Gratitude in the Gray [Part 1]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan writing. I suppose if you've ever felt dirty from something wrong you've gone.

Maybe Jesus just felt that for every person, past, present and future. Every sinner's and was put upon them, and he will know that this was coming. This was what was in front of him.

He was headed towards the greatest stress of any human has ever or ever will go through and what did he do on that night before he took Brad, the text says he gave thanks that's pastor hello. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light.

I'm Daniel Britton excited for you to hear the teaching today.

In the series you'll see as presented in an older church in North Carolina.

If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at pastoralan.org that's pastor and in.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on that later in the program right now. Let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan writing. Are you ready for some good news there is always always always something you can be thankful for.

We are in a series called you'll see it's about learning to see through the eyes of Jesus, and we are today going to celebrate communion together, even though we're not together physically were together in the spirit so it's fitting that we go to this text in Luke chapter 22. That is the foundation of what we call the Lord's supper or the Eucharist. Luke 22 verse seven. Then came the day of unleavened bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed so Jesus sent Peter and John saying go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it when it verse 14 and when the hour came, he reclined table so there there in a reclining position, lying down on one elbow and the apostles with him and he said to them, I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer front tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God and he took a cup, and when he given thanks, he said, take this and divide it among yourselves front tell you that from now on I will not drink the fruit of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. So is predicting that is going to suffer, and that he won't celebrate this Passover feast with them until the consummation of the kingdom seems to be what he saying in verse 19 and he took bread, and we given thanks, he broke it and he gave it to them, saying, this is my body which is given for you do in remembrance of me and likewise the cup after they'd eaten. So now this is another cup after they'd eaten saying the cup that is poured out for you is a new covenant in my blood. But the hold the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table for the Son of Man goes as it is been determined but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed and they began to question one another. Which of them it could be.

Who is going to to do this. Why is everybody doing I hope that you hang in there. I'd like to say that I'm such a powerful man of God and so full of the spirit that I have perfect peace and end the midst of of a pandemic in and to be honest I don't time I've had some restlessness.

I tried to feel like I've I'm not feeling anxious but but I had a dream this week that prove me wrong. There was related to the classic dream that I've sometimes had where I've I'm back in college and their luck and examine. I've never been to the class or readying the books, but as a variety of that in the dream come embarrassed to tell it but anyway in the jury I'm in college and I've chimed on the class I've taken I've taken. I read the stuff and I'm taking the final exam and it is an essay exam and it's got four different essays I'm writing in what we call it our school blue book. It's common side of a little stable together notebook paper and a blue cover. You write your essay exam of the blue book and it must've been open book because I had a lot of different papers around and I wrote the first three essays and feel good about them all in my dream now and then I got to the fourth essay and time was starting to run out and other people were word were already finished with their exam. They were turning in their their exams and enters a lot of movement in the room and I don't know… And I died. I was just I didn't know what to do, so I'd I scooped up my papers and I left the classroom and I went down to a library into a big room out of our supposed to have done this, but I get Sims a drink and sewed you never know what happened some in there had going to this big room library that big tables and I go over to set all my stuff out to mom running out of time. I can write my fourth essay will I got in there good blue, but there were written older people in this big hall of the library and does some of them were matriarchs of the church. It is very hard for me not to stop and be polite and talk to the matriarchs of the church so I was trying to be polite to them, but I had to tell him I had to finish this exam and I thought I was being rude and so finally I said I gotta move tables. I scooped up all the stuff to the clock is ticking. I scooped up all my stuff I go all the way across the big room library put my stuff down on the table and I start I start finishing up Bob times running out and I get to get my blue book on traffic and I can't find the blue book was the blue book standing frantically around looking for my blue book I can find. I've already written three of the essays in it in the blue book and occupy the blue book and then I traced back over a look at the table where I was. I can find it around now the matriarchs of the church or surround me. What you doing pastor that you know is funny and dreams helped it. You didn't occur to you that I wasn't a pastor while I was in college, but a way that makes sense. I drink can't find the blue book and in this is what I felt like you know you're like a dream like I just tossed and turned all night looking for my blue book that I couldn't fight when I woke up I like.

I'm not in college, so I'd like to say that I've been anxiety free but my dream I think revealed that is hard not to have a little charting restlessness.

So what's harder about this as well. Trying to reinvent the way we do church and it can be a little nerve-racking. I mean I know there's been some some cases where it had turned out so good like you. Well we got this fella here is a British vicar. We had a video to roll. Check out what happened him during his live stream is just politely given his message teaching away at his own fire do you want to order my anxious about what I like or what about this little idea to get one more videos are this like she just singing her heart out, but do you see what's happened to the poor drummer in the back. You see the mood that the tree is fallen on him. He's back there and try to get the trade off of him. You finally managed to get the tray back up and where it comes again. She just singing her heart out and he's back there have in a WWE wrestling bout with the tree in the back and this goes on throughout the whole the whole song, but boy you got understand it everybody. Everybody is trying to figure out a new normal in a way to be. During these weeks and it can be tough.

