SPEAKER_00: Good morning, Mount Carmel.
SPEAKER_00: It is so good to see you.
SPEAKER_00: My name is Aaron.
SPEAKER_00: I'm here to preach up a storm, as Denver said.
SPEAKER_00: Denver is my dude.
SPEAKER_00: Um, I didn't pay him to say that though.
SPEAKER_00: Um no, truly, uh, I'm glad you're here.
SPEAKER_00: Happy Father's Day, dads.
SPEAKER_00: I see you out there.
SPEAKER_00: I I appreciate, yeah.
SPEAKER_00: I I appreciate you, you men of God that are striving to lead your families well, who are striving to lead your children in the way that they should go.
SPEAKER_00: And so I truly am I honored to be able to rub shoulders with so many good dads here at Mount Carmel.
SPEAKER_00: Like, I truly mean that.
SPEAKER_00: There are some incredible dads here at this church.
SPEAKER_00: And I know you you probably carry uh your perceived failures and mistakes.
SPEAKER_00: You feel those more heavily than you do the victories, the things that you feel like you're doing right.
SPEAKER_00: But uh by the grace of God, keep keep going.
SPEAKER_00: Uh our kids need it.
SPEAKER_00: This world, uh, they need you.
SPEAKER_00: And so uh keep going.
SPEAKER_00: Uh so I've got a I've got a really good dad.
SPEAKER_00: He's he's a great dad.
SPEAKER_00: Um, but my dad has told me on uh a variety of occasions that he feels like he's failed as a dad on in a variety of ways at different times in in childhood.
SPEAKER_00: And you know, I never really really saw it that way.
SPEAKER_00: Um but I can I can resonate with him now, you know, being a dad myself.
SPEAKER_00: But I'll tell you, like, I I fully understand, like, I was not the most easy kid to raise, especially when I got into my teenage years.
SPEAKER_00: I uh I've told you I'm I'm a stubborn guy, I was a stubborn kid.
SPEAKER_00: I've got uh passionate opinions about things, and uh I like to argue sometimes.
SPEAKER_00: My mom was always like, you would have made a really good lawyer with the way that you argue, kind of thing.
SPEAKER_00: But I'll tell you, this is what I this is what I remember uh about uh my dad uh growing up.
SPEAKER_00: I don't I don't remember all of those arguments.
SPEAKER_00: What I remember is my dad on the sidelines at my soccer games and my baseball games and my football games.
SPEAKER_00: My dad did this thing, it was, I think it's sign language, hopefully this is somewhat close to it.
SPEAKER_00: Um I'd be running on the soccer field, or I could be on the baseball field, the football field, and I could look to the sidelines, and my dad would just he'd hold this up.
SPEAKER_00: And it was it was his way of saying, I love you and I'm proud of you.
SPEAKER_00: And he didn't even have to say anything.
SPEAKER_00: For me as a kid, I would just do this.
SPEAKER_00: It was easier for me to just do that.
SPEAKER_00: That's what I remember.
SPEAKER_00: What I remember is the laughter as we played board games on vacation.
SPEAKER_00: That's what I remember.
SPEAKER_00: What I remember is the the one-on-one times with my dad.
SPEAKER_00: He would take time out of his day to spend one-on-one time with me.
SPEAKER_00: That's that's what I remember.
SPEAKER_00: What I remember is a dad who truly loved the Lord and strived to know him better.
SPEAKER_00: I remember so many times just walking throughout the house, and I'd I'd pass my parents' bedroom, or if they had, if at times my dad had like a room that was an office, and I would just see him reading his Bible and studying.
SPEAKER_00: That's what I remember.
SPEAKER_00: And now I get to see him do that with his grandkids, with my kids.
SPEAKER_00: Uh they call him Poppy.
SPEAKER_00: So truly, happy Father's Day, that.
SPEAKER_00: And so I've told you my dad's been a spiritual uh mentor uh for me and my family.
SPEAKER_00: That wasn't just a when I was a kid thing, that's a still today thing.
SPEAKER_00: My dad has always been a spiritual leader in my family.
SPEAKER_00: And so I think it was either this past Thanksgiving or it might have been two Thanksgivings ago at this point.
SPEAKER_00: My dad had kind of issued a challenge to my family, to uh my my myself and my siblings and their spouses uh to fast leading up to Thanksgiving.
SPEAKER_00: And it was kind of an open-ended fast, as in like you determine the length of the fast, you determine what kind of fast that would be, whether you're gonna fast from food or or technology or something like that.
