Turn your Complaints into Prayers - Turn your Comparing into Praise | Joy Teh

You're listening to a message to go from ex Church. We hope this message

will light up your day today. I just want to share. I think

it's a very simple word. I hope it's an encouragement to all of us

and a reminder as well to all of us, because sometimes even in myself

included, I don't know about it's not you like me like Melaha. Sometimes

we can come to a point where we feel a bit like you want to

complain. Why not complain and compare? Ah the two seas? Okay,

So God spoke to me also because it's normal, normal, Okay, tell

your neighbor. Sometimes we all complain, right, but it's good to transform

their complaint. So God spoke to me and say, joy, turn your

complaint into prayer. Let me okay, got two seas and two piets.

Yes, turn your complaints into prayer. So if you're so many things to

complain about somebody, someone or whatever, why not your brainstate right? And

God also spoke to me turn your comparing. Now this is my way God

speaking to me, the way the England, the English not like very powerful

what but it's okay. God speaks to you at your level of English is

okay, why not, so turn your comparing into praise, because sometimes the

complaints come when you compare. When you start going to compare, why like

that? Then why light that? Why light that? Not fair? Then

you start to complain and then so just a reminder to myself. Ah,

okay, So this is where I also look into the world of God and

again remind myself. And I believe God is reminding us to be thankful.

So I would like to draw from a from two main passages of scripture today.

One is Luke seventeen and one is Some one hundred and thirty six.

So let's go into it today. Now today, if we notice ingratitude and

thankfulness are sometimes very far too common, all right, we children is sometimes

it's common to see children forgetting to thank their parents. And some of us

are grown children. We all have parents, and sometimes we forget to thank

our parents too, and we take things for granted, and we take the

people around us for granted. Right, But you know what, and sometimes

we all forget to thank God for his blessings, including myself. We wake

up and we got you know what I mean? Then you think you've got

so many other reasons to complain. But sometimes we forget to thank God for

his blessings now ingratitude. It's a sin, do you know that? And

surely and it's just as surely as you lie or you're still or any other

type of immorality. Right, this sin of being ingratitude to God is really

mentioned by the Bible. So let's look at my first verse today, Romans

one, verse twenty to twenty one k XTV. Will help me, all

right. I don't have slights for my verses, but I will need your

to draw out the verses on the slide and church, as we remind all

of you, I hope you brought your bibles to church. If you do

not have your physical Bible, I encourage you to bring it and are along

the church and we can all read God's work together. But if you don't

have one, don't worry. You can turn to your or digital one,

all right. For since verse twenty the creation of the world, his invincible

attributes are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made. Even his

eternal power and God hit so that they are without excuse verse twenty one because

although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were

thankful, but became fatal in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Can you see that when we become unthankful or not thankful, we our

hearts become darkened. So if we can, an ungrateful heart is like a

heart that is called towards God, and basically we become indifferent to His mercy

and love. It's almost like we take for granted a waiting it doesn't matter,

it doesn't mean anything to us. It is a heart that has forgotten

how dependent we are on God for everything that we have. So if you

look, if you read the Bible from one end of the Bible to the

other end of the Bible, we can see that thankful is actually a very

natural outflowing of a heart that is attuned to God. And those of us

who have been saved, touch set free by God, filled with the Holy

Spirit. It's a very natural thing to be thankful and give thanks to God.

So for us Christians, every day can be a day of thanksgiving.

We don't need to wait until the end of the year, right right then

you need we celebrate thanksgiving or you know, we talk about thanksgiving all right.

So in Ephesions five, twenty. It so says that let us we

are to give thanks always for all things to God the Father, in the

name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, so let me move to the

first part of scripture that I want to take us to. Okay, it's

in Luke seventeen. I read it just now during the prayer time, but

that one I was focusing on the miracle right of the lepers. So let's

look into Luke seventeen right now, verse eleven onwards until verse nineteen. All

right, okay, so are we there, yes, Okay, let's read

together. Now. It happened as Jesus went to Jerusalem that he passed through

the midst of the Maria and Galilee. Okay, he went in between okay,

the border of the Mario and Galiley. Then as he entered a certain

village, there met him ten men who were lepers who stood afar off.

Now we know why leperds stand afar off. Right, they are outcasts and

they are not allowed to be together with other people in the community. And

they lifted up their voices and said, Jesus, muster have mercy on earth.