I thought it was fitting, therefore, in thinking about gratitude to come to the story of Jesus at the Last Supper were there celebrating the Passover because he knows what's in front of him. He knows what's going to happen.

He is going to be betrayed by one of the 12 disciples around that table sold for some shoe silver pieces going to be arrested, given bogus trial, condemned to die though 100% innocent flogged until his flesh is peeling and beaten so profoundly that many scholars said people died before they ever were crucified but he will be nailed with Roman spikes to Crosstimbers, where he will hang until he suffocates.

I don't think the physical sufferings.

The worst thing in front of him. Over the next 24 to 36 hours of his life.

The emotional pain of being abandoned, being lonely in the spiritual pain of the monic persecute open field day for every demon to mock the sun of God, and he would hang there until he felt what it feels like to bear the weight of the sin of the world and who can describe what that is like. I suppose if you've ever felt dirty from something wrong you've done. Maybe Jesus just felt that for every person, past, present and future. Every sinner's sin was put upon them, and he will knew that this was coming. This was what was in front of him. He was headed towards the greatest stress any human has ever or ever will go through and what did he do on that night before he took Brad, the text says he gave thanks Allen right will have more teaching moment from today's important series want to give someone a present this Christmas that they'll never forget. Let us help you give a gift, that money can't buy this Christmas.

Give someone your blessing positive biblically-based faith filled vision for their life in the beginning God blessed Adam and Eve and then told them to be fruitful and multiply, because in God's design blessing isn't the reward for productivity.

It's the fuel for it.

Now more than ever, someone you love needs your blessing and we're here to help you craft this month. Special offer from Allen right is a beautiful booklet that will teach you how to craft an full blessing for easy step-by-step instructions are biblically based, and even include a worksheet that helps you write your blessing.

So this Christmas. Give someone you love a present, not found in stores, a gift from your own heart that will encourage and empower write down the blessing and put it in the package under the tree or put it in your Christmas card.

They'll never forget it when you make your gift to Alan Wake ministries this month will send you this booklet as our thinking so you can discover the power to bless call us at 877-544-4860 or visit pastor and.org these teaching now can you once again is Alan Ryan gave thanks in the middle. In the midst of it, and sometimes we act like we're going to give thanks once we get through the difficult time and everything is okay, but what we have to learn from today's text. Is it we need gratitude in the gray we need gratitude in the midst of pandemic the context of our text is the Passover feast. It is rooted in the story of Exodus, the people of God were slaves in Egypt, he heard the cry of their hearts, and he sent a deliverer named Moses reluctant, though it was Moses eventually accepted the assignment and he went to Pharaoh and told him to let God's people go. Pharaoh was stubborn would not let the people go and so God brought a series of plagues against Egypt, and in so doing, Pharaoh just hardened his heart, but the final plague was the one that commits Pharaoh to let the people go. It was a plague of the death of the firstborn of the Egyptians, and so on that harrowing night a destroyer came through all of Egypt but the Hebrew slaves had been given instructions by revelation that God had given to Moses that if they would take a lamb into their homes and they would slaughter that lamb and put the blood of the innocent lamb over the door posts of their homes. Then on that night of the Passover that wherever the destroyer saw the blood they would. There would be no harm. And so it was that all the Hebrew people were spared by the blood of the Lamb, but all the firstborn's of the Egyptian parish that night and every home that was either a dead child or a dead lamb and the people of God escaped because Pharaoh in Egypt sent them out and they plunder the Egyptians and took their wealth on their way and this is the story of of Exodus and at Passover, the feast of Passover. In Judaism the people of God were instructed to remember the Exodus so the Seder meal includes unleavened bread and bitter herbs that remind them of the bitterness of slavery and lamb the Passover lamb. There's an egg that remind you of new new life and there are still notice for different cups for 4 cups of wine might be. That is 1 cup of three different borings and 40 reporting seven. In the midst of the feast and the third of those cops was called the cup of redemption or sometimes is called the cup of blessing is what Paul called it when his in his letter to the Corinthians and after after the meal, the host would pick up the 3rd cup and would speak a blessing same. Blessed are you oh Lord our God, King of the universe who brings forth bread from the earth, so that's the context of Jesus's words, of breaking the Brad and then lifting the cup is in the middle of the Passover feast and he is reinterpreting the entire feast to see it's all about me every Passover lamb was pointing to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Every time they broke the unleavened bread. It was prefiguring the gift of Jesus, his own body on the cross and in the middle of the Passover, Jesus is still there singing the songs and lifting the cup and blessing the father and giving thanks even though he is headed towards the cross. Gratitude is so so powerful. I want to talk to about why gratitude is so very powerful and the first reason is this is that gratitude recognizes grace.