SPEAKER_00: But let's fast as a family, let's let's spend that extra time in prayer, time with the Lord, let's give that spiritual devotion, that spiritual focus with that, and then let's break that fast together as a family with a feast on Thanksgiving.
SPEAKER_00: And to be honest with you, like I had certainly fasted at different times for a spiritual purpose throughout my life.
SPEAKER_00: You know, I've I've fasted from meals at times for a spiritual purpose.
SPEAKER_00: I've certainly fasted from technology at times for a spiritual purpose, but a challenge of a potentially lengthier fast was something that I was a little bit less familiar with, maybe even a little less comfortable with.
SPEAKER_00: And so like I even remember growing up, I think my parents fasted from technology, which felt like forever.
SPEAKER_00: I don't really count that one because I feel felt forced into it.
SPEAKER_00: You know, I probably had some passionate opinions about that at the time.
SPEAKER_00: But this time, uh when my dad kind of issued this this challenge, my wife and I talked about it, and we decided that we were gonna fast for three days, 72 hours from all food.
SPEAKER_00: And that's exactly what we did.
SPEAKER_00: And I'll tell you that the first few meals that we fasted uh didn't didn't feel like that much of an interruption.
SPEAKER_00: But then I got to like that 24-hour mark, and I was like, like just wanting to eat my arm off.
SPEAKER_00: I remember getting to that 24-hour mark, which was like an evening at that point, in the evening at that point, and then I just was like pacing the house.
SPEAKER_00: Like there was, I was like just pacing the house, and I just wanted to open the fridge, I wanted to open the pantry, and it took like work, it took discipline to be like, no, I'm gonna, I'm gonna stick with this, I'm gonna commit to this.
SPEAKER_00: And I will tell you, after I fasted for those 72 hours, like it was spiritually beneficial.
SPEAKER_00: It was truly spiritually grounding for me.
SPEAKER_00: It it put me in a posture really of gratitude towards the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: And that food on Thanksgiving tasted really good, by the way.
SPEAKER_00: And so we're in a series called Holy Habits.
SPEAKER_00: And this series, holy habits, is gonna last us the whole summer.
SPEAKER_00: But for the month of June, we're focusing on this biblical principle of feasting.
SPEAKER_00: And we're focusing on a biblical principle of fasting.
SPEAKER_00: You can feast for a spiritual purpose.
SPEAKER_00: You can celebrate and feast for a spiritual purpose.
SPEAKER_00: You can fast, you can remove things from your life for a spiritual purpose.
SPEAKER_00: Feasting and fasting, these biblical principles can help develop a posture, a reliance on God.
SPEAKER_00: They can strengthen our faith.
SPEAKER_00: And so in this series, we've been connecting this biblical principle of feasting and fasting with a few holidays that we experience regularly in our calendar.
SPEAKER_00: If you were with us week one, Didi talked about feasting and fasting when it comes to Lent and Easter.
SPEAKER_00: Last week, Didi talked about feasting and fasting when it comes to remembering our past, Memorial Day, remembering our past reminds us of God's faithfulness.
SPEAKER_00: We just sang about that in worship.
SPEAKER_00: This morning you might have already picked up on it.
SPEAKER_00: We're going to talk about feasting and fasting when it comes to thanksgiving.
SPEAKER_00: Now, the Bible has a lot to say about gratitude.
SPEAKER_00: The Bible scripture has a lot to say about a spirit of thankfulness.
SPEAKER_00: But we also live in a culture that likes to grumble and complain.
SPEAKER_00: Like, if we're being honest with ourselves, like we live in a culture that's pretty good at grumbling and complaining.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, just get on Facebook and go to your community Facebook page.
SPEAKER_00: Every community has a Facebook page.
SPEAKER_00: Doesn't matter whether you're in Batavia, Union Township, New Richmond, Williamsburg, Anderson, you name it, get on that community Facebook page.
SPEAKER_00: Actually don't.
SPEAKER_00: But it's filled with people who are complaining about something or they're complaining about somebody.
SPEAKER_00: If we're honest, like we live in a culture, and look, there's so much that I love about our nation, and there's so much I love about our culture.
SPEAKER_00: But one of the things, like our culture is a fast-paced culture that like thrives on just getting more and more and more.
SPEAKER_00: And we run the risk of becoming calloused and self-absorbed.
SPEAKER_00: We run the risk of losing a spirit of gratitude for what the Lord has done and what he is doing.
