catholic.
[16:41] And, he asked this Roman Catholic. He said, well, why do you pray to saints? Why do you pray to Mary and pray to Thomas and pray to Peter?
[16:51] Why do you do that? And, well, this Roman Catholic said, well, I'll tell you what the reason we do that. The Lord has a cabinet. Just like the President has a cabinet.
[17:03] And, you've got a Secretary of State and an Attorney General. You've got a Secretary of the Treasurer and a Secretary of the Defense. And, so, if you'd like to have an appointment with the President, what you need is one of them big guys pulling for you.
[17:18] Amen. He thought, well, that sounds pretty good. But, he said, you know what? What if I was the President's son? Amen. Couldn't I just walk in?
[17:30] Amen. Would I have to get the Secretary of State to introduce me? Hey, look, friend. I'm a child of God. I don't need nobody to go between me and the Lord.
[17:43] I can walk right into His presence because I belong to Him. And, He belongs to me. Though He may be mighty and though He may be high, and He sure is.
[17:54] Yet, you're looking at a full-fledged Son of God. And, I've got my advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous. I'm a son. Amen.
[18:05] I'm not looking for a political position. Amen. Man, I'm a part of the family. Amen. Who is so high cares more for His children than the President ever cared for His cabinet?
[18:17] Amen. Providential care. That's what I call it. Some people, I was talking to these boys on the front this morning. They was talking about somebody that good fortune smiled on.
[18:30] They called and said, he's lucky. I said, there's no such thing as luck. It's the providential care of God. Do you know why we're here this morning?
[18:41] Because providence cared for those pilgrims, the fathers that set sail for America all those years ago. Providential care caused the wind to blow that old Mayflower off course.
[18:57] Had it landed where it wanted to land, there would have been hostile natives there that would have killed everybody on board. But the wind blew it to the north.
[19:09] Instead of landing in the northern parts of Virginia, it blew it clear up into Massachusetts where there were no Indians that were hostile to them.
[19:19] Had they landed in Virginia, they'd have been slaughtered. But providential care sent a plague to Massachusetts and destroyed the hostile Indians before they ever got there.
[19:31] The care of providence. Amen. Sent Samaset and Squanto. Indians that could speak English and teach them how to farm the land and fertilize with feast.
[19:43] The Mayflower. Do you know what it was? It was a wine ship. And between the decks, 102 pilgrims in a space 90 foot long, 20 foot wide, and 5 1⁄2 feet high.
[20:02] I mean, they were stacked like sardines. But because, watch this, because that ship had been a wine ship, and they had spilled all that wine on the deck, it was disinfected, and nobody even got sick while they were on it.
[20:20] That's what luck. Amen. Circumstance. Providential care. That first winter, they lost half of their people. But they believed that hardship was just as much of providential care as blessings were.
[20:37] And they said, the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Pilgrims, not only to the USA, but pilgrims to the paradise of God.
[20:47] Providential care caused that Catholic king to overlook the location for the seat of government. And rather than being located in London, they were allowed to locate it in Boston, Massachusetts.
[21:00] Massachusetts. Oh, that's just coincidence. Just luck. Or there is a God in heaven that sought the founding of this nation. And I say this morning, the same God that had this nation founded, we have turned our backs on today.
[21:17] Thanksgiving has developed to food and football. But it needs to be developed to the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe all of the sorrow of earth, the dreadful sorrow of earth, is because our Lord does not reign inside.
[21:33] Because he hasn't been exalted, that's why all of the things have besought us today. Joy will welcome that morning over all the earth whenever we enter his courts with praise.
[21:53] Enter into his gates. How does that say that? Read that to me. Where am I? Psalm 100. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving.
[22:03] That's the city. The gates of Jerusalem. Enter into his courts with praise. That's the temple. That's where they worship God inside of Jerusalem.
[22:16] And war and strife will be over. And sin or rain will be done. And Revelation 11, 15, the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of God and of his Christ.
[22:28] And we enter into the gate of Jerusalem saying, thank God, hallelujah, I'm glad I made it. Amen. I was driving the truck for the mission, and they sent me to Nashville, Tennessee.
[22:42] And I was supposed to get a load of groceries for up here. But when I got down there, they were closed for the evening. And they said, well, you can stay in the mission with the rest of us.
[22:55] I said, okay, but he's paying a hotel room, so I go to the rescue mission just like I'm a little old street person. And it was, I think it was close to this time of year anyway, there was a big crowd in that rescue mission.
[23:12] I'm talking about a big crowd. I'm talking about five or six hundred hobos in that one rescue mission. It was crowded in there. And when we got in there, there was a little Mexican fellow.
[23:23] And he got the door shut. And he's standing there looking at the door and looking at me. And he said, you know what? If I get in the kingdom, I'll be glad to just shut the door as long as I'm inside.
[23:36] Amen. I'm thankful to be inside. They couldn't shut the door and let me outside. I enter his gates. I'm thankful that I'm inside.
[23:47] Now, you may not be. That's your business. But this morning, I'm glad that I'm inside the kingdom of God. And if he wants to shut the gate, then go ahead and shut it because I'm on the right side.
[24:00] Worship him. As God, he is good. As creator, he is merciful. As the chief shepherd, he is faithful. And when we sweep through the gates and enter that highway of holiness that leads to the courtyard of the temple and enter there with praise, saying, hallelujah, thank God.
[24:21] Are you listening to me? Without everybody in here feeling like praising the Lord is more than that. Okay, 12 o'clock. We'll quit.
[24:32] Let heaven and earthly proclaim joy to the world. The Lord is kind. Let earth receive her king.
[24:43] Hey, this is Thanksgiving week. I'm not opposed to you going deer hunting. Help yourself. You can do football and turkey. You can eat.
[24:53] But sometime during this week, you ought to just look up to heaven and say, thank you, Lord, for your goodness to me.
[25:04] You've been good to me. Amen. I've said before, I'd be lying on God if I said he hadn't been good to me. He supplied my needs.
[25:17] I have not gone hungry. Amen. Man, you can tell by looking. Not only that, but I'm just as content as a cockroach in a bowl of oatmeal.
[25:30] Amen. Son, I am happy. Amen. I am happy because Jesus is my Savior. Amen. God is my King. Heaven is my home.
[25:42] And what can man do to me? Amen. Thank God. Enter into here. Make a joyful noise. Amen. An ear-splitting shout. Hallelujah. We're in the kingdom of God.
[25:56] Let's bow for prayer. Amen.