So when he saw them, he said to them, and I believe

you just had compassion on them, right, And he said, go show

yourself to the priests, okay, as the customs in those days. And

so it was that as they went, they were cleansed, and I shed

that just now this itself, that one line in this verse it sells is

the miracle of God happening. They had leprosy, and as they walked away

from Jesus, just in obedience, the leprosy left them. Okay. Does

it sound familiar to another miracle in the Bible that has similar that when Jesus

turned the water into wine. Remember the servants take the water, say take

the water to the master of ceremony, and the servants said water to the

master said okay. And then as they go by, then they reached there

it became winy, all right. So similar as they as they stepped out

in faith in obedience, the miracle happened. Okay, verse fifteen. And

one of them okay, yeah, So there were ten lepers, go and

show yourself to the priests. And they went, and they were cleans and

one of them was fifteen. When he saw that he was healed, he

returned and with a loud voice, he glorified God and fell down on his

face at his feet, giving him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

Just had to emphasize that, Okay. So Jesus answered and said, were

they're not ten cleans? But where are the nine? Were there not any

found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner. And he said

to him, arise, go your way, your faith has made you well.

Okay. So this group of lepers, I do not know how many

were Jews, how many were Samaritans, Okay, but I think it's a

mixed group in a sense that because they had leprosy, they had one issue

in common. So it doesn't matter whether Jew of Samaritan they is. Okay,

they are lepers, so they congregate together because they men among outcasts.

But in those days you understand Jews and Samaritans they don't mix together. Right,

But they were a group of lepers. We don't know. But one

of the leapers, he was a Samaritan. And out of the ten nine,

what happened to the ninth, I don't know. The Bible didn't say.

But they were asked by Jesus to show themselves to the prisoner. So

they did in obedience, So very good they didn't do anything wrong. They

went to the priests and as they went they were cleansed and they were healed.

But after that, normal story about them. Okay, so they didn't

really do anything wrong, but they didn't do what this one leper who was

a Samaritan deed, and he came back to Jesus and he gave thanks to

Jesus and he gave glory to Jesus. And it's what Jesus said that says

that were they're not ten clans? All right? But where Jesus asked the

question where are the nine? So are we in that nine that Jesus is

asking today? Where are the nine? Oh? Okay? And were they

not any found who written to give glory? And I think Jesus is trying

to say, oh, so how about those who were Jews who were clans?

Were they not cannot you can't even come and say you can't even come

back and give glory to God. And a Samaritan who is a foreigner knows

how to praise God? Is it a slap to the face, right like

you, we believe us if we are not thanking God. Even our pre

believers Frians know how to thank God when they are here, or when they

received a miracle of God in their lives, and God and Jesus told him,

go your faith has made you well. Hallelujah. So be the one

again. When I read this again, also God reminded me we can make

a choice. No, we can be like the nine, and we can

be whoever we are. We can be bastard, elder. I mean,

I'm just saying in that context, right, we can be the most oldest

Christian, you know, but it doesn't matter when it comes to this,

right, right, Yeah, So be the one among the ten who actually

looks means he saw, he's healing, and he knows how to give glory

back to the one who healed him. Okay, so all of them were

walking along, Okay, and again I can imagine if you were a leper.

Honestly, I really don't know how it feels like. And I cannot

say I understand because I really don't understand. But imagine they have been years

out of society. They are lepers. They cannot come, they cannot be

with their family. I can understand that they just cannot be hand one to

go to their families. White not there healed, they rush and then they

go and then they forget Jesus. Sounds familiar, right, like all of

us are. So we pray, pray, pray so hard for a miracle,

and God gave us a miracle. And the moment we get America forget

Jesus. Yeah, Helleliah, Jesus and any bye bye, and then we

go away. Okay, so let's not be the nine. So one goes.

Yeah, so one goes back to the source of healing. This one

Samaritan, and he said, thank you. Okay. Now question to all

of us, are you going to live as the one or as? And

as you walk through life actually stops and notices the goodness of God in our

lives, the grace of God, the presence of God, and say thank

you to God. Again. We must stop and notice now. So I

want to move us on after we read from this Luke seventeen again to Psalm

one hundred and thirty six. Now, this Psalm is a beautiful psalm,

and I would like us to do an exercise today. Cannot church in my

mind, I imagine, but I hope that we all can do this together.

Okay, okay, So as we read about seventeen, I hope we

will learn something from there. But as I draw from Psalm one hundred and

thirty six, here in this in this sum is, the Psalmi is giving

thanks to God and listing down the reasons of what we can thank God about.