SPEAKER_00: We we run the risk of losing the spirit of thankfulness.
SPEAKER_00: And so this morning, we're gonna dive into this.
SPEAKER_00: You this morning, that we go from a zoomed-in perspective, a perspective that is focused solely on us and our circumstances, to a zoomed-out perspective, a wide angle lens.
SPEAKER_00: Because when we zoom out, we're gonna see a whole lot more, we're gonna understand more, and we're gonna see God at work in so many other ways than if we just stay zoomed in on our individual circumstances.
SPEAKER_00: And so you know this, and I know this.
SPEAKER_00: It is easier to be grateful when things are going well, right?
SPEAKER_00: It is easier to feel grateful when your marriage is thriving.
SPEAKER_00: It's easier to feel grateful when your children are doing well.
SPEAKER_00: It's easier to feel grateful when you are in a job that you love.
SPEAKER_00: It's easier to feel grateful when you have funds in the bank account, right?
SPEAKER_00: It's easier to feel grateful when you're experiencing good health.
SPEAKER_00: But what does it look like to be grateful?
SPEAKER_00: What does it look like to have this spirit of thanksgiving even when you are feeling relationally broken?
SPEAKER_00: What does it look like to be grateful even in the midst of a marriage that feels strained and on the rocks?
SPEAKER_00: What does it look like to be grateful even in the midst of relationships with our children and they feel tense and distant?
SPEAKER_00: What does it look like to be grateful when you feel physically broken?
SPEAKER_00: You're experiencing illness that's not just quick and fleeting, but it's it's serious and it's debilitating.
SPEAKER_00: What does it look like to be grateful in the midst of that?
SPEAKER_00: What does it look like to be grateful even in the midst of a cancer diagnosis?
SPEAKER_00: What does it look like to be grateful when we experience and we're mourning the death of somebody that we love?
SPEAKER_00: How are we, how can we be grateful in the midst of all of that?
SPEAKER_00: What does it look like to be grateful when you feel spiritually broken or spiritually lost, where you're like, God, I don't see how you're working.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know where you're at.
SPEAKER_00: Are you still out there, Lord?
SPEAKER_00: What does it look like to be grateful in the midst of all of that?
SPEAKER_00: And so this morning, we're gonna focus in on three verses from 1 Thessalonians chapter 5.
SPEAKER_00: Now, in this book of the Bible, 1 Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul is the author of this letter.
SPEAKER_00: And he's writing this letter to a pretty young, small but growing church, a body of believers in Jesus in a city called Thessalonica.
SPEAKER_00: Now, the Thessalonians are going through it for a variety of reasons.
SPEAKER_00: Number one, they're truly mourning the loss, the death of some of their friends and family, members of their community.
SPEAKER_00: And this has brought about all sorts of questions for them, uncertainties about the future, like uncertainties about eternity, about heaven.
SPEAKER_00: And so they needed the Apostle Paul's teaching and his encouragements to guide them through that.
SPEAKER_00: But not only are they mourning the death of their loved ones, but they're also dealing with pretty persistent and consistent persecution.
SPEAKER_00: They're truly being insulted because of their faith.
SPEAKER_00: Some of them are being beaten because of their faith.
SPEAKER_00: They're being arrested because of their faith.
SPEAKER_00: Some of them are facing death because of their faith.
SPEAKER_00: And so in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, the apostle Paul is going to encourage them.
SPEAKER_00: And let me tell you, uh these verses, they're three verses, they're fairly short.
SPEAKER_00: They're probably going to challenge you this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Uh, because it really challenged me this week.
SPEAKER_00: I'm just being honest with you.
SPEAKER_00: This sermon took me the longest to write this week, longer than any other sermon I've ever written.
SPEAKER_00: And that's because God was like, He was really stirring some stuff in me.
SPEAKER_00: And so it's gonna challenge us this morning, and it's gonna encourage us this morning.
SPEAKER_00: So let's pick up.
SPEAKER_00: 1 Thessalonians chapter 5.
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna read verses 16 through 18.
SPEAKER_00: This is what Paul says to the church.
SPEAKER_00: He says, rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Now, some of you are gonna be like, that doesn't seem easy to achieve, right?
SPEAKER_00: And I don't blame you, I'm right there with you.
SPEAKER_00: Some of you might be like, is that even possible to rejoice always?
SPEAKER_00: Because we experience things and you're like, I don't always feel like rejoicing.
