The Dwelling Place

We are bringing of course this series midweek um university. This series uh we we've been talking about, if you'll recall, give me just a moment here, kind of catch us up to speed. We've been talking about the Holy of Holies, um the Ark of the Covenant, the dwelling place of the most high God. And we spent the last several weeks talking about the items that were in the Holy of Holies.

Uh there was one piece of furniture there, a box if you will, called the Ark of the Covenant, the Ark of the Lord. uh depending on how you were studying, you could discover several ways that it was described. Um in that Holy of Holies, a 15 foot square room, one thing was there and it was it was the presence of God that the entirety of the camp of Israel wanted in their midst. Also, don't forget all of the enemy of Israel.

That's what they wanted was that golden box in the holy of holies because it represented the very shakana, if you will, the very presentation aura of God. Now, having said that, I bring it to to where we are tonight, this midweek. I really think that uh every day the children of Israel they were challenged, instructed and even commanded that they would spend time with God. If you go to the book of Deuteronomy, we all know the prayer.

Ready? Here, O Israel, the Lord our God. Okay. And you love him. Okay, that was to be talked about when they got up, when they sat down, when they went out the door, when they came back, they were to remember the simple fact that God is one. They established everything upon that doctrine and teaching.

When we get into the Holy of Holies, of course, and we look at the ark, we are reminded that that was the very presence of God with the people of God. So suffice it to say that there was always in the mind and in the heart of one of the children of Israel, they would give thanks to God because he was with them, protecting them, providing for them. In many cases, God would fight battles for them. God would intervene when the enemy would try to come in.

God was determined to be their God and he gave them all the things they needed to be his people. Now the book of Chronicles, let's go to the first of those. Uh now the the author of the book of Chronicles going to for those in the media room 1 Coronicles chapter 16 verse 89. Uh but the author is thought to be Ezra doesn't really say but it's got the feel and the tone of Ezra.

Also the historical accounts would be written here in the chronicles. The way the kings did, the judges, the way the the people interacted with God, you would find it in the chronicles. So you can go into Kings and you can go into Samuel, you can go in the different writings and you'll find references throughout in the book of 1 Coronicles chapter number 16 verse number eight. Could y'all is this on the big screen we got?

There we go. It's right there. Look at the pretty leaves. It's fall, y'all. Um, all right. You ready? With a loud voice. Alto. Ready? Give thanks unto the Lord. Call upon his name. Make known his deeds among the people. Verse nine. Sing unto him. Sing psalms unto him. Talk ye of all his wondrous works.

Back to verse number eight. Give thanks unto the Lord. Call upon his name. In so doing, when you thank the Lord God, you can begin to talk about what he's done. Now, here's the thing about thanking God. You cannot simply say and speak, interact with God in in in a way that you might would want to interact with just some in your life.

Now, I believe that communicating with God, you can talk to him like he's your friend. Is that right? In fact, most of my prayer when I open it, I thank you, friend, for this opportunity. I want to I want to intimately know him. But in the chronicles in in the what the kings and the judges and those guys did, this listing says the command is give thanks unto the Lord.

Call upon his name as you begin to speak the name of the Lord God. Fast forward 2025, we call him Jesus. Jehovah has become salvation. Okay, that's the case. Notice what is connected with giving thanks unto the Lord God. Somebody make known his deeds among the people. How do you make known what Jesus is doing in your life?

How is that possible? Do you telepathically do it? You testify. Well, what are you going to tell people when you testify? You know what? God been better to me and then I've been to myself. Carry around an organ in your pocket. You know, as you tell, it could be that. It could, but it doesn't have to be.

It could actually be just a simple fact that you tell somebody of the goodness of the Lord. Because the Bible here according to what the requirement was, give thanks unto the Lord, call on his name, and then make known his deeds among the people. Something else goes along with giving thanks unto the Lord. And that would be what?

Sing unto him. Aren't you thankful that you don't have to have a good voice to sing by yourself? Um, you do have to though I'm going to say it's, you know, we're still trying to figure that piece out. If you don't have a good voice, should you sing in public? Anyway, we're not going there.

