Tackling Ten Timeless Truths, Part 9

Turn with me in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 13, as we continue to tackle 10 timeless truths that need to be treasured in our lives.

And we've kind of taken a pause for a moment to look at point number eight. All points are on the board behind you, but we've kind of taken a pause at point number eight because we're to respond to the Lord with all glory and praise and honor. And that's a very hard truth to tackle. Because for the most part, we find ourselves as grumblers and mumblers. People who love to complain about all kinds of things. But we are on what we call the pathway of praise. And the pathway of praise really becomes the walkway to worship.

In other words, we're to enter His courts with praise, right? Enter His gates with thanksgiving. So if we're not on the pathway to praise, our walkway to worship is going to be hindered. Because we are to come with praise and honor. The Bible says in Psalm 50 verse number 23, He who offers praise glorifies me.

So if you want to give praise and glory to God, you must understand that that's the process by which we magnify and glorify His precious name. But praise is a very distinguishing mark of the believer. Probably the most distinguishing mark of the believer. It was Thomas Watson who said these words about praise. By this, a Christian excels every infernal spirit. Do you talk of God? So can the devil. He brought Scripture to Christ. Do you profess religion? So can the devil. For he transforms himself into an angel of light.

Do you fast? The devil never eats. Do you believe? The devils have a faith of assent. They believe and tremble. But as Moses worked such a miracle as none of the magicians could reproduce, so here is a work Christians may be doing, which none of the devils can ever do. And that is the work of thanksgiving and praise. The devils blaspheme, but they do not and cannot bless. When we praise God, when we glorify His name by offering thanksgiving, we do the one distinguishing mark that separates us from all the infernal spirits.

For they can believe in God, as we believe in God. They believe in religion, they can even do religion, but they can't praise and bless the name of God. That's the distinguishing mark of the believer. That's why it's so important to realize that the most frequented command in all of Scripture is to give thanks and praise to God. That command is given more so than any other command in the Bible. Because praise simply is the priority of the believer. We said that last week, 1 Thessalonians 5.18. It is the will of God that you give thanks and praise to God.

It is the purpose of the believer. Isaiah 43 tells us that you've been formed by God to declare His praises. It's also the prayer of the believer. Philippians 4, 6 and 7. You pray with thanksgiving for everything. It's also the practice of the believer. Psalm 116, verse number 17. What shall I render to the Lord for all of His benefits toward me? I will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving. It's also the passion of the believer. Psalm 103, verse number 1 says, I will bless the Lord with all my soul and all that is within me.

Psalm 111 says, I will do it with all my heart. It simply is our passion. It's also the proof that you are a believer. And that is Philippians 2. When you don't grumble and you don't mumble and you don't complain, but prove yourselves to be children of God. The proof of the believer is he's a person of praise, glory and thanksgiving to his God. It's also the pleasure of the believer. Psalm 147, verse number 1. That it is good to give praise unto the Lord for it brings great pleasure. It was William Law in his book, The Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life who records these words.

Would you know who was the greatest saint in all the world? It is not he who prays most. It is not even he who fasts most. It's not he who gives most alms or is most eminent for temperance, chastity or justice. But it is he who is always thankful to God, who wills everything that God willeth, who receives everything as an instance of God's goodness and his heart or has a heart always ready to praise God for it. That's the greatest of all the saints. Those who praise his name and honor him. That's why it's so important to tackle this truth.

Because we need to understand why praise is so important. Why are we to continually give glory and honor to his name with thanksgiving? It should characterize every aspect of our day. Hebrews 13 says we are to offer sacrifice of praise continually. It is to be perpetual. It's to be repeated over and over and over all throughout the day. Not just when you pray, but all throughout the day. So when the psalmist says in Psalm 147 verse number 1, Praise the Lord for it is good to sing praises to our God, for it is pleasant and praise is befitting, or praise is becoming, or praise is beautiful.

You are at your best. You are the prettiest. You are the most beautiful when you praise the Lord. How about you? How did you do this past week in praising God? One of the young men of our church came to me on Wednesday night and said, Man, you're blowing up my family. I said, I am? Yeah, the whole sermon on Sunday about praise and thanksgiving. We are a grumbling, complaining, moaning family. And now we are holding one another accountable. And asking, is that a mumble? Is that a grumble? Are you complaining?

What does the Bible say about praising the Lord? So he says, our whole conversation in our family has changed in just a few days. That's a good thing, right? I would think so. But we are to praise and honor our God. That's why the Bible says it's good to give praise to God.

It's good to give thanks to God. Why? We told you last week. Because the person of God is good. Right? God is good and doest good. He is the good God who does good to all men. Psalm 145 verse 9. The Bible says in Psalm 32 verse 9, For I will wait on your name because your name is good.

