Thank you.
Hymn number 384.
In the service of the king.
Say it one more time.
First stanza.
I am happy in the service of the king.
First stanza. Ready? Sing.
I am happy in the service of the king.
I am happy, oh so happy.
I have peace and joy that nothing else can bring.
In the service of the king.
Every talent I will bring.
I have peace and joy and blessing.
In the service of the king.
I am happy in the service of the king.
I am happy, oh so happy.
Through the sunshine and the shadows I can see.
In the service of the king.
Every talent I will bring.
I have peace and joy and blessing.
In the service of the king.
I am happy in the service of the king.
I am happy, oh so happy.
All that I possess to him I gladly bring.
In the service of the king.
Everybody.
In the service of the king.
Every talent I will bring.
I have peace and joy and blessing.
In the service of the king.
Amen.
In the service of the king.
Let's go first to this in the back.
Were there any salvations to report this past week?
Anybody? Just my son Zeph. Good job, Zeph.
Anybody in this section?
Anybody else?
Write that down. Anybody?
Salvation's four.
Anybody else? Anybody I missed?
Great work everybody.
As I mentioned earlier, soul winning will be earlier today.
It is going to be at 1.45.
We do have prayer meeting here today after soul winning.
And then we do have choir practice.
Of course next week is our anniversary.
And I'll send more information in the group chat in the coming week.
But anyways, I think that's it for announcements here today.
We'll have Brother Rafi lead us in another song.
Hymn number 327. Hymn number 327. Hymn number 327. Higher ground.
First stanza puta yo. We're going to last stanza.
I'm pressing on. First stanza ready. Sing.
I'm pressing on the upward way.
New heights and gaily everyday.
Still praying as I onward bow.
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
Lord, lift me up and let me stand.
Right wing on heaven's stable end.
Higher plane that I have found.
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
My heart is known as I to stay.
Where doubts arise and fear dismay.
Though some may dwell, world leaves abound.
My prayer my aim is higher ground.
Lord, lift me up and let me stand.
Right wing on heaven's stable end.
Higher plane that I have found.
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
I want to live above the world.
Though Satan's stars are me or her.
In joyful sound, the song of saints on higher ground.
Lord, lift me up and let me stand.
Right wing on heaven's stable end.
Higher plane that I have found.
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
I want to scale the utmost high.
And clash a gleam of glory bright.
But still I pray till hell's like now.
Lord, lift me on the higher forest.
Lord, lift me up and let me stand.
Right wing on heaven's stable end.
Higher plane that I have found.
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
Amen.
Amen. For scripture reading, please open your Bibles to the book of Numbers.
Numbers 11.
You have the book of Genesis, Exodus, Numbers.
Numbers 11.
And we will only be reading the chapter 11, verses 1 down to verse 10.
Please say amen if you're there.
Amen.
Numbers 11, verses 1 to 10.
And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord.
And the Lord heard it, and his anger was kindled.
And the fire of the Lord burnt among them and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.
And the people cried unto Moses.
And when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched.
And they called the name of the place Tibera, because the fire of the Lord burnt among them.
And a mixed multitude that was among them fell a-lusting.
And the children of Israel also wept again and said,
Who shall give us flesh to eat?
We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely.
The cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic.
But now our soul is dried away.
There is nothing at all beside this manna before our eyes.
And the manna was as coriander seed, and the color thereof is the color of Bedelim.
And the people went to bed and gathered it,
and rotted it in milks or beaten it in mortar and baked it in pans and made cakes of it,
and the taste of it was as a taste of fresh oil.
And when the Jew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.
Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families,
every man at the door of his tent,
and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly.
Moses also was displeased.
Blessed are we of God's word, let us pray.
For again, having him thank the Lord for his guidance given to us,
I pray that you would please give us good weather for our soloing and our fellowship later on.
I pray that you would please bless the preacher,
the preacher in your word, let us pray.
We love you, Jesus, and we pray. Amen.
