Heartland Christian Church
Main - HCC Sunday Service - November 20, 2022
      • Bible Trivia
        Loading...
  • I Will Not Be Shaken
  • I Lift Your Name
  • You Are My King

  • INTRODUCTION

    Let’s turn together
    in our Bibles
    to Psalm 138.
    We’re gonna read
    the whole Psalm.
    Psalm 138
    verses 1-8.
    & when you find that
    in your Bible
    Pls stand for the reading
    of God’s Word.
    The Title of Today’s teaching is:
    Give Thanks to the Lord!
    In Psalm 138:1-8.
    The Scriptures say:
    Psalm 138:1–8 (CSB)
    I will give you thanks with all my heart; I will sing your praise before the heavenly beings.
    I will bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your constant love and truth. You have exalted your name and your promise above everything else.
    On the day I called, you answered me; you increased strength within me.
    All the kings on earth will give you thanks, Lord, when they hear what you have promised.
    They will sing of the Lord’s ways, for the Lord’s glory is great.
    Though the Lord is exalted, he takes note of the humble; but he knows the haughty from a distance.
    If I walk into the thick of danger, you will preserve my life from the anger of my enemies. You will extend your hand; your right hand will save me.
    The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. Lord, your faithful love endures forever; do not abandon the work of your hands.
    You may be seated.
    It’s the holiday season.
    & for most of us
    that means
    this is the busiest
    season of the year.
    In a survey of 2000 Americans
    Conducted by OnePoll
    & commissioned by
    a company called Lightbox
    They found that
    70% of those surveyed plan
    to attend at least
    1 holiday event.
    Of that 70%
    the average will attend
    11 holiday events;
    Spend 25 hours socializing.
    Meet 5 new ppl
    & see 4 ppl
    they wld rather avoid.
    61% say
    holiday socializing
    is stressful;
    1/3 will leave events
    early & turn dwn
    4 invitations.
    & 44% plan to
    sneak out of events
    w/o saying good-bye.
    The most surprising
    stat of all is:
    on average ppl
    will spend $788
    on new outfits.
    & amid all
    the planning
    parties
    pies
    & presents—
    With all that busyness—w
    we can forget
    the purpose
    of the holidays.
    Especially the one
    we’ll all celebrate
    later this week.
    Thanksgiving!
    So, today
    I want us to look at
    six things this Psalm
    teaches us abt
    Giving Thanks to the Lord.
    & you can thank the Lord
    that although 6 points
    sounds like a lot
    we will not be here
    for more than a couple
    of hours.
    PRAYER
    Let’s pray.
    Lord we thank You
    for the gift
    of your Word.
    Open our ears
    to hear your Word
    & know Your voice.
    Speak to our hearts
    & strengthen our wills
    that we may serve You
    Now & always.
    In Jesus name
    Amen.
    [Transition: The 1st reason
    We shld give thanks
    to the Lord is...]
    Give thanks to the Lord because He LOVES us.
    David starts Psalm 138
    Declaring to the Lord in prayer
    Psalm 138:1 (CSB)
    I will give you thanks with all my heart...
    Notice those
    two little words
    in red.
    I will.
    Though it is
    the Lord’s
    will that we give
    thanks to Him
    in every circumstance
    The Lord will not
    force us
    to thank Him.
    So David says
    “I will.”
    “I will what You will
    “for me Lord.”
    “I will give thanks
    w/ all my heart.”
    Now
    the word heart
    makes us think abt
    our feelings & emotions.
    If we say we
    love someone
    w/ all our heart
    we mean we have good
    feelings abt them.
    But that’s not
    what David means.
    The heart here is
    As Patrick Reardon
    so eloquently puts it
    Christ in the Psalms (Psalm 137 (138): I Will Confess to You, O Lord, with All My Heart)
    When we speak of prayer “from the heart” we mean...from the very core of ourselves, the center of decision and resolve, a region vastly deeper than our emotions.
    So, what David
    means when he says
    “I will give thanks to you
    w/ all my heart” is..
    “I resolve—
    regardless of my
    feelings—
    I will bring every part
    of myself into line
    w/ God’s will for me
    & give thanks
    to the Lord.
    I resolve to give thanks
    no matter what.
    When I feel like it
    & when I don’t
    I will give thanks
    to the Lord.
    & as David goes on
    to tell us in Psalm 138:2
    That thanksgiving comes
    out in worship.
    David says:
    Psalm 138:2 (CSB)
    I will bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your constant love...