So and and when we draw out from the sum, I hope it

can help us remember what are some of the things that we can continuously give

thanks to God about? Immen amen. So just get to give you an

introduction about the sum. Now, this is one of those psalms, right,

if I'm sure you're ready before. It has some repetitive lines. One

in every stanza. After the first line, the second line says, but

his mercy and deals forever. So it's repeated like many many times in the

sum. All right, okay, So these lines are repeated again and again,

okay, for his mercy and deals forever. So picture with me in

those days when the Psalmis wrote this sum is as though the priest is reading

the sum and the congregation is answering back said okay, so we're going to

do that in a while. So picture with me a great multitude of people

when they gather into the Temple of God. The priests or the levite will

call out a reason to give thanks. They will say a reason, and

the people will respond and say it for his mercy and deals forever. So

can we do that today? Now? I would like the ladies to be

the levites today. Okay, the ladies to be the levis or the priest

today, and the gentleman. Come on, gentlemen, you're going to say

in your gentlemanly voice, for his mercy and duels forever. Can we do

that? Okay? So you're gonna put the verses up you can look.

Okay. So all the scripture that I'm reading today is from the new King

James version, just so that we don't confuse ourselves. Okay, feel free

to read it in your version. However, when we read together, just

for this realnd, we shall read according to the new King James version.

Are we ready? Now? I'll start off with verse one. Now it

only starts in yeah, it starts in verse one, but verse one I

will read, so verse two onwards. I will get the ladies to read

with me, and then the gentleman. So give Let me give you an

example. Everyone, look at verse one, Oh, give thanks to the

Lord, for he is good for his mercy and deals forever now, the

ladies, Oh, give thanks to the God of God's the gentleman. Very

good. Continue verse three, who whoa, whoa, whoa? Okay a

man, the lights are saying, a man, come on okay. Verse

three, Oh give thanks to the Lord of lords. I like it.

I like it, ladies, calounder bina. Verse one, hold the lights,

I thinking, man, okay, okay, come on. Verse one

to him who alone that's great, wonders, gentlemen. Verse five, to

him who by wisdom made the heavens very good. Verse six, for him

who laid out the earth above the waters, guys, don't be tired.

Hah. To him, ladies, who made great lines very good. Verse

eight, the sun to rule by day. Verse nine, the moon and

stars to rule by nine. Verse ten. To him who struck Egypt in

the firstborn, very good. Let's mean what we say, and brought out

Israel from among them. Hey, what's so sophety one guys. Verse twelve,

with a strong hand and with that outstretched arm. Very good. Verse

the teen. To him who divided the rats in two cul and made Israel

pass through the midst of it. Amen, but overthrew Pharaoh and his army

in the Great Sea verse sixteen. To him who led his people through the

wilderness, to him who struck down great kings and slew famous kings, Sihorn,

king of the Emirates, an Org king of Bashan, and gave their

land as a heritage almost done, almost done, a heritage to Israel,

his servant, who remembered us in our lowly state and rescued us from our

enemies, who gives food to all flesh. Oh, give thanks to the

Lord, to the God of Heaven, a man, hallelujah, give yourself

a can. Well done, gentlemen and ladies, well done. All right,

give thanks to the God of Heaven. So even as we remember the

theme of the year heaven rules, are we giving thanks to the God of

Heaven imen imen So, as I said, there's this. So basically it's

the people, the priests or the levite reminding and giving a reason of thanks

to remind the people, and the people respond, And that's how they come

together when they were in the temple. All right. So this word mercy

that you're read, I don't know how many times twenty over time, the

word mercy twenty six. Okay, The word mercy is the translation of the

Great Hebrewerd has said, I don't not pronounce, but yes, which means

Yahweh's grace, his loyal love, his covenant love unto his people. Now

the new King James says mercy, but in the New Living Translation it says

faithful love. So if you read a New Living Translation, it will say

his faithful love. So it means the mercy of God is the faithful covenant

love of God, the love of God that will not change no matter what.

That the love of God that it will that you can never depart from.

All right, the love of God. All right. So that is

his love. And when he says his mercy and deals forever is basically a

declaration proclaiming that God has said on mercy will never end and will always be

given to his people. Imen. Isn't there a reason to rejoice? People

that no matter what God, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.

