We've been talking and studying the theme of gratitude or Thanksgiving in light of the event, in light of the day that's coming on now. But we have been looking at it, the different Sundays, and today is no different. We're going to conclude with our theme of Thanksgiving. But before I do, let me just share with you something I found, and it'll bring some laughter, hopefully. And it's a poem entitled, The Turkey Story. The Turkey Story. I've read this a while back, but you may remember, you may not, and it goes like this. When I was a young turkey, new to the coop, my big brother Mike took me out on the stoop. Then he sat me down and he spoke real slow, and he told me there was something that I had to know. His look and his tone I will always remember when he told me of the horrors of Black November. Come about August, now listen to me, each day you'll get six meals instead of just three. And soon you'll be thick, where once you were thin, and you'll grow a big rubbery thing under your chin. And then one morning when you're warm in your bed, in will burst the farmer's wife and hack off your head. Then she'll pluck out your feathers so you're bald and pink, and scoop out your insides and leave you lying in the sink. And then comes the worst part, he said not bluffing. She'll open you up and pack you with stuffing, Well, the rest of his words were too grim to repeat. I sat on the stoop like a winged piece of meat and decided on the spot that to avoid being cooked, I'd have to lay low and remain overlooked. I began a new diet of nuts and granola, high roughage salads, juice and diet cola. And as they ate pastries, chocolates and crepes, I stayed in my room doing exercise tapes. You can tell this is dated. I maintained my weight of two pounds and a half and tried not to notice when the bigger birds laughed. But it was I who was laughing under my breath as they chomped and they chewed ever closer to death. And sure enough, when Black November rolled around, I was the last turkey left in the entire compound. So now I'm a pet in the farmer's wife's lap. I haven't a worry, so I eat and I nap. She held me today while sowing and humming. She smiled and said, Christmas is coming. Next slide. Next slide. It goes with the Christmas is coming. Boom. OK. Just when you think you're in the clear. So hopefully you had a good Thanksgiving day. Hopefully you enjoyed family and friend and food. And like I said last week, sometimes Thanksgiving is just a plus. It's a win if all the entire family can gather and the police is not called. Okay, that's a win. Boom. That's just a win right off the bat. Well, giving thanks is often demoted to a secondary place in the lives of God's people. And we see that. Listen, we see that even in our own community. Truthfully, we are quick to make our requests and slow to thank God for his answers. We go to him rather quickly when we're in a pinch, but once he gets us out of that pinch, we seldom go back and thank him for it, and even learn from the pinch so we don't repeat it. And instead of just that cycle of self-inflicted wounds, and God heals us from that, and we can move forward. But gratitude doesn't go a long way, really. Haven't you noticed we're a clan of just complaining ingrates? You know, it was about 2 this morning, and I was watching Water's World. You know Water's World? I'm water, this is my world, right? If you watch it, you know what I just did, alright? It was 2 in the morning. Don't ask me why it was 2 in the morning and I was watching. Okay, but one of the things that I was sort of half asleep on the couch, and and I'm like this and I caught the the headline fights on the airlines inside the jets at 35,000 feet they're training now the the the the the people who work there airplane the flight attendants with MMA and self-defense and and And they showed me all these clips, and you know it's everybody. I mean, I left my phone over there, but you know. One, obviously. It had to be. Blah, blah, blah, Miami. I'm like, of course. Of course. Of course. And I'm talking, people are jumping from one to the other. And they're like, and then you jump like five or six people. And I'm going, all this on Thanksgiving weekend. As people are traveling, we don't, we really don't, ingratitude is so quickly rears its head. Just realize how ungrateful you were, perhaps, three days removed, or maybe ungrateful you are for something in life, three days removed from Thanksgiving. We're like the little kid. He's walking with his mom, and a man stops him and says, and you're going to have to use your imagination, this is an orange. And gives him the orange, and he takes it. And you know, like a good mom, what does the mom tell the kid? What do you say to the nice man? He looks at it, hands it back, and says, peel it. That's you and me. We just don't like to say it. God sends stuff our way and we go like, no, peel it. I still got to work. I still got to do something with this. The reality though is that you and I should be known as grateful people. We should be the example of gratitude. The reality is that, you know, ingratitude is characteristics of those