Remember when Moses asked to see God's glory? He wanted to see the beauty of God. And God says, I can't let you see my glory.

Because if I do, I'm going to have to kill you. Because nobody can look upon me and live. But the Lord does say this. And this is very important. Moses said, I pray, show me your glory. And he said, I myself will make all my goodness pass before you. In other words, his goodness is equated with his glory. His brilliance, his splendor is all good. Because that's who God is. So I will let all my goodness pass before you. And will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. And I will be gracious. And sure enough, the Bible says, The Lord passed by him after descending.

Psalm 34 verse number 6. In front of him and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, Compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness and truth, Who keeps loving kindness for thousands, Who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin, Yet he will by no mean leave the guilty unpunished, Visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children And on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.

And Moses made haste to bow down and to worship the Lord. What motivated Moses to worship? It's not what he saw. It's what was said. Right? God says, I can't let you see me and live.

So I'm going to hide you in the cleft of the rock. Put my hand over you. I'll let my glory pass by. I'll let my goodness pass by. And you can see my hind parts. Or you can see my afterglow. But you can't see me and live. And so it says that when God descended, He proclaimed. He proclaimed that He was a God of loving kindness and mercy and goodness and justice. So it wasn't what Moses saw that caused him to bow and worship. It's what God said that caused him to bow and worship because it was all about the goodness of the Lord.

Why is it good to give praise to the Lord? Because the person of God is good. God said that to you last week. The proclamation about God is good, right? It's good news that brings great joy. And so we realize that a good God, when spoken about, is about good news that brings great joy. So the proclamation about God is good. And then we told you the providence of God is good. The providence of God is good. That's why Joseph said you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. Psalm 1968, thou art good and doest good.

And then, of course, Romans 8.28, we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purposes. The providence of God is good. That is, the details by which He works out His sovereign plan are all good. Do you believe that? You know, it's important to realize that whatever you're going through today, and I don't know what that is, but God knows. And God is providentially working in your life. Through sickness and sadness, through health and joy, He is working all things after the counsel of His will.

So very, very important. When I was working at my alma mater as a college baseball coach and a dean of students, and having the time of my life, I thought I could do it forever. It was just the greatest job. I was married, been married for a couple of years. My wife was pregnant. I was doing what I wanted to do, and I couldn't think that life could get any better than it is until in May of that year, I was called in after a baseball tournament, and I was fired from my job. Didn't think much of it at the time.

That was in May. In June, my wife Sandy contacted stage 4 carcinoma cancer and was given less than 10% chance to live 5 years with chemotherapy. So I began to wonder about the providence of God and what was God doing. I had to get a job, so I sent out 72 resumes. You couldn't email your resumes. There was no email in those days, right? So you had to actually write it out or type it out on a piece of paper, fold it up, put it in an envelope, put a stamp on it, and mail it. How ironic, right? So we did that and waited and waited and waited.

After 72 letters had gone out, I realized that there was only one response, just one, but it was the only one that mattered. And so when I received the call to go to the King's College in New York and Brian Cliff Med in New York, I accepted that call to become their baseball coach and the college pastor at that institution. So my wife and I packed our bags up, and the great thing about that is that Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute is in downtown New York City. So we saw how God was orchestrating every event in life to bring us to the King's College, that she would be able to go into the city every day with me for radiation, every other week for chemotherapy, and so we were able to accomplish all of that.

So we realized that God was providentially working out everything. Then she died. And then we thought, whoa, wait a minute. I thought God was in charge of all this. Oh, he was. He was in charge of everything. And so after she died, I realized that God had to do something even greater than he did before. So I began to trust wholeheartedly in the providence of God, asking God to provide, asking God to do what only God can do. So I began to pray. And I prayed basically Psalm 1968, Thou art good and do us good.

Lord, you are good in giving Sandy to me as a wife. Lord, you are good in giving Sandy cancer. And Lord, you are good when you took her home to be with you. So I said, Lord, you are good, and you do good. I held on to that. And I said, Lord, I began to pray Scripture, Psalm 8411. No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly. And so, Lord, I said, if you are good and you do good, and there is no good thing that you withhold from those who walk uprightly. And Proverbs 22, 18 says that he who finds a wife finds a good thing.

I'm asking you to provide for me a good thing. And that was my prayer. And one night, as I shared with a man on Monday night, I was in my office at work praying that prayer, and there was a knock at the door. I went and opened the door, and there stood Lori. And she said, hello. My father has asked me to come down and tell you to give him a call because he wants to talk to you about the job offer at his church in New Jersey. At that very moment, I knew that Lori was the one for me. At that very moment, there was never a reservation nor a question in my mind.

