Sunday Evening Worship Service

Remain standing. Grab your Bibles. What a tremendous day we've had here at First Apostolic Church. Two more baptized in the name of Jesus and one more at least one more getting baptized tonight. I think we should give Jesus praise for what he's been doing week after week after week. Amen. Amen. I think he's trying to do something and I just want to be a part of it. And what a tremendous word we heard today. If you missed uh today's sermon from pastor, you need to go back and watch it. Life happens and it is so very true and sometimes we uh we want to live in the supernatural, but you can't have the super without the natural, right? And uh that's where life takes place is here in the natural. And I'm thankful for uh the Bible that meets us right where we are living no matter where we are. And it's just as relevant today as it was when it was written. First Thessalonians 5:18. First Thessalonians 5:18. Don't forget Mother's Day next Sunday. We're going to have a great time celebrating our moms and we're going to have a wonderful, wonderful time. Make sure that's your reminder to get something for her. Don't rely on the gift giveaway for your gift for your mom away. All right? That's extra. So, make sure you go and get something for your mom u before Sunday. 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Simple thought tonight, and this is from this text. In everything, give thanks. Give thanks for what? Everything. What's the will of God for my life, pastor? I can't tell you how many times someone has asked me that. Mostly students, teenagers, those who are getting ready to graduate. What's the will of God for my life? Well, Paul tells us very simply. In everything, give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Tonight, I want to minister to you very briefly on this thought, the cure for a complaining heart. The cure for a complaining heart. One more time, lift up your hands and ask the Lord to speak to you today. Father, we're so thankful for the word of God that went forth today, the spirit that moved the two souls baptized in Jesus' name. And one more again tonight. Lord, we pray that you would speak again to us. Remind us, oh Lord, that we must be thankful and grateful in everything because this is the will of God in you. In the name of Jesus, we pray. And everyone said, "Amen." Now clap your hands real loud unto Jesus one more time and you can be seated. The cure for a complaining heart. One of the first things you teach your child when you're a parent is you teach them, you know, trying to get them to walk. You're trying to get them to say their first words, all those things. But one of the first things you want to teach them is this. Say thank you, right? Thank you. Just whatever you just say thank you. Whatever it is, say what do we say? Say thank you, right? You know, we just always remind them. What do we say? >> Say thank you. We tell we told Eastston very early on uh when you get something from somebody, you say thank you. And act like it's the greatest thing you have ever received in your life. Right? And there are times we have to Okay, just calm down. and bring it down a notch. She'll scream to the top of her lungs when she gets something. That makes me happy, right? Because they're grateful, right? You want somebody to be grateful. Say, "Thank you. Thanks. Thank you." Whatever it gratitude, right? And if somebody doesn't say thank you, how do you feel? You feel wronged. You feel like it stings you. It stings your person. to receive silence. When you give something or you do something for someone and there's not a sense of gratitude reciprocated, you feel just a little disappointed. It's almost like a you see a flaw in their character. You always want to try to say thank you. But how often do we treat God that way? If you read the Old Testament, and it's a long, long uh first part of the Bible, isn't it? In the Old Testament, the people of Israel offer a grave portrait of what happens when gratitude withers. Now, I want to zero in on a very particular moment. I was working on this, working on a little a little devotional on this these scriptures, these chapters from Numbers. And when you get to Numbers, it's a there's a lot of there's a lot of numbers, right? There's a census and all the counting that goes on, the sacrifices and the tribes. But once you get through all of that, there's uh there's narrative and there's history there of Israel in the wilderness. And if if you just I I just think God included all of that information about Israel in the wilderness, at least for our learning and our our example, but also for a little humor. Don't you think if you read the Exodus and you go and you follow them in the wilderness, you can't you can't help but just to see all all the humorous things that are taking place in the wilderness. Now, let's just zero in on this time as they've left the wilderness, about two years since they left uh Egypt. All this is what happened. This is what happened to where we're getting to tonight. God rescued them from Egypt through the blood of the Passover lamb. Sent all of those plagues and and cursed Egypt, cursed Pharaoh. He parted the Red Sea so they could walk through on dry ground. He provided water in the wilderness, sent mana from heaven every single morning. He made a covenant with them at Mount Si. Chose