who do not know the Lord, who are in rebellion against the Lord. Christ followers are expected to be grateful people. And here's a thought for you to take with you on the screen there. A spirit of joyous, continual thankfulness ought to characterize us as Christians. Thanksgiving is just ongoing in the Scriptures, no less than 140 times or right around 140 times it's mentioned at Thanksgiving and that you and I should be grateful. You find Israelites giving thanks in Exodus 15. Israel again giving thanks in 2 Chronicles for the construction of the temple. King David giving thanks in Psalm 100. The prophet Daniel giving thanks in Daniel chapter 6 verse 10. The great apostle Paul throughout his letters exhorts the readers to be grateful. In fact, we looked at that, at one of those exhortations last time, last Sunday, 1 Thessalonians 5, 16 through 18. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do you want to know the will of God for you? Rejoice always, pray always, be grateful always. Stop looking for an airplane, stop looking for an airplane to ride it on the sky, or some hand to come out. You already know it's the will of God for you. Rejoice always, pray always, and be grateful always. If you and I would just apply that to our lives, our lives would be revolutionized. The problem is you and I look for ways not to rejoice, look for ways not to pray, and we look for ways not to be grateful. Because there's always an exception to something going on. Here we have, time and time again, this morning we're turning to one of the greatest chapters in the entire Bible. One of the greatest chapters, 2 Samuel chapter 7. Turn there with me. 2 Samuel 7. Question, why is this one of the greatest chapters in the Bible? 2 Samuel 7. I'm not even going to let you Google it if you want, because I'm not that quick to catch you. Why is 2 Samuel 7 one of the greatest chapters in the Bible? Not in the Old Testament. Well, definitely not in the New Testament, because 2 Samuel is not in the New Testament, right? So, not in the Old, but in the entire Bible. Why? Let's read, and you let me know afterwards, okay? 2 Samuel, we're going to read 17 verses, so buckle up. Now when the king lived in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you. But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan. Go and tell my servant David, thus says the Lord, would you build me a house of dwelling? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people of Israel, saying, why have you not built me a house of cedar? Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be a prince over my people." Israel. and I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies come from before you and I will make for you a great name like the name of the great ones of the earth and I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more and violent men shall afflict them no more as formerly from the time that I appoint judges over my people Israel and I will give you rest from all your enemies moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men. But my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me your throne shall be established Forever in accordance with all these words in accordance with all this vision Nathan spoke to David What is so great about second Samuel 7? There you go you Gary pays for your lunch today Just make sure you don't lose sight of him. Okay, and The Davidic covenant, the promise, the covenant made between God and David, that is one of the greatest covenants made in all the pages of Scripture. It is summarized in 1 Chronicles 17, 2 Chronicles 6, and in short, this is what it means. It's on the screen. It's an unconditional covenant made between God and David through which God promises David and Israel that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would come from the lineage of David and the tribe of Judah and would establish a kingdom that would endure forever. It is an unconditional covenant. That means that the surety, the guarantee of the promises made rests solely on God himself. Unlike the covenant made with Moses. Unlike other covenants that you will read in the scriptures. This one is unconditional. God says, it's going to happen and I guarantee it. I'm not depending on you. I'm making this covenant. I'm going to do this. And today's study is not so much the study on the covenant made with David or the Davidic covenant. It's David's reaction to God's goodness in his life. But David's reaction is also something that hopefully will teach us something about how to respond. David's grateful heart is seen in the midst of all this. And if David, who's a man after God's own heart, is known to be grateful, then you and me, if we're people after God's own heart, we should be known for gratitude. We should be known for gratitude. Remember the background. David has consolidated his kingdom. David is the man. No one else is greater than David. This is the golden age of the Hebrews. This is the golden age of Israel. David represents the power. He represents someone who has great intellect, great military prowess. He's built a palace for himself. It's