WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:09.500 Well, as I was trying to decide what to speak about this morning, I felt that being Thanksgiving 00:00:09.500 --> 00:00:13.519 Sunday, I really had a good wrestle with trying to figure that out. 00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:19.219 The question that was on my mind was, how can I spur us all on to genuine and heartfelt 00:00:19.219 --> 00:00:22.420 giving thanks to God this weekend? 00:00:23.359 --> 00:00:28.280 There's lots of places in God's Word where it says, give thanks, or with thanksgiving, 00:00:28.280 --> 00:00:36.000 but it got me really thinking, where does real, genuine thanksgiving come from? 00:00:36.500 --> 00:00:37.980 What causes it to flow? 00:00:39.120 --> 00:00:41.460 For many, thanksgiving is not unlike Christmas. 00:00:42.359 --> 00:00:47.020 It's that time of year that we gather with family and friends, and everything's supposed 00:00:47.020 --> 00:00:49.820 to be peaceful and wonderful and right. 00:00:50.740 --> 00:00:57.840 And I've sat through myself many a let's-go-around-the-table-and-give-thanks kind of moment. 00:00:58.859 --> 00:01:01.679 And many times what I hear from people is the same. 00:01:01.980 --> 00:01:03.300 I'm thankful for my family. 00:01:03.820 --> 00:01:05.120 I'm thankful for my friends. 00:01:05.260 --> 00:01:10.040 I'm thankful for my possessions, how my basic needs are always met. 00:01:10.840 --> 00:01:14.439 I'm thankful that overall we are so blessed. 00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:24.579 But I wonder, have our thanksgiving celebrations become more of a glasses-half-full kind of party 00:01:24.579 --> 00:01:27.900 with a little bit of religious sprinkled on top? 00:01:27.900 --> 00:01:37.480 Why is it that so often our thanksgiving often seems more about us and what we have than about the God 00:01:37.480 --> 00:01:41.060 who has graciously given those things to us? 00:01:41.060 --> 00:01:48.939 It's become more about expressing our thankfulness to each other than about expressing our thankfulness 00:01:48.939 --> 00:01:49.760 to God himself. 00:01:50.920 --> 00:01:59.540 And for many, it's become more about the blessings of here and now material things than about the eternal 00:01:59.540 --> 00:02:04.680 and the spiritual blessings that Jesus has won for his people. 00:02:05.600 --> 00:02:10.480 And so where does real, genuine, God's kind of thanksgiving come from? 00:02:10.479 --> 00:02:15.619 Does it come from counting our blessings, our possessions? 00:02:15.620 --> 00:02:24.400 If that's what it's all about, how can the poor person give thanks this weekend? 00:02:25.860 --> 00:02:30.879 How can the person who is alone and doesn't have family to celebrate with give thanks this weekend? 00:02:31.980 --> 00:02:36.420 How can the person with critical health issues give thanks this weekend? 00:02:38.259 --> 00:02:44.240 Perhaps the reason that our thanksgiving doesn't just flow is because we've set our hearts and minds 00:02:44.240 --> 00:02:46.740 on things that are far too low. 00:02:48.740 --> 00:02:56.060 And so my aim this morning is simply to lift your head, to look at God, to look at Christ, 00:02:56.180 --> 00:03:00.840 to look at his grace and his mercy that he's given to us again. 00:03:01.340 --> 00:03:05.960 Because when we see that, we won't have to make a list. 00:03:07.900 --> 00:03:11.719 Thanksgiving will flow freely and spontaneously. 00:03:11.719 --> 00:03:15.580 We've been journeying through the story of Abraham. 00:03:15.580 --> 00:03:21.579 For those of you who are visiting this morning, we've watched as God has made some great promises to Abraham. 00:03:22.599 --> 00:03:28.259 We've also watched as Abraham has struggled to trust those promises. 00:03:28.259 --> 00:03:35.679 Last Sunday, we saw specifically how Abraham and his wife were getting up there in years, 00:03:35.780 --> 00:03:43.239 and they decided to try and help God to keep his promise by doing the surrogate motherhood thing with Hagar. 00:03:43.240 --> 00:03:48.600 We saw how the Lord appeared to Abraham at nearly 100 years old, 00:03:48.820 --> 00:03:53.300 and he had a 13-year-old son at that time named Ishmael through Hagar. 00:03:54.400 --> 00:04:00.400 And the Lord said to him that all his great promises would be fulfilled through Isaac, 00:04:00.939 --> 00:04:04.400 a son who would be born, and not through Ishmael. 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:12.980 We began to answer the question last Sunday of how does God keep his promises and his covenant? 00:04:14.540 --> 00:04:19.439 And the answer that we came to last Sunday was he keeps his promises, 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:23.280 but he does it in his time and in his way. 00:04:24.220 --> 00:04:30.019 Well, this morning, we're going to look at another answer to that question of how does God keep his covenant? 00:04:30.019 --> 00:04:31.779 How does God keep his promises? 00:04:32.019 --> 00:04:34.919 And we're going to do it through the words of Paul. 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:37.759 See it through the words of Paul thousands of years later. 00:04:37.839 --> 00:04:41.979 If you have your Bibles with you, please open them up to Romans chapter 9. 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:45.159 Romans chapter 9. 00:04:45.979 --> 00:04:50.120 I want to admit right off the get-go that this is a hotly debated and difficult passage, 00:04:50.120 --> 00:04:52.379 and we're not going to look at everything here. 00:04:52.479 --> 00:04:56.560 My aim is to honor what's here, the context, the flow of Paul's thought. 00:04:56.839 --> 00:04:59.560 I don't want to simply cherry-pick out of this passage, 00:04:59.560 --> 00:05:02.639 but I believe there is an answer here, an important one, 00:05:02.699 --> 00:05:06.579 to our question of how does God keep his promises and his covenants? 