And so, the history speaks for itself. 37 years later, 8 children later, 17 grandchildren later, God is good and do us good. He provides in His own timing, in His own way. But every event, every situation, every circumstance, everything that's happened in my life, I can point to the perfect providence of a living God who works through everything to bring about His glory and the good of His children. I wonder if you believe that. God is so good. The providence of God is good. It's not bad. Even in Job's life, all the suffering, all the heartache, all the pain, when it's all said and done and he prays for his friends and God gives him twice as much as what he had before, Job would be the classic example of saying God is good and do us good.

Even though he lost everything, he gained so much more because that's how God works. And so, we give thanks to God. It's good to give thanks to God because the person of God is good, the proclamation about God is good, the providence of God is good. Let me continue this for you this morning, and that is this, the promises of God are good.

The promises of God are good. The Bible says in the book of Joshua, the 23rd chapter, as Joshua is about to end his life, he says in Joshua 23 verse number 14, Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed.

All have been fulfilled for you. Not one of them has failed. It shall come about that just as all the good words which the Lord your God spoke to you have come upon you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the threats until he has destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you. In other words, Joshua wants Israel to know that every good word that God has spoken has been fulfilled just as he promised because the promises of God are good. Aren't you glad that God is a forgiving God?

The Bible says if you confess your sins, he's faithful and just to forgive you of your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

That's a good God who is good for his word to forgive you of all your sins. God is good because his presence is always with us. I will never leave you nor will I ever forsake you. He promises his presence, his forgiveness. The Bible says the Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.

He's always there. That's who he is. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear him. He will also hear their cry and save them. The Lord keeps all who love him. Those are his promises. And the Bible is filled with the promises of a good God who keeps his word. The promises of God are good. 2 Corinthians 1.20 tells us that all the promises of God are yes in Christ Jesus. Jesus is the fulfillment of the ultimate promise of a savior, right? But every promise that God gives is fulfilled in and through Christ Jesus our Lord.

And so God is good and it's good to give thanks to God for his promises are good. How about this? The property of God is good. Did you know that? God has a property. It's a good property. Same chapter, Joshua 23. The Lord says these words. Verse number 16. When you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God and he commanded you and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you and you will perish quickly from the good land which he has given you.

It's a good land. Why? Because the property of God is good. The book of Leviticus says this. Leviticus chapter 25 verse number 23. The land is mine. Do you know that God never said that California was his? I don't think he'd want it but he never said it was his. He never said the United States is mine. Although it is because he is the Lord and he owns the earth and the fullness thereof and everything is his, right? But he never specifically said that the state of California or the United States or Canada or the EU is mine.

He never said that. But he did say that about a particular property of his. And the boundaries of that property are mentioned 38 times in the Old Testament. 38 times. God is so precise and so specific about his property that he's given all the boundaries needed. And Israel only has about a tenth of that property as we speak. But it's not Israel's land. It's God's land. And God has given it to them, granted it to them that they might be the caretakers of his land. His land. It's his property. In fact, the Bible tells us that the land includes three quarters of Egypt, all of Israel, all of Lebanon, all of Syria, all of Jordan, three quarters of Iraq, and all of Saudi Arabia.

It's all God's land. And so in Joel chapter 3, he says, Woe to the person who divides my land. You can't divide up God's land because you'll be cursed. You can't do that. You can't divide up the land of Israel. It's his land. You don't have the right to do that. Someone can't come into your property and say, Okay, I'm going to divide it up and parcel it out to different people in your neighborhood. You're like, Okay, go ahead. You wouldn't do that. You'd be kicking and screaming. It's not their property.

It's not their land. It's your land, right? Well, God says, This is my land. It's my property. In fact, the Bible tells us very clearly in the book of Isaiah chapter 18, verse number 7, it's the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, even Mount Zion. It's called the place of the name. Why does God put his name on it? Why do you put your name on your kid's ball glove when he goes to practice? It's his. Why do you put your name on your property when you go someplace? Because it's yours. Why do you have your name on your suitcase when it goes to the turnstile at the airport?

Because it's your suitcase. You can identify it, right? Why does God put his name on the land? It's his name. It's his land. Of course you're going to put his name on it. It's his. We told you over and over again that those three valleys that surround Jerusalem, the Hinnom Valley, the Central Valley, the Kitchen Valley, are three valleys. That one from an aerial look, or aerial view, are three valleys that look like the Hebrew letter shin, which stands for almighty. The almighty God has put his name on the land.