during this best of times that David says, you know, I want to do something big for the Lord. God has been good to me. I want to do something really big for the Lord. He wants to build Him a sanctuary, a temple, instead of the tent. A tabernacle? No, no, no, no. Let's make it something more permanent. He goes to God's man, the man of God. Nathan says, hey, this is what I want to do. And Nathan says, go ahead. Even the men of God sometimes have to slow down before they speak for God. He says, yeah, go ahead. We'll do it. And we know that what happens is God says, no, no, no. Don't lose sight of what's going on. David's dream is to do something big for God, and how does God respond? No. I don't know what your dream is. You don't know what my dream is. Some people's dreams, they die at the foot of God's kingdom there at His altar. David is saying, I'm going to do something. This is not David saying, hey, I'm going to add on to my kingdom. I'm going to add on, you know, the you and I, right? We already have four rooms. You know, if we're in Havana-Leah, we add like two more rooms and we don't even ask for permission. We just add them on. Boom. They just reappear over the weekend. Just boop. And we then call them efficiencies, and we rent them out, and they pay our rent. This is not David saying, yeah, I'm going to add a couple more rooms. No, no. David is saying, it's not right that I have this palace and God resides in this tent. I want to do something big for the Lord. And God says, no, no. In fact, I'm going to do something big for you, David. 1,000 years from now or so, Messiah will come from you. And even the promises I make you will not be fulfilled completely until Jesus Christ returns and reigns a million or a millennium for a thousand years from Jerusalem. Now, that puts David's gratitude, his thankfulness in a different light because, listen, David does teach us how you and I should react when God says no to our plans. From where we look, from our vantage point, why would God say no? Now, if you read the other passages, you'll see why God gave him a couple of reasons why not. But God says no to what seems to be a very good desire. Listen, focus on this main truth as we go through this chapter. A thankful heart focuses on the sovereign grace of God. The focus is on the sovereign grace of God. And what do I mean by that? Well, as you and I go through this, we're gonna see several things. Number one, number one, a thankful heart is God-focused, not self-focused. You know why ingratitude so easily grips our heart? Because we're focused on our happiness. We're focused on our kingdom. And when things don't go our way, When we're so self-absorbed and so self-focused, no wonder we can't be joyous. No wonder we can't give thanks. Because we're so busy trying to figure out why it's not going well for me. Yet David says, listen, he's the king of Israel after years of hardship. He's defeated his enemies. And in the best of times, he doesn't look and go, hey, what can I add? What can I remodel? What can I do in my house? No, no, no. What can I do for the Lord? See, if nothing else, a grateful heart keeps the Lord before him at all times. It doesn't mean that you have to live in a place isolated from people, but you never lose sight of what God has been and is and all the goodness he sends your way. So he teaches us that you need to be focused on God and that goes against the grain of American Christianity because sadly too much of American Christianity that gets exported around the world is focused on man, not on God. It's what God can do for you. See, the dominant theology in American Christianity puts man and his happiness at the center instead of God and His glory. That's why you have people who come to Christ under this this this false gospel expecting Christ to solve all their problems He's not here to solve all your problems. He's here to reconcile you to a holy God Then in return that has some repercussions When you reorient your life and your destiny and your eternity and you're right with the Lord, then and only then can you begin to be right with others. And then and only then maybe these horizontal relationships will get better. But you don't come to Christ as the genie that you rub so he can take care of your problems. I got high blood pressure, come to Jesus. No, no, no, they got high blood pressure medicine for that. And they have diet and exercise. The sad truth is that you and I export this, and then we have churches full of people who have a zeal for a Jesus they really don't know. That's what American Christianity, if you and I are not careful, what pulpits in the United States of America are pushing forth is this gospel, this false gospel that what it creates is a group of people who are passionate. They're passionate, but the problem is they're in love with a Jesus they barely know. And that's the problem. Because they've come to Jesus so he can solve my problems. No, no. You come to the Lord because you need rescue. You need rescue. He may not solve one of your horizontal problems. You'll just have to deal with that. Suck it up, buttercup. But he