00:05:07.439 --> 00:05:13.259 And an answer which I hope and pray will cause our hearts to really overflow with thanksgiving 00:05:13.259 --> 00:05:16.459 as we celebrate this morning and this weekend. 00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:20.980 And so Romans chapter 9, verse 1. 00:05:22.100 --> 00:05:22.779 Paul says, 00:05:22.779 --> 00:05:24.279 I speak the truth in Christ. 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:25.660 I'm not lying. 00:05:26.379 --> 00:05:28.819 My conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit. 00:05:28.819 --> 00:05:33.860 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart, 00:05:33.860 --> 00:05:40.860 for I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, 00:05:41.279 --> 00:05:44.639 those of my own race, the people of Israel. 00:05:45.639 --> 00:05:48.079 Theirs is the adoption to sonship. 00:05:48.279 --> 00:05:52.600 Theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, 00:05:52.699 --> 00:05:54.420 the temple worship and the promises. 00:05:54.420 --> 00:05:56.699 Theirs are the patriarchs. 00:05:57.020 --> 00:06:01.000 And from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, 00:06:01.300 --> 00:06:04.840 who is God over all, forever praised. 00:06:05.220 --> 00:06:05.600 Amen. 00:06:07.060 --> 00:06:11.340 It is not as though God's word had failed. 00:06:11.339 --> 00:06:15.339 And this is really one of the key phrases for us this morning. 00:06:15.439 --> 00:06:18.859 It is not as though God's word had failed. 00:06:19.500 --> 00:06:22.560 Why might we think that God's word had failed? 00:06:23.679 --> 00:06:30.019 Well, Paul's explained in the first five verses here how his heart is broken. 00:06:30.019 --> 00:06:34.240 As he looks around at the people of Israel, 00:06:34.240 --> 00:06:38.319 which he explains are those of his own race, the Jewish people, 00:06:38.680 --> 00:06:46.180 by and large, on the whole, they have rejected Jesus, their Messiah, the Christ. 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:53.339 And so it looks as though God's word has failed. 00:06:53.659 --> 00:06:58.500 He goes on to give a list of all the gifts of God's grace that have been given to them. 00:06:58.500 --> 00:07:05.360 He talks about how theirs is the adoption to sonship, the divine glory, the covenants, 00:07:05.620 --> 00:07:13.079 the receiving of the law, temple worship, promises, the patriarchs, and even the ultimate. 00:07:13.759 --> 00:07:18.839 From them is traced the human ancestry of Jesus, the Messiah. 00:07:18.839 --> 00:07:30.319 And yet on the whole, as Paul looks around, it appears that the descendants of Abraham have rejected the Lord. 00:07:31.839 --> 00:07:36.899 Not only Jesus, the Messiah, but all along the way, he has made promises. 00:07:37.159 --> 00:07:38.500 He has sent prophets. 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:40.299 He has made covenants. 00:07:40.300 --> 00:07:44.439 And they have turned their backs on him. 00:07:44.540 --> 00:07:45.759 They have worshipped other gods. 00:07:45.860 --> 00:07:47.319 They've disobeyed his commands. 00:07:47.460 --> 00:07:48.699 They've gone their own way. 00:07:49.259 --> 00:07:51.540 They've killed his messengers. 00:07:54.620 --> 00:07:58.960 So it appears as though God's word is in jeopardy. 00:07:59.040 --> 00:08:00.740 God's promise is in jeopardy. 00:08:00.740 --> 00:08:07.939 Paul gives us assurance that it's not. 00:08:08.960 --> 00:08:10.860 God's word has not failed. 00:08:10.980 --> 00:08:14.340 His promises and his covenants will be kept. 00:08:16.280 --> 00:08:16.720 How? 00:08:18.920 --> 00:08:19.939 In what way? 00:08:20.939 --> 00:08:24.040 And really this whole passage is, that's what it's all about. 00:08:24.139 --> 00:08:27.019 From 9, 6, all the way to the end of 11. 00:08:27.620 --> 00:08:28.600 There's a lot here. 00:08:28.680 --> 00:08:29.900 We're not going to go into all of it. 00:08:29.899 --> 00:08:31.859 We're just going to look at a few points this morning. 00:08:32.459 --> 00:08:35.519 And then look at how it pertains to us. 00:08:37.439 --> 00:08:41.539 It is not as though God's word had failed, says Paul. 00:08:42.759 --> 00:08:48.120 For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 00:08:49.539 --> 00:08:51.139 Well, that's an interesting answer. 00:08:52.399 --> 00:08:53.500 What does that mean? 00:08:55.699 --> 00:08:57.620 In case we're kind of confused by that, 00:08:57.620 --> 00:09:01.940 Paul throws in another statement right after that's equally confusing. 00:09:03.039 --> 00:09:04.799 Nor because they are his descendants, 00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:06.799 are they all Abraham's children. 00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:12.860 So just because you're a descendant of Abraham doesn't mean you're his child. 00:09:12.860 --> 00:09:15.759 That's a strange thing to say. 00:09:16.700 --> 00:09:19.000 Kind of seems a little bit of a contradiction. 00:09:19.259 --> 00:09:23.340 I mean, last time I checked, all who are descended from me are my children. 00:09:24.600 --> 00:09:26.000 What are you saying here, Paul? 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:30.960 He goes on to give his explanation. 00:09:32.379 --> 00:09:37.759 On the contrary, it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 00:09:38.860 --> 00:09:44.059 In other words, it is not the children of physical descent who are God's children, 00:09:44.539 --> 00:09:49.799 but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. 00:09:49.799 --> 00:09:53.000 For this was how the promise was stated. 00:09:53.399 --> 00:09:58.339 At the appointed time, I will return and Sarah will have a son. 00:09:58.340 --> 00:10:06.280 The logic here of Paul, we've got to kind of follow this closely. 00:10:06.800 --> 00:10:09.300 It's very, there's a lot he's saying here. 00:10:09.840 --> 00:10:11.200 God's word has not failed. 