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[ Silence ] [MUSIC] ♪ Who shall I be ♪ ♪ In the time of trouble ♪

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♪ He shall I be ♪ ♪ In the time of trouble ♪ ♪ He shall I be ♪ ♪ Who shall I be ♪

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[MUSIC] ♪ Here, who shall I fear ♪ ♪ The Lord is my strength ♪ ♪ Of my life ♪

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♪ Who shall I fear ♪ ♪ I fear ♪ ♪ Wait on the Lord ♪ ♪ And be of good courage ♪

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♪ Wait on the Lord ♪ ♪ And be of good courage ♪ ♪ Wait on the Lord ♪ ♪ And be of good courage ♪

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♪ He shall strengthen my heart ♪ ♪ Who shall I fear ♪ ♪ Who shall I fear ♪ [ Music ]

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in the third year now of preaching through the book of Psalms. We come today to consider Psalm 145. Psalm 145. Read the fourth verse. "One generation shall praise thy works to another and shall declare thy mighty acts. One generation shall praise thy works to another and shall declare thy mighty acts. The

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subject of the message, pass it on. Some things ought to be passed on. They should be passed from generation to generation and from age to age. President John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural address, spoke of the torch being passed to a new generation of Americans, a generation with courage and strength to confront new

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frontiers. The torch is passed, he said, to a new generation concerned about caring for others, concerned about the common welfare, a generation that asks for new challenges. You remember he said that's not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country. The torch is passed. That is a signal or

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a call to duty. Pass it on. A divine summons. It comes wrapped in the poetic language of one of the beautiful hymns of Zion. One generation shall praise thy works to another and shall declare thy mighty acts. One generation shall pass it on to another. This is a word about communication. It's a word about that

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which is transmitted from one age to another. This is a word about a precious treasure, a most valuable possession, that which is not to be kept, it is to be shared, it's not to be hidden under a bushel, it is not to be buried in the earth it is to be communicated from one life to another. It was reported just this

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past week the memorabilia of Martin Luther King Jr. that a time capsule was prepared in which his robe was placed, his Bible, and tapes that contained tributes that were made by world leaders concerning his life. Now all of these things are to be kept there for a long time and then years later when that time

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capsule is open generations yet to come will remember him and relate these artifacts to his life. But what we're really talking about in this particular passage of Scripture does not have to do with some material objects. It's a good thing to have the family Bible that has come down in the family from one

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generation to another, but it's far more important to have that Bible, that word in our lives, because we can have the Bible itself and still not have the words of God as a guiding force in our lives. So what the psalmist is talking about is a quality of life. He's talking about a relationship, a relationship that

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exists within the covenant community. He's talking about a relationship that involves the past, the present, and the future. All of us would like to be remembered. All of us would like to live in such a way that when we are gone that we will be lifted up in the memory of the community in a special way. And if

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this dream is to become reality there must be this reality that is communicated by us from one generation to another we must pass it on. I will extol thee my God O King I will extol thy name forever and ever I will praise God I will pass it on I will spread the good news of God I will praise his name

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forever. Now for this to occur, this word must be translated from dream to reality. There must be a way to pass it on from one generation to another. It's said that the generation will no doubt constitute 20 or 25 years. And you know we read the genealogies in the scripture and we talk about how dull they are. No one really

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gets excited about the genealogies. We talk about Abraham beget Isaac and Isaac beget Jacob and Jacob beget Judas and his brothers and Judas beget Forrest and so on and it comes on to the fact that that Obed beget Jesse and Jesse beget David the king and through this lineage Jesus comes. But when you read that long

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list of persons in that genealogy many times it seems like dull reading but the significance of it is that there was something that was communicated from one generation to another. That there was this precious treasure of what God had done and what God was doing in the life of his people and so as God is

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is experienced by this generation, this generation tells the next generation so that it is said that you shall tell your children and your children's children.

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You're to pass it on. What did one generation pass on to the other? Well, that's a good question for us to ponder. What's being passed on?

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Sure, we know that we're passing on certain physical characteristics. That I look like my father, and my father got something from his grandfather, and on and on, and my children received something from me. But what we're concerned about here in this passage has to do with more than genes and chromosomes. What is really here is what is involved in this spiritual community.