    Notice again
    David says
    “I will.”
    “I will
    bow dwn.”
    Let me ask
    to do something:
    Raise your hand
    if you’ve ever
    bowed dwn to God
    in worship
    in private.
    Raise your hand
    if you’ve ever
    bowed dwn to God
    in worship
    in public.
    Raise your hand
    if you don’t
    like it when
    preachers tell
    you to raise
    your hand.
    When did Christians
    stop literally bowing dwn
    to the Lord
    in public worship?
    A lot of us
    have been raised
    in an environment
    where the word ‘worship’
    means we need a
    talented worship leader
    to work up our emotions
    as we sway
    a froth by a worship leader
    until we express
    Right around the time
    of the Enlightenment.
    Ppl started teaching
    that the bowing
    clapping
    shouting
    all of that is to be
    understood as
    something we do
    inwardly.
    Something we do
    in our hearts
    but now w/ our bodies.
    & this is why
    we can sing songs
    w/ words like:
    “We stand & lift up
    “our hands.”
    While we
    have our hands
    in our pockets.
    Or
    “We bow dwn
    “& worship
    Him now.”
    When we don’t
    don’t bow dwn.
    We use
    biblical language
    but don’t do
    the bible actions
    that language describes.
    What we do
    is connect bowing dwn
    to the phrase abt
    our hearts
    & say we’re bowing dwn
    in our hearts.
    But that’s definitely
    NOT what
    David means.
    Let’s not forget
    that our bodies
    are part of us.
    & God wants us
    to use our bodies
    in worship
    as we give thanks
    to Him
    thru our words.
    & thru our actions.
    David resolved
    to show thanks
    & he used his
    physical body to do it.
    & we shld do
    the same.
    & notice why
    David gives thanks
    to the Lord
    in Psalm 138:2.
    He says:
    Psalm 138:2 (CSB)
    I will bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your constant love and [faithfulness].
    David gives thanks
    & gratefully praises
    the Lord
    for the Lord’s
    constant love
    & faithfulness.
    Your translation
    may say “mercy”
    instead of constant love.
    But constant love
    is the better translation.
    & David’s not talking abt
    Just any kind
    of love.
    David’s not talking abt
    The general love
    God has
    for the world.
    God does
    love the world.
    But God has
    a special love
    for those who are in
    a covenant relationship
    w/ Him.
    ILLUSTRATION
    The best way
    to illustrate
    the kind of love
    David’s talking abt
    is to think abt marriage.
    I’ve been married
    to my lovely wife
    for almost 23 years.
    God commands me
    to love all ppl
    Even my enemies
    just like God does.
    But God commands me
    To love my wife
    in a special way.
    My love for my wife
    Is dfrnt than my love
    for the rest
    of the world.
    Why?
    Bcs we’re in
    a covenant relationship.
    I’ve bound myself
    to Amy
    Thru the covenant
    of marriage.
    & she’s bound
    herself to me.
    We belong
    to one another.
    We made promises
    to one another.
    We made a commitment
    to love one another
    in a special way.
    & there are
    certain benefits
    we gain frm this
    covenant relationship
    that we don’t share
    w/ other ppl.
    & there are also
    certain obligations
    We have
    to one another
    that we don’ have
    to other ppl
    bcs of the covenant.
    In the same way
    The Lord binds Himself
    to those who are
    in a covenant relationship
    w/ Him
    in the Church.
    In this covenant relationship
    their are benefits
    the Lord shares w/ us
    that He does not share
    w/ those who
    are not His ppl.
    & there are also
    obligations for us
    & for the Lord.
    The Lord Jesus
    is the head of the body—
    which is the Church—
    as a husband
    is the head of his wife.
    & just like husband
    & wife become one flesh
    So we who are
    united w/ the Lord Jesus
    we become
    a part of His flesh
    & His bones.
    & He obligates Himself
    to provide
    & care for us.
    He makes promises
    to us.
    We make promises to Him.
    He remains faithful to us.
    & expects us to remain
    faithful to Him.
    & that’s what David’s
    talking abt
    when he gives thanks
    for the Lord’s love.
    It’s the special
    covenant love
    the Lord shares w/
    those who are married
    to Him in the Church.
    One of the biggest
    problems in the so-called
    Christian community is
    Ppl keep mixing up
    the Lord’s general love
    for the world
    w/ His covenant love
    for His ppl.