Alright, we're here in Numbers chapter 11,
and this is another Thanksgiving themed sermon,
and the name of the sermon is Teaching Children to be Thankful.
Teaching Children to be Thankful.
One thing that is very important as a parent
is to raise kids that are thankful and grateful for the things that they've been given in life.
And if you want to do that,
it starts with point number one, setting a good example.
If you want to raise kids that are thankful,
then you need to be a thankful parent.
Kids are going to follow the examples of mom and dad.
It says in Numbers 11 verse 1,
And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord.
When people are complaining,
that's basically the opposite of being thankful, right?
You're complaining, you're unthankful for your situation.
Here's a group of people that God is basically leading them into freedom,
and they're sinning and messing up,
and they somehow blame God for all of it,
and they're complaining, and what it means is they're unthankful and ungrateful.
And it says,
And the people complained, it displeased the Lord,
and the Lord heard it, and his anger was kindled,
and the fire of the Lord burned among them,
and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.
Go to Proverbs 22.
Proverbs 22.
You say, why does God get so mad?
Well, as a parent with kids,
when your kids complain, does that make you happy or upset?
It makes you upset.
It's like, especially if you give them something,
and then they complain about it,
and they feel like they're owed something more,
it's like, man, I've already put my time into this,
I already spent money, and then you criticize it.
It's rude, right?
Now here's the thing, we understand for young kids
that we're taught by mom and dad,
but we're living in a culture
when you've got adults that are unthankful
and ungrateful people.
That's the society we live in today,
just complaining about everything,
and God gets very angry because he's like,
man, I've given you so many things,
and yet you're complaining about things
that aren't exactly like you want, right?
And it angers the Lord,
just like it would anger a mom or a dad
when the kids are complaining about something.
Well, here's the thing.
What sort of example are you setting
and being mad at God for your situation?
You know what you're going to raise?
You're going to raise kids that grow up
and are ungrateful toward God,
unthankful toward God.
I mean, they should be thankful
that they've got the right religion,
which is a unique thing in the world,
and yet you're going to raise kids
that are unthankful and ungrateful toward God.
Why? Because you're unthankful.
I mean, don't we say actions speak louder than words?
I mean, you tell your kids,
you know, why do you always complain?
Maybe because they heard mom and dad
complaining all the time, right?
I mean, if your kids are always complaining,
always upset, always unthankful,
always ungrateful,
they're learning it from someone.
Most likely, it's from mom and dad.
That's reality, and that might hurt as a parent,
but it's like better fix it at a young age
rather than your kids grow up
and then you're raising adults or teens
and then adults that are just unthankful
and always complaining and ungrateful.
This is an important thing as a parent
to raise kids that are grateful,
kids that are thankful.
Proverbs 22 verse 6,
Train up a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not depart from it.
The Bible says to train up a child
and the promise God gives us
is that if we put in our time and energy
and effort and do the job,
then when our kids grow up,
they're not going to depart from the faith.
Now, usually when this verse is preached
and usually when I preach it,
I talk about actively teaching your kids
and training your kids,
and in other words, part of the training
is simply they see you doing something.
Part of their training is just
seeing the example from mom and dad.
I mean, part of training your kids
to really actually love church
and care about church is to be at church.
Part of training your kids to read the Bible
is not telling them to read the Bible.
It's just they see you reading the Bible.
That's part of the training for your kids,
and your actions are going to speak
toward your children.
Go to Acts 21 verse 7.
Acts 21.
I mean, it's sort of like a running joke
with parents, this expression,
you know, do as I say, but not as I do.
Basically, a dad who's a drunk,
do as I say, don't drink alcohol
while you're drinking alcohol.
But, you know, those kids
are going to do what you do.
That's the way it works.
I don't have percentages in front of me,
but if you've seen any polls,
kids whose parents drink
are like 10,000 pounds.
Kids whose parents drink
are like 10 times as likely to drink.
Kids whose parents smoke
are 10 times as likely to smoke.
It's going to be like that in any area.
Kids who see their parents read the Bible