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Monday, September 03, 2007/ 9:32 PM Sunday's Sermon: Date: 2 Sep 07 Speaker: Pst Samuel Main Scripture passage: Psalm 100 (V4) offering up thanksgiving and praise to Him! -thanksgiving and praise -> a gift from God; a weapon -an order. what we are supposed to do. if we do what we are supposed to do, we will get the blessings we are supposed to receive. we must know that He is OUR God and that He has done great things for US. only when we know that can we truly thank and praise Him from the bottom of our hearts! (: we have to LEARN/be taught to give thanks. we need to change our complaints & grumbles into praise & thanks! and never stop thanking and praising God in all that we do! we believe in our Lord not because we are afraid but because He loves us and we love Him =) *Job! even though he had so much to face, he never complained but praised God and eventually, God blessed him abundantly. our God is a good God. His love and faithfulness endures forever! 1 Thes 5:16-18 being joyful is a choice. give thanks in ALL circumstances regardless of how we may feel or how bad the situation is. v19: the spirit's fire. if we do not have a thankful heart, it is very hard for us to have the fire of the spirit. Jesus always gave thanks in all circumstances. before He performed any miracle, He would give thanks. giving thanks aligns our vision so we fix our eyes on God and not on ourselves. when we give thanks, we will see God's will and work in whatever situation we are facing. *Paul and Silas Acts 16:25 even though they were in jail, they still gave thanks and praised God. (point to note: their prison in those days is definitely not like Singapore's present day prison. i'm sure you get the point.) even in the most difficult times, we still need to give thanks! and in Paul and Silas's case, we see how thanksgiving is a weapon as it caused the earthquake that opened the prison doors and loosened their chains. Rom 1:19-21 when we do not give thanks, our thinking becomes futile and our hearts darkened. but when we do give thanks, God refreshes us and adds to us joy and strength! Luke 17:14,15 only ONE came back to thank the Lord for the healing he received and the Lord remembered him. his deed is forever recorded in the Bible. how to thank Him 1. through hymns and songs Col 3:17 2. through praise and honour/reverence Psalm 100:4 3. offering ourselves as a sacrifice Psalm 116:17 4. tithing/ monetary offering Psalm 116:17 2 Cor 9:6-8 the more we give thanks, the closer we draw to God!! *** what Pst Samuel shared with us at youth service (: 2 Cor 5:17 new creations! -> new start, new friends! 1 Tim 4:12 youth=a very precious time in a Christian's life. we have a great ability to love (an energy to express our love) *love in PURITY! 1 John 2:12,14 we have overcome the evil one! youths are strong because we have alot to overcome. word of God abides in us. we are blessed with a good memory to study, so why not study His word too? ;) Ecc 12:1 we are often the ones who forget God the fastest due to all the distractions and temptations we face each day. but we need to start cultivating the habit of remembering our Creator and honouring Him. BECOMING HOT FOR JESUS!! |
