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[Silence] [Music] ♪ In the room, all the same ♪ ♪ You know what it means ♪

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♪ When the city came into the house ♪ ♪ All those times he used to be ♪ ♪ I've been lost, but the way ♪ ♪ You know what it means ♪

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♪ When the city came into the house ♪ [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC]

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[Music] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [Music]

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[Music] ♪ I'm gonna do my homework ♪ ♪ I'm gonna do my homework ♪ ♪ Oh, my soul ♪

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♪ Oh, my soul ♪ ♪ Oh, my soul ♪ ♪ I'm gonna do my homework ♪ ♪ Oh, my soul ♪

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♪ I'm gonna do my homework ♪ ♪ Oh, my soul ♪ ♪ Oh, my soul ♪ ♪ Oh, my soul ♪

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♪ I'm gonna do my homework ♪ ♪ Oh, my soul ♪ [Music] [MUSIC]

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[Music] ♪ All my soul, all my soul, all I see is Him ♪ ♪ All my soul, all my soul, all I see is Him ♪ ♪ He was born in the city of sin ♪

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♪ He came to my heart ♪ ♪ He is the Son of God ♪ [Music] ♪ Yes, heaven alone is enough ♪

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♪ Lord, just heaven alone is enough ♪ ♪ Lord, just heaven alone is enough ♪ ♪ Just heaven alone is enough ♪ [Chorus of "Hallelujah"]

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[Chorus of "Hallelujah"] ... speaks for himself. He doesn't speak for anyone else. He said, "I will bless the Lord at all times." Sometimes when one is called upon to give his or her testimony, we talk about what others have done. But this is a personal testimony, something that is happening to you.

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Some, when asked to give their testimony, attempt to show modesty and portray humility, and so they are rather reluctant to give their testimony. But this is one who seems anxious, seems glad to give his testimony. I will bless the Lord at all times.

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My, my, that covers so much territory. All times. Many people can do very well doing some things sometimes, but at all times, says the psalmist, "I will bless the Lord."

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It matters not what course others may take. for me at all times, I will bless the Lord." During these days when we are engaged in military conflict, we are determined to eliminate the Taliban and to eliminate terrorism.

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And these are days when we sing, "God bless America, land that I love. and guide her through the night with a light from above. But the psalmist is not saying, "God bless America." He says, "I will bless the Lord."

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So in the Bible, blessing means the person is identified with the ongoing of divine goodwill or God's grace which results in prosperity and happiness. That God's children, rightly related to him, are blessed. We're used to saying, "I'm blessed, I'm blessed, I'm blessed."

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So don't deserve it, but I'm blessed. In the Old Testament, blessings are measured in material things-- long life, increase of family, increase in crops, peace.

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Today, we still think of blessings in those terms to some extent, it's a blessing to be alive and have, as our ancestors would put it, a reasonable portion of health and strength, to have a job, to have meaningful work to do, to have a roof over your heads, to have a family, to have friends. All of these things

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And we bless the Lord, and God blesses us, and He blesses us that we may be a blessing to others. So the blessings come from Him to us to others, and just, they keep going around and around. "I will bless the Lord at all times." To bless is to thank God.

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Now let's consider who's speaking in this particular psalm. This word is attributed to David. Psalm is identified with the period in David's life when he was fleeing from King Saul and encountered Achish running from one enemy to another.

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Akish is on his trail. David is recognized as an enemy. He considers David one who is against him. And the servants of Akish said that David is a warrior.

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He is the warrior of whom women and children sang, "Saul has slain his thousands, but David has slain his tens of thousands." David is in our midst, and David is surrounded by the enemy, the Philistines. There were those on both sides, an enemy on this side and an enemy on the other side. And David decided that the way to escape was to play crazy.

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And so he went around beating on doors and having saliva to run down on his beard and and all of that, and they concluded that this fellow must have lost his marbles. And so, David was successful in this effort, and the king said, "I don't want this fellow. I have enough people like this to be bothered with."

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And so God delivers David. He delivers him not only from Saul, but who is the enemy within his own race, so to speak, countrymen. He delivers him also from Achish, who is the enemy outside, the Philistine enemy.

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And in this sort of experience, it is David who says, "I will bless the Lord at all times." It's a good word for us to meditate upon on this Thanksgiving Sunday. We're not in some battlefield with bombs bursting around us, but we are enemies to face. We have difficulties that we encounter, and there are periods of disappointment through which we must pass.

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And it's a wonderful thing to say, "I will bless the Lord at all times. I will magnify the name of the Lord. I will not be ashamed to own His name. I will bless the Lord."

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Some things can happen to us and we don't want to give thanks. We don't want to bless the Lord. But the psalmist is saying, "I will bless the Lord at all times." Reverend A.A. Lucas and Reverend Washington, two of the older men of our convention,

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preachers who've passed on, were driving along on the highway years ago near the town of Hillsborough in a new Model T Ford. And they were arrested for speeding. So when they went to the judge, the judge fined them $25.

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And Reverend Lucas paid the $25 fine and walked away. The judge said, aren't you going to say thank you? You say, "I paid you, didn't I?" and walked on away. Well, some people feel that they've paid and that there's nothing more to be said, no thanks

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to be given, but such is not the case with God. We never have paid enough. We're always debtors. debtors. And here the psalmist says, "I will bless the Lord at

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all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth." And I like to think of this psalm as a thanksgiving hymn. "I will I will bless the Lord at all times. My soul shall boast in the Lord.