SPEAKER_00: I don't always feel joy.
SPEAKER_00: Pray continually?
SPEAKER_00: Like, what does that even mean?
SPEAKER_00: Like, what does it mean truly to pray continually?
SPEAKER_00: Because sometimes I have a hard enough time just staying on track when I'm praying for dinner, right?
SPEAKER_00: So pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, because I have circumstances that I've happened in my life, and I know you have, and you're like, man, it's hard to give thanks for those.
SPEAKER_00: And yet, here is Paul telling this young church, and he's not berating them, he's actually encouraging them.
SPEAKER_00: He's saying, Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And so, what does that really mean?
SPEAKER_00: Because remember, he's writing to a young church who's mourning the loss of loved ones.
SPEAKER_00: And that's hard.
SPEAKER_00: And he's writing to a church that is going to experience all the emotions that we do, right?
SPEAKER_00: Sadness and sorrow, anxieties and uncertainties, anger.
SPEAKER_00: They're being persecuted regularly, berated because of their faith, insulted because of their faith, beaten and arrested because of their faith.
SPEAKER_00: And now they're dealing with this inner desire to get back at those who are harming them.
SPEAKER_00: And in the midst of that, Paul says, Rejoice always.
SPEAKER_00: Pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances.
SPEAKER_00: And so, what does that mean?
SPEAKER_00: And this is where we've got to go from that zoomed-in perspective to a zoomed out wide angle lens.
SPEAKER_00: Because Paul has an eternal perspective that he's trying to remind the church of, and he's trying to remind us of even today.
SPEAKER_00: And the key to that is at the end of verse 18 when he says, For this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: For those in Christ Jesus, it means that Jesus is your King.
SPEAKER_00: He is your Lord and Savior, and if that is you, you are the ones he's talking about in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And he says, It is God's will for you that you can and will rejoice always.
SPEAKER_00: It is God's will for you that you can and will be able to pray continually.
SPEAKER_00: It is God's will for you that you can and will be able to give thanks in any and all circumstances.
SPEAKER_00: And so here's what Paul's not saying.
SPEAKER_00: He's not saying, rejoice always, or else God is mad at you.
SPEAKER_00: He's not saying give thanks in all circumstances and pray continually, otherwise God is disappointed in you.
SPEAKER_00: It's more this idea that it's God's will for you.
SPEAKER_00: It is God's design for you that you will rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances.
SPEAKER_00: This is God's desire for you.
SPEAKER_00: Here's what I want you to hear right here, right now.
SPEAKER_00: This is what you were created for.
SPEAKER_00: This is how it was supposed to be.
SPEAKER_00: You were created to rejoice always.
SPEAKER_00: You were created to pray continually, to be cut in community with God always.
SPEAKER_00: You were created to be able to give thanks in any circumstance.
SPEAKER_00: Don't believe me, let's just turn to the early chapters of the book of Genesis.
SPEAKER_00: Before wretched sin entered this fold, into this world, this is what it was supposed to be like.
SPEAKER_00: This is what it was like.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, just think about Adam and Eve.
SPEAKER_00: Before sin entered this world, before brokenness and evil entered this world, think about what it was like for Adam and Eve.
SPEAKER_00: They experienced nothing but joy.
SPEAKER_00: It was just constant rejoicing because everything was perfect.
SPEAKER_00: And that's what you were created to enjoy.
SPEAKER_00: Joy.
SPEAKER_00: Rejoicing.
SPEAKER_00: You were created to be able to pray continually, meaning be in the presence of God, in the community of God, regularly, always.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, Adam and Eve literally got to walk in the presence of the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: They got to walk and talk with the creator of the universe.
SPEAKER_00: And this is what you and I are created for.
SPEAKER_00: Adam and Eve were created with a heart of gratitude and thanksgiving for God's creation because God's creation was good.
SPEAKER_00: They are created, we are created to partake in God's creation, to work in it with Him and enjoy it.
SPEAKER_00: We are created to enjoy everything that God has created.
SPEAKER_00: You are created to be able to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in any circumstance.
SPEAKER_00: And so when Paul says this is God's will for you, this is how God has created you.
SPEAKER_00: But you and I both know that a lot has happened since those early chapters, those first days in the book of Genesis.
SPEAKER_00: Sin entered the world and it changed everything.
SPEAKER_00: And when sin entered, so did evil and death and anger and pride and envy, selfishness, you name it.
SPEAKER_00: And it changed it.