Amen, a man. That's it again, Just quiet, bye bye,

and pray for all of us. And that's the message is done,

because that's all we actually need to know that the love of God will never

end. Amen, his mercy and deals forever, Thank you Jesus. So

what I'm trying to say, is that just just for this reason, whatever

your reason is to not be happy, to not be thankful, you should

throw it away just this reason alone, that the God, that the love

of Christ, that God's love for you will end your forever, is enough.

It's enough for all of us. Amen, a man. So in

verse one, when the Psalmis said, give thanks to the Lord for he

is good, okay, as it's just basically talking about focusing about who God

really is, what who he is, and we know that. In the

New Testament it says in first John as well, why that God is love,

and love is an expression of his goodness. So give thanks to the

Lord for his good. If God is love, God is good, and

that is a wonderful reason to give thanks to God. Amen. And in

verse two and three, if you read the Ladies, when you read it

says give thanks to the God of Gods and the Lord of Lords. Right,

So basically is who God really is and that this Lord God. Write

in the original text in Hebrew, it covers all three names of God,

the Lord, the God, and the Lord with a small letter and the

big letter the small letter. Okay, don't worry about it. So basically,

I just wanted to just summarize it for all of us. Is that

the three great names that God is known, especially in the Old Testament,

Jehovah, which is a title given to God for his grace, Elohim or

Elohim, depending how you pronounce it, the name of might write. And

I don't know the title of sovereignty. Okay. So basically all three names

is all included in verse two and verse three when we say, just now,

the God of God and the Lord of Lord, Amen amen. And

in verse four. Now, I will get into my few points in a

wild but I'm just giving you an introduction of this sum to him why Basically,

I'm giving you reason why we thank the Lord Amen Amen. So verse

four to him who alone does great wonders. If you read verse four,

just now, right, so God's people were invited to praise him as the

God of true power and mi reculous wonders. Now, most of the rest

of the sum describes many of these great wonders. So if you read on

from verse five to verse nine, it talks about the creation of God and

it links back all the way to Genesis chapter one. Right, Okay,

So question is, have we seen the wonders of God? Have you seen

the amazing wonders of God in your own life on a day to day basis,

in the world around you, in the lives of others, do you

notice his wonders? And did you say thank you to him? If we

pause and will notice the wonders of God even in the things that He has

created. When we are thankful for the wonderful things that God has done,

we notice them more. So it's almost like a the more you thank the

Lord, the more God helps you to see his wonders. And the less

you thank God, the lesser you're going to see his wonders. All right,

So when we are thankful for the wonderful things, we notice them more.

Someone you say, well, I don't really notice God's wonderful things.

So maybe it's time for us sometimes to slow down, okay, and be

the one among the ten lepers. All right. We can be excited for

all the things that God has done for us. But nine of them,

but they just kept on going in their own business, right, okay,

But one stopped and he pushing balid. In other words, he made a

u turn and he came back to thank God Lord, right, so I

think there's a connection there. So not only with the more we thank God,

the more we experience his wonders. And sometimes I think God knows our

hearts, and he knows that if we come to a point that we do

not know how to thank him anymore, he might, he might, he

will know what we are ready for and what we are not ready for.

Okay, right, So if we notice and thank God for his great things,

I think the first of all, we will notice more of these things

now. So in verse five to verse nine in Psalms one hundred and thirty

six, it says to him who by wisdom made the heavens. So here

the Psalm is refers back again. I mentioned to Genesis chapter one. God

laid out the earth above the waters, all right, and it talks about

the first four days of creation that was found in Genesis chapter one. And

because each of these, if you read, it's actually an expression man of

God's never ending mercy towards his people. And that we can say that when

God created the heavens and the earth back in Genesis, he had you and

I in his mind. Do you know that he at the end of the

day, when he reached day six wife, when he created humans, men

and women? What did he say? It was very good? Okay,

it was from good to very good, all right. He had you and

I his people in mind. So when you drink in the glory of God's

creation, when you admire His creation, we should thank you to God should

naturally flow a man. Amen. So let me bring you through based on

these Psalms five points that I could draw out, so or will you too

quickly? Don't worry? Five points that I can get out? Why and

what we can thank God for? So why give thanks to God? Now?