    & misguided teachers
    try to apply
    the promises
    God gives His ppl
    to ppl who are not
    in covenant w/ Him.
    They’ve not turned
    frm their sins.
    They’ve not been
    baptized into Christ.
    Their not connected
    to His body
    in the Church.
    Yet ppl talk to them
    as if they were
    a part of the Lord’s ppl.
    But people need to know:
    If they want the benefits
    of the covenant love
    of the Lord
    then they’ve gotta
    get in a covenant relationship
    w/ the Lord.
    Listen to what the Lord
    said to Moses abt this
    in Deuteronomy 7:9.
    He said:
    Deuteronomy 7:9–10 (NIV)
    Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.
    But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.
    This is the same
    language David uses
    in Psalm 138:1.
    The Lord
    is the faithful
    covenant keeping God.
    He keeps on extending
    the benefits
    of His covenant love
    to those who love Him
    & keep His commandments.
    Now
    notice back in
    Psalm 138:2
    David says:
    God’s covenant love
    for His ppl
    is constant.
    It’s continuous.
    It’s certain.
    & as David says
    at the end of Psalm 138:8:
    Psalm 138:8 (CSB)
    Lord, your faithful love endures forever...
    God’s constant covenant
    love for His ppl
    Causes Him
    to keep extending
    faithful love to His ppl—
    Those who love God
    & keep His commandments.
    For that love
    David gives thanks
    to the Lord
    w/ all his heart.
    & David expresses
    that thankfulness
    by bowing dwn
    in worship
    APPLICATION
    & we who are
    a part of
    God’s covenant ppl
    by being in Christ
    in the Church
    we shld all resolve
    to give thanks
    & bow dwn bfr Him
    for the Lord’s
    constant covenant love
    for His faithful ppl.
    This love the Lord
    demonstrated
    by laying His life dwn
    for us on the cross.
    This love the Lord
    demonstrated
    by calling us
    into communion w/ Him
    thru the gospel.
    This love the Lord
    keeps on demonstrating
    as we stay connected
    & He supplies our every need
    for life & godliness
    in the Church.
    The Lord loves
    His ppl. [1…2…3…]
    & for that
    we shld
    be thankful.
    As a part of
    the Lord’s covenant ppl
    we have access
    to some pretty
    awesome promises.
    [Transition: & that
    brings us to the
    2nd reason
    The Lord’s ppl shld
    give thanks to the Lord…]
    Give thanks to the Lord because of His PROMISES to us.
    At the end of Psalm 138:2.
    David says:
    Psalm 138:2 (CSB)
    I will...give thanks to your name for...You have exalted your name and your promise above everything else.
    Your translation
    might say
    “Your Word” here
    instead of
    “Your promise.”
    David’s meaning
    is a combination
    of the two.
    God’s promises
    to His faithful ppl
    are found
    in God’s Word.
    & David says
    God has exalted
    His promise—
    the Truth
    He gives us
    in His Word—
    & His name
    abv everything else.
    The Lord’s name is
    His reputation—
    His character.
    & the Lord’s character
    is connected
    to the truth
    of the promises
    He gives us
    in His Word.
    & by connecting
    God’s promises
    to His name
    David’s saying:
    The Lord’s character
    is only as good
    as His faithfulness
    to keep His promises.
    If the Lord’s promises
    are no good
    then neither
    is His name.
    ILLUSTRATION
    Don’t we expect this
    in human relationships?
    We expect ppl
    to keep their promises.
    We expect them
    to keep their word.
    You’ve probably
    heard the saying:
    “You’re only as good
    as your word.”
    When we tell ppl
    we’re gonna do things
    & we don’t do them
    ppl lose trust in us.
    & that’s David’s point
    abt the Lord.
    God puts His reputation
    on the line
    thru the truth
    he gives us
    in the promises
    in His Word.
    We shld expect God
    to keep His Word.
    We shld expect God
    to keep His promises.
    The Lord’s promises
    are backed by
    the impeccable integrity
    of the God
    who cannot lie
    & who cannot fail.
    His promises
    are backed by
    His faithful character.
    Unlike what we
    often experience
    in human relationships
    we will never experience
    unfaithfulness frm God.
    As we read in Numbers 23:19
    Numbers 23:19 (CSB)
    God is not a man, that he might lie, or a son of man, that he might change his mind. Does he speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?
    The God & Father
    of our Lord Jesus Christ
    is incapable
    of lying.
    It’s impossible
    for God
    to be unfaithful.