00:10:11.360 --> 00:10:11.600 Why? 00:10:11.759 --> 00:10:15.600 Because not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 00:10:16.120 --> 00:10:19.120 And then he kind of gives us this example, this illustration, 00:10:20.060 --> 00:10:23.280 a real life one from the story of Abraham. 00:10:23.279 --> 00:10:30.139 Basically, his point is not all who are descended from Abraham are his children. 00:10:33.279 --> 00:10:34.600 So how does this work? 00:10:35.559 --> 00:10:39.279 He goes on to explain the promise in verse 7, which was made. 00:10:40.799 --> 00:10:42.199 On the contrary, he says, 00:10:42.279 --> 00:10:44.939 it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 00:10:45.439 --> 00:10:48.240 He's quoting right out of the story back in Genesis. 00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:51.759 And we haven't got there yet in the story of Abraham, 00:10:51.759 --> 00:10:55.840 but we've kind of seen how the story is going in that direction. 00:10:56.700 --> 00:11:02.159 Isaac is born to Sarah in her 90s, just as the Lord had said. 00:11:02.519 --> 00:11:09.679 And after he is, the Lord tells Abraham to go along with what his wife has said 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:11.960 and to send Hagar and Ishmael away. 00:11:13.100 --> 00:11:17.399 Because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 00:11:17.399 --> 00:11:22.840 It is through Isaac that my promises, my covenant will be established with you. 00:11:22.980 --> 00:11:26.459 This land that I've promised, it's for Isaac and his descendants. 00:11:27.319 --> 00:11:28.899 And it's not for Ishmael. 00:11:28.899 --> 00:11:41.879 Paul then goes on to explain, using this example of Abraham, what this means. 00:11:43.319 --> 00:11:44.740 He says, in other words, 00:11:45.740 --> 00:11:49.959 it is not the children by physical descent who are God's children, 00:11:50.279 --> 00:11:55.179 but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. 00:11:55.179 --> 00:11:58.639 So Abraham's family is kind of an example here. 00:11:59.199 --> 00:12:02.959 He had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. 00:12:03.839 --> 00:12:11.219 But of those two sons, only one of them God chose to establish his covenant with 00:12:11.219 --> 00:12:14.239 and to keep all of those promises too. 00:12:15.579 --> 00:12:17.899 Ishmael was not chosen. 00:12:17.899 --> 00:12:29.659 And so, as we see in verse 8, the children of physical descent. 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:33.679 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent, 00:12:33.759 --> 00:12:38.079 or literally, children of the flesh, refers to Ishmael. 00:12:38.779 --> 00:12:42.939 It is not the children by physical descent who are God's children, 00:12:42.940 --> 00:12:46.920 but it is the children of the promise, Isaac, 00:12:47.220 --> 00:12:51.320 who is regarded as Abraham's offspring. 00:12:51.500 --> 00:12:56.400 And notice those words, God's children, in verse 8. 00:12:57.220 --> 00:13:01.120 It is not the children by physical descent who are God's children. 00:13:02.160 --> 00:13:08.180 This covenant signified a very special relationship with Abraham and with Isaac, 00:13:08.180 --> 00:13:12.580 such that Isaac was considered a child of God. 00:13:12.940 --> 00:13:16.280 In a way that Ishmael was not. 00:13:21.380 --> 00:13:26.780 And so, when Paul says that not all Abraham's offspring are his children, 00:13:27.840 --> 00:13:32.040 what he means is that not all of Abraham's offspring are children 00:13:32.040 --> 00:13:36.240 to whom the promises and the covenant applies. 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:39.759 And when we see that with Abraham's family, 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:42.919 then we take that back up to the point he's making in verse 6. 00:13:43.680 --> 00:13:45.460 It's not as though God's word had failed, 00:13:45.560 --> 00:13:49.240 for not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 00:13:49.720 --> 00:13:50.840 It's the same thing. 00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:53.680 Israel is the name that God gave to Jacob. 00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:57.399 Just as in Abraham's family with Isaac and Ishmael, 00:13:57.899 --> 00:14:00.060 not all who are descended from Abraham 00:14:00.059 --> 00:14:03.679 inherit this covenant relationship and the promises, 00:14:03.679 --> 00:14:06.199 so too is it with Israel. 00:14:06.459 --> 00:14:08.879 Not all who are descended from Israel 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:14.679 inherit these promises and this covenant relationship. 00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:21.559 Those who rejected Jesus as their Messiah 00:14:21.559 --> 00:14:24.679 are not the children of God. 00:14:26.419 --> 00:14:28.500 They're not true Israel. 00:14:29.399 --> 00:14:32.679 They're not the offspring to whom the covenants and promises 00:14:32.679 --> 00:14:33.319 apply. 00:14:33.479 --> 00:14:35.500 They're merely children of the flesh. 00:14:36.619 --> 00:14:37.939 Descended from Israel. 00:14:38.779 --> 00:14:40.239 Descended from Abraham. 00:14:42.619 --> 00:14:44.299 But children of the flesh. 00:14:44.299 --> 00:14:50.479 Which means that Israel is the name of the true children of God. 00:14:51.699 --> 00:14:53.139 The true people of God. 00:14:53.219 --> 00:14:54.699 The true nation of God. 00:14:54.819 --> 00:14:56.779 And belonging to Israel means more. 00:14:57.779 --> 00:14:59.019 What Paul is saying here. 00:14:59.099 --> 00:15:02.500 It means more than merely having descended physically from him. 00:15:03.819 --> 00:15:05.219 To put it in other words, 00:15:05.339 --> 00:15:06.859 being ethnically Jewish 00:15:06.859 --> 00:15:09.059 does not automatically mean 00:15:09.059 --> 00:15:10.679 that you are a child of God 00:15:10.679 --> 00:15:13.279 who will inherit all that God has promised. 00:15:14.299 --> 00:15:15.899 It didn't mean that in the Old Testament. 