First of all, God delivered us from sin and death. Now,

if we look at some enterty six from verses ten to fifteen, and also

in verse twenty four, it says what to him who struck Egypt in their

First of all, I know when you read these sums like Egypt nothing to

doing mean Old Testament and all. Sometimes if we find it hard to relate

to it. But when the people of God recited the sum, what are

they declaring? What is what does Egypt represent? Is when the world and

their past right, they were declaring how God delivered them of slavery. It

was physical at that time, but in our time right now, it is

spiritual, the spiritual bondage that we were in last time, and we do

not know Jesus, God has called us out right right, God has called

us out into from darkness into his marvelous light. So when we read from

verse ten to fifteen, why in the people of God in the past,

they always go back to the deliverance from Egypt. They always go back to

that, and they always talk about the Ridci. They always talk about that

because that was the great deliverance of God for the people of Egypt, and

it signifies our salvation. All right. So this is a declaration that you

have to choose on, all right, because some of the things here we're

talking about were the greatest moment of deliverance in the history of God's people in

the Old Testament, which is the Exodust. They were slaves in Egypt for

four hundred years. They were oppressed, they were abuse, and they wanted

to be set free. And therefore they will always looked back to that deliverance.

So the people of Issuel look back to this moment over and over again

because it was a definitive moment when they were set free. It was the

time in history when the passover Lamb you remember, was slaughtered and the blood

was put on the door poles so that the judgment will pass over their homes.

And that's why the people of God in the whole Old Testament they celebrate

passed over year after year, and like Israel, look back to the moment

when they were delivered from Egypt. Friends, you and I should look back

at the very moment that we give our hearts to Jesus. Imen we should

look back to the moment that we put our in the Lord. And if

we have not come to that saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus and to understand,

know that he opens his nail pierced hands to you today and says,

I welcome you home if you will come to me. So for those of

you today, if you have never given your heart to Jesus and you don't

know this salvation, you have never been allowed by God to take you out

from darkness into his marvelous light. Today is your day as well. So

for those of us who are believers, do you look back to that moment

when you became a follower of Jesus? Do you will remember that day?

Because I'm sure we all do. Right, So do you look back at

that moment when you were followed of Jesus. Maybe you were fifteen years old

at that time. Oh, you could be fifty five at that time.

Okay, and say, Lord, I remember you. You delivered me your

love and yours forever, and I'm thankful for you. We can be thankful

for the deliverance that God has brought true death, Jesus's death on the cross.

Amen. Amen. And we should not let a day go by pass

us right without thanking God for his mercy and his grace, True Jesus Christ.

Amen. So on any day, for those of us who know Jesus,

he stands with his open arms and say to us, you are welcome

to come to me. Just confess your sins, put your trust in me,

and follow me. This happened to me. I don't know how many

years ago day, but when I was thirteen years old, all right,

thirteen years old, thirenty four years ago, and I gave my life to

the Lord, and my life was never the same again and again today he

stands here waiting to come into your life and your heart if you have not

yet given your heart to him. Amen. So let us all look back

to the day and look back again at the day that we gave our heart

to the Lord. Amen, and be thankful for his salvation. All right,

Come, we can also be thankful to this sum as we can see

that God leads us through our desert time. So why the people of God,

after they talk about the deliverance from Egypt, they will always talk about

the time they were in the wilderness? All right? So in verse sixteen

we see to him who led his people through the wilderness for his mercy and

deals forever. Because God led his people for forty years in the wilderness.

And during that time he fed them, he gave them manner, He gave

them meat, he gave them water, and they are sandals, never worn

out. They had everything that they needed. So to the desert time and

verse twenty three, who remembered us in our lowly state during that time?

It was the wilderness time. I don't think anyone enjoys being in the wilderness,

do you? Huh? I don't think so. And I don't think

the people of God at that time enjoyed being in the wilderness for so long?

Also, right, So question have you can you experience His presence in

the desert and he's Now why I'm not asking have you experienced the desert before,

because all of us will experience our desert. Now if you say to

me, but I never experienced it, never mind, very soon you will

experience desert again. Like, but it's normal if we go to life and

life we have our well happy times that I say again, but we have

sometimes our desert times in our lives. Right, So have you experienced his

presence in the desert and his hand leading you towards refreshment and hope? Now

we all walk too tough times, and sometimes it can be a relational desert,

maybe a desert, a relational desert, a financial desert. It could

be an emotional desert, or it could be a spiritual desert. All kinds

of things can make us feel dry, and sometimes we wonder, God,

am I ever going to get out of the desert? Right? So for

forty years the people of Israel wandered in the desert. So it's like,

no, you spin a top, right, the top goes like that,

right, it stays in the same spot, right, Okay, So they

spun like a top in the desert. And but those forty years God never

left them, and in fact, he did some of the greatest wonders and

miracles while they were in desert. Ask you anywhere else in the Bible or

mana? Not no, okay, today you want to imagine what was mana?