It takes the attention away from ourselves. It's wonderful to get a vacation from yourself, you can't be grateful and thinking about your own performance. It's just blessed to not be thinking about your own performance not be worrying about whether you merit the love of God. Grace is where you do not worry about whether you're good enough to merit the blessings of heaven, but you know that it is something that God and God alone has given to you, grace and thanksgiving connect us to joy church.

Some of you see me give you this before, I think, is one most important word connections. In Greek the word for that Jesus uses here with the text uses a speaker Jesus, giving thanks is your car stereo in Greek. That's it.

Transliterated means to to give thanks and remember what the word for grace or gift is is Karis my favorite New Testament Greek word Karis grace the gift of God. I want you to see is it car S is in the middle of Eucharist stereo that this means that grace is in the center of gratitude. It means that all joy comes into our lives through the connection of grace causing gratitude to well up in our hearts.

Renée Brown secular researcher at University of Houston is done so much research famously about shame and empathy has also studied joy and she said in 12 years of research with 11,000 different data points of interviews. She said that never one single time did she find a person who was characterized by joy in their life who did not practice gratitude, not a single time gratitude focuses you upon grace and grace is the secret of the Christians joy because we know that God has loved us despite all of our sin. So the first reason that gratitude is so powerful is that it recognizes grace and secondly because gratitude causes you to remember God in your life that's with the Passover feast was all about. It was about remembering that's that that's what we learn from Exodus chapter 12. This day shall be for you.

A Memorial day and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations as a statute forever. You shall keep it as a feast Memorial day and an and will and Chapter 13 you can see similarly that there's an invitation. Moses said the people remember this day remember this day you shall keep it as a feast. In other words, the whole of the Passover celebration was all about remembering. Remember remember commemorate it because what gratitude does is it makes you remember all God's good gifts. I was I was a look of them, I found some pictures the other day will particularly stressful day lot going on news continued to be bad as were watching the news more cases of the virus in and all anyone has happen to be looked at as a pictures and I came upon what I just had to walk ins and look of this weighty Cheryl my phone. It was a picture of us last summer when we had a delicious trip like a like a second honeymoon up through Vermont and into Canada all the way up to Québec city and from there we went up another 50 or 100 miles north to a port. We got on a boat and went out and looked at whales and I had caught a picture of her at the front of the boat.

Nobody else around her just looking out over this beautiful beautiful scene where we had seen fin whales 60 feet long and white beluga whales and is been one of most magical days in which is her gazing out as it hunt just pause and look you that feeling how a memory can just glide your whole soul with not just the recollection of it, but it's like you relive it when you have gratitude in your life you remember all of goods get God's good gifts and has put together a book she just calls it her book of remembrance. Sometimes when you send us a text or an email or letter and you tell us about some God's done your life. It shows up in Anne's book of remembrance. Miracles are in there and sometimes we just bring it out and just just remember and remember, gratitude is associated with how you remember your life and it orients you to reality because a fact of the matter is, God has always been there for you.

You might not have noticed it all the time and sometimes today's current pain-and-suffering can make you think that he's not really there. But when you remember God, it activates some kind of faith inside of you. Alan Wright. Today's good news message gratitude in the gray where in the series you'll see in past row in his back with us in the studio sharing a parting good news thought for today stick with us want to give someone a present this Christmas that Bill never forget.

Let us help you give a gift, that money can't buy this Christmas. Give someone your blessing a positive biblically-based faith filled vision for their life in the beginning God blessed Adam and Eve and then told them to be fruitful and multiply, because in God's design blessing isn't the reward for productivity. It's the fuel for it. Now more than ever, someone you love needs your blessing and we are here to help you craft this month. Special offer from Alan Wright is a beautiful booklet that will teach you how to craft an full blessing for easy step-by-step instructions are biblically based, and even include a worksheet that helps you write your blessing. So this Christmas. Give someone you love a present, not found in stores, a gift from your own heart that will encourage and empower write down the blessing and put it in the package under the tree or put it in your Christmas card will never forget it when you make your gift. Alan Wake ministries this month will send you this booklet as our thinking so you can discover the power to bless call us at 877-544-4860 or visit pastor and.org figured out past row in the studio and I absolutely love this title of this teaching gratitude in the gray well it's a message as originally preached in the early days of global pandemic in life.

Everybody knows what it's like to feel the cloud of uncertain tea and sometimes life just gets gray and it's the maybe the hardest time to practice gratitude, but it certainly the most in Portland time because remembering God's goodness is a means of reactivating your faith and releasing your faith and so we have so much to learn about this, but if you ask him God to give you new eyes to see. Well, God moments we hadn't seen before and grace were maybe you wouldn't otherwise see it. We want to see all of the grace of God, because then we can thank him for it. And when we get thankful. Joy comes in our life. If you only caught part of today's teaching. Not only can you listen again online but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching right to your email inbox free. Find out more about these and other resources, and pastor at.org that's pastor out.org. Today's good news message is a listener supported production. Alan Wake ministries