does solve the greatest vertical problem you have, which is how do I get to heaven? How do I establish a right standing before God? How do I get in there when God looks at me and says, good is not good enough. I demand perfection. And then He looks at you and He knows what you said, He knows where you've been, He knows what you have thought, He knows what you have done with your life, the train wreck that you caused. And He looks at you or you might be the symbol of morality. That doesn't matter either. The ship is still going to sink. The contents of the ship doesn't really matter if the ship sinks, whether it's traveling with gold or dung. The ship still sinks. So you might be the poster child for immorality. You might be the poster child for morality. You still end in the same place unless you come to Jesus Christ for rescue. And that's where we're at. And the problem is, that's why you're grateful, because you're God-focused. So my experience here on planet Earth is less than desirable? Well, imagine having to live this, and then your worst life comes after that. My best life is not now. I don't want it now. Don't get me wrong, Lord. I don't want a bad life here. I don't want him to just, hey, let me take out my frustrations with Louis, OK? I can't do it with Myrna. She's good. You're not that spiritual. I'm going to take it out on you. No, no, no, Lord. I don't want that. But my expectations are not to just coast through this life. The focus is on God. What would you have me do? How would you have me live? How would you have me react? How would you have me be a man? How would you have me to be a husband? How would you have me to be a father? How would you have me to be a shepherd of your people? How would you have me? The focus is not, oh, I want to be happy. Listen, if I want to be happy, sometimes the ministry is not the place to be. Sorry. If I want to be happy, I do something different. Now, don't get me wrong. Does it bring satisfaction in my enjoyment? Yes. But the reality is that I can't allow everything just to run with, how does it make me feel? You know, my feelings come and go. I mean, I was up at two in the morning. If you're asking me how I feel, I feel sleepy. So does that mean I love my wife any less? No, I just love my wife sleepy. I still love her as much as I loved her when we went to sleep. I just love her that much, but I'm sleepy. So it's not a matter of how you feel. Don't go by your feelings. Your feelings go back and forth. Subject them to Christ. You bring all thoughts captive to Jesus Christ. All feelings captive to Jesus Christ. And that's how you and I can stay like David. And even when God looks at our best plans, plans that we present to him, and he says, no. We can be grateful because we know that he never, never has anything but our good and his glory in mind. We may not like it. We may not see it from his vantage point. But he doesn't set us up to fail. And he always has our best interest as a heavenly father. Toward his towards his children a thankful heart is God focused not so focused number two A thankful heart is submissive to God's purposes not one's own You know, I have visions of grandeur. I am a legend in my own mind Let me tell you I can walk on water every time it rains Thank you today David wanted to build a temple for God, and God said, no. And the answer to this is especially difficult to accept, because David's desire was a good one. David's desire is not, hey, I want to put God's temple, this wing dedicated by King David. You've been to the hospitals? If you give them enough millions, they'll dedicate a wing. No, this wasn't that. Welcome to King David's temple. Welcome to the Lord's temple subsidized by King David. No. His heart was right. It's not good. Lord, you've been good to me. Look where I'm at. I'm at a great place in my life. It's not right for you to be this way. Let me do something for you. And God looks at him and says, listen, I know your desires are right, but no, you're not going to be that. Now, in his denial, there's some wonderful promises, but what does David do in response? Well, let's find out. Let's think about what he could have done, but he didn't do. And maybe you find yourself in this, or I find myself in this. He could have just allowed his disappointment to grow into depression. He could have done that. He could have just, you know, sulked and felt sorry for himself. He could have been in anger. Yeah, see if I try to do something for the Lord again. Watch this, he didn't want me to do this, never again, never again. But he doesn't, instead he worships the Lord. He finds himself with gratitude, overwhelmed with gratitude. And that gratitude is seen in the verses that follow. See, verses 18 through 29 of chapter 7 could read so differently if David reacts in the flesh. If David reacts angrily, if David says, what a grateful God, look at this, I want to do a good thing, I want to represent Him in this area of life, I want to do this good thing for the Lord, I want to represent Him in this area, and wherever the Lord has called me, I want to be this to Him, and the Lord looks at you