00:15:16.199 --> 00:15:18.000 It didn't mean that when Jesus came. 00:15:18.439 --> 00:15:19.879 It didn't mean that in Paul's day. 00:15:20.219 --> 00:15:22.339 And it doesn't mean that today. 00:15:26.620 --> 00:15:29.079 We want to pause for a moment there and ask ourselves, 00:15:29.179 --> 00:15:31.159 is that really what Paul is saying here? 00:15:31.339 --> 00:15:32.439 Is that what he's teaching? 00:15:33.500 --> 00:15:35.859 Is this idea taught anywhere else in Scripture? 00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:37.500 It is. 00:15:38.039 --> 00:15:39.959 In fact, it's taught by Jesus himself. 00:15:40.539 --> 00:15:43.219 In John chapter 8, verse 31, 00:15:43.220 --> 00:15:45.540 Jesus is having a conversation with the Jews. 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:47.700 And I'm just going to read snippets of it. 00:15:48.740 --> 00:15:50.899 To the Jews who had believed him, 00:15:51.420 --> 00:15:52.040 Jesus said, 00:15:52.360 --> 00:15:54.379 If you hold to my teaching, 00:15:54.660 --> 00:15:56.540 you are really my disciples. 00:15:57.500 --> 00:15:59.060 Then you will know the truth, 00:15:59.220 --> 00:16:01.160 and the truth will set you free. 00:16:01.980 --> 00:16:04.460 And their answer to him was essentially, 00:16:04.660 --> 00:16:05.580 What do you mean free? 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:07.700 We've never been slaves. 00:16:08.040 --> 00:16:09.639 We're Abraham's descendants. 00:16:09.639 --> 00:16:12.480 Jesus says to them, 00:16:13.080 --> 00:16:14.059 in verse 37, 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:17.019 I know that you are Abraham's descendants, 00:16:17.419 --> 00:16:20.340 yet you are looking for a way to kill me, 00:16:20.699 --> 00:16:23.779 because you have no room for my word. 00:16:24.740 --> 00:16:28.220 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, 00:16:28.379 --> 00:16:31.559 and you are doing what you have heard from your Father, 00:16:31.899 --> 00:16:32.539 said Jesus. 00:16:33.700 --> 00:16:35.080 Abraham is our father, 00:16:35.299 --> 00:16:35.980 they answered. 00:16:35.980 --> 00:16:39.220 If you were Abraham's children, 00:16:39.580 --> 00:16:40.300 said Jesus, 00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:43.100 then you would do what Abraham did. 00:16:43.879 --> 00:16:44.759 As it is, 00:16:45.180 --> 00:16:47.019 you are looking for a way to kill me, 00:16:47.480 --> 00:16:49.279 a man who has told you the truth 00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:50.840 that I heard from God. 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:54.620 Abraham did not do such things. 00:16:55.779 --> 00:16:57.759 You are doing the works of your own father. 00:16:58.820 --> 00:17:00.740 We are not illegitimate children, 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:01.700 they protested. 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:03.899 The only father we have is God himself, 00:17:03.899 --> 00:17:05.819 Jesus said to them, 00:17:06.220 --> 00:17:07.859 if God were your father, 00:17:08.059 --> 00:17:09.119 you would love me, 00:17:09.500 --> 00:17:11.420 for I have come here from God. 00:17:13.059 --> 00:17:14.500 Down in verse 47, 00:17:15.400 --> 00:17:16.940 whoever belongs to God, 00:17:17.460 --> 00:17:19.559 hears what God says. 00:17:20.180 --> 00:17:21.920 The reason you do not hear 00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:24.940 is that you do not belong to God. 00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:29.039 So the message of Jesus is pretty clear in this conversation. 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:29.579 He says, 00:17:29.579 --> 00:17:33.099 I know you are Abraham's descendants in the flesh, 00:17:33.099 --> 00:17:35.879 that you are physically descended from him, 00:17:36.279 --> 00:17:39.319 but in the most important sense, 00:17:39.379 --> 00:17:40.220 in the true sense, 00:17:40.299 --> 00:17:42.259 you are not Abraham's children. 00:17:43.939 --> 00:17:45.779 I have come from God, 00:17:45.899 --> 00:17:47.740 and your response to me 00:17:47.740 --> 00:17:52.740 shows that you are not Abraham's children. 00:17:54.000 --> 00:17:56.099 You have no room for my word. 00:17:56.099 --> 00:17:57.939 And this shows the reality. 00:17:58.139 --> 00:17:59.939 You're not true children of Abraham, 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:02.359 and you're not true children of God. 00:18:04.419 --> 00:18:07.899 Not all who are descended from Israel 00:18:07.899 --> 00:18:10.459 are Israel, 00:18:10.939 --> 00:18:14.219 are true children of the living God. 00:18:14.500 --> 00:18:16.859 Some of the physical descendants of Israel 00:18:16.859 --> 00:18:20.059 will inherit all that has been promised 00:18:20.059 --> 00:18:22.500 through these wonderful covenants, 00:18:22.500 --> 00:18:25.019 and some will not. 00:18:27.859 --> 00:18:29.359 Which means that the promises 00:18:29.359 --> 00:18:30.759 of the everlasting covenant 00:18:30.759 --> 00:18:33.380 will be kept to some of the descendants 00:18:33.380 --> 00:18:36.420 of Abraham and Isaac and Israel, 00:18:36.660 --> 00:18:38.900 but not to all. 00:18:39.660 --> 00:18:43.400 Not simply on the basis of them being Jewish 00:18:43.400 --> 00:18:45.460 or circumcised or fill in the blank. 00:18:46.819 --> 00:18:48.119 Which also means 00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:50.920 that the land that was promised to Abraham 00:18:50.920 --> 00:18:52.320 and Isaac and Israel 00:18:52.320 --> 00:18:56.400 is not the automatic divine birthright 00:18:56.400 --> 00:18:58.220 of every Jewish person, 00:18:58.539 --> 00:19:00.840 contrary to popular Christian Zionism, 00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:02.700 contrary to the thought 00:19:02.700 --> 00:19:04.560 of many Jewish people today. 