SPEAKER_00: It went from Adam and Eve experienced experiencing consistent, constant joy to now brokenness and pain and hurt and anger and selfishness and pride.
SPEAKER_00: The relationship with Jesus or the relationship with God, it changed.
SPEAKER_00: They went from walking in the presence of the Lord to now, there's a barrier between God and his creation.
SPEAKER_00: They went from having gratitude in all things in God's creation, now mix in a bunch of pride and arrogance and selfishness and envy.
SPEAKER_00: Sin changed everything.
SPEAKER_00: And God could have just been like, you did the one thing I told you not to do.
SPEAKER_00: And now you're just gonna have to deal with the consequences.
SPEAKER_00: And deal with the consequences we are.
SPEAKER_00: We deal with the consequences of sin every single day.
SPEAKER_00: We feel those consequences every single day.
SPEAKER_00: But God is not the author of evil in this world.
SPEAKER_00: God is not the cause of evil in this world, but he is the redeemer of all that is lost and broken.
SPEAKER_00: And so God sent his son Jesus to be that redeemer.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus, God in human flesh to live a sinless life.
SPEAKER_00: And he went to the cross.
SPEAKER_00: And when he went to the cross, he took all of my sin and all of my shame.
SPEAKER_00: And he took all of your sin and all of your shame.
SPEAKER_00: And he took all of the sin and all of the shame of the world and he put it on his shoulders.
SPEAKER_00: And he died with it.
SPEAKER_00: And he died for it.
SPEAKER_00: And so now Jesus sits at the right hand of God.
SPEAKER_00: And he is the King of Kings.
SPEAKER_00: And he is the Alpha and the Omega.
SPEAKER_00: He is the beginning and the end, and he is the first and the last.
SPEAKER_00: And he sits at the right hand of God in heaven.
SPEAKER_00: And there will be a day for those who are in.
SPEAKER_00: Christ Jesus for the Christian, the believer in Jesus, where you will join him in heaven someday for eternity.
SPEAKER_00: And do you know what you will experience?
SPEAKER_00: You will rejoice always.
SPEAKER_00: You will experience nothing but joy.
SPEAKER_00: Because Scripture tells us there will be no mourning or sorrow or pain or death, because all of that will have passed away, because it has been redeemed.
SPEAKER_00: You will experience nothing but pure, perfect joy.
SPEAKER_00: And you will bask in the glory of the presence of God.
SPEAKER_00: That's what heaven is like.
SPEAKER_00: You're just in the presence of the Lord Almighty, the creator of the universe.
SPEAKER_00: Remember, you are created for this.
SPEAKER_00: This is what Adam and Eve experienced in the early days.
SPEAKER_00: And someday it will be redeemed to perfection, and you will just be able to walk and talk with God.
SPEAKER_00: And you will have nothing but a heart of thankfulness and gratitude towards what the Lord has done.
SPEAKER_00: There will not be an ounce of selfishness, pride, or envy in heaven.
SPEAKER_00: You were created to rejoice always, to pray continually, to be in the presence of God continually, and to be able to give thanks in all circumstances.
SPEAKER_00: And someday for the believer, you will experience that to perfection.
SPEAKER_00: But we live in a lost and broken world right now.
SPEAKER_00: But there's a reason why Paul writes to the early church and says, Rejoice always.
SPEAKER_00: Pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances.
SPEAKER_00: And he's not saying rejoice always, which means you're always going to feel happy.
SPEAKER_00: He's not saying enforce a smile on your face.
SPEAKER_00: He's not saying suppress the feelings of sorrow and sadness and anger.
SPEAKER_00: And so if God created us to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances, and if someday the believer is going to experience that to perfection in heaven, why not practice that now?
SPEAKER_00: Why not experience a little bit of heaven on earth now?
SPEAKER_00: Because you know a name.
SPEAKER_00: And his name is Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: That is why we can rejoice always.
SPEAKER_00: This kind of joy, it's not a feeling.
SPEAKER_00: It's a promise.
SPEAKER_00: It's a reality.
SPEAKER_00: Your faith in Jesus has mended your relationship with God.
SPEAKER_00: This is why you can pray continually, which means like it doesn't mean that you're constantly eyes closed, hands folded, bowed down.
SPEAKER_00: It's just regular conversation with God, consistent conversation with God.
SPEAKER_00: And this is why, even though your circumstances in this world will fluctuate, you're gonna experience and endure good times and hard times.
SPEAKER_00: Your circumstances will fluctuate.