    God will always
    do what He says.
    There are at least
    250 promises
    in the NT alone
    for those who are
    in a covenant relationship
    w/ the Lord
    in the Church.
    Those promises
    cover everything
    we need for life
    & godliness.
    Some of God’s promises
    are so profound
    they may seem unbelievable
    to us.
    But the Lord’s
    perfect character
    & His unlimited pwr
    Give us absolute certainty
    He will keep
    every promise He makes
    to His faithful covenant ppl.
    & for that
    we shld be thankful.
    So, let’s give thanks
    to the Lord
    bcs of His promises.
    [Transition:
    & let’s also give thanks
    for one of the ways
    God fulfills His promises.]
    Give thanks to the Lord because He ANSWERS us.
    In Psalm 138:3
    David says
    to the Lord
    Psalm 138:3 (NASB 2020)
    On the day I called, You answered me.
    When we call
    to the Lord—
    When we pray
    to Him—
    He promises
    to answer us.
    The Lord answers
    the prayers
    of His faithful ppl.
    We see this truth taught
    Over & over
    in the Scriptures.
    For example
    in 1 John 5:14-15
    John assures us
    1 John 5:14–15 (NASB 2020)
    This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
    And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
    & in Hebrews 4:16
    Paul urges us:
    Hebrews 4:16 (NASB 2020)
    ...let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.
    The Lord invites
    His ppl
    to approach Him
    confidently.
    To come bfr
    the throne of
    the Exalted King
    of the universe.
    To remind Him
    of His promises
    & expect Him
    to hear us
    when we
    call to Him.
    When we pray
    We shld anticipate
    receiving God’s mercy
    & finding God’s grace
    to help us
    in our time of need.
    & it’s God’s grace:
    David has in mind
    in Psalm 138:3
    when he says:
    Psalm 138:3 (CSB)
    On the day I called, you answered me; you increased strength within me.
    God’s grace
    is God’s power
    God’s divine strength
    at work within us.
    Whenever we pray
    We draw frm
    the endless stream
    of divine strength
    that flows
    frm the throne
    of our glorious God.
    When we call to the Lord
    in prayer—
    when we pray
    according to His will
    which we find
    in His Word—
    The Lord assures us
    He will answer us.
    & that’s a reason
    to give thanks
    to the Lord.
    So, let’s make it
    our aim
    to pray abt everything.
    & let’s give thanks
    to the Lord
    bcs He answers us.
    [1…2…3…]
    [Transition: One reason
    the Lord answers us
    is bcs He
    cares for us.
    & that’s
    the 4th reason
    We shld give thanks
    to the Lord...]
    Give thanks to the Lord because He CARES for us.
    In Psalm 138:6
    David shows us
    two sides of God’s
    character.
    He says...
    Psalm 138:6 (CSB)
    Though the Lord is exalted, he takes note of the humble...
    The Lord is
    the Most High God.
    In Theological language
    God is Transcendent.
    He’s far beyond
    unlike
    & separate
    frm His creation.
    But the Scriptures
    also reveal
    that God is
    very near
    to His creation.
    He’s personally involved
    in caring for
    His creation.
    & the Lord is
    especially involved
    In caring for the needs
    of His humble ppl.
    That’s what
    David means
    when He says
    God takes note
    of the humble.
    When we submit
    to the Lord as our head—
    When we humble ourselves
    under His mighty hand—
    the Lord promises
    to take care of us.
    But notice
    what David says
    abt those who
    are haughty or proud
    in Psalm 138:6.
    David says:
    the Lord
    Psalm 138:6 (NCV)
    ...the Lord...stays away from the proud.
    We don’t want to
    find ourselves
    among proud ppl
    Who refuse to
    submit to God
    & walk in His ways.
    God stays away frm
    ppl like that.
    James teaches
    this same truth
    in James 4:6-10
    James 4:6–10 (GNB)
    “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
    So then, submit to God. Resist the Devil, and he will run away from you.
    Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners! Purify your hearts, you hypocrites!
    Be sorrowful, cry, and weep; change your laughter into crying, your joy into gloom!
    Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
    We don’t want God
    resisting us.
    We want—
    we need—
    God constantly
    giving us His grace.
    We want His face
    shining on us
    & Him looking on us
    w/ favor.
    We want Him
    caring for us.
    Bcs when the Lord
    is caring for us
    We’ll lack
    no good thing.
    We’ll have
    everything we need.