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The humble shall hear it and be glad." So David could truthfully say, "I've had some tough times." He's hiding in caves, just as Ben Lardin is doing today. David, who was a man of God, was hiding, and they were on his trail, and he was miraculously

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delivered. And later wrote the words, so tradition has it, to this psalm, "I was blessed, O Lord." I remember how God brought me through those dangers, and how He protected me. I remember I remember, he could say, when I fought against the Philistine giant, Goliath of Gareth. And Goliath had superior weapons, it was thought.

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He had more deadly weapons. I only had just a sling and five smooth stones, and God delivered me. I remember as a shepherd boy how God brought me through. He delivered me.

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Delivered me from a lion. He delivered me from a bear. I followed these rules. I remember how God has delivered me time and time again.

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And so we can say, "I will bless the Lord at all times." I have learned to bless the Lord regardless of the weather, whether it's sunshine or whether it's rain, whether there's snow or whether there's storm,

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to bless the Lord in sickness and in health, to bless the Lord at all times, in prosperity as well as adversity, bless the Lord at all times.

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So, David recognizes that God is good. He keeps us in the midst of all circumstances. And then He goes on to say, "O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together." Oh, it's a wonderful thing to join with David across the years

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and say, "I will bless the Lord at all times." So let us join in singing this song of thanksgiving. Bless the Lord early in the morning. Bless Him at noonday.

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Bless Him in the afternoon. Bless Him at night. Bless the Lord at all times. Because He has done so much for us.

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When tragedy occurs, to be able to say, "I will bless the Lord." And it's difficult. When tragedy such as September the 11th occurs in our lives, many times we want to find fault with God.

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And we say, "Where was God when this happened?" But to accept these mysteries, these things we don't understand, to somehow embrace these mysteries and say, "I will bless the Lord." I don't know why it happens.

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In fact, I don't really understand how and why, but in spite of all that, I will bless the Lord at all times. And then he goes on to say, "He has sent his angel." In other words, the fact that we're here today is not because of our goodness.

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God has sent his angel. He sent his angel to encamp around us and to protect us and to deliver us from dangers seen and unseen. God has sent an angel to encamp around us. I bless the Lord at all times. Can you visualize Job in the midst of his circumstances? He

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had prosperity, but the prosperity was taken away and he found himself in poverty. He had He had a wonderful family, but the family was taken one by one. All ten of his children died. And in that critical moment he said, "The Lord give it!

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The Lord take it away! Bless them with the name of the Lord!" He blessed the Lord. And the song is this, "I will bless the Lord at all times."

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All times I'll bless the Lord. Every time my heart beats, give thanks to God. Every time I take a breath of fresh air, thank God you're able to breathe.

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I'll bless the Lord at all times, not just Thanksgiving Day. 4th Thursday in November or whenever it may come. Because every day, every day is a day of Thanksgiving.

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And we can praise God that we're yet alive to see each other's face and to say with the psalmist, "I will bless the Lord at all times." All times. No matter what may be the experience, I'll bless the Lord when we find ourselves in the

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vicissitudes of life, encountering hostile forces, to be able to say, "I will bless the Lord at all times." Can't you see Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane? His disciples go to sleep at a very crucial period, and yet he continues to pray to the Father in heaven. He's misunderstood, he's falsely accused, he's unjustly condemned, and he goes through it all. He faces Pilate's judgment hall. In the midst of it all, he goes, and on the cross, he cries, "Father, forgive me."

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Forgive them, for they know not what they do. I will bless the Lord at all times. No matter what He says our way, let us be able to bless the Lord. Because His only Son is crucified and put in the grave.

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And there He stays on Friday and Saturday. But early, early that Sunday morning he gets up and says, "All power is in my hand in heaven and in earth." So I bless the Lord at all times. No matter what happens, He's able to deliver us. He's able to protect us. I will bless the Lord at all times.

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So let us together make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Let us be grateful for what He has done for us, what He's done so much for us, so we can praise God. Praise God for the room all blessings flow.

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Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. I will bless the Lord at all times. Be grateful.

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Be grateful for his goodness. Be grateful for his mercy. Be grateful and be willing to give your witness. That's what God wants every one of us to do,

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to make thanksgiving a day that we live every day, giving our witness to his goodness, to his love, and to his mercy. Be grateful unto him and bless his holy name. So we extend now the invitation to accept Jesus Christ as Lord of your life,

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for the gift of yourself to him is the blessing he seeks from each one of us and in our relationships one to the other. So we invite you to come by letter, by Christian experience, or on professional faith. We invite you to come.

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The door is open. Invitation to Christian discipleship. [music] We invite you to come.

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[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]

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[Music] [music] [Music] Oh yeah.

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[Music] Oh man. [Music] [music]

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Oh yes. [Music] [Music] [Music]

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♪ But who would like this without him ♪ ♪ He would be very tall and grim ♪ ♪ When I'm sad he'd hear me sing ♪ ♪ When I'm lonely he will find comfort in me ♪

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♪ Just what I deserve to be thankful for ♪ ♪ I'm too thinking of him ♪ Amen, Amen, Amen. (audience applauds)

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Now those of you who stood earlier as having not lighted the candle, if you move right here during this time as the organist plays softly, would you move right here to the front We are so grateful for your goodness, for your mercy. Send us forth to share your love. love with the world.

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Grace, mercy, peace be with you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [MUSIC PLAYING] [BLANK_AUDIO]