00:19:05.019 --> 00:19:06.960 Those who reject the Messiah, 00:19:07.700 --> 00:19:08.019 Jesus, 00:19:08.660 --> 00:19:12.480 have no covenantal promise basis 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:14.060 for a claim 00:19:14.060 --> 00:19:15.920 to the land that was promised. 00:19:16.100 --> 00:19:18.400 They are not children of God. 00:19:19.100 --> 00:19:20.500 They are not children of Abraham. 00:19:20.500 --> 00:19:23.400 They are merely children of the flesh, 00:19:23.400 --> 00:19:27.039 according to the logic of Jesus and Paul. 00:19:27.880 --> 00:19:29.259 Where is this all going? 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:32.900 The covenant and the promises, 00:19:33.240 --> 00:19:35.240 and this is where Paul is really going here, 00:19:35.900 --> 00:19:40.119 they are for those whom God has chosen by grace 00:19:40.119 --> 00:19:42.400 and not by race. 00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:47.560 That's how it was with Isaac and with Ishmael. 00:19:48.220 --> 00:19:51.380 That's how it was with Jacob and with Esau. 00:19:51.700 --> 00:19:55.060 And that same principle applies all the way down. 00:19:56.440 --> 00:19:59.300 At the heart of this whole discussion 00:19:59.300 --> 00:20:00.500 is really this question. 00:20:01.140 --> 00:20:04.620 What makes the difference between those who are in 00:20:04.619 --> 00:20:06.459 and those who are out? 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:10.399 If it isn't physical descent or race, 00:20:10.839 --> 00:20:12.399 what is it? 00:20:12.399 --> 00:20:14.439 Why do some inherit the promises 00:20:14.439 --> 00:20:15.919 and the covenant 00:20:15.919 --> 00:20:18.079 and not others? 00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:23.099 Why did God choose Abraham and not others? 00:20:24.199 --> 00:20:27.199 Why did God choose Isaac and not Ishmael? 00:20:28.379 --> 00:20:31.480 Why did he choose Jacob and not Esau? 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:33.519 Why not both? 00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:37.379 Well, it wasn't because Isaac was good. 00:20:38.579 --> 00:20:40.259 He wasn't even born yet. 00:20:41.259 --> 00:20:42.519 In the verses which follow, 00:20:43.299 --> 00:20:45.680 back in Romans 9, verses 10 to 13, 00:20:46.579 --> 00:20:48.400 we're not going to look at it too closely there, 00:20:48.500 --> 00:20:49.700 but Paul basically says, 00:20:50.079 --> 00:20:51.240 look at Jacob and Esau. 00:20:51.940 --> 00:20:54.700 Before they had done anything good or bad, 00:20:54.819 --> 00:20:57.160 it was not based on works. 00:20:58.160 --> 00:21:00.859 The Lord chose one of them, 00:21:01.259 --> 00:21:02.379 gave a different promise, 00:21:02.380 --> 00:21:04.380 the older will serve the younger. 00:21:06.300 --> 00:21:08.320 He chose one of them to receive 00:21:08.320 --> 00:21:11.080 his covenant of grace 00:21:11.080 --> 00:21:15.640 and the other was not chosen to receive it. 00:21:20.120 --> 00:21:22.200 Some will say that that doesn't seem fair. 00:21:23.080 --> 00:21:24.680 That doesn't seem just. 00:21:26.340 --> 00:21:28.940 Why is God treating some with a special favor 00:21:28.940 --> 00:21:30.040 and not others? 00:21:30.039 --> 00:21:34.500 Why is he specially blessing Abraham and not others? 00:21:34.599 --> 00:21:37.339 Why is he specially blessing Isaac and not Ishmael? 00:21:38.240 --> 00:21:39.700 Jacob and not Esau? 00:21:41.039 --> 00:21:44.000 Paul goes on in verse 14 to address this very concern. 00:21:44.139 --> 00:21:44.399 He says, 00:21:44.519 --> 00:21:45.619 What then shall we say? 00:21:45.720 --> 00:21:46.839 Is God unjust? 00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:48.980 Not at all. 00:21:48.980 --> 00:21:50.919 For he says to Moses, 00:21:51.119 --> 00:21:54.139 I will have mercy on whom I have mercy 00:21:54.139 --> 00:21:59.299 and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. 00:21:59.299 --> 00:22:02.460 Do you hear what the Lord is saying there? 00:22:04.759 --> 00:22:06.079 When it comes to Abraham, 00:22:06.079 --> 00:22:09.919 I am free to pour out my special blessing on him, 00:22:10.039 --> 00:22:14.619 establish my covenant with him and only him if I want to. 00:22:14.619 --> 00:22:19.679 I am free to bless and establish my covenant with Isaac. 00:22:21.679 --> 00:22:25.279 Show mercy and compassion to him if I want to. 00:22:25.500 --> 00:22:31.059 And I am free to bless and not establish it with Ishmael if I want to. 00:22:31.059 --> 00:22:35.759 This is not unjust. 00:22:35.899 --> 00:22:40.059 This is not favoritism because it wasn't based on their works in the first place. 00:22:40.220 --> 00:22:42.519 It wasn't based on whether they'd done good or bad, 00:22:42.859 --> 00:22:44.419 says Paul. 00:22:45.279 --> 00:22:47.079 This is a bit of a limited analogy, 00:22:47.339 --> 00:22:49.679 but I think we can all relate. 00:22:49.839 --> 00:22:51.419 As Christmas comes around, 00:22:51.940 --> 00:22:54.440 you'll likely be getting some pieces of mail 00:22:54.440 --> 00:22:59.940 asking for a donation to a number of charities. 00:23:01.340 --> 00:23:07.779 Are you not free to give to and to bless some of those charities and not others? 00:23:09.240 --> 00:23:10.700 Many of them are worthy. 00:23:11.600 --> 00:23:14.660 Is it unfair that you decide to give 50 to one, 00:23:14.980 --> 00:23:15.960 100 to another, 00:23:16.259 --> 00:23:18.000 and zero to the third? 00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:20.240 Of course it's not unfair. 00:23:21.180 --> 00:23:23.380 You are not obligated to give them anything. 00:23:24.440 --> 00:23:27.000 That's what it means to give a gift. 00:23:27.539 --> 00:23:31.019 Gifts by definition are unobligated 00:23:31.019 --> 00:23:33.920 and sometimes undeserved. 00:23:35.299 --> 00:23:37.279 I think of how things go with our children. 00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:40.160 I'll tell one of my children up to three times, 00:23:40.320 --> 00:23:41.940 don't do this. 00:23:42.500 --> 00:23:43.640 By the third time, 00:23:43.759 --> 00:23:45.460 if you do this again, 00:23:45.539 --> 00:23:46.779 there will be a consequence. 