I don't know how to explain to my kids. So so, but

you know what the people mostly did? Okay? So what the people did

do in the forty years despite with all the things that God did for them,

complain? Why start the way right? Say? So? They complained,

He provides the food every day, and they say, we are tired

of this food. He protects and provides what and they missed it? Basically,

their focus is about their complain the blessings of God. They missed it.

They became like the nine lepers. Yes, thank you Jesus for the

thing, but I am I'm busy now, Lord, I got a lot

of things to do today and didn't not this and didn't thank and not like

the one leper who him back and said thank you God. Question, what's

your desert right now? Maybe it's a formal desert, but maybe you're not

in the desert, okay, but some of us, maybe we are in

the desert right now. And so here's what God wants you to know he's

with you right here, and just like he was with the people in the

forty years wandering in the wilderness, he has never left you alone and he

will never leave you if you're not in one right now, as I say

it, soon, okay, yes, soon. Life has deserts and it's

part of the journey that we all walk in. But to know that He's

with us and that He lives us through them, we thank God for that.

Amen. Amen. So maybe all of you, what we can do

right now is in the middle of our desert we can say God, thank

you. Then I'm not alone. I know in the desert you are still

with me, and I will hold on to that. And just like we

sung this morning right Sometimes we don't see when God is moving something. God

is working behind the scenes, but we don't see. Okay, he is

moving and he is working. Amen, Harley Lujah. And the amazing thing

is that while we are still in the desert, we can praise him.

Amen. A man, Let's thank God for that. So God leads us

through our desert times. So why do the people of God had to sing

the psalms the way they did. It's because they have to be constantly reminded

that God delivered them from Egypt. God, God brought them through out of

the wilderness, all right now. And after the wilderness, God gave them

a place, the promised land, correct, and God helped them to defeat

all the Kings, the famous kings. So God gives us a place,

well, I cannot find a better word for it, a place, Okay,

now, so you can find this in verses seventeen to twenty two as

we read just now. So he shut down the kings, and he gave

them a land as a heritage, a heritage to Israel, his servant.

All right. So God gave them a place, a place to be long

now. Of course, at that time it was physical. It was a

place for them to settle in, right, like like to build a nation

right for them at that time. Now, how about our place today?

Talking about physical place. Maybe you're talking about physical place, your home,

even talking about your home, a physical home, right do we all?

Okay? Maybe I see a show handles, you are very happy with your

house, your home, this is your dream home. Some of your wail

hands good? Any of you feel I wish it can be a bit better.

My hands are raised I'm gonna say that you're not grateful. I'm not

grateful, but just that if you know, it'd be great. And I

some of you don't know what to think. Okay, mind, yes,

so God gave them a place. Now we can all find something, usually

something we don't like. One why not if I asked you today, tell

me something you don't like about me? Okay, so meybe some of you

know me, we can tell okay, sorry for me, don't like about

extra. I don't go there. But I'm just saying, we can find

something that we may not like. Same thing with our house, our home.

We can find something that maybe we didn't quite like it. If we

had a choice, we can change it. We will. But we all

have a place, amen, and we thank God for that. Just talking

as an example in our physical place. All right. Even if you're saying,

God, I thank you for the shelter that I'm staying right now,

and some of us people in our lives have blessed us and help to provide

a place for us. Some of you you are still saying with your parents,

and thank God for my parents, for our parents, right that we

have a place to stay. So where you are, notice it. What

I'm trying to say is that notice what you have and thank God for providing

a place for you. There is a spiritual place. I also want to

come to the spiritual part right called the church. Do you know that the

church is God's people? You and I we make up the church. Of

course, we need a physical place to meet in, and we have a

hall. Some of the church plants, they have different places that they meet.

But it's you and I who make up the church. And God has

given us a place, a place, you and I together together, a

place to be His people in his community and to stand alongside one another.

Now, ex church, we have small groups here which we call homes.

Those of you who are new, if you do not know this, we

have small groups. Why why do we need small groups? We believe in

our DNA and our church is we believe by growing small we are growing big.

We don't believe in just the big and then I don't know you.