Um, but when you talk of his wondrous works, what happens? It's a it's a it's a it's an honest question. What happens when you begin to remind him of how good he's been to you? What transpires in the atmosphere where you're standing? Anybody? What happens? You feel better. Anybody here use Stay with me.

Anybody here use God's word to pray to him? If you do that, it automatically will pull you into thankfulness. Lord, you're faithful. Lord, you're true. You're honest. You're perfect. You're righteous. You're glorious. You're talking about his good work. And then all of a sudden, I thank you for that, Lord.

I thank you for that. You You put two good feet on my left side and one decent one on my right. You You gave me, Lord, two hands that I can raise. You know, one's a little sore sometimes. Lord, you you're able to bless my family and my children. you're able to move in my life and give me hope.

Come on. The more you talk and sing about the goodness of the Lord, it'll help you to give thanks to him. Now, I I have said multiple times and I it's worth repeating tonight. Sad to say that the greatest challenge of our era and our society is selfishness. If you're selfish, you're really not considering the how you should be thankful.

Some of us are so self-centered and selfish that if it's not about us, we don't want to talk about it. How many you don't have to lift your hand, you don't even have to tap your neighbor or point at them and do this. How many know somebody that all they want to talk about is them? See, some of y'all are in trouble.

I can see it. Okay. How many of you are Why? Because selfishness is pitiful. Very, very quickly, if you're selfish, very, very quickly, you will run out of things to say about yourself. Because I I y'all mad at me yet? Because you're not all that in a box of cracker jacks. You're not as really good as you think or as perfect as you.

I'm just saying. So, when you sing unto the Lord, let's go to one of the psalms. That okay? David was so cool at writing psalms, man. and he was a songwriter for days. Psalm 136. I think we know this. We're going to read Psalm 136 because it's a good one. You got your Bible? Dig it out.

Psalm 136 verse one. And we're going to read Psalm 136 verse one. Look what it says. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord. Why? He's good and his mercy endures forever. Verse two. Where's everybody at? Oh, everybody got tired. They wore smack out. Got a verse out. That's my Bible read for today.

Come on, help me somebody. Oh, give thanks unto the God of gods, for his mercy endureth forever. Keep going. Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his mercy endureth forever. Keep going. To him who alone doeth great wonders. Here it is. For his mercy endureth forever. Five. To him that by wisdom made the heavens.

For his mercy endureth forever. This is Psalm 136 verse 6. To him that stretched out the earth above the waters. Say it. For his mercy endureth forever. Verse seven. To him that made great lights. For his mercy endureth forever. Verse eight. The son to rule by day. For his mercy. Come on everybody quit on me.

Come on. Oh, this is English. Y'all can do this. Verse nine. The moon and the stars shall rule by night. Say it. For his mercy endureth forever. Verse 10. Say it loud. For his mercy endureth forever. Verse 11. For his mercy endureth forever. Verse 12. Verse 13. to him which divided the Red Sea into parts for his mercy.

Come on. Verse 14. Keep reading. Keep going. 15. Y'all are like off. You're not on. You're not on timing or nothing. All right. All right. All right. Where we at? Verse 8 17. To him which led his people through the wilderness, for his mercy endureth 17 To him which smoke great kings, for his mercy endureth forever.

18 and slew famous kings, for his mercy endureth forever. 19 Sion, the king of the Amorites, for his mercy endureth forever. 20. And Og, the king, Y'all thought that was a lord of the No, it ain't. Og, the king of Bashon, for his mercy endureth forever. 21. and gave their land for inheritance, for his mercy endureth forever.

22 Even inheritage unto Israel, his servant, for his mercy endureth forever. 23 Who remembered us in our low estate, for his mercy endured forever. 24 Come on, somebody. For his mercy endures forever. 25. Keep going. 26. 27. Did anybody feel the mercy of God in this reading tonight?

David wrote a large percentage of the Psalms. And David, of course, was a man of controversy. Eighth child, nobody really wanted him. keeper of the sheep. Samuel came to find the king per God's command. The seven brothers stood there and finally Sam said, "No, there's some missing here.

You got another one." Well, we got this little ruddy looking fella way back. We're going to wait and stand here till he get y'all. This is a controversial young fella. This guy understood solitude. He understood the things of God. He could stand on the desert floor watching sheep.