00:23:48.380 --> 00:23:49.740 Is it right? 00:23:49.980 --> 00:23:52.559 Is it fair if I give them the consequence 00:23:52.559 --> 00:23:54.380 when they go and do it again? 00:23:55.440 --> 00:23:55.880 Yes. 00:23:57.759 --> 00:24:00.820 But is it in my freedom and right as a parent 00:24:00.820 --> 00:24:02.320 to watch them do it again 00:24:02.320 --> 00:24:04.640 and to look at them 00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:06.620 and out of compassion decide, 00:24:06.940 --> 00:24:10.440 I'm not going to give you what I said I would. 00:24:10.559 --> 00:24:11.940 I'm not going to give you the consequence 00:24:11.940 --> 00:24:13.400 that I said that I would. 00:24:14.220 --> 00:24:14.640 Yes. 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:17.860 That is in my freedom as a parent. 00:24:18.580 --> 00:24:19.440 That is right. 00:24:19.440 --> 00:24:19.920 Right. 00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:20.160 Right. 00:24:20.360 --> 00:24:20.640 Now, 00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:23.500 my other child might come in at that moment 00:24:23.500 --> 00:24:25.640 and after she does something 00:24:25.640 --> 00:24:27.299 that she's not supposed to be doing, 00:24:27.660 --> 00:24:30.700 that she was told that she would be disciplined for 00:24:30.700 --> 00:24:31.380 if she did, 00:24:31.779 --> 00:24:32.480 she might say, 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:32.620 well, 00:24:32.640 --> 00:24:34.779 how come you let Callie off the hook last time? 00:24:34.779 --> 00:24:37.559 That doesn't seem fair. 00:24:37.639 --> 00:24:39.559 You should let me off the hook this time too. 00:24:40.099 --> 00:24:40.920 To which I say, 00:24:41.160 --> 00:24:41.440 no, 00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:43.579 that's not how it works. 00:24:44.279 --> 00:24:47.399 I am not obligated to show mercy. 00:24:47.400 --> 00:24:50.740 It's the same with God. 00:24:50.820 --> 00:24:55.120 He is not obligated to show mercy and grace to sinners 00:24:55.120 --> 00:24:57.200 like you and me. 00:24:58.880 --> 00:25:00.320 We may not like that, 00:25:00.420 --> 00:25:02.380 but that's what the Lord claims for himself. 00:25:03.840 --> 00:25:05.580 Freedom to choose to bless 00:25:05.580 --> 00:25:08.240 or not to bless. 00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:10.160 To give one what they deserve 00:25:10.160 --> 00:25:14.480 and to another to show grace and mercy. 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:17.920 Verse 16. 00:25:20.200 --> 00:25:24.140 It does not therefore depend on human desire 00:25:24.140 --> 00:25:26.039 or effort, 00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:28.740 but on God's mercy. 00:25:32.940 --> 00:25:34.160 So this morning, 00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:37.360 we've already seen how God will keep his promises 00:25:37.360 --> 00:25:39.680 in his time and his way. 00:25:39.839 --> 00:25:40.339 This morning, 00:25:40.440 --> 00:25:41.960 we see another facet of it. 00:25:42.700 --> 00:25:44.240 God will keep his promises, 00:25:44.240 --> 00:25:45.900 but he will do it to those 00:25:45.900 --> 00:25:48.680 whom he has chosen by grace 00:25:48.680 --> 00:25:50.720 to keep them to. 00:25:51.799 --> 00:25:53.259 Paul's going to go on to explain 00:25:53.259 --> 00:25:56.019 how this applies to ethnic Israel. 00:25:56.220 --> 00:25:58.079 He's going to talk about the remnant. 00:25:58.259 --> 00:25:59.700 That's all for another time. 00:26:00.420 --> 00:26:01.700 But his point here 00:26:01.700 --> 00:26:03.660 is that those people 00:26:03.660 --> 00:26:06.160 who belong to true Israel, 00:26:06.519 --> 00:26:08.120 who truly are Israel, 00:26:08.220 --> 00:26:10.660 they're chosen not by race, 00:26:10.660 --> 00:26:11.660 not by works, 00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:13.820 not by what they've done, 00:26:13.900 --> 00:26:14.519 good or bad, 00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:15.600 but by grace 00:26:15.600 --> 00:26:18.740 as an unobligated gift. 00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:23.220 Now, we've been talking a lot about Abraham 00:26:23.220 --> 00:26:25.320 and Israel 00:26:25.320 --> 00:26:26.540 and the Jewish people, 00:26:26.540 --> 00:26:28.759 but how does that all connect to us 00:26:28.759 --> 00:26:29.800 here this morning? 00:26:29.900 --> 00:26:31.120 I'm assuming most of us, 00:26:31.180 --> 00:26:31.860 if not all of us, 00:26:31.880 --> 00:26:32.900 are not Jewish. 00:26:34.220 --> 00:26:35.680 Skip down to verse 23. 00:26:35.680 --> 00:26:39.080 We're kind of entering mid-argument 00:26:39.080 --> 00:26:40.320 into what Paul is saying, 00:26:40.480 --> 00:26:41.620 but for the sake of time, 00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:43.640 we don't have time to look at it all. 00:26:44.660 --> 00:26:45.060 Paul says, 00:26:45.480 --> 00:26:46.900 what if God did this? 00:26:47.140 --> 00:26:49.340 What if he chose to show mercy to some 00:26:49.340 --> 00:26:50.680 and not to others? 00:26:50.740 --> 00:26:51.840 What if he did this 00:26:51.840 --> 00:26:54.100 to make the riches of his glory 00:26:54.100 --> 00:26:56.340 known to the objects of his mercy, 00:26:57.019 --> 00:26:58.720 whom he prepared in advance for glory? 00:26:58.820 --> 00:26:59.779 Would that be just? 00:27:00.180 --> 00:27:01.000 Would that be right? 00:27:01.100 --> 00:27:01.840 Would that be fair? 00:27:01.839 --> 00:27:04.839 I think the answer is implied. 00:27:05.799 --> 00:27:06.319 It's yes. 00:27:08.299 --> 00:27:10.240 Would it be fair if he chose to do that 00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:11.980 to make the riches of his glory 00:27:11.980 --> 00:27:14.039 known to the objects of his mercy? 