and says, no, I'm not calling you to this right now. You and I could react so angrily. Anger is rude, it's pride. Every time you and I get angry, you know what it means? Our pride got hurt. Because I don't deserve that. God should have answered my prayer in the affirmative. When you and I get angry, whether it's we missed this parking space, or I missed out on this Black Friday special, don't worry, there's Cyber Monday, okay? And anyway, Black Friday, they do it for a month long nowadays. I mean, it's a joke now. But you know why we get angry? Because it's a pride. It's coming against our pride. I deserve this. I should have been, you shouldn't have bought it, I should have bought it. That person who ever bought the last one on Amazon. We get angry because our pride rears its ugly head. Pride could have reared its ugly head in the life of David. But instead it doesn't. And this is what we read. And I want you to note, as we read 18 through 29, the references how David refers to the Lord and how David refers to himself. Make note of this. Look in your Bible. Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, who am I? O Lord God, and what is my house that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is destruction for mankind, O Lord God. And what more can David say to you, for you know your servant, O Lord God? Because of your promise and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness and make your servant know it. Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there's none like you, and there's no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And who is like your people, Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods. And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God. And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house. And do as you have spoken, and your name will be magnified forever, saying, The Lord of hosts is God over Israel, and the house of your servant David will be established before you. For you, Lord of hosts, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servants, saying, I will build you a house. Therefore, your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Now therefore, may it please you to bless the house of your servant so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever. That's a reaction. How does he refer to God? What's the common phrase there? O Lord God, O Lord God, the sovereign Lord, Yahweh Adonai, the Lord of the Covenant who is Master, the Lord of the Covenant, or the God of the Covenant who is Lord. Yahweh Adonai, O Sovereign Lord. You cannot read this and not see how focused David is saying, I want to make sure that this is about God. Again, when you and I pray, is it about God? No, it doesn't mean that you can't ask. But even in his asking, it's about God. Did you catch that? How does King David refer to himself? Wow. You see, that's when you know your heart is right. He didn't say, Oh Lord God, as you see now the king, or your servant the king, or as you see, and he starts talking in third person, because King David dissing, have you ever talked about yourself in third person? Because Louis, Louis doesn't like this. Louis doesn't like that. No, there's no third person. It's your servant. Why? Because you're Yahweh Adonai. You're the sovereign Lord and everything beside you is servant. and your servant's house, and the kingdom, and everything is about God. As you keep your promise to your servant, may your name be made great. And that's why I have courage, he says, to pray to you this way. Why? Because I'm not praying for greatness for me, I'm praying greatness for you. And you have said, you've made promises to me that says, you'll make my name great, my posterity great, and this is only going to mean you're great. And that's where you and I see it there. How about us? When God's plans run counter to our plans, you know, how do we react? What do we say? Do we make excuses or do we make adjustments to follow God's leading? See, if you and I continue to make excuses, we will not experience all that God has for us in Christ Jesus. Thankful heart is focused on God, not self, and it submits to God's purposes. And lastly, it's overwhelmed by God's grace, not one's own measure of goodness. When Nathan outlines God's covenant promises to David, David is overwhelmed. In fact, in verse 18, it says, then King David went in and sat before the Lord. You may want to mark that. One of the few places, if any, besides this, where someone sits to pray. And you know what's the imagery here it's like when you hear like if one of you guys just said you know pastor I had a long-lost uncle and you know he has two million dollars and he wants to make sure he gives it to a reverend and you're it that's a pastor and I go Say it one more time. It's L-U-I-S. That's David. Blown away. Blown away. Nathan says, this is what's going on. Your heart is right before God, and you want to do this for God. But God's saying, no, no, no. I'm not going to let you do your plans. But look at the plans I have for you. And he sits down. He goes, Hold on. And that's why his response