    So, we want
    to be among the humble
    who submit to God
    & receive God’s grace
    to live for Him.
    Bcs humble
    servants of God understand
    w/o God
    we have nothing.
    We are nothing.
    God’s humble servants
    understand that in God
    we live
    & move
    & have our being.
    He’s the giver
    & sustainer
    of our lives.
    David acknowledges
    this truth at the end
    of Psalm 138:8
    when he pleads w/ the Lord
    Psalm 138:8 (CSB)
    ...do not abandon the work of your hands.
    David knew he
    & all of the Lord’s ppl
    are the work
    of the Lord’s hands.
    The Lord is our maker
    & we cannot live
    w/o the Lord.
    We can only live
    the life God created us
    to live in Christ
    by the grace of God.
    & knowing this truth:
    Will keep us
    frm becoming proud.
    When we remember
    We cannot live
    w/o the Lord
    We’ll keep humbly
    submitting ourselves
    to Him.
    We’ll keep looking
    to Him
    to sustain us.
    When we humble
    ourselves bfr God
    God takes special care of us
    & gives us the grace
    to live for Him.
    Let’s give thanks
    to the Lord
    Bcs He cares for us.
    [Transition: & one of the ways
    The Lord cares for us
    is the 5th reason
    We shld give thanks to the Lord.]
    Give thanks to the Lord because He SAVES us.
    We all have enemies.
    We fight w/
    spiritual forces of evil
    in heavenly realms.
    Satan roams
    around the earth
    looking to devour
    God’s ppl.
    Sin is an enemy
    We all fight
    in various ways.
    We’ll all have
    many opportunities
    To be tempted
    To get off track
    To fall away frm
    the true faith.
    To become
    Lukewarm
    & Complacent.
    But there’s a
    powerful promise
    in Psalm 138:7.
    David says:
    Psalm 138:7 (CSB)
    If I walk into the thick of danger, you will preserve my life from the anger of my enemies. You will extend your hand; your right hand will save me.
    When we remain
    faithful to the Lord
    No weapon our enemies
    form against us
    will prosper.
    The Lord promises
    to preserve us
    & save us
    frm our enemies.
    We may find ourselves
    Walking thru
    deep danger
    surrounded by
    spiritual enemies.
    But David reminds us
    the Lord
    will extend his hand
    & w/ His right hand
    will save us.
    God’s right hand
    represents
    His divine power.
    & the Lord’s power
    is limitless.
    This means God’s power
    to save us
    frm our enemies
    is limitless.
    The Lord will fight for
    His faithful ppl.
    Our God will save us.
    APPLICATION
    Our enemies come
    in many forms.
    Maybe your enemy is doubt.
    Maybe your enemy is fear.
    Maybe your enemy
    is some sin
    you’re easily ensnared by.
    [1…2…3…]
    You say you’ll stop
    But you get drawn back
    to that same sin.
    Maybe your enemy
    is unforgiveness
    Maybe your enemy
    is slothfulness
    in spiritual matters.
    Maybe your enemy
    Is pride.
    Or Greed.
    Or Lust.
    Think abt the enemies
    your facing
    right now.
    What is it
    that’s waging war
    against your soul?
    [1…2…3…]
    Now
    Make up your mind
    Today
    That frm now on
    You’ll never
    let that enemy
    Win another battle
    against you.
    You’re not gonna
    let sin win.
    You’re not gonna
    let Satan win.
    You’re gonna leave
    every excuse behind.
    & you’re gonna
    fight God’s way.
    How do we fight God’s way?
    We do what Paul told us
    to do in Hebrews 4.
    & what James told
    us to do in James 4.
    We approach the throne of grace
    with confidence
    so we can receive mercy
    and find grace for help
    at the time of our need.
    We humble [ourselves] before God.
    Resist the devil
    & he will flee from [us].
    We Come close to God
    & God will come close to [us].
    We wash [our] hands
    Purify your hearts
    Make sure our loyalty
    is not divided btwn God
    & the world.
    We humble ourselves bfr the Lord
    and the Lord
    will lift us up
    & save us frm our enemies.
    & that’s a reason
    to be thankful.
    Let’s give thanks
    to the Lord
    bcs He saves us.
    [Transition: & let’s also
    give thanks to the Lord
    for a 6th & final reason…]
    Thank the Lord because He fulfills His PURPOSE for us. (138:8)
    The Lord has a purpose
    for all of us.
    & as David
    says in Psalm 138:8
    Psalm 138:8 (CSB)
    The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.