And in that moment he could discover the blessings and the goodness of God. When we understand then he was elevated to the kingship. Things began to happen. Of course we know in the life of David that it wasn't all good. I mean know David faced the prophet one day. It's you the one that killed that lamb.

But somehow someway David fell to his face. And in the midst of that, he discovered the the reality that he needed God in his life. Why? Because his mercy endured forever. All the parts that we read tonight here in 136, it I I know that it sounds like it's just Old Testament things because we we don't live with Og anymore in Bashan.

We don't live with the Amorite. We don't. But the fact is guys, when you begin to think of the goodness of God and you begin to think of the the blessings of the Lord, then you got to understand something. Praise will take over as you begin to be thankful for what God does. He begins that PSALM BY SAYING, "GIVE thanks unto the Lord God." See, this is Thanksgiving week.

We're going to do the Thanksgivingy stuff. We're going to get out of bed. We're going to eat turkey and pumpkin pie and peacon pie and whatever. We're going to sit around and wonder why we feel miserable. We're going to hang out with people. We're going to enjoy fellowship one with another.

And the fact still remains that in all of your joying, in all of your festivities, his mercy is hanging there for you. The mercy of God is worth being thankful for. See, the fact is is you ought to be dead twice plucked up by the root because you ain't worth shooting. But Jesus says, "I love you.

I'm going to care about you. I'm going to be there your protector. I'm going to be there your provision. I'm going to be there as your guide. I'm going to be there as your love. I'm going to be there to put order in your life. I'm going to help you establish your ways." Surely then in this season, we can pause to give thanks unto the Lord and all the stuff that's written about in this particular psalm.

Now, I can I can imagine that th this probably would have sounded good on a harpsacord or on a uh on a little three stringed bellon for his mercy endureth forever. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord for his mercy endure forever. This one would be very difficult to sing with a drum only. Give thanks to the Lord his mercy.

Y'all hear me? A banjo. Imagine give thanks to the mercy endures forever. Only reason I'm mentioning that is a lot of times in the psalm that there's a rhythm to it. There's a there's a movement to it. And only thing I can picture with 136 in my mind, go with me if you will, David could be laying flat of his back staring up at the stars of the heaven and this song come to him and him begin to declare his thankfulness unto the Lord God.

and remember all of the victories and all the good things that God did in his life from his heritage and his history all the way forward that it's a good thing to thank God. And I realize again that in all of life's situations, God wants to know, are we still thankful? Do we appreciate when we don't understand? Do we give thanks when things don't go our way?

Are we frustrated when we don't understand how and why things are happening as they are and then it drives us to a place where many times some of us are guilty of saying, you know what, I I I don't feel good or I don't feel like going to the house of the Lord tonight because I feel like that I need a break. Whatever the the thing is and the fact is is when we leave God out of all of his goodness and mercy in our life that shouldn't matter. You know, in the good times, you can still thank him. I mean, in the best of all situations, you can thank him.

See, if I may, because I I I know a little bit about human nature. Um, typically when everything's blowing up and our lives are falling apart, that's when we begin to look for the things of God. Lord, I don't know where you are, but can you can you help me? And at that point, prayer begins.

It's amazing to me on a men's Wednesday morning prayer that men will come and pray and ask God to move in their lives. And then on a Sunday prayer, men will ask God, ladies will ask God to to move in their situation. But it's interesting as well when the world's coming to an end at Y2K or when we don't understand how the election's going to come out or we're not really sure if so and so is going to push the red button that destroys the entirety of the world. Man, prayer rooms begin to fill up.

People begin to seek God because they're in distress. They're in an unknown place. See, it's easy when when life's going well for you to say, "Thanks, Lord. Good job." And take for granted the fact that in all of life's situations, God is faithful. It is your right. Listen to pastor for a moment.

It is your right and privilege to give thanks to God as a child of God. Right now, you can make a list of about 50 things that you should be thankful for. I was reminded just a moment ago that that we passed a microphone around, I think last year, year before, and everybody gave something they were thankful for. It was a small crowd on that Wednesday night.