is, then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, who am I? Who am I? Child of God, never lose sight of that great reality. When you notice what God is doing, you just sit down and go, who am I? Who am I? that you would descend and send so many blessings. Who am I? Not worthy of your kindness, not worthy of your grace, not worthy of your hand of blessing, not worthy of your hand of protection. You've been more faithful even when I've been faithless. Even when I've decided to go against your wishes, you have remained steadfast in your love toward me. Who am I? Who am I? David says grace, grace. He understood, he's overwhelmed by God's grace. And grace is God's unmerited favor. And unmerited means I don't deserve it. I don't deserve it. Child of God, the minute you think that you deserve certain things, you're losing. You're losing. The reality is that all that we enjoy, we enjoy because of God's grace and because of Christ in us. Grace is unmerited. And grace is favor. Grace is favor. The grace that reflects God's abundant goodness towards you and me. And we've been saying this throughout the month. So let me say it one more time on the screen. Never forget that the truth of the gospel is that even though we deserve God's wrath, we have been extended mercy and grace through Jesus Christ. See, that's Thanksgiving. That's Thanksgiving 365 days a year. No matter how bad this world gets, no matter how bad my situation is, no matter how bad my diagnosis is and my prognosis is, no matter what the doctor says, nothing can ever separate me from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus. See, that's the reality. The truth of the gospel, even though you and me deserved the very worst, we had earned it. The wages of sin is death. That means if your life and my life is our job, we have earned death because we have decided to live our lives outside of God's glory for ourselves, and God says, you've missed the mark. No matter how good you are, the wages of sin, we all know it's wages. Everybody knows we get paid too little for doing too much, right? Well, listen, if our life is our job, then what we've earned is death. The other part of that verse says, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. See, that's the goodness of God. Though we deserve God's wrath, we have been extended mercy, not automatically given. You see, that mercy and grace is through Jesus Christ. So my friend, if you're here this morning or online, you're hearing me and you're watching me and you have not trusted in Christ, that grace and mercy does have an expiration the day you expire The day you die, now you face wrath. Because what you have looked at is into the eyes of Almighty God, who's holy, who's perfect, who's just, and he grants you grace and mercy and an opportunity for rescue, and you have just rejected it. And when you reject it, then he gives you the wish of your heart. You don't want me, you don't get me. Live with it. See, when you're overwhelmed by God's grace, David understood it. He understood God's favor in the past. Chapter 7, verses 8 and 9. He understood it. Now, therefore, you shall say to my servant David, thus says the Lord of hosts, Jehovah Sabaoth. I mean, again, this is just names of God Almighty. Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts, the God of heaven's armies. That's what's translating there. Okay, I took you from the pasture from following the sheep that you should be the prince over my people Israel verse 9 and have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from Before you and I will make for you a great name like the name of the great ones of the earth Scroll down to verse 18 and King David went in and sat before the Lord and said who am I? Who am I Oh Lord God and what is my house that you have brought me thus far? Your grace has been great in the past. I Child of God, why don't you take a moment right now and just see how good God's grace has been to you in the past. Maybe in the past 24 hours. Maybe in the past years. I was sitting with someone the other day and we were talking about something and I told him, listen, I shouldn't be here. I know the places I went when I was younger. I know places to purchase illegal stuff that I shouldn't have been. I've been blocks away when riots broke out in Liberty City. I was blocks away from different places. I shouldn't be here, but God's grace was too much. And if you take a moment, you too, we'll be able to survey your life and say maybe you didn't get to this part but you know you God's been good and his grace has been evident in your life in the past and also in the present in the present part of chapter 7 verse 8 he says you know you're the prince over my people look at where you're at today tell the God we forget God's grace today God allowed our eyes to open our heart to keep beating he has us here Today, and your health may not be what you wanted, but you have health. Your health may not be what you desire, but you have it. God has been gracious to you today. You and me arrived at this place safely. Do you understand that there's people who didn't make it to their destination