to dwell with them in the midst of the tabernacle. And for two years, he met every need they had. One writer said their shoes and their clothes didn't even wear out. That means they didn't get to order their clothes from Teimu or DHGate or DSW. What's the other one? H&M. They couldn't they weren't ordering more clothes. They were wearing the same clothes they left Egypt with. They were wearing those for 40 years and their clothes didn't even wear out yet. I want you to hear this though. Psalm 78:11 says this, "Yet they forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them." He for they forgot. And then Psalm 106:13 says, "But they soon forgot his works and they did not wait for his counsel." Forgetfulness always leads to ingratitude. Everyone forgets. They say as you get older, your memory waines. Someone said this, "My memory is so bad I can't even remember what I forgot." >> Anybody been there? >> But children and young people are also have memory issues. My mom used to tell me all the time, and I'm sure your parents said the same thing to you as well, you'd forget your head if it wasn't attached. Apparently, age isn't always a factor in forgetting. You would think, well, maybe if young people forget and the older you get, maybe middle-aged, being in the middle of life, your memories at its peak, I have to have Ashley send me a screenshot of what I need to buy at the grocery store along with a list in the notes and then I have to hope that I remember to turn my phone off of do not disturb when I get there. Nobody else. Okay, just me. All right. Thank you so very much. All you husbands who remember everything, there's always something that you forget. You would think Israel would for would never forget what God had done for them. Seeing and experiencing all that they had seen and experienced in such a short time. It's hard. It should be hard, you would think, to forget the Red Sea opening. You would think it'd be hard to forget mana just bread showing up on the ground every day. You would think it'd be hard to forget God breaking open a rock and water coming out of it. You would think that they would have no issue ever forgetting what God had done. And yet when we get to Numbers chapter number 11, I want you to see this. Numbers chapter number 11 and verse number one. This is what it says here. And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord. It doesn't even say what they complained about. Now, we have a whole history of lots of things they complained about. What did they complain about? The mana. >> Free bread every day. They complained about it. Water that was too bitter. WATER THAT GOD PROVIDED IN A WILDERNESS. They complained about they complained about anything and everything. They complained about not having any meat to eat. They I mean they COMPLAINED ABOUT EVERYTHING. THEN THEY COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS. I wish we could just go back to Egypt and have the leaks and the onions. >> They remembered the fine dining that they had in Egypt, but they forgot the change and THE WHIPS. AND THIS IS what it sounds like when you are in or ungrateful. Must be nice. >> Must be nice. Must be nice to have leaks and onions. Must be nice to have meat to eat. All we've got is this mana. Complaining. Complaining. Forgot about the Red Sea. forgot about the miracles, forgot about the provision, and it just says they complained and it displeased the Lord. I want you to see what happens because in gratitude is a seed if it takes root, begins to spread and infect everything and everyone around it. It's like that that that that weed is it zoo or kudzoo. You see that? And it starts to that's what that's what ingratitude does. It breeds complaining. Look what happens in in the rest of Numbers 11 through13. The infection of of grumbling and murmuring and ingratitude spreads. Miriam and Aaron begin to speak against Moses. And so what happens? God strikes Miriam with leprosy. Moses has to intercede on her behalf. Then the people of Israel are at the precipice of seeing the promises of God fulfilled. They are at the precipice of the promised land. And they send all these spies in. 10 come back and say it's not worth it. And only two say we can do it. Because complaining will only breed fear. It never produces faith. If all you do is grumble and complain and murmur, it will never lead to exercising your faith. It only leads to fear. God ain't going to do it. God's never done anything for me before. He's never healed me. He's not going to show up for me. God's never going to do that for me. He'll do it for them and he ain't going to do it for me. Must be nice. Must be nice. Must be nice. >> And you forgot about the mana. And you forgot about the water from the rock. AND YOU FORGOT ABOUT THE RED SEA. AND you forgot about the plagues. AND YOU FORGOT ABOUT THE PASSOVER AND YOU FORGOT ABOUT YOUR SHOES NOT WEARING OUT AND YOU FORGOT ABOUT YOUR CLOTHES NOT WEARING OUT. I'M TELLING YOU, if you leave out what God has done for you, IT'S ONLY GOING TO PRODUCE FEAR. He ain't going to do it. He ain't going to done nothing GOOD FOR ME. WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW? ARE YOU IN EGYPT? >> Over and over again, their forgetfulness led to complaining. Their complaining isn't just about the heat, the living arrangements, or even how much they have to walk. They aren't