It's his land. And it's a good land. That's why he says that it's his. Because only a good God can own a good land. And that's why he calls it good. Joshua called it good. Because he knew that it was God's land to give. It was God's land to parcel out. It was God's land to do whatever he wanted to with it. So it's good to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Why? Because the person of God is good. The proclamation about God is good. The providence of God is good. The promises of God are good. The property of God is good.

So important. How about this? The precepts of God are good. The precepts of God are good. Nehemiah chapter nine. Nehemiah chapter nine, verse number 13. Nehemiah says, Then you came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You gave them just ordinances and true laws. You gave them good statutes, good commands. The statutes of God, the commands of God are good. The precepts of God are good. Nehemiah makes it very clear that when you came down and you gave the law, it was all good. There was nothing bad about the law that God gave because the law just is an accentuation of the character and nature of a holy God.

Psalm 11, verse number 10 says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and a good understanding have all those who do his commandments. In other words, if they're good precepts, then if you do the precepts, there's good understanding that comes your way because a good God gave good precepts to his people that they might have a good understanding of him. In fact, Moses said in Deuteronomy chapter six, these words, he says, verse number 24, So the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes the fear of the Lord our God for our good always and for our survival.

He says, look, you're about to embark on the promised land and God gave us all these statutes, all these commandments which Nehemiah has already said they are good commands, they are good precepts. God gave them to us and if we keep them, it will only be for our good. It will only be for our survival. The only way to survive in a pagan culture is to keep the precepts of God because they're all good and they come from a good God. Deuteronomy chapter 10, Moses says, Now Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways and to love him and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and to keep the commandments and the statutes which I am commanding you today for your good.

There's nothing bad about keeping the commandments of God. It's only good because they're good statutes, they're good precepts and the only outcome of keeping good precepts are your good and your survival. That's why John could say in 1 John 5 that the commandments of God are not burdensome. They don't weigh you down. How can something good weigh you down? No, something good lifts you up, inspires you and gives you energy and joy and that's what the precepts of God do. The precepts of God are good.

Hebrews 6, 5 says that we are to taste the good word of the Lord. It's not a bad word. It's a good word. So it's good to give thanks unto the Lord. Why? Because it's pleasant. It's becoming. Why? Because the person of God is good. Because the proclamation about that God is good. Because the providence of that God is good. Because the promises of God are good, the property of God, the precepts of God, they're all good. How about this? The power of God is good. We know this. The power of God is not bad.

The power of God is good. So good. The Bible says in Romans 1 verse number 16 that the gospel is what?

The power of God unto salvation to the Jew first and also to the Greek. The power of God. That's the gospel. Right? That can't be bad. It's got to be good. 1 Corinthians 1 verse number 18. The cross of Christ is power to those of us who are believing. It's power. Psalm 62, 11 says that power belongs only to God. Psalm 77, verse number 11. I shall remember the deeds of the Lord. Surely I will remember your wonders of old. I will meditate on all your work and muse on your deeds. Your way, O God, is holy.

What God is great like our God. You are the God who works wonders. You have made known your strength among the peoples. You have, by your power, redeemed your people, the sons of Jacob and of Joseph. And then over in Psalm 78, listen, O my people, to my instruction. Incline your ear to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings of old which we have heard and known and our fathers have told us. We will not conceal them from their children but tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, his strength, his wondrous works that he has done.

For he established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel which he commanded our fathers that they should teach them to their children. That the generation to come might know even the children yet to be born that they may arise and tell them to their children that they should not put confidence in God and not forget the works of God but keep the commandments of God. Why? Because everything about God and his power is good. And God has manifested himself over and over again. And because he has, his power is so good.

Remember what Nebuchadnezzar said? Nebuchadnezzar, in the book of Daniel, the fourth chapter, after Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were saved in the fiery furnace. Nebuchadnezzar, the king to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language that live in all the earth, may your peace abound. It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me. And then he says how great are his signs, how mighty are his wonders, his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and his dominion is from generation to generation.

Nebuchadnezzar realized the goodness of God in the sparing of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And eventually Nebuchadnezzar would give his life to this good God who exemplified all kinds of marvelous powers to the works that he completed while Israel was in Egyptian bondage, or excuse me, in Babylonian captivity. So the power of God is good. How about this? The purposes of God are good. Numbers 23, verse number 19. Moses says, God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should repent.

Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make good? In other words, God makes all things good because he's a good God. And the purposes of God are extremely good. God doesn't have a bad purpose in mind. God only has good purposes in mind because he's a good and loving God. Psalm 119.17, the psalmist said, Do good to your servant according to your word. In other words, the psalmist cries out to the Lord and says, I know, Lord, that you are good, and I need you to do good to me according to your word because your word is good.