We believe in growing small. So that's why we have small groups which we

call home. Why do we call homes? I believe if I'm trying to

trace back, it's because we meet in different people's house. Okay, that's

all okay, in homes and it's nice and cozy and yes, and that's

why we call homes. A long long time ago in Beckenham, when actually

first started, we didn't call homes and we called dream cells, all right,

Yeah, we called dream cells all right. Okay, So past the

day who came in September, you got doing him. We were in the

same cell good last time, right, okay, so dream cells right,

So it's awesome the time. We're all compu students, all right. And

later on we rename it into homes because we want people to know and understand

that we also meet together in different homes together. So homes is like the

smaller church, okay. And we break break together, and we do communion

together. We be God's work together, we worship together. We pray for

one another, and that's I believe in all of you. In homes,

that's where you also share. Sometimes your prayer needs you all. When different

ones are going through different things, we come around each other. We come

around each other during our birthdays, our anniversaries, our graduation or it's a

new born we celebrate together, or when someone is sick in the hospital.

We also come around and help one another, right yes. So God has

given us a church to be part of. Just that God has given the

people of Israel a place to belong. God has given us I can only

draw it to this point to say that we are all part of a big

family, right a choice to be part and in which it is a blessing

to us. So your church, your homes, your small group is a

blessing. Right. God has given us a place here, some of us,

as I given quotes as J ten as W four ajusimpira phdo one.

This is a all homeschote if you didn't know, if you're new here today.

Now, even our dream teams, the teams that we serve in it

becomes our community as well. Ex. Kids, Espresso, who Security,

XTV. We all come together as a community. So and we want to

use the best that we have for His glory. Amen. So question is

are we thankful for the people of God? Right? The people God has

placed in our lives. God has given us a place. God has given

us a church. Are we thankful? All? Right? So moving on

in verse twenty five, Now there's the fourth point. So the third point

is God has given us a place. Okay, God has given us one

another. So the place is not just a physical building, but you and

I as the Church of God. Now, the fourth one is in verse

twenty five. If we're twenty five, it says who gives food to all

flesh? God provides. Amen. God provided for them. So every time

when they come together in the temple, the people of God are reminded of

God's faithfulness and how God provided for them. And that's something we need to

remember and always give thanks to God that God provides. So we can see

that God provides. The question is how is God providing? I believe none

of us sitting here today, Okay, we have we have nothing to eat

yesterday and today because we really got nothing to eat. You choose not to

eat. They are nothing to eat, like no food in this part of

Subanjaya. I believe food is everywhere. Correct, Yeah, but if you

really don't have anything to eat, please join me for lunch today after tu

wich, I shall bring my family and I will bring you for lunch.

Right. So every meal that we have, can we stop and thank God

for it? In fact, sometimes we are like complaining, that's too much

food? Right? Correct? Okay, will you stop and become the one

who says God, thank you for this meal. And when I say meal,

it can mean anything besides your food that you have as well everything that

God has provided for you. It may not be exactly what I like to

eat, correct Not none of us eat the same food every day, or

the food that we like every day, or we have the things that we

like every day. But God, thank you that you provide me my daily

break. Thank you God. Now. In Philippians chapter four, verses eleven

to twelve, it says not that I speak in regard to need, for

I have learned in whatever state I am. Paul is saying, to be

content. I know how to be a base, and I know how to

abound everywhere and in all things. I have learned both to be full and

to be hungry, both to about and to suffer need. I don't think

we suffer much need at this point in our lives yet, but one day

maybe we will suffer some need. Hence, can we be ready and can

we be thanks? Today? Amen? Question to us, are we constantly

preoccupied with what we do not have? Or are we focusing on what we

have and learn to thank God for it? Like I say again back to

the comparing if we go into comparing, and call comparing. We will then

focus on what we don't have. Why she got what I don't have?

Why like that one? Why like that? Why she do this? And

then I have to do this? Why? Why Joy put the homes earlier

than all? Then? Oh then why Joy? Whatever? Whatever? Okay?

So why so if we compare like that like that, and if we

try to reason, we try to calculate. Ah, it too, my

chump, that's the problem. Okay, then we will become complaining and we

will become unthankful. Lets us all learn to thank God. Amen, what

we have and what we don't have. Now, just to give us again,

remind a story in the New Testament. Jesus. Now, remember God

provides right, and we thank God for that. But you know that even

Jesus himself, he gave thanks to God even before there was enough. Meaning,

when he was about to feed the five thousand people, right, and

then the little boy and Drew found the boy that has five loaves and two

fish. What did Jesus do before the miracle happened? Jesus gave thanks.