they're not even complaining about things that humans usually complain about. They're complaining ABOUT THINGS THAT GOD had provided for them. And then they're complaining about what they didn't have. Must be nice. Must be nice. You go, that's what happens on social media. Somebody post this wonderful meal. I'm taking my wife out for this wonderful meal to having a meal at my favorite steak restaurant. We got steaks. We got two sides tonight. We got We got the good salad. We got the good bread. And somebody's going to say, "Congratulations. Way to go." And then somebody will always comment, "Must be nice. We went to Taco Bell for our anniversary. Must be nice." Somebody goes on vacation, they post pictures on the beach. They're all wearing their white shirts and their khakis and their khaki skirts. They're in the sand. The kids are all positioned around them. The dogs even smiling and everyone's like, "I hope you had a great time. Look at that weather. Look at the beach. Look at the water." And here comes somebody said, "Must been nice." We went to Gatlinburg again this year. Went to the rod run, you know. Must been nice. And I just want to say this, you know, you could have saved your money. >> You You could have worked a couple extra shifts. You know what? You instead of complaining about what they've got and what you don't have, maybe you can get off of Facebook, close the computer down, and say, "Hey, I'll work. ARE Y'ALL OKAY TONIGHT? I'LL WORK A COUPLE EXTRA HOURS because I want to pro." But instead, we complain and we fear and we fear monger and we try to tear other people's blessings down. Oh, you're not going to help me preach tonight. Come on, somebody. Forgetfulness is the seed for a lack of gratitude. Ungratefulness, once rooted, spreads with alarming speed. It takes the good gifts of God and flings them back in his face. It blinds the heart to past faithfulness and whispers that something better has been withheld. And here's the direct diagnosis of this in Romans chapter number one. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him. In other words, you're alive. You have breath in your body. You are here breathing. you're six feet above ground and yet you refuse to give God thanks for what he's done. >> Then says this, Paul writes to Timothy. He says, "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty, persecution, tribulation. People will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to parents." We're like, "Yeah, that's our day." Look at the next one. Ungrateful. He said, "One of the worst THINGS THAT'S GOING TO COME in the end times isn't simply that they're GOING TO FORGET GOD, BUT THEY'RE GOING TO BE UNGRATEFUL. >> If we're not careful, we're going to have this spirit of ungratefulness, and it's going to lead to grumbling, murmuring, complaining. People who forget are usually the ones who complain the loudest. People who forget, people who have a memory issue are usually the ones who complain the loudest. They're complaining about their job like you've been there for 40 years. You should be thankful that you've got a job that's kept your hide there for 40 years. >> Ain't helping me. >> >> I remember. You remember everything but the whips and the chains. You remember the leaks and the onions. I remember pastor talked about this today. Oh, I remember back in my day, we just had prayer. I mean, we didn't have we didn't have padded pews. And if we didn't have padded pews, you complain about that. >> Back in my day, we had the Brush Harbor. We didn't need heat and air and now it's too hot and too cold for you. >> You got to bring your blanket. You got to bring your coat in. You got to do all I'm fine with that. Whatever you got to do. But let me just tell you something. DON'T YOU START LOOKING at the past with rosecoled glasses and all of a sudden act like this is worse. BROTHERS AND SISTERS, I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO DIRT FLOORS. I don't want TO GO BACK. COME ON, SOMEBODY. WE NEED TO LEARN HOW TO BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT WE'VE GOT AND what God has done. He's been too good to us for us to forget. >> Somebody say, "Amen." >> I'm getting ready to close. Get ready. Musicians, what's the remedy? What's the What's the antidote to complaining? In everything >> give thanks for this is the it's so what he's saying is it is not the will of God for you to complain all the time. >> That's right. >> I'm going to say that again because you keep watching everybody else not listening to me. >> If it's God's will for you to be thankful and everything, that must mean that complaining is not the will of God for you. What has complaining ever done for you? What victory has murmuring ever brought you? WHAT WHAT VICTORY OR BLESSING has murmuring and grumbling? You know what that makes me want to do? Walk away from you. I don't want to be around people who are unthankful. And that's what people are when they are complaining all the time. They are simply out of the will of God. And the will of God is for you to be thankful in everything. That's why the scripture returns to this theme over and over again. The psalmist says, "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name." When you walk into this house, you need to walk into this house with thanks on your lips. When you walk into this house, IT SHOULD NOT BE it's too hot, it's