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What of the Spirit? What of the Spirit of God? What of the eternal nature of our being is being passed on from one generation to another? Now, we speak of what we'd like to keep,

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but all of us are going to leave here. Someone was saying, you know, talking to another, Howard Hughes, the man with all of his wealth, and someone asked the question, "How much did he leave?" Someone answered, "He left it all." [laughter]

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And that's the way it is with every one of us! And sometimes what we would like to leave to somebody, they don't get it. You know, you can go to the courts and all of that, and sometimes they don't get it.

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I had one sister who wanted to leave the church something, and she left it all in her will that the church would get it, but when she died, it got so entangled, church didn't get what she intended the church to get,

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what she really left for the church to get. And that's the way it is, many times, what we would like to pass on is not passed on. And we need to look seriously at what the psalmist is saying

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when he said, "I will praise thy name forever and ever." In other words, he talks about God's name is expressed in what God does. And God is freedom.

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God is freedom. When you think about God, He is freedom. He's the God of freedom. And wherever people are in bondage, God is there.

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The God of freedom is there, present and at work to liberate people from bondage. Freedom to be ourselves. Freedom to determine our own destiny.

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Freedom to sit under our own vine and fig tree with none to make us afraid. When we identify with the struggle of people to be free, we extol the name of God.

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When he talks about I will magnify thy name, how do you magnify God's name? Well, you magnify God's name when you engage in the struggle of freedom to make all people enjoy

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that freedom which God designed for every human being. Now this fight for full freedom is not limited to one generation and as we focus during these days upon the birthday of Martin Luther King, that champion of freedom who came and dwelt in our midst, we need to focus on what

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the psalmist said long ago, as we think about his legacy, to pass it on. Pass it on. The theme that has been selected for this observance, "Let Freedom Ring." That's the theme that has been selected. NAACP has selected this theme, "Let Freedom Ring." Oh how each of us can identify with the language of that song,

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my country 'tis of thee. Sweet land of liberty of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims pride, from every mountainside let freedom ring. Let freedom ring. And in connection with this observance, and I want us to do it this morning, so I want the ushers to be prepared, those men back there. In

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connection with it, the church bells, at the close of this service, we want you to have that church bell to ring upstairs. Church bell to ring is a symbol of freedom ringing out. And that sound from the bell is just to go on and on and on. And so it's that kind of relationship and that kind of dedication that we are

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to pass on. Some think of the civil rights struggle as having begun with Martin Luther King, he didn't start that. He just articulated it and gave noble expression to it, but the freedom rights struggle was going on a long, long time. It's still going on now. It'll be going on when we're all gone. It'll still be going on.

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But what he did was somehow gather it up and we find it symbolized in his leadership. And he gave all of the energies that he had in pressing for freedom in this country, not only for the oppressed but for the oppressor. And his legacy speaks to us in a special way saying pass it on. And what is it, what is it the psalmist points up

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here that that God does and is doing? Well first of all he points up the fact that God is creative. He's creative. And when we identify with the creative power of the eternal, we are certain to pass it on. You know, you know, so well when you look at many of the situations that we confront, we say, "How in the world can I do anything to change this?"

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Well, you have to be sure that you are identified with God. And if you identify with God, you are identified with that mysterious presence that is at work in the world doing something new. God's always doing something new. That when the doors are shut and when there are obstacles in our path and when we think

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that we cannot make it when there's no way and we find ourselves up against the stone wall, God steps in and does something new. Always doing something new. So what is done for God and with God is passed on from generation to generation and we pass

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it on. Pass it on. John Brown was a freedom fighter and John Brown gave his life and many people said well that was a foolish thing that he did in his struggle but there came these words that were identified with his witness. John Brown's body lies moldering in his grave but his truth goes marching on. That the cause that he

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identified with, the struggle to which he gave himself goes marching on. So Martin Luther King left us a strategy for fighting against oppression and he demonstrated by his life that nonviolence is the way to conquer the forces of bondage and oppression that nonviolence is the way. Oh there were

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those who did not believe that word but he demonstrated it with his life and there were many who joined. There were billy clubs, and yet nonviolence was declared as the way.

