All right, if your Bible opened to Matthew 24, it opened to the wrong place. We're not going there today and taking just a week break here. And the Lord willing, we'll return there next week. Last week, I emphasized from Matthew 24 something that actually Stuart emphasized in the last hour as well, but the epic statement of the destruction of the second Jerusalem temple. While the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus ended the necessity of the former sacrifices of the old covenant, you know, they continued until 80, 70, until the temple was destroyed. And with the destruction of that temple. The altar was destroyed. Sacrifices and priesthood Ended. There has been nonsense. And as I indicated last week, I can't see that there ever will be. In other words, I can't see that there ever will be another temple, at least ordained by God and the sacrifices offered again, someone noted that if the if that the author of Hebrews would be aghast at such an idea, of the restoration of a Jewish temple for the purpose of restoring Old Covenant sacrifices. And I agree. Remember, the writer of Hebrews is addressing Jewish Christians living before the destruction of the temple, probably only a couple of years before the temple was actually destroyed, which kind of brings a fresh light upon the scriptures that we'll read here this morning in Hebrews chapter 13. If you're there, I'm going to read beginning at verse 10. As you heard last hour, some were tempted to return to that carnal system. And when we call it a carnal system, remember, we're not saying it was an ungodly system or there was something wrong with it. It's exactly what God ordained for the time for which it was ordained. And so it was right and it was good, but it pointed to something, something which most of the Jews missed and still miss to this day. This is why when we come to chapter 13, of course, all of Hebrews has been exposing this idea. But in chapter 13 and verse 10, he's sort of bringing this letter or sermon to a conclusion. He says, we have an altar. He's not discount discounting the necessity of an altar. He's just saying that's not it. We have an altar from which those who served the tabernacle and the altar associated with that have no right to eat. Going all the way back to when they were observing it, to the moment in which he's writing here. Those who are addicted to that tabernacle, to that altar, to that system have no right really to partake of Christ. He says, for the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned outside the camp. And it was not eaten. There were a couple of sacrifices under the old. Mosaic system, Aaronic priesthood associated with Aaronic priesthood, one of them that the priest did eat. And one of them, they did not. And this is specifically referring to the sin offering associated with the Day of Atonement, the annual feast of the Jews that, of course, pointed forward to the Day of Atonement, the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement at the cross of Jesus Christ. And when he says that Whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin is burned outside the camp. If you read it, you can read about it in Leviticus chapter 16. And the animals that the blood that was spilled and that was offered, the animals from which the blood came were taken outside the camp and were burned. And so he says, verse 12, therefore, Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood. Suffered outside the gate of Jerusalem. On a hill called a place that was not ordained in the old covenant for sacrifice to be made, he suffered outside the gate. There's a statement being made there. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp outside this Jerusalem. Judaism bearing his reproach. For here we have no continuing city, think about that. Jerusalem to the Jews was a forever city, and he is saying here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come just like Abraham back in chapter 11. A continuing city, a new Jerusalem with a new temple. And we are part of that and we see we see no we have no continuing city, by the way, it doesn't matter whether it's Jerusalem or whether it's San Antonio or Elmendorf, we have no continuing city. In this world, and really, that's a major thrust of the scriptures, if you read from beginning to the end, is this whole thing is moving somewhere to an incredibly glorious end. That will include the renovation, the destruction of this present world and the renovation and the beginning of a new heaven and new earth. Now, that's the backdrop to our text in verses 15 and 16. He says, therefore, we have an altar. He summarizes the inferiority of that old system, the altar associated with that, and then he says, we have an altar therefore by him. Let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name, but do not forget to do good and to share for with such sacrifices God is well Please, there is no more sacrifice for sins. Jesus has paid it all. He's the sacrifice that in all such sacrifices, therefore, he says, therefore, and then our text. Keep in mind, and we'll emphasize this again in a few moments, but nothing that we do or can do must ever be viewed as a sacrifice to expiate or put away our sins. There's nothing you can do. In other words, we are not being told to offer the sacrifice of praise and do good and to share in order to cover our sins or somehow turn the favor of God toward us by our sacrifices. That's fundamental. We'll return to that again in a few moments. But, as a priesthood of believers, we do have sacrifices that we offer to our God. Sacrifices that we are told, please Him. Sacrifices that should characterize our lives. Paul in Romans 12 verse 1 used similar language about sacrifices. He says, I beseech you therefore by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, an act of worship. It's the presentation of yourself. We could talk about that this morning, but that's not the subject, really, of verses 15 and 16 in Hebrews 13, though it's associated with it. Peter said this in 1 Peter 2, verse 5, you also as living stones. Are being built up a spiritual house, so you can see the shift from all the carnal renderings and pictures of that Old Covenant to the New Covenant spiritual house. A holy priesthood. That's what we are. To offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through or by Jesus Christ. Language that's very similar to our text. So we come back to Hebrews 13. 