Jesus gave thanks even before there was enough. Church, Can I encourage all

of us before we have enough or before we see our miracle, let us

give thanks to the Lord. Amen. Amen, Now the last point and

I'm at my last hot worady. God is worthy of thanks And this is

found in the first verse in some one hundred and they six and the last

verse it just says, Oh, give thanks to the God of Heaven.

It's like no need to say any more. Give thanks to the God of

Heaven for his mercy. His enduring love endures forever. So the last verse

and the first verse in some hundred they sixth declass that He is worthy of

thanksgiving every day of our lives. And again this is my challenge to all

of us today and to myself as well. Let's be that like the one

leper okay, ten walk down and received their healing, they saw the leprosy

fell from their bodies. Nine kept walking, but one came back to Jesus,

immen, will we be the one that will come back? So what

she team? You can come? Giving thanks to God for all his blessings

should be one of the most distinctive marks of the believer of Jesus Christ today,

meaning the one thing that your pre believer, family member, neighbor,

colleague, friend can tell the difference in you in comparison to them is giving

thanks to God. Imen. So we must not allow a spirit of ingratitude

to harden our hearts and to chill this time. This chill not very good

now our relationship with God and with others right. So nothing turns us into

bitter, selfish, disatisfied people more quickly than an ungrateful heart. And all

of us have can be at risk of that as well, including myself.

And nothing will do more to restore contentment and joy of our salvation than a

true speirit of thankfulness. Amen. Now just to also as we draw to

a close, Jesus gave thanks before he went to the cross. Do you

know that now at the last Supper we don't have time to go into it,

but you can read it when he was sitting with his disciples and he

broke bread with them, right, and then the disciples all at that time

they just don't understand what's going on. Gay is to do understand And he

was trying. They were in the upper room and they were having the last

Supper with Jesus before doing the supper, before he took the cup, before

he broke the breid and again before taking another cup. Jesus gave thanks.

He gave thanks for the braid and rhyme that represented his broken body, his

blood that will be spilt out for all of us in men. But knowing

that he is going to be betrayed, he knows. Only Jesus knew.

No the rest of disciples, they were blur they don't know, but he

knew. He knew he's going to be betrayed, arrested, more beaten,

crucified. But Jesus gave thanks. So the whole meal picture right that we

see. You know, Jesus and his disciples is against showing the sacrifice that

Jesus is going to make. When he give thanks to the bread, for

the bread and the cop he's actually saying to God, the Father, Father,

I willingly surrender myself to your calling for my life, no matter what

the cause. Imen because only Jesus knew the price that he's going to pay.

He gave himself to God and to the world, to you, and

I willingly, with gratitude, grateful for the private He didn't complain. Why

not fair? Why not John? Why not bitter? Why not Andrew?

Why me? You know he can complain, you can tell God the Father,

why, why you know I didn't do anything wrong. They aren't want

the wrong. They die loved seeing why I die for them. But he

went with gratitude, grateful for the privilege of obeying the Father and fulfilling the

very mission that he was sent to earth to complete. Hallelujah. And this

is the Jesus we worship today. Amen. So if you do not know

Jesus, this is the Jesus we are talking about. Jesus went to the

cross willingly, and he went with a thankful heart to the cross, knowing

what he's going to to partake, and yet he gave thanks to God.

Now a few closing scriptures for us, Hebrews thirteen fifteen. He says,

therefore by Him as by God, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise

to God, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his

name. Amen. So if we forget all that I say, just say,

He's mercy and yours forever. Amen. Hallelujah. First Tessalonians, chapter

five, verse sixteen to eighteen, he says, we joice, always,

pray without seizing in, and everything give thanks for this is the will of

God in Christ Jesus for you. Sometimes you and I we don't know the

will of God. Sometimes you're like a bit confused. God, what should

I do? What? But whatever is it, know that it's clearly stated

in the world of God that it is his will for you to give thanks

to God in everything. Amen. And in Collosion chapter three, verses fourteen

to seventeen, it says, but above all things, sorry, above all

these things that we had to read the verses before, put on love,

which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in

your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be

thankful, hallelujah. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all

wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs,

singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Try complaining and singing at

the same time is hard, all right, So it's either one. So

it's either you stop the complaint and praise the Lord. Hallelujah. And whatever

you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the

Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father to him. Amen. We

hope you've been blessed by this message. For more information on our church,

please visit as church org. We are also active on Facebook and Instagram.

We're believing that this week is going to be a good week ahead for you. God bless