SPEAKER_00: But the reason you fluctuate, and Jesus has gone to the cross for you, and you know his name, the name of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: So let me give you an example of this in action.
SPEAKER_00: So in Acts chapter 16, the Apostle Paul, we've talked a lot about Paul this morning.
SPEAKER_00: The apostle Paul is with a man named Silas, and they are doing ministry in an area called Philippi.
SPEAKER_00: This would be modern day Greece.
SPEAKER_00: And they're doing ministry, they're meeting with individuals, no doubt they're they're preaching and they're teaching.
SPEAKER_00: And there's this young servant girl, she's a slave, and she's possessed by an evil spirit.
SPEAKER_00: And so this this young girl was being used.
SPEAKER_00: And she was being used by her owners, essentially, and she would tell fortunes and it would make the owners money.
SPEAKER_00: And so Paul and Silas are doing ministry, they're they're walking and talking and teaching throughout the town, and this this young servant girl is following them.
SPEAKER_00: And scripture tells us this this is going on for like days on end, for days and days.
SPEAKER_00: And this young, this young possessed girl would essentially mock them.
SPEAKER_00: Really, it's not the girl, it's the evil spirit, would mock them.
SPEAKER_00: And she would follow Paul and Silas around, and she'd be like, These guys are gonna tell you how to be saved.
SPEAKER_00: Come to these men, and you're gonna learn how to be saved in a very sarcastic, mocking kind of kind of way.
SPEAKER_00: And in Acts chapter 16, I think it's in verse 18, it tells us that Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and he cast out this evil spirit.
SPEAKER_00: So there you have it, even the Apostle Paul gets really annoyed sometimes.
SPEAKER_00: And so he gets so annoyed that he turns around to this girl and he casts out this evil spirit.
SPEAKER_00: Why it took Paul days to do that, I don't know.
SPEAKER_00: Alright?
SPEAKER_00: But maybe like he was just patient, patient, patient, and then he was like, that's enough.
SPEAKER_00: And he casts out this evil spirit.
SPEAKER_00: And so now this girl, this young girl, is free, right?
SPEAKER_00: It's a beautiful picture.
SPEAKER_00: She's no longer oppressed by this evil spirit, but now her owners are angry.
SPEAKER_00: They're angry at Paul and Silas.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because now they've lost their income stream.
SPEAKER_00: And so what do they do?
SPEAKER_00: They take Paul and Silas and they bring them before the town magistrates, like the authorities, and they lie about them.
SPEAKER_00: And they say, these men, Paul and Silas, are stirring up trouble in the town, and they're telling people to do things that go against the law, and so what happens?
SPEAKER_00: Paul and Silas are stripped of their clothes and they are beaten.
SPEAKER_00: Talk about a no-good, very bad day.
SPEAKER_00: Talk about not good circumstances, right?
SPEAKER_00: And so not only are they stripped of their clothes and they're beaten, like they're beaten with rods.
SPEAKER_00: We're not talking about like they're just hauled off to jail.
SPEAKER_00: We're talking about like they are bruised and bloodied.
SPEAKER_00: They're beaten with rods, they put stalks around their feet, chains, and they place them in an inner cell in the jail.
SPEAKER_00: Not an enjoyable experience.
SPEAKER_00: Not a place you want to be.
SPEAKER_00: And I don't think Paul and Silas wanted to be there.
SPEAKER_00: I don't think they were happy.
SPEAKER_00: I don't think they felt good.
SPEAKER_00: But I want to read to you what happens in Acts chapter 16.
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna pick up in verse 25.
SPEAKER_00: This is what it says.
SPEAKER_00: About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
SPEAKER_00: Talk about rejoice always and pray continually.
SPEAKER_00: Like these men, Paul and Silas, are literally bruised and beaten and chained to the floor in a jail cell.
SPEAKER_00: And I don't think they had smiles on their faces.
SPEAKER_00: I don't think they were happy about their circumstances, and yet here these men are at midnight, bruised, bloodied, and beaten.
SPEAKER_00: And scripture tells us they were praying and singing hymns to God.
SPEAKER_00: This kind of joy is not a feeling.
SPEAKER_00: Like this is deliberate joy that comes from knowing a name.
SPEAKER_00: That name is Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: It comes from zooming out from your individual perspective to zooming out.
SPEAKER_00: I want to read to you, I want to pause here and come back to this.
SPEAKER_00: Because I want to read to you Romans chapter 8, verse 28.