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There were dogs, police dogs, in their path, but Martin Luther King declared that love is the way. There were fire hoses, but he continued to preach the gospel of nonviolence and demonstrated it with his life. And how strange it is, how

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strange, that this apostle of nonviolence died such a violent death. And yet, so often that's the way it is. That's the way it is in the life of the master, that he comes as and he dies on a cross. So it is nevertheless it's still the way. Nonviolence is the way to victory. It's not in nuclear warheads, no matter how

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many of them we may have, it's not in nuclear warheads, it's not in our success with Star Wars, no that's not where our victory is. It's not really in the Pentagon, it's not there. It's not in the Air Force, it's not in the Marines, it's not in It's not in the army, it's not in the name yet,

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but he said, "I will praise thy name forever and ever." Our victory is in the one whose name is wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace.

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So the psalmist says, "Pass it on." From generation to generation. And he says, "I will speak of thy wondrous works, your creative power, your mighty acts.

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God is doing something new when we communicate by passing on the legacy of his creative power. God is performing wonderful works in our history. God is at work with us, through us, doing something new.

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He did something new through Martin Luther King, Jr. and he wants to do something new through you and through me. He still wants to do something new that others may know through us

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of his wonder-working power. Pass it on. He relieves human distress and affliction. He supplies resources for the hungry.

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Pass it on. God is that transcendent reality that enables us to pass it on. Because you see, what you have to recognize

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is that no matter how much turmoil, how much confusion you have down here, that God is not only here, but he's over all this. He's over it.

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He rules over everything, and God is still on his throne. He's still on his throne. And so we are to respond to the challenge, the challenge to press on by rededicating ourselves

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to the full fight for freedom. We're challenged to make the best of our opportunities for the young to get the best education possible. We're challenged to seek to develop a strong family life.

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We are challenged somehow to communicate the highest and the best. But you know, what you really have here in Psalm 145 is a soul, it's a soul.

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The soloist stands and makes his testimony in the congregation. And somehow every one of us has a soloist standing. Because we have to make our witness. And we are a part. We are a part of the community.

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And every one of us is held responsible for the contribution that we are to make. Pass it on. Pass it on. You know, we talk a great deal in our family about what we're going to pass on to our children. And my wife says, "Well, we'll pass on this and we'll pass on that."

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I say, "Yeah, but what you have there, the children may not want this." And they may not treasure this like you treasure that. And some material object, maybe the furniture that you have, maybe that's not the kind of furniture they want. And this particular thing, they may not want it that way.

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But here, here the psalmist is talking about something that everybody wants Everybody must have in order to have life at its fullest, is gonna pass the next law. And His Spirit in us, working with us,

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judging us, redeeming us, and strengthening us for the journey. And the psalmist said, "I'm gonna pass it on. "I'm gonna pass on what God has done,

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"and is doing, and can do. "Pass it on." And every one of us has a story to tell. Every one of us has a solo in this anthem of praise

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to pass on. Say, "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. "Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine. "Power of salvation, precious of God,

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"born of His Spirit, Christ is mine." God, God, we stand over you. Friend of the church. ♪ I will not be judged by the people of God ♪

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♪ I said I'll share your bounties ♪ ♪ Jesus is mine ♪ ♪ Oh what a gorgeous ♪ ♪ One glory I ♪

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♪ Heir of salvation ♪ ♪ Oh God ♪ ♪ For I am scared ♪ ♪ Watch me before ♪

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♪ This is my story ♪ ♪ This is my song ♪ ♪ Praising my Savior ♪ ♪ All in all ♪

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♪ This is my story ♪ ♪ This is my song ♪ ♪ Praise be my Savior ♪ ♪ All the day long ♪

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♪ Perfect salvation ♪ ♪ Perfect divine ♪ ♪ Visions of pleasure ♪ ♪ I'll ask for my soul ♪

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♪ Angels descended ♪ ♪ Great crown of gold ♪ ♪ Angels of mercy ♪ ♪ This is the blood ♪

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♪ This is my story ♪ ♪ This is my song ♪ ♪ Praise ye my Savior, holy Lord ♪ ♪ This is my story, this is my song ♪

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♪ Praise ye my Savior, holy Lord ♪ ♪ This is my story, this is my song ♪ ♪ This is my song ♪ ♪ Praising my Savior ♪

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♪ All the day long ♪ ♪ This is my story ♪ ♪ This is my song ♪ ♪ Praising my Savior ♪

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♪ All the day long ♪ [MUSIC PLAYING] [BLANK_AUDIO]