00:27:15.339 --> 00:27:17.179 Who are the objects of his mercy? 00:27:18.500 --> 00:27:19.299 Verse 24. 00:27:20.599 --> 00:27:21.359 Even us, 00:27:21.879 --> 00:27:22.839 whom he also called, 00:27:24.099 --> 00:27:26.059 not only from the Jews, 00:27:26.439 --> 00:27:28.879 but also from the Gentiles. 00:27:28.880 --> 00:27:32.140 in God's mercy, 00:27:32.600 --> 00:27:33.920 he has chosen 00:27:33.920 --> 00:27:35.820 to show, 00:27:35.980 --> 00:27:37.560 to show grace, 00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:40.540 not just to the descendants 00:27:40.540 --> 00:27:42.080 physically of Abraham, 00:27:42.620 --> 00:27:45.120 but also to people who are not, 00:27:45.280 --> 00:27:46.320 to the Gentiles, 00:27:46.440 --> 00:27:48.240 to the non-Jewish people, 00:27:48.880 --> 00:27:50.900 to all the families 00:27:50.900 --> 00:27:52.040 of the earth, 00:27:52.420 --> 00:27:53.760 to the world. 00:27:53.759 --> 00:28:00.259 And the way that's made possible 00:28:00.259 --> 00:28:01.519 is through Christ. 00:28:01.920 --> 00:28:03.160 And we're going to be looking at that 00:28:03.160 --> 00:28:04.379 in some of the weeks ahead, 00:28:04.839 --> 00:28:06.319 how that works. 00:28:06.700 --> 00:28:07.960 But Paul will go on to say 00:28:07.960 --> 00:28:10.740 in this chapter 11 00:28:10.740 --> 00:28:12.700 that the Gentiles, 00:28:12.819 --> 00:28:14.559 those who are not Jewish, 00:28:15.660 --> 00:28:17.519 are by God's grace 00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:20.140 grafted into the Israel tree 00:28:20.140 --> 00:28:21.980 as a gift of grace. 00:28:21.980 --> 00:28:24.059 so that we too 00:28:24.059 --> 00:28:24.740 might inherit 00:28:24.740 --> 00:28:26.640 this great kingdom of God 00:28:26.640 --> 00:28:28.519 and be participants 00:28:28.519 --> 00:28:30.259 in what he has promised. 00:28:31.759 --> 00:28:32.960 But for this morning, 00:28:33.599 --> 00:28:35.420 that's a much bigger story, 00:28:35.519 --> 00:28:36.519 a much bigger discussion. 00:28:36.680 --> 00:28:37.079 This morning, 00:28:37.160 --> 00:28:38.120 what I want us to see 00:28:38.120 --> 00:28:42.059 is that anyone 00:28:42.059 --> 00:28:43.299 who comes to share 00:28:43.299 --> 00:28:45.640 in all that God has promised, 00:28:45.779 --> 00:28:46.799 in all his blessings, 00:28:47.620 --> 00:28:49.720 does so not by works, 00:28:49.720 --> 00:28:52.079 not because of the good 00:28:52.079 --> 00:28:53.600 or bad that they have done, 00:28:53.960 --> 00:28:55.160 not because of their 00:28:55.160 --> 00:28:57.360 ethnic background, 00:28:57.860 --> 00:29:00.579 but because of the free, 00:29:00.920 --> 00:29:03.779 unobligated choice of God 00:29:03.779 --> 00:29:05.079 to give grace 00:29:05.079 --> 00:29:07.480 to them. 00:29:10.339 --> 00:29:11.220 Ephesians 2, 00:29:11.299 --> 00:29:12.259 verses 8 and 9. 00:29:13.259 --> 00:29:14.319 Most of you probably 00:29:14.319 --> 00:29:15.799 know this verse, 00:29:15.799 --> 00:29:18.039 for it is by grace. 00:29:18.039 --> 00:29:20.359 It is by the unobligated 00:29:20.359 --> 00:29:21.379 gift of God 00:29:21.379 --> 00:29:22.879 that you are saved, 00:29:23.019 --> 00:29:24.839 not by works, 00:29:24.839 --> 00:29:26.039 so that no one 00:29:26.039 --> 00:29:27.039 can boast. 00:29:28.000 --> 00:29:29.599 God will keep his promises 00:29:29.599 --> 00:29:30.519 and his covenants, 00:29:30.720 --> 00:29:33.119 but he will do so 00:29:33.119 --> 00:29:34.519 as a gift of grace 00:29:34.519 --> 00:29:35.680 and mercy 00:29:35.680 --> 00:29:37.319 through his son Jesus 00:29:37.319 --> 00:29:39.180 to those he chooses 00:29:39.180 --> 00:29:40.240 to be gracious 00:29:40.240 --> 00:29:42.000 and merciful to. 00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:44.660 even us, 00:29:45.160 --> 00:29:46.519 whom he also called, 00:29:47.220 --> 00:29:49.119 not only from the Jews, 00:29:49.319 --> 00:29:51.319 but also from the Gentiles. 00:29:52.539 --> 00:29:53.700 And so how should all of this 00:29:53.700 --> 00:29:54.759 shape our thanksgiving? 00:29:55.640 --> 00:29:56.740 We're kind of just 00:29:56.740 --> 00:29:58.539 kicking off the celebrations. 00:29:59.460 --> 00:30:01.039 How does this all apply here? 00:30:02.619 --> 00:30:03.359 Well, this morning, 00:30:03.500 --> 00:30:04.079 if you are here 00:30:04.079 --> 00:30:05.400 and Jesus is your Lord 00:30:05.400 --> 00:30:06.640 and your Savior, 00:30:07.160 --> 00:30:08.519 if you have a precious, 00:30:09.039 --> 00:30:10.859 personal relationship with him, 00:30:10.859 --> 00:30:12.339 then you're in. 00:30:13.299 --> 00:30:15.199 You too are a child of God. 00:30:16.619 --> 00:30:17.479 Just as Isaac 00:30:17.479 --> 00:30:18.819 couldn't take a lick of credit 00:30:18.819 --> 00:30:20.059 for God's choosing him, 00:30:20.439 --> 00:30:21.479 neither can you. 00:30:23.679 --> 00:30:24.959 Is this not reason 00:30:24.959 --> 00:30:25.699 to give thanks 00:30:25.699 --> 00:30:26.500 on thanksgiving? 00:30:30.819 --> 00:30:31.879 My encouragement 00:30:31.879 --> 00:30:33.240 this weekend 00:30:33.240 --> 00:30:34.119 is that we would not 00:30:34.119 --> 00:30:35.539 merely or mostly 00:30:35.539 --> 00:30:36.699 focus 00:30:36.699 --> 00:30:38.379 and give thanks 00:30:38.379 --> 00:30:39.979 for the material blessings 00:30:39.980 --> 00:30:40.880 that we enjoy. 00:30:41.440 --> 00:30:42.700 Let's give thanks 00:30:42.700 --> 00:30:44.559 for God's grace, 00:30:45.299 --> 00:30:46.839 for God's mercy, 00:30:47.440 --> 00:30:49.079 without which 00:30:49.079 --> 00:30:49.759 we'd be hopeless, 00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:50.759 we'd be lost. 00:30:51.980 --> 00:30:52.900 Let's give thanks 00:30:52.900 --> 00:30:54.099 for the spiritual blessings 00:30:54.099 --> 00:30:55.339 that have been won for us 00:30:55.339 --> 00:30:56.140 through Christ, 00:30:56.660 --> 00:30:58.539 the things that will last 00:30:58.539 --> 00:30:59.079 forever 00:30:59.079 --> 00:31:00.160 into eternity, 00:31:00.740 --> 00:31:03.000 things that we did 00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:04.019 nothing to deserve, 00:31:05.339 --> 00:31:05.700 forgiveness 00:31:05.700 --> 00:31:07.200 that we could never earn, 00:31:07.200 --> 00:31:09.620 citizenship in a kingdom 00:31:09.620 --> 00:31:10.940 that we are not worthy 00:31:10.940 --> 00:31:12.900 of being a part of, 00:31:13.559 --> 00:31:14.539 eternal life, 00:31:15.019 --> 00:31:16.059 though we were promised 00:31:16.059 --> 00:31:16.900 death. 