And I could do the same tonight, but I'm not going to because I did that last time. Um, but here's the here's the facts. The facts are is that we can all find something to be thankful for. I'm gonna pause for about five seconds here. First thing comes to your mind that you're thankful for.

Okay. Whatever that thing is that you thought of, why are you thankful for it above everything else? Did it weigh heavier? Did it take longer to get the victory over it? Does it simply mean more to you because of where where it stands in your daytoday life? I'm asking because, you know, typically when when that microphone's passed around, it's interesting.

You know, most people, especially the young people, they're notorious for this. I'm I'm thankful for my family. Okay. Why? I'm I'm just thankful for my family. Huh? And you pass it to the next young person. What do they say? That's what I was going to say. Thankful for my family. Oh, some will express themselves.

I'm thankful for mom and dad and my family. And then the ones will be very honest and say, I'm thankful for my game station. knowing that they shouldn't say that because mom is sitting there the one they're really thankful for that mom she goes why because we want to be spiritual and we don't want to consider to be thankful for a such a an object of of discussion and and dismay of game station anybody here thankful for PlayStation or what is it now I don't I don't even know what it is. A what?

Xbox. Anybody here thankful for that? Some of y'all are saying, "Oh, I want to say something, but I can't." Anybody thankful for their job? Thankful you get a clock in, clock out. Anybody thankful for their pay they're getting for the job they're doing? Some of y'all like, "Anybody here thankful the fact, listen to this.

You thankful for the fact that you could blink? Are you thankful for the fact that tomorrow when you wake up, God's going to be God?" See, I know that that Thanksgiving and and the seasons that we go through, it's it's a challenge sometime to be honestly transparent about our thankfulness. And the reason I say that is because guys in in America we are super duper as handy dandy says super duperity spoiled and blessed. I didn't have to push start my car to get it going today.

Better yet, I didn't have to give my car a bail of hay to eat before I loaded up in the back of it. And I have lived in countries that did that. I I didn't have to go out this morning and slay my breakfast. Anybody? Anybody have to go fish for lunch? Otherwise, you weren't going to eat.

Okay, here's one. Anybody have to go pick collared greens because it's the only thing you can find to eat. I mean, I don't even know what those are. Okay, here's my point. It's a perspective that we have. I believe that David could write that long psalm about God's mercy because the perspective he had was, "I should be gone and wiped away, but his mercy stays with me.

I should have lost out a long time ago, but his mercy hangs on to me. I should be done away with because I've messed up so many multiple times, but his mercy endures." the promises he made and and the the things that he said he will do in my life, the mercy is there at the top of the list and I'm thankful for that. So when when when we look at perhaps Ezra who wrote in the Qles and the listings of the kings and judges and the political things of the day and we and we look at at a at a at a David that would write a song an entirety of a song about being thankful for God's mercy. We'll go to the New Testament to make somebody feel better today.

There was a church called Thessalonica. It was a town where this church began to grow. first letter that Paul wrote to them in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse number 18. I I think that probably a lot of us know this one by memory. But I want to ask you to read it out loud with me, but let's read it very slow and purposeful.

Can 1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks. Why? Because this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. the will of God in Christ Jesus. Now, the the reason tonight that I bring it up in this Thanksgiving week is because so many of us are confused and maybe even uncertain about the will of God for our lives.

Some of you sitting here under the sound of my voice, maybe you're at home watching online and hopefully you're not driving and watching. But you got to understand something. It is God's will to be thankful. Through my years of pastoring or ministering or whatever missions or whatever, people would ask me, you know, I just want God's will in my life.

And I'd say, that's easy. Be thankful. You mean it's not more complicated than that? It's really not. But I want to find God's will in my life. Okay, be thankful. H how is the will of God connected with thankfulness? That's that's a good question. Are the two connected at all? See, here's the thing.

I'm convinced that you can make your bed in hell and God will be there. And God can use you in that place. He can you can ascend into the mountains and God will be there. You can go any place that you go. I believe that you can plant yourself somewhere and God can bless you and use you.