    In our individualistic society
    we tend to put
    a little too much emphasis
    on the me
    in this verse
    & focus on
    individual purpose.
    But the biblical emphasis
    is always on our purpose
    in connection
    w/ the community
    of God’s ppl
    in Christ
    in the Church.
    Humanity
    can only find purpose
    by being in Christ—
    in the Church.
    What is
    the Lord’s purpose
    for you?
    What is the Lord’s
    purpose for me?
    Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:3-4.
    Peter says...
    2 Peter 1:3–4 (CSB)
    [God’s] divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
    By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.
    Notice why
    God gave us
    His promises.
    It’s so that thru
    His promises
    We might share in
    the divine nature
    & escape the corruption
    in the world
    bcs of our evil desires.
    That’s God’s purpose
    for all of us
    Paul puts it this way
    in Ephesians 4:22-24.
    God’s purpose for us is...
    Ephesians 4:22–24 (CSB)
    ...to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires,
    to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
    and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.
    God’s purpose for us is:
    To save us frm the enemies
    of our old life.
    To save us frm sin
    Satan
    & death.
    & to renew our minds
    & our lives
    in such a way
    That eventually
    we look
    exactly like God.
    God’s purpose
    for creating humanity
    & God’s purpose
    for redeeming humanity
    thru His Son
    Is so He cld have a family
    of sons & daughters
    Who are completely conformed
    to the image
    of His divine Son
    Jesus Christ.
    As Paul says in Romans 8:28-29
    Romans 8:28–29 (NASB 2020)
    And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
    For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
    That’s our destiny.
    That’s our purpose.
    To be conformed
    to the image
    of our divine-human
    big brother
    Jesus Christ.
    How?
    Thru rebirth
    & the renewing
    of our minds
    we’re being transformed
    & conformed
    to the image of Jesus.
    Ppl will see
    the image of Jesus
    in us.
    They’ll see Jesus
    In our moral character.
    In our love for God
    & one another.
    They’ll see Jesus
    In our passion
    & love for the truth.
    They’ll see Jesus
    in all we say
    & do.
    That’s Gods’ purpose
    for us.
    Any area of our lives
    Where we’re
    not like Jesus
    Where we’re falling short
    of the image
    of Christ
    Is an area where
    we’re not fulfilling
    God’s purpose
    for our lives.
    We’re not
    allowing God
    to fulfill
    His purpose in us.
    But if we’ll keep
    trusting Jesus.
    If we’ll keep
    obeying Jesus.
    If we’ll live in the grace
    God pours out on us
    Thru His precious promises
    God’s power within us
    will continue
    to conform us
    to the image of His Son
    Until we become by grace
    What Jesus is
    by nature.
    God’s purpose for us
    Is to make us
    exactly like Jesus.
    & if we remain faithful
    to God by obeying
    His commandments
    God will fulfill
    His purpose for us.
    & for that
    we shld be thankful.
    CONCLUSION
    As we close.
    We have so many things
    for which we shld
    give thanks
    To the Lord.
    Let me encourage you
    As you celebrate
    Thanksgiving this week
    Remember to
    Give thanks to the Lord
    Bcs he loves us.
    Give thanks to the Lord
    Bcs of His promises to us.
    Give thanks to the Lord
    Bcs He answers us.
    Give thanks to the Lord…
    Bcs He cares for us.
    Give thanks to the Lord…
    Bcs He saves us.
    & Give thanks to the Lord…
    Bcs He will fulfill His purpose for us.
    For all of those reasons
    & many more…[1…2…3…]
    Give thanks to the Lord!
    PRAYER
    Let’s all stand for prayer.
    Father
    You are so
    good to us.
    We have so much
    to be thankful for.
    We thank you
    For your love
    for us.
    & that your love
    causes you to fulfill
    Your promises to us
    To care for us
    & answer our prayers.
    We thank You for saving us
    & for continuing to fulfill
    Your purpose for us
    As we rely on Your grace
    To make us
    like Your Son
    Jesus Christ our Lord
    Help us to remain thankful
    in all things.
    & help us to express
    that thankfulness
    w/ our words
    w/ our works
    & w/ our worship.
    In Jesus name we ask.
    Amen.
    ​
  • I Surrender All
      • Bible Trivia
        Loading...
Heartland Christian Church
heartlandchristianchurch@gmail.com
513-722-2629
https://hcc-2n.faithlifesites.com
3 members