00:31:18.019 --> 00:31:18.960 These things are just 00:31:18.960 --> 00:31:19.880 the tip of the iceberg 00:31:19.880 --> 00:31:20.559 of all that 00:31:20.559 --> 00:31:22.340 comes and is promised 00:31:22.340 --> 00:31:23.700 to those who believe, 00:31:23.779 --> 00:31:24.620 to those who belong 00:31:24.620 --> 00:31:25.180 to Jesus, 00:31:25.519 --> 00:31:26.960 and none of this 00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:27.539 would be ours 00:31:27.539 --> 00:31:28.100 without him. 00:31:29.299 --> 00:31:30.700 There would be no salvation, 00:31:31.019 --> 00:31:31.640 no forgiveness, 00:31:32.120 --> 00:31:33.700 except because of what 00:31:33.700 --> 00:31:35.299 he did at the cross 00:31:35.299 --> 00:31:37.440 as a gift of grace 00:31:37.440 --> 00:31:39.759 and mercy to us. 00:31:41.160 --> 00:31:42.299 And so what are you 00:31:42.299 --> 00:31:44.080 thankful for this morning? 00:31:45.360 --> 00:31:46.539 As you gather with 00:31:46.539 --> 00:31:47.759 friends and family, 00:31:48.340 --> 00:31:49.700 I encourage you 00:31:49.700 --> 00:31:50.640 to turn your eyes 00:31:50.640 --> 00:31:52.279 to the God of grace 00:31:52.279 --> 00:31:54.440 who has done so much 00:31:54.440 --> 00:31:55.140 for you, 00:31:55.880 --> 00:31:57.680 so much that wasn't owed, 00:31:58.480 --> 00:32:00.120 so much that wasn't earned, 00:32:00.119 --> 00:32:02.679 so much that wasn't 00:32:02.679 --> 00:32:03.699 deserved in the least. 00:32:05.079 --> 00:32:05.919 May our expression 00:32:05.919 --> 00:32:06.500 of gratitude 00:32:06.500 --> 00:32:07.479 around the table 00:32:07.479 --> 00:32:10.019 be to him 00:32:10.019 --> 00:32:12.039 and about him. 00:32:14.859 --> 00:32:15.899 And if you want to have 00:32:15.899 --> 00:32:17.939 a more practical 00:32:17.939 --> 00:32:20.919 way of bringing this 00:32:20.919 --> 00:32:22.079 to your dinner table, 00:32:22.919 --> 00:32:24.439 when you go around 00:32:24.439 --> 00:32:25.099 the dinner table 00:32:25.099 --> 00:32:25.739 this afternoon, 00:32:25.899 --> 00:32:26.579 may I suggest 00:32:26.579 --> 00:32:28.759 that we add a new word 00:32:28.759 --> 00:32:29.740 to our thanksgiving. 00:32:30.980 --> 00:32:32.160 The word despite. 00:32:34.720 --> 00:32:35.720 Instead of saying, 00:32:36.140 --> 00:32:37.079 I'm thankful for, 00:32:37.839 --> 00:32:38.640 fill in the blank, 00:32:39.599 --> 00:32:40.920 I encourage you to say, 00:32:41.400 --> 00:32:42.519 I thank you God 00:32:42.519 --> 00:32:43.680 that despite, 00:32:45.299 --> 00:32:46.240 fill in the blank, 00:32:47.299 --> 00:32:48.420 you have given 00:32:48.420 --> 00:32:50.299 fill in the blank 00:32:50.299 --> 00:32:51.599 to me. 00:32:54.220 --> 00:32:55.140 Instead of saying, 00:32:55.420 --> 00:32:57.640 I'm thankful for 00:32:57.640 --> 00:32:58.440 fill in the blank, 00:32:58.759 --> 00:33:00.180 say, 00:33:00.700 --> 00:33:02.879 I thank you God 00:33:02.879 --> 00:33:04.220 that despite, 00:33:04.720 --> 00:33:05.680 fill in the blank, 00:33:06.019 --> 00:33:07.980 you have done 00:33:07.980 --> 00:33:09.299 fill in the blank 00:33:09.299 --> 00:33:10.640 for me. 00:33:11.859 --> 00:33:13.240 And there are so many 00:33:13.240 --> 00:33:13.980 different things 00:33:13.980 --> 00:33:14.779 that we can put 00:33:14.779 --> 00:33:15.720 in those blanks 00:33:15.720 --> 00:33:17.259 as Christians, 00:33:17.819 --> 00:33:19.180 as people who belong 00:33:19.180 --> 00:33:20.519 to the Lord Jesus. 00:33:21.799 --> 00:33:22.599 Let's pray. 00:33:22.599 --> 00:33:22.720 Amen. 00:33:22.720 --> 00:33:29.180 Lord Jesus, 00:33:29.339 --> 00:33:30.059 we know that 00:33:30.059 --> 00:33:31.980 it is only 00:33:31.980 --> 00:33:32.839 by your grace 00:33:32.839 --> 00:33:34.440 that we have come 00:33:34.440 --> 00:33:35.839 into this wonderful 00:33:35.839 --> 00:33:37.720 family 00:33:37.720 --> 00:33:39.059 that you've brought us 00:33:39.059 --> 00:33:39.360 into, 00:33:39.819 --> 00:33:40.779 that we have come 00:33:40.779 --> 00:33:42.259 into this inheritance 00:33:42.259 --> 00:33:43.059 that is 00:33:43.059 --> 00:33:44.259 mind-blowing. 00:33:45.100 --> 00:33:46.100 It's huge, 00:33:46.180 --> 00:33:46.839 it's glorious, 00:33:46.839 --> 00:33:47.640 it's amazing. 00:33:47.640 --> 00:33:50.020 Thank you 00:33:50.020 --> 00:33:50.800 that you have set 00:33:50.800 --> 00:33:51.820 your free choice 00:33:51.820 --> 00:33:53.360 to give mercy 00:33:53.360 --> 00:33:54.480 and grace 00:33:54.480 --> 00:33:55.300 upon us 00:33:55.300 --> 00:33:56.420 who believe. 00:33:59.200 --> 00:34:00.220 We say this 00:34:00.220 --> 00:34:02.040 in Jesus' name. 00:34:03.160 --> 00:34:03.480 Amen. 00:34:03.480 --> 00:34:03.600 Amen. 00:34:03.600 --> 00:34:03.640 Amen. 00:34:03.700 --> 00:34:03.740 Amen. 00:34:03.740 --> 00:34:05.740 Amen. 00:34:05.740 --> 00:34:05.820 Amen. 00:34:05.820 --> 00:34:05.860 Amen. 00:34:05.860 --> 00:34:06.100 Amen. 00:34:06.100 --> 00:34:06.160 Amen. 00:34:06.160 --> 00:34:07.720 Amen. 00:34:07.720 --> 00:34:07.780 Amen. 00:34:07.780 --> 00:34:09.720 Amen. 00:34:09.720 --> 00:34:11.780 Amen. 00:34:11.780 --> 00:34:13.660 Amen. 00:34:13.660 --> 00:34:13.720 Amen. 00:34:13.720 --> 00:34:13.760 Amen. 00:34:13.760 --> 00:34:13.780 Amen. 00:34:13.780 --> 00:34:13.800 Amen. 00:34:13.800 --> 00:34:15.780 Amen. 00:34:15.780 --> 00:34:15.820 Amen. 00:34:15.820 --> 00:34:17.619 Amen.