Do you agree? I mean honestly, no matter where it is, you can be blessed of God. You can be directed of God. You can be ordained of God in that particular place. And so many times we want to confuse the will of God by saying, "God, I want you to speak into my life so that I am found in the place where you want me." And all the while, God is simply standing there looking at you.

Has anybody here ever heard the voice of God? What did it say? It probably beat you up and smacked you around. No. No. That's not how God does it. But what God does through his character is he loves. He lifts. He exhorts. Now the word reproves us. It rebukes us. Thankful. It chastises us at times.

Thankful for that. Why? Because it's all part of God's plan for us as humanity. Therefore, we should be able to say at any moment in our lives, I will give thanks to the Lord because it is his will for me to do so. And I will not complicate the power and presence of God in my life.

I will simply thank him for what he's doing. Have you ever made a mistake? Uh do you know someone that's made a mistake? Let's go there. Oh, look at the eyes. Oh, let him be saved, Lord. Let them be saved. Here's the fact. The the fact is simply this. Because we're human, we don't deserve the goodness of God.

But because we're human, we do deserve the goodness of God. How can that be? It's almost controversial, isn't it? See, he loved you before you even knew anything about him. He provided for you when you were unprovidable. Come on. When you made the dumbest mistake in your life, Jesus was standing there and let you do it and loved you through it.

When you made those choices that didn't do anything but give bring you misery and suffering and pain, God was standing there the whole time saying, "I got this. It's okay. It's okay." See, the fact remains is life is a journey. doesn't happen today and then tomorrow it's over. But God grants us days.

Some are long days, some are short days. Some get a bunch of days, some get less days. But if I may, and I'm watching the clock. We're okay. We're going to have some singing here in a minute. In the book of Genesis, the reference is on creation. The Bible doesn't start with the morning and the evening, but it's from evening to morning.

references are overnight. Why? Why are references to God's power and possibilities through the night? Because you know, it's pretty easy when you can see God moving. But at night, when you can't see, you have to trust him. But the lifting of my hands be as what? The evening sacrifice.

But was the evening sacrifice? It was that last one that would carry the flame from the night to the next morning. So let this be as that to sustain me through the night. See, here's the thing. Many of us struggle with thankfulness because we want to qualify it before we say it. Lord, you've been good to me, but you could have been better.

You would be a fool to say that, right? Do you realize that when you hold back your praise, that's what you're saying? Never mind, God, I got this one. And then all of a sudden, God comes through and you recognize it and then you consider, "Thank you, Lord." And the Lord say, "For what?

I did all of that." Here's the thing. In everything, give thanks. God's will is thankfulness. Turn to your neighbor and say, "God's will is to be thankful." It's an easy word to say, but it's a harder word to actually mean. Honest and pure gratitude is the right attitude for your actions.

So, tomorrow, of course, some of us have already started our Thanksgiving celebrations. I had ham and turkey and I had strawberry cake. She said, "What was that chocolate cake?" We had had cherries in it. Yeah. Frosting though, Brother Horton was like that. It wasn't that. It was just that.

So, it was, you know, um Oh, mac and cheese had like nine different cheeses in it. Mashed potatoes, gravy. Stay with me, Ethan. Stay with me. Say, if we've had that tomorrow, we're not having that. Guess what I'm having tomorrow? Can I tell them? Beef brisket. Every like, wait, you can't do that on Thanksgiving.

Oh, yes, I can. Last night, man, somebody I don't know whose idea this was. Pizza for Thanksgiving. Oh, and banana pudding with bananas. Just saying. Shout out. Yeah, somebody thought of banana. But anyway, so this this just kind of stretches out all all all week. You know, the some of y'all will have it Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

Um Cracker Barrel puts on a mean Thanksgiving meal. I've done that many times as well. See, it's not about the food. Because we all have our preferences, but it's about being thankful for the goodness and mercy of God, the provision of God, perfectness of God. He loves you. Not sure why, but he does.

He loves me. You may not know why, but he does. And here's the thing about it. As I bring this to a close, I'm going to ask you this. It would have been like last year, but I'm not going to pass the microphone, but I am going to pause. Think of four or five things right now in your life that you're thankful for.