SPEAKER_00: It says this.
SPEAKER_00: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
SPEAKER_00: And so even though we live in a broken and lost world, you have the promise that God is at work right now.
SPEAKER_00: Our circumstances fluctuate.
SPEAKER_00: We have good times and we have hard times.
SPEAKER_00: And yet God is at work, working all things for your good and for his purposes.
SPEAKER_00: And this is why Paul and Silas can sing hymns and pray to the Lord after being beaten and thrown in jail.
SPEAKER_00: Because they're looking upwards.
SPEAKER_00: They are focused on the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: And then here's what happens next.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 26.
SPEAKER_00: Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.
SPEAKER_00: At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose.
SPEAKER_00: And the jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.
SPEAKER_00: But Paul shouted, Don't harm yourself.
SPEAKER_00: We are all here.
SPEAKER_00: And the jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
SPEAKER_00: And hear what happens next.
SPEAKER_00: He then brought them out and asked, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
SPEAKER_00: And they replied, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.
SPEAKER_00: Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.
SPEAKER_00: At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds.
SPEAKER_00: Then immediately he and all his household were baptized.
SPEAKER_00: The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them.
SPEAKER_00: He was filled with joy, because he had come to believe in God, he and his whole household.
SPEAKER_00: So think about this.
SPEAKER_00: Paul and Silas, thrown in jail, beaten, bloodied, at midnight.
SPEAKER_00: They're just praying to the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: They're singing hymns of praise in the circumstance that would not be easy to sing praise.
SPEAKER_00: Not easy to pray.
SPEAKER_00: And here they are, and all of the prisoners are hearing this.
SPEAKER_00: That jailer, no doubt.
SPEAKER_00: And an earthquake so strong hits.
SPEAKER_00: Not a coincidence.
SPEAKER_00: It's a miracle.
SPEAKER_00: It's an act of God.
SPEAKER_00: An earthquake hits and it breaks open all the doors.
SPEAKER_00: All of the chains that held every single prisoner in that jail broke loose.
SPEAKER_00: And this wakes up the jailer.
SPEAKER_00: And he just assumes that Paul and Silas, along with all the other prisoners, have escaped.
SPEAKER_00: He sees his life being over, his life being doomed.
SPEAKER_00: And so he draws his sword and he's about to kill himself.
SPEAKER_00: He's about to end his life because he feels like if I don't do it, my bosses are gonna do it.
SPEAKER_00: And Paul and Silas, Paul calls out and he says, Don't harm yourself, we're here.
SPEAKER_00: And so the jailer goes and grabs some lights and he comes before Paul and Silas and he recognizes there's something different about you, fellas.
SPEAKER_00: Like you're in jail, you're bruised, and you're beaten, and here you are singing hymns to the Lord, and you're just crying out, you're praying to the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: There's something different about you.
SPEAKER_00: And so tell me about it.
SPEAKER_00: What do I need to do to experience that kind of joy?
SPEAKER_00: What do I need to do to experience and be in a position to be able to pray like that?
SPEAKER_00: To be able to give thanks in any circumstance.
SPEAKER_00: And what do Paul and Silas tell them?
SPEAKER_00: Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: That's who you need to know.
SPEAKER_00: And so then they speak the word of God to them.
SPEAKER_00: They don't just say, you need to know Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: They're like, let me tell you about them.
SPEAKER_00: Let me tell you what it looks like to follow him.
SPEAKER_00: And so what happens that same night?
SPEAKER_00: This is the middle of the night.
SPEAKER_00: And that jailer takes them and he tends to their wounds.
SPEAKER_00: And he brings them to his family and he feeds them a meal.
SPEAKER_00: And did you hear what happened at the end?
SPEAKER_00: It says he was filled with joy because he came to know the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Other translations would say he rejoiced.
SPEAKER_00: So now this jailer who was about to kill himself is now saved and he's baptized, and not just he, but his whole family.
SPEAKER_00: And so now this jailer is experiencing the same kind of joy that Paul has that allowed him to sing hymns to the Lord and pray to God in the midst of an awful circumstance.
SPEAKER_00: And this same jailer is now able to be in a right relationship with God through his faith in Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: This is what it means to pray continually.
SPEAKER_00: It is being in the presence of the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: And now this same jailer is going to be able to give thanks in any and all circumstances.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because Paul says, lift your head and look to the heavens and remember the promise of Jesus and what he has done for you.