too cold, it's too loud, IT'S TOO SOFT. I'M TELLING YOU, YOU NEED TO WALK IN HERE AND SAY, "I WAS GLAD WHEN THEY SAID UNTO ME, LET US GO INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD. I WANT TO THANK HIM TODAY. I'M ALIVE THIS MORNING. I'M ABLE TO LIFT UP MY HANDS. I'm able TO WALK IN HERE. I'M GOING TO BE THANKFUL." >> That's the will of God is for you to be thankful. thankful gratitude always he Paul would write always and for everything to the God of the our God the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ you must learn how to be thankful pastor said it today he quoted think on these things stop thinking about what you don't have stop thinking about negative things and start thinking with thanks and gratitude. Gratitude is more than just being sentimental. It's a spiritual It's spiritual warfare. It's what it is. It's spiritual warfare. It's a spiritual medicine against a complaining heart. It forces the mind to rehearse God's past faithfulness. Had they just stopped and said, "Man, we're not in Egypt anymore. We're not getting beat up. We're not having to make bricks. We're not having to build buildings. We're not having to do none of that stuff no longer. We're not We're not getting beat up. We're not getting whips on our back. We're not We're not getting withheld. And we're not starving to death. Look at where we are. Thank God I'm no longer there. Had they done then they just, you know, thank God for the Red Sea. I don't know how we did it, but we came through the Red Sea and then those who pursued us had got washed up in those waters as well. But look at us. WE'VE BEEN ON THE OTHER SIDE. But instead, it's complaining, grumbling. But had they just been thankful, things would have turned around. I believe that they would have possessed the promised land. >> Had they learned how to be grateful, >> Yes, sir. >> Because gratitude and thankfulness leads to faith. Because here's the here's the deal. If he did it then, if he did it then, he can do it now. If he healed me 20 years ago, he can heal me today. If he touched me 20 years ago, he can touch me today. IF HE PROVIDED FOR ME FIVE YEARS AGO, HE CAN PROVIDE for today. If he could Why? Because it breeds faith that IF HE DID IT ONCE, HE CAN DO IT AGAIN. BUT IF HE DOESN'T DO IT, I'M GOING TO GIVE HIM PRAISE FOR WHAT HE'S DONE ALREADY. AT LEAST I'M NOT DEAD YET. I WILL LIVE ANOTHER YEAR. I'M STILL THANKFUL. I'M STILL GRATEFUL. Stand to your feet today. Listen, Luke records there were 10 lepers. Jesus walked by and they cried out said, "Have mercy on us." And the Lord healed them at that moment. 10. They I mean all 10 got up. He said, "Go show yourself to the priests. You got it. Hey, get up. Start going." But one goes, >> "I need to come back and do something real quick." >> The Bible says that he was a Samaritan. Yes. >> I I I I know they went to go do what you told them to do, but I before I do anything else, I want to say thank you. He said, "Where's the nine? Where's the nine at?" He said, "They went on their merry way." He said, "But I want to stop and just say thank you, Lord." Woo! One one learn the real. Hey, if he can do that, he he DIDN'T JUST HEAL HIM. THE BIBLE SAYS THAT FROM THAT MOMENT, HE SAID, "YOU ARE SAVED BECAUSE THERE'S A THERE ARE SOME who can be healed, but there are some who WILL NEVER BE SAVED." WHY? THE DIFFERENCE IS GRATITUDE. The My God have mercy. The difference between simply BEING HEALED OF YOUR AFFLICTION AND BEING SAVED AND DELIVERED IN YOUR SOUL IS A SPIRIT OF GRATITUDE. Anytime I I I hear that story, I think of an old Andre Crouch song. I just want I just want to take a little time right now and say thank you, Lord. for all you've done for me. Why? Sometimes you got to stop and say thank you. Just just when you don't know what to say, say thank you. >> I just want I just want to take a little time right now and say thank you, Lord. for all you've done for me. There's another song that was written by somebody you might know. His name was Carol McGrder. Come on, get out. Probably the greatest song that he ever wrote, recorded by millions. Thanks. Thanks. I give you thanks for all What do you got to thank him for tonight? Listen, if you don't know what to say, just say thank you every day. Every day. Every time I go to pray, this is what I do. This is what this is what I do. I say, Lord, thank you for another day. Thank you for waking me up this morning. Thank you, Lord, for breath in my body. And this I just keep on going down the list. I say, Lord, thank you for peace and strength in my mind. in. Thank you for good health in my body, Lord. I thank you for clothes on my back and shoes on my feet, Lord. I thank you for a roof over my head. I thank you, Lord. I got food ON MY TABLE. I thank you, Lord, that you bless my finances, Lord. I thank you for my wife and I thank you for my daughter, Lord. I thank you. I GOT TWO CARS TO DRIVE, LORD. I thank you, Lord Jesus. We got good health in our bodies, Lord. I thank you FOR SAVING ME, LORD. I thank you for redeeming me. I thank you for setting me free. I thank you for keeping me. I thank you for keeping me when I can't keep myself. Lord, I THANK YOU. I THANK YOU. I THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL YOU GOT TO DO. And all of a sudden, things start to well up inside of you and his spirit begins to be stirred. Why? Because gratitude.