15 and 16. And you see, this is an exhortation. He says, therefore, by him, let us continually offer. It's an it's not a suggestion, it's an exhortation, it's not really written in the in the sense of a command, though it is an expectation expressing the duty and the privilege of every new covenant believer. I think about the duty and the privilege. And I hope by the time we're done, you'll see that it's. Though we call it a duty and it is, it hardly feels like a duty if it's being done as it ought to be done. But we're called upon to offer sacrifices that fit the nature of our new covenant worship, which is, as Jesus said, in spirit and in truth. And these are, according to our passage here, sacrifice of praise to God and of benevolence or beneficence, or as the text says, doing good and sharing. The old King James is communicating, but it's the idea of sharing that which has been given to you. So let's think about this sacrifice of praise to begin with. Praise to God and thanksgiving have always been expressions of the people of God, right? I mean, the Psalms are full of this. And so when we read here, therefore, by him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, though I don't think this is the primary idea here, but this thought comes to my mind. We are continuing in a different way that which has always been a part of the people of God. Ours is not a material offering. You can read about a sacrifice of thanksgiving in Leviticus chapter seven. I'll just read one verse. If he offers it for a Thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of Thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil. And if you keep reading, you'll see that there's an animal portion of that sacrifice as well, that they were to eat, they were to partake of. That's not the sacrifice we are called upon to offer. Our offering is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name. Now, this word praise in our text, he says, therefore, by him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name. Now, some of you may have a different translation that says the fruit of our lips, lips confessing his name, and that is a more literal rendering of that word. But thanks is embedded in the word praise. In Psalm 118 and verses 28 and 29, we sing this, but it goes like this, you are my God and I will praise you. You are my God, I will exalt you. And then in verse twenty nine, oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. The translation praise in verse twenty eight and give thanks in verse twenty nine is the translation of the very same Hebrew word, but it can be rendered either way. That's why I'm saying to you that this idea of of praise, thanks is embedded in the idea of praise. And I think this is important, an important part of the whole idea, the concept of our praise. And what's interesting is the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament Hebrew, the word that is used in our text. That is translated in the King James, New King James, giving thanks. He says the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name. The Septuagint word is the Greek word that is used is actually confess or acknowledge. And that's the word that's used in Psalm 118, 28 and 29. That's translated praise and give thanks. Did I totally confuse you there? Did you all follow that? OK, so I didn't confuse you. All right. Sometimes I sometimes I say what's in my mind. I think I wonder if they even understood what I said. All right. The point is, when we come back to our our verse, verse 15, therefore, by him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise. the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. He's talking about a praise that includes the confession or the acknowledgement of the one who has blessed you, who has given to you the sacrifice. In fact, he says in verse 15, so what is this sacrifice of praise? How would you answer that? What is the sacrifice of praise according to verse 15? Right. He says that is. He's qualifying it. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. It is a verbal expression or an acknowledgement. The sacrifice of praise to God is acknowledging or confessing him in his goodness. For he is good. Psalm 118, 28, 29. And you recognize that. He says the fruit of our lips. The fruit of our lips, what's interesting is that's a quotation from Hosea 14 and verse 2. And the literal translation of Hosea 14 and verse 2 is the calves of our lips. That's interesting. That's Old Testament. That's Old Covenant. That's a sacrifice. That's an offering. But then we come forward here and the word is the fruit of our lips. There is no sacrifice. The sacrifice has already been made. All sacrifices are ended. And this is now the sacrifice that we give. It's the fruit of our lips. giving thanks or confessing or acknowledging His name, giving thanks and making known that He has blessed us with the unsearchable riches of Himself in Christ. That's the context. He's our altar. And with every benefit of goodness in our lives, you can connect to Christ every