SPEAKER_00: You were created to rejoice always, to pray continually, and to give thanks in all circumstances.
SPEAKER_00: And someday you will experience that to perfection in heaven.
SPEAKER_00: And even though our circumstances will fluctuate here on earth, you can still rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances because you know a name.
SPEAKER_00: And the name is Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And if you don't know Jesus, I want to tell you about him.
SPEAKER_00: And there's some people in this room that want to tell you about him.
SPEAKER_00: And so, church, we have a lot to be grateful for.
SPEAKER_00: We really do.
SPEAKER_00: Man, we do.
SPEAKER_00: If you were here last week, Didi hit you with some really exciting things on the horizon for this church.
SPEAKER_00: And so we've been in this series and we've been challenging you to feast and to fast throughout this month.
SPEAKER_00: We asked you to fast with us last night for dinner.
SPEAKER_00: And to pray that God provides us vision, wisdom, and faith.
SPEAKER_00: God is at work in this church.
SPEAKER_00: He's at work through you.
SPEAKER_00: And God gets all the glory.
SPEAKER_00: And God gets all the credit.
SPEAKER_00: But we've got some big decisions to make as a church.
SPEAKER_00: And so we need your help.
SPEAKER_00: We need you to pray for that same vision, wisdom, and faith.
SPEAKER_00: And we're going to ask you to fast again this upcoming Saturday.
SPEAKER_00: And if Saturday doesn't work for you, you pick a day throughout the week.
SPEAKER_00: It really doesn't matter.
SPEAKER_00: You pick a time to fast and ask God to lead our church, to give us clarity and discernment.
SPEAKER_00: So when you fast, fast with thanksgiving.
SPEAKER_00: I want to leave you with this quote.
SPEAKER_00: There's an old hymn called Count Your Blessings.
SPEAKER_00: Some of you probably know it.
SPEAKER_00: But as part of that, it says this, and I've got it written down on a sticky note in my Bible.
SPEAKER_00: It says this.
SPEAKER_00: And so when you fast, it is a reminder of what the Lord has done.
SPEAKER_00: And he's done a lot.
SPEAKER_00: And he's still doing a lot.
SPEAKER_00: And when you feast, and feast you should, today is Father's Day.
SPEAKER_00: Steak sounds good.
SPEAKER_00: But when you feast, count your blessings.
SPEAKER_00: Name them one by one.
SPEAKER_00: And you'll be reminded what the Lord hath done.
SPEAKER_00: If you have your communion, I'd love for you to take it out.
SPEAKER_00: We take communion every Sunday as a church here at Mount Carmel.
SPEAKER_00: It is a time for us to be unified as a church as we remember and we celebrate God's goodness and his faithfulness.
SPEAKER_00: This is a way that we count our blessings.
SPEAKER_00: And this blessing that we take here, communion, as we remember the body of Jesus and the blood of Jesus, this is what allows us to be able to rejoice always.
SPEAKER_00: Because Jesus died for me and you.
SPEAKER_00: This is what allows us to be in a right relationship, to pray continually with God.
SPEAKER_00: Because Jesus died for me and for you.
SPEAKER_00: And this is what allows us to give thanks in all circumstances.
SPEAKER_00: Because God is good and Jesus has died for me and you.
SPEAKER_00: This is the body of Jesus broken for us.
SPEAKER_00: Remember and celebrate.
SPEAKER_00: Take and eat.
SPEAKER_00: The blood of Jesus poured out for me and you.
SPEAKER_00: Remember that and celebrate that.
SPEAKER_00: Take and drink.
SPEAKER_00: Pray with me.
SPEAKER_00: God, sometimes it is so easy to just allow life go by and not stop to be grateful.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, I pray that we will be a church that pauses regularly to give you thanks.
SPEAKER_00: First and foremost for your son Jesus and his grace.
SPEAKER_00: And for so many other things, Lord, you are working in our lives and in this church and in this community and in this world, Lord.
SPEAKER_00: And you have called us to be good stewards, to follow you in faith, in boldness, and in obedience.
SPEAKER_00: God, you are good to us.
SPEAKER_00: We love you, Lord.
SPEAKER_00: In your name I pray.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: I love you guys.
SPEAKER_00: Have a great Father's Day, truly.
SPEAKER_00: Happy Father's Day, dads.
SPEAKER_00: If you want to discuss further, if you have a prayer request, members of our prayer team will be up front.
SPEAKER_00: They'd love to chat with you.
SPEAKER_00: Have a great Sunday.