today? They set out to go somewhere, and they may not have made it. Do you not understand that there's people who will set out to go somewhere today and will not make it? You and I, we just take it for granted. We don't like to be taken for granted, but we take God for granted. We get tired of that. We don't even get tired of that, I should say. God's favor in the present and God's favor in the future. You see it there in verses 10 through 16 and then in verse 19. That's what we see throughout this entire chapter. I said, what about our future? You see, grace permeates your life and my life. Grace permeates the life of the child of God. He has rescued us from a sinful past. He sustains us in the present and he will preserve us for a glorious future. Do you understand that? The salvation has broken, okay, has taken care of the penalty of sin, child of God. Because you have trusted in the work, in the person, the work of Christ. The penalty of sin has been rendered. It's no longer over your head. You've been declared not guilty. Because of Jesus Christ, the presence of sin is being dealt with. And you and I, we cooperate with the Spirit of God who's creating in us the character of Jesus Christ. The big word for your Scrabble is sanctification. All right? Next time you play Scrabble, sanctification. There's some double and triple worth there, I think. All right? But that's the present, and that's how God deals with the power of sin, which was broken at the cross, which was broken the day you surrendered to Christ. The penalty is taken care of. The power is broken. If the Son sets you free, you are what? Free indeed. For the very first time, you don't answer to that Master. And when that Master says, lust, you say, no, I'm free. And when that Master says, be proud, you say, no, I'm free. And when that Master says, do this, no, because the Son has set me free. I'm free indeed. I have the power to say no. Where before I didn't have the power. Oh, willpower only takes you so far. And if He's taking care of the past, and the penalty of sin, and He's taking care of the present, and with the power of sin, what awaits us is the future, and He takes away the presence of sin. And what awaits you, child of God, and what awaits me, is a perfect place for perfect people, for a perfect eternity. That's how good God's grace is to you and me. Dealing with the past, deals with the present, prepares you and me for the future. You and I are in good shape. That's why you can give thanks. What can we take with us this morning? Well, listen, it's simple. It's simple. The gospel is a starting point. Again, I want to remind you, I want to remind you what we just had a few slides ago. Put it back up there. The truth of the gospel is that even though we deserve God's wrath, we have been extended mercy and grace through Jesus Christ. So my friend, what excuse are you going to give God today? To reject the rescue. What are you going to do? What are you going to tell him as you say it again? Because he wants to make the claim on your life that he is Lord. You are sinking. What awaits you is an eternity without Him in a literal place of suffering. Bible calls it hell, the lake of fire. That's what awaits you. God has been kind and gracious in revealing that to you. He has gone out of his way to let you know what awaits rebels, those who stiff-arm the Lord time and time again. And when their days are done here, there's only two places you're going to go, one of the two, either heaven or hell. And if you believe in heaven, you must believe in hell. And if you believe in hell, you have to believe in heaven. And hell is no party, regardless of what rocker or whatever song you listen to. It is a continuous, it is a conscious, continuous place of suffering. The gospel provides you the out by you trusting in Jesus Christ, dying on a cross, resurrecting, ascending, and one day will return. If you have not cried out to him for that, you need to do that this morning. You need to do that this morning in your very own words. I don't have to lead you in a prayer. Cry out. If you fell in the water, you wouldn't wait for the pastor to tell you what to say. You cry out for help, all on your own. So cry out for help, all on your own. I don't have to tell you what to say, but once you see yourself, you say. And for you, my brother and sister in the Lord, that call us to gratitude. See, once again, on the screen there, a thankful heart focuses on the sovereign grace of God. And again, The grateful heart doesn't, is not rooted, that's a better way to say it, is not rooted in circumstances, is rooted in the character of God. Let me read you a story I came up and I forgot I had. And it's called The Blessings of Thorns. The Blessings of Thorns. As you and I process 2 Samuel 7, as you and I process Thanksgiving, keep this in mind. Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes as she pushed against a November gust and the florist's shop door. Her life had been easy, like a spring breeze. Then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole her ease. During this Thanksgiving week, she would have delivered a son. She grieved over her loss. And if that were enough, her husband's company threatened to transfer. Then her sister, whose annual holiday visit she covered, had called saying she could not come. What's worse, Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting her grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. She has no idea what I'm feeling, thought Sandra over the shutter. Thanksgiving? Thankful for what, she wondered aloud. Excuse me, for a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life but took the one of her child? Good afternoon, may I help you? The shop clerk's approach startled her. I need an arrangement. Stammered Sandra. For Thanksgiving, do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer figure I call the Thanksgiving special? Asked the shop clerk. I'm convinced that flowers tell stories. Are you looking for something that conveys gratitude this Thanksgiving? Not exactly. Sandra blurted out, in the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Sandra regretted her outburst and was surprised when the shop clerk said, I have the perfect arrangement for you. Then the door's small bell rang, and the shop clerk said, hi, Barbara, let me get your order. She politely excused herself and walked towards the small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses, except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped. There were no flowers. Want this in a box, asked the clerk. Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers? She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed. Yes, please Barbara Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. You think after three years of getting special I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here all over again. She said as she gently tapped her chest With no flowers. Oh, no. She said the lady just left with a no flowers Right. I cut off the flowers. That's what the special is. It's called the Thanksgiving thorns bunk. Okay, I Come on, you can't tell me someone's willing to pay for that explain Sandra Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling very much like you feel today explain the shop clerk She thought she had very little to be thankful for She had lost her father to cancer the family business was failing her son was into drugs, and she was facing major surgery That's in here I had lost my husband continued to clerk and for the first time in my life had to spend the holidays alone I had no children. No husband. No family nearby and too great a debt to allow any travel. So what did you do as Sandra? I learned to be thankful for the thorns, answered the clerk quietly. I've always thanked God for good things in life and never thought to ask him why these good things happen to me. But when that stuff hit, boy, did I ever ask. It took time for me to learn that the dark times are important. I've always enjoyed the flowers of life, but it took thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort. You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted. And from his consolation, we learn to comfort others. Sandra sucked in her breath. She thought about the very thing her friend had tried to tell her. I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby, and I'm angry with God. Well, the clerk replied carefully, my experience has shown me that thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know his love. Don't resent the thorns. Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on resentment. I'll take 12 long-stemmed thorns, please, she managed to sing. I hope you would, said the clerk gently. I'll have them ready for you in a minute. Thank you. What do I owe you, asked Sandra. Nothing, said the clerk. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement's always on me. The clerk smiled and handed the card to Sandra. I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you'd like to read it first. And it read, dear God, I have never thanked you for my thorns. I have thanked you a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear. Teach me the value of my thorns. Go one more slide, so you can keep it in mind. Thank you. See, Thanksgiving is all rah, rah, rah. There's times in life where even Thanksgiving is rough because the flowers are just not there sometimes. Maybe you're here this morning and there's not too many flowers. It feels more like thorns. We can give thanks to God for thorns. Bow your heads and close your eyes for just a moment. See, Christ is the sure and steady anchor. No matter what you and I face, Christ is there. And even though you and I, we tend to let go, and our lives get battered and semi-shattered, the beauty is that the anchor holds. Who are you this morning, child of God? Perhaps life is not full of roses, and all you can feel are the thorns. But it's okay, God has not abandoned you. Lord God, do the work that only you can, and we're grateful to you for the flowers, and we're grateful to you for the thorns. For you remain God and sovereign over all. And thank you for Christ. that sure and steady. We love you. We trust you in Jesus name. God's people said.