benefit that we have in our lives. So by Him, you notice, That's emphasized. If you could see the original, you would see that by him or the first two Greek words by him, therefore, or in our translation, therefore, by him, let us let us offer. And that idea of by him, some of your translations may say through him, and it can be translated either way. It expresses not only the one through whom we offer our praise, In other words, your praise is found acceptable as it's offered through him. That's that's true. But also it acknowledges him as the source. Of all blessings to you. which reminds us, or perhaps it reminds you, Philippians 4 verse 19. We're going to go back to Philippians 4 later in the message, but remember, and my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by or through Christ Jesus. All of that is included in the expressions that are being used here. A sacrifice of praise is what we offer to our God because of how we see Him, how we have come to know Him. Praise is not pacifying flattery. So this isn't just going to God and see how many good things you can say about Him to try to win Him over. As if we're offering a sacrifice by which we hope to earn his attention? Or abate his displeasure against us? Well, he's ticked. I better praise him. No, this is an offering that is by him, our altar. We have access by way of our altar. Jesus Christ, we offer this sacrifice on that altar, as it were. He is our only mediator. That's why we go to the Father through Him. You can go to the Father no other way than through Him. You don't come to the Father through the elements we're going to take later today. I was listening to, you know, they're having, what was that? Eucharist convention or something like that out in California. And this person was testifying. How that they, you know, they were like they were coming to God or God was communicated through them, through these elements. The Holy Eucharist, as it's called. Now, we go to the Father directly through the Son. Right? The Holy Spirit is the one in us who enlivens us and enables us to go to the Father through the Son, not through some material means. We understand then that Jesus is our only mediator. We're the sinners. We're accepted and loved by absolutely pure and holy God. It is a holy love with which He loves us. We don't offer something to Him to earn that love, to gain that love. That's not what's going on here. Our praise is motivated by His sense, the sight, faith, His great love for and toward us. And overwhelmed at the sense that He is for us, we respond in praise to Him, confessing Him, acknowledging Him, the fruit of our lips. We're not coercing or manipulating Him by praise. We are responding to Him who first loved us and whom we are acknowledging with thanksgiving to be the giver of all good to us. And so we, you know, sometimes when you see pictures, if you were to type in, in your Google things, praise, you know what you're going to find? You're going to find pictures like this. People with their hands up like this. You're not going to see them like this. It's going to be like this. And I think there's a couple of things being expressed in that open-handed expression. Number one, it would be, I am bringing nothing. I am open to receive everything. that you give. You see, we don't offer our repentance. We don't offer our faith. We don't offer our works of any sort. What do we offer? What is our sacrifice? The fruit of our lips giving thanks. The confession of Him. The recognition of Him. And it's by or through Jesus Christ, our altar. Now let me just say one more thing about this idea of the sacrifice of praise. Well, maybe this isn't the last thing, but one more thing. God does not need your praise or your thanks. God has not increased or improved by our prayer. That's not why he created you so that you could make more of him than he is. You can't add to him. You can't increase him. When we talk about magnifying God, we're not talking about making him bigger than he is, we're talking about bringing him into view. So that we might see at least, and this is an increasing thing, we might see him in an increasing way. But our praise and thanksgiving are expressions of our redeemed souls to the God we have come to know in Jesus Christ. And the more we know of Him, the more praise is going to come forth from us. Think about it this way. We naturally, in life, we naturally praise that which is most valuable to us, don't we? Right? I mean, you know, I heard somebody this week, Texas A&M played Texas yesterday. Right. And some of you probably don't know that. And that's OK. This is just an illustration, you know, and this person who really was rooting for Texas A&M was saying they could say all kinds of that. There's a value to that team. And they talk about that team, even to the putting down of the team that beat them. You understand the point. And you can pick whatever it is in your life that is valuable to you. It's what you talk about. It's what you get excited about, right? That's what we want others to know about. We're not ashamed of whatever it is that's valuable to us. Do you see where this is going? And so in your relationship to God, Praise to God is really the expression of your value, of what you see of Him, what you see Him in His value. It is the overflow of a heart that knows Him. And it's almost like you would feel restricted if you could not praise him. It would be like standing before, you know, I always think about the Grand Canyon, but or maybe there's something else, a better illustration, but standing before the Grand Canyon and being filled. I've been there. I know what it feels like. And and just be in awe of what I'm seeing, the vastness and the shapes and the forms and standing there and