I mean, really take some time to think through it. Things you're thankful for. What are you thankful for that you take for granted? Is there anybody here thankful for what you can't see? Is there anyone here that's thankful for the possibility? Anybody thankful for the promises of God?

Thankful for the principles and character of God. thankful that no matter what, he's there. Aren't you thankful that the enemy is not omnipresent? Come on, somebody ought to be excited right now. Aren't you thankful that the enemy is not omnisient, not omnipotent? fact that the enemy doesn't have power unless it's given to him by request.

But tonight, this Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I'm admonishing us as a church, guys. We got a whole lot to be thankful for. Brother Sam reminded us on Sunday a little bit. God's been good to us. We are worshiping in a facility that quite honestly, I don't know if we really know what we got ourselves into.

We're finding out air conditioners are very cheap to work on and gallons of paint are very quick to buy and harder to put on the wall. We've got teen,000 commodes and teen or thousand lights and things that we're doing and we're finding out very much that to be thankful for this facility means that we have to be thankful for what comes with it. work, investment, patience. We're thankful for that.

Any here thankful for your spouse? Aren't they perfect? Now, mine is, but there has to be at least one. She says the same, so there's probably two of us anyway. No, I mean, we're not perfect. Anybody thankful for their siblings? Okay, we won't go there. Um, I mean, honestly, just the simple things that God does for us, blessings of God in our lives.

So, would you stand with me, please? Just a few minutes, we ask the musicians and singers to come. But I'd like for us, if if we could before we get to that, I I don't know. I think that somebody can be encouraged tonight. I do. I think somebody in this room has probably struggled with some stuff in the last years, weeks, months, days.

And you just need encouragement. That's what Thanksgiving does. So, it is 7:45. You're welcome to turn around and look, make sure I said it right. 7:45. Would you take five or six minutes and find as many folk as you can and Encourage them by telling them how thankful you are for them.

Ask them, "What are you thankful for?" And then thank the Lord for what they're thankful for. Could y'all do that for the next few moments? Come on, get out of your chair. Don't be selfish. There's plenty of thanks to go around. Go find somebody. I am thankful for you. I am thankful for what God's doing in your life.

I'm thankful for the joy of the Lord that God wraps around you. I'm thankful that you worship the Lord with me. I'm thankful that you worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness that you declare his goodness that you stand in the presence of Come on, tell somebody else. Share your thank.

Come on, tell somebody. I am thankful for you. I'm thankful for you. Come on, you got about four minutes left. There's plenty of thankfulness to be going around right now. Thankful. If you're at home watching, tell somebody close to you how thankful you are for them. Y'all come on out.

Singers, musicians, I'm thankful that God's blessing you. I'm thankful that God's mercy is real in your life. I'm thankful for the miracles that God's working in your life. Come on, go find someone else. Thankful for what God is doing. I'm thankful that you like me. I'm thankful that you had a shower today.

Come on. You can tell people things. I'm thankful that you know that heaven is in your view and that that you're going to make heaven one day. I'm thankful that you understand the power of an altar. Come on. There's so many things that you can encourage somebody with. Find two more people.

Two more. I'm thankful that you allow the power of the cross to work and the blood of Jesus. I'm thankful for your testimony. I'm thankful for the miracles that God has done in your life. I'm thankful for you. I love you. Thankful. Thankful. Yeah. Thankful. Come on. One more person.

Thankful for what God has done. So thankful for the miracle in your life. Thankful that God healed you. I'm thankful that God delivered you. I'm thankful that God provided for you. I'm thankful that you mean something to me. That's right. Come on. I'm thankful. Thankful. Yeah. Don't you feel better when you're encouraging someone else?

Get your mind off of your mess. I'm thankful we have singers and musicians tonight. I'm thankful. Thanksgiving. I'm thankful because his mercy endures forever. Thankful that he's patient. Thankful. I'm thankful. One more minute. If you feel like you can bring the wheels down for me, then we're going to sing.

Thankful that the Lord loves you. The power of the Holy Ghost is working in your life. Thankful for that. All right, we're going to sing the best we know how. We're going to love God the best we know how. Come on. He's a good God. He's a good God. He's a mighty, mighty, good God. Won't you lift your voice to him right now as they begin singing?

Go ahead, guys.