In other words, work out your purposes in your servant because everything about you is good. Psalm 12. When you present your body a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, which is your logical form of worship, you prove what is that good and acceptable work of God. You prove it because it's a good work, not a bad work. It's a good will, not a bad will. See that? So when you present your body as a living sacrifice, you are saying, Lord, your will for me is good, whatever it may befall, because you're a good God.

It is good to give thanks unto the Lord because the person of God is good. The proclamation about God is good. The providence of God is good. The promises of God are good. The property of God is good. The precepts of God, they're good. The power of God is good. The purposes of God are good. How about this? The provisions of God are good. The provisions of God are good. Nehemiah, when he realized it was time for Israel to go back and build the walls around Jerusalem, that the captivity had been completed as was promised by God because the promises of God are good.

And God promised how long the captivity would be. Nehemiah recognized that, and the king granted him permission to go back and gave him all the goods to go back. Nehemiah says these words in Nehemiah 2, verse 8, And the king granted them to me because the good hand of God was on me. The good hand of God was on me. In other words, we received all these provisions because of the goodness of God. God is a provider. And God wants you to know from the very beginning that he is, as the Hebrew text would tell us, Yahweh Yireh.

It's first used in Genesis chapter 22 with Abraham on top of Mount Moriah. In fact, in Genesis chapter 22, it's the first time the word worship is used in the Bible.

Did you know that? The first time the word worship is used centers around God as provider. And it would be Moses who would, I mean, excuse me, it would be Abraham would go up on top of Mount Moriah and offer his son as a sacrifice, and God would step in. The angel of the Lord would stop him. You know the story. And Abraham would name that place Yahweh Yireh, the Lord, my provider. In other words, God will provide a substitute. God will provide in his time the right substitute. It's a great story about the substitutionary atonement of the work of Christ.

But the word Yireh used 1,300 times in the Old Testament. 1,300 times. Only four times is it translated provide. Every other time it's translated to see or be seen. And so Abraham says these words. He says in verse 14, Abraham called the name of that place Yahweh Yireh. In other words, the Lord will be seen. As it is to this day, in the mount of the Lord, it will be provided or it will be seen. In other words, God provides perfectly because he sees perfectly. He doesn't see what's going to happen, then provide it.

He already knows what's going to happen. But in his predetermined knowledge is sight, which allows him to see the need before you even ask him. That's why the Lord knows what you need before you even utter the words. He already knows what you need. He's an all-knowing God. He's an omnipotent God. He knows everything. So he knows exactly what you need before you even ask him. Why? Because he's already seen the need before it even exists. Why? Because he knows the need before it even exists. In other words, he's already beginning the provision process for you before you ever face the need.

What a great God. And that's why it's good to give thanks unto the Lord. Because he is Yahweh Yireh, the God who sees, the God who provides. He is the good provider for man. God doesn't provide bad food for his children. God doesn't provide bad things for his children. He provides only the best of things for his children because he's a good and loving God. We are a kingdom of priests. Part of your identity is that you are a priest in the kingdom of God. Yes, we're servants of God. Yes, we're friends of God.

But we're called the kingdom of priests. And because we are, we are always functioning in a priestly duty. And our priestly duty is always to offer up sacrifices. And the primary sacrifice that we offer up because we are priests in God's kingdom is the sacrifice of praise. That's what we do. That's why we're on this pathway of praise. Going through each day, offering up to the Lord, a sacrifice of praise. That's why we took just a brief moment to pause and camp out on point number eight. Because this is our distinguishing mark.

This sets us apart from the world unlike anything else we do. It sets us apart from Satan and his demons like nothing else we do. Because we are marked by our praise. Because we are a kingdom of priests who continually offer up a sacrifice of praise. My challenge to you and to me is to go through this day, this week, this month, this year, the rest of our lives. Listen, when you get to heaven, this is what you're going to do. Just about get used to it right now while you're here. This is what you're going to do.

You're going to offer praise and glory and honor to God. But this truth, you will have to tackle every day. And I guarantee that once you tackle it, you will absolutely treasure it. Because this is what God has formed us for. The people I have formed for myself, they will declare my praise. Let's give thanks to the Lord. Father, thank you for today. Thank you that we can gather together. Thank you, Lord, that you are our king. May we be a people of praise. May we be a church marked by our praise.

And on this day, whatever it is, is happening in our family, our marriage, our work, our health, may we offer a sacrifice of praise to our God continually. Because that's what you've commanded us to do. And when we do, it will be for our good always. Because you are God, the God who is good. In Jesus' name, amen.