feeling like I want to express myself. And it's almost like you feel shorted or short-circuited that you can't verbalize it, right? I'd like to praise, I would like to say something here. That's the idea. It's a sacrifice or an act of worship in reference to God that hardly seems a duty. It is not. Do you feel like it's a duty for you to talk about the things that are valuable to you? This is not a yes, it's something we are told to do, let him do this continually, because sometimes we are just we're infirmed and we get distracted. But it hardly seems a duty for those who have experienced his redeeming love. And sometimes we can forget about his redeeming love, which is why we need to continually be reminded of that redeeming love. Some of you are thinking, yes, but doesn't God deserve our praise? Shouldn't he be praised simply because he deserves it? The answer is absolutely yes. Absolutely. But brethren, for us, praise is the expression of thankful, grateful hearts that cannot be silent in response to Him whom your soul has come to know. And I'll guarantee you, there's one thing that the enemy of your soul doesn't want you doing, and that is praising Him. Praising God. And so when you back away from that, you're playing right into His hand. We, who have this altar, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks, acknowledging, confessing His name. And when we praise and give thanks to Him, You know what we're doing? I mean, if you're doing this, you're inside your head. And by the way, I would say do it inside your head, but if that's all it is, then it just stays inside your head. It's not a confession. It's not it's not making his name known. But when we praise and give thanks to him, whether it be in a context of our church gathering or wherever the context may be, we are really making Him known to a world who does not see Him or know Him as we do. They don't see the value. People read the Bible and say, why is there so much about praise in here? It's not that God is some sort of narcissistic, hungry, greedy, you know, give-it-to-me being. It's simply that He is worthy and when we are engaging before Him and seeing Him as He is, it actually fills us up. It affects us. Our praise puts the spotlight on Him. And what do you want the spotlight to be upon? You? No, our praise puts the spotlight on Him who is real to us and whom we want others to know. And so our praise and thanksgiving says to all who hear us, He's worthy. He's amazing. Let me tell you about Him. And I guess I just would add this, that maybe I've suggested this already, but if anyone, anyone who is annoyed at our praise to God by Jesus Christ doesn't know Him like we do, they just don't know Him like we do. He says, you notice how he says this, therefore, by him, let us continually. Offer the sacrifice of praise to God. The fruit of that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name continually. There is no restriction of place or time, remember, Jesus said that it's coming a time where no longer in this place or in Jerusalem. But anyway. Those who are worshippers will worship in spirit and in truth. We're living in that age. There's no restriction of place. There's no restriction of time, as in the Old Covenant. It's wherever, whenever. Well, it was after the ascension of Jesus at the end of Luke, chapter 24. This is the way the saints were described. Luke 24 verses 52 and 53. So Jesus has gone away. He's gone back. To his father, to the glory which he had with him before the world began. And as they worshipped him. And returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And were continually, there's that word, continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. I don't think that means every moment of every day. But it was an unceasing thing in their lives. Just like it ought to be with ours, while the temple is no more the one that's being referred to there in Luke 24, that temple is no more this that was going on there should even to a greater degree characterize our lives, not just on Thanksgiving Day. By the way, this last Wednesday, I don't know if that was recorded or not, but My opinion, I've been doing this a long time at Community Baptist Church, the Thanksgiving service. That was, I think, I don't remember a better one. I was encouraged. And so if you weren't able to hear the expressions of the saints, you might want to listen to that. Was it recorded? It was. OK, so you can look at it, look it up online. But we don't we don't praise him just on Thanksgiving Day. We don't praise him just on a holy day or holidays. Even a Sunday. No, it's it's every day throughout each day, our hearts tuned to him continually. Continually through good times and bad times. It's a lot easier to praise him in good times, isn't it? But if we understand the gospel, if we understand Him and His relation to us by His choice. Even in bad times, the fruit of our lips can confess Him with thanksgiving praise to Him, because praise is fitting our God through Jesus. Charles Spurgeon said it this way, Bless the Lord at all times. not only in your secret chamber, which is pungent with the perfume of your communion with God, but yonder in the field, and there in the street, in the hurry and noise of the exchange, offer the sacrifice of praise to God. You cannot always be speaking His praise, but you can always be living His praise. The heart once set on praising God will, like the stream that leaps down the mountainside, continue still to flow in its chosen course. A soul saturated with a divine gratitude will continue almost unconsciously to give forth a sacred odor of praise. which will permeate the atmosphere of every place and make itself known to all who have a spiritual nostril with which to discern sweetness. Spoken only as Charles Spurgeon can speak it, poetically, but true. It's true. My heart's been affected by pondering this because, frankly, I have not been offering continually And so this verse speaks to me, let us continually, continually. But this does not stop with words. Did you notice that? Verse 16, it's not just a verbal confession that we're called to. It is an expression of life that we're called to. In verse 16, your translation may say, but do not forget, as if it's an, OK, this is something that's the opposite. Here's something else that's not like that. No, actually, it is a connecting, a connecting word. And would actually be probably a better way to say it. And do not forget to do good and to share just like your God. Do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices, I think pointing back to all that he has just said, 15 and 16, God is well pleased. God is not blessing us so that we enjoy Him to the exclusion of the needs of others. There is another sacrifice in the new covenant, and it's a sacrifice of beneficence. OK, that is that the doing good and sharing, communicating to others of the bounty that has been given to you, the blessings that have come to you. And so it's the idea of the vertical love, love God with all your heart. all your soul, all your mind, all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. It's the vertical being expressed horizontally. Don't ignore those that you see. Don't ignore those around you. Don't live in just some sort of invisible mind world. Those who have needs around you, Be motivated in relationship to them. And not those it was interesting that Stuart mentioned this in the last hour, when you got to that point, I was thinking, OK, they're going to hear this a couple of times today, but. I actually didn't think our messages would would intersect, but they kind of do. And what I'm saying is not those who can repay you, in other words, don't don't just be motivated toward those that you think you're going to get something back from, we understand that principle. And not simply those that you're fond of. I'm going to help that person because I like them. They make me feel good and it makes me feel good to do them good. No, in fact, Paul would say, I think it was in 1 Timothy, but as you have opportunity, let us do good to all. Brethren, does God do good to all? Yes. Let us then do good to all, especially those who are of the household of faith. Genuine, sincere sacrifice of praise to God affects our hearts toward others. When you are filled with this gratefulness, this thankfulness that's a part of this praise to the one who is good and doing good, it affects you. Acknowledging God's generosity to you in praise affects your heart to be generous to others. And this is really simply the outworking of the love of God in your spirit. John talks about this, doesn't he, in 1 John 3, 16-18. Listen to what he says, By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. There's the pattern. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Deny ourselves for the sake, for the good of others. But whoever has this world's goods and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? It doesn't appear that the love of God abides in him. My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And what did James say pure religion was? Pure religion and undefiled? Yeah, doing good, doing good and sharing. Visiting orphans, widows in their trouble. Doing good. When you do good and share, you are imitating Christ who always went about doing good and you are actually, you are a visible representation of him. That's really what the church is supposed to be, right? And you are his instruments, too. And this is maybe you didn't think about this, but I see a connecting loop here. As you do this, you are actually an instrument to generate a sacrifice of praise to God in those to whom you minister. Does that make sense? I want to show it to you. Second Corinthians, chapter nine, verses 11 and 12. Listen to this. We'll turn to Philippians four, but here's Second Corinthians nine, 11 and 12. while you are enriched in everything for all liberality which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service, that's like an act of worship, not only supplies the needs of the saints, it does that. That's good. It takes care of the need. That's important. We don't want to overlook that. That's not insignificant, but it doesn't stop there. He says, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God. Philippians. Let's turn over to Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4. Paul says, he ends the letter, verse 10, He says, I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again, though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. And then he talks about, you know, I've learned to be content and so forth. And then skip down to verse he says in verse 13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. So even if you don't supply me, even if you don't give me what I need, I can. I've learned to be a base. I've learned to abound. I can do this through Christ who strengthens me. He's not saying that. in order to discredit or discount the significance of sharing, doing good. For notice what he says in verse 14, nevertheless, you have done well that you shared, there's our word, in my distress. Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared. That's communicating. Temporal. Maybe it was a financial thing. Maybe it was food. Maybe it was some sort of temporal need that Paul had. No church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica, you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift. I'm not saying this so you'll ramp up the giving to me. But I seek the fruit that abounds to your account." By the way, I think Paul is in Christ's stead speaking to them. And I think that's what Christ would say to us. That fruit would abound to your account. Do good and share. Verse 18, Indeed, I have all and abound, I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you." And here it is, a sweet smelling aroma. That's sacrificial language there. An acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. Isn't that interesting? And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever." That's the completion. That's the expression. That's the overflow as you are receiving of God's goodness. There's something that works in you that sends forth praise with thanksgiving to God. He's glorified. He's praised. And he says, and by the way, don't forget this, this is an expression of joy. Praise is an expression, that's why praise and rejoicing often go together. But notice the last point here in verse 16, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. These are sacrifices that are offered by Him, our altar, who purifies any imperfection in our offering. Listen, you don't have to wonder. You know, we talk about motive in the last hour. We talk about these things. You can get hung up on that stuff. Should I have said stuff? I mean, you can get hung up on analyzing. Right? Analyzing. Did I do it just right? Did I say it just right? Was my motive really pure? Listen, it is purified by the one you offer by Christ. Okay? So you don't have to do with fear that maybe I'm not doing it just right. Even your verbal expressions. Your verbal confessions. As the Father is well pleased with His Son, So he is well pleased with all that we do in his son's name. He's well pleased as we as we were, as we offer up these expressions of praise with our lips, confessing him with thanksgiving and also doing good and sharing with others as God blesses us According to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus, it's come to Him by or through Him, and we are responding by and through Him. Do you see how Jesus Christ is at the center of it all? God is well pleased. Think about that as you express praise to the Lord. Think about that when you Just say, praise the Lord in response to something that is flowing from the fruit of your lips, that there's something that has grown in you and the fruit has come forth. And he's well pleased. He's not analyzing it. He's not saying, you could have done better. He's well pleased. When you're singing songs of praise with your scratchy voice or your tune that sounds like a bullfrog or whatever it is, but you're singing songs of praise, he's well pleased. When you testify of His goodness, He's, well, this is the God you don't see. This is the invisible God. He's communicating this to us. He's telling us this. He's letting us know this. You can bank on it. You can be sure of it. He is well pleased. And think about that as you do good. Think about that as you Extend yourself to someone who is in need. Think about that the next time you write a check or give money or in some way contribute to a need. An email went out this past week. We're going to be contributing next Sunday to a need here. And we listen, this church has regularly done that. And you guys have God has blessed you with hearts to give. I'm telling you, God is well pleased with that. Think about that as you share with others out of his goodness to you. Hebrews 6.10 was read in the last hour. It's phenomenal. For God is not unjust to forget. God would be unjust, unrighteous if He forgot. Now, I didn't say that. I didn't make that up. God is not unjust to forget your work. Others may forget it. Others may not see it. And we shouldn't be doing things to be seen. But God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you've shown toward His name. How have you shown it toward His name? How have you confessed His name? It is as you have ministered to the saints and do minister. So brethren, that ought to affect us. I hope it will, because we know that God is well pleased with these new covenant sacrifices offered through Jesus Christ. Let us continually offer them. This is motivation that should bring us joy every single day. Tune your heart. Tune your heart to sing His praise. Who was it? The fellow that took care of the person, the brother, who took care of orphans in England. Yes. Wasn't it he who said he started every day getting happy? He's the one who said that. He started every day tuning his heart. Tuning and brethren that a happy heart is a praising heart. A happy heart is a thankful heart, which comes first, the happiness or the praise and thanksgiving. I would say that the thankful, grateful heart affects your gladness. As I mentioned last Wednesday, every day, every day. In our prayer time this morning, I was moved by one of the brothers who prayed, and most of his prayer was just overflowing with thanksgiving for things, and it just helped to tune my heart. I was struggling, and yet that helped to tune my heart. We should be helping one another, right? As we gather together. Then let us be intentional to do good. and share. Look for opportunities. Ask God to give you opportunities to share His bounty that He has given you. By the way, this bounty is not just nickels and dimes. It's also the blessings of spiritual truth that He has shown you that you can share with others. May we be affected in a good way Psalm 147-1, I close with this. Praise the Lord. Praise Jehovah. For it is good to sing praises to our God, because praise is delightful. It's becoming. It's fitting. Or as the old King James says, it's comely. It's fitting. It's right. Amen? And may the Lord bless us with this kind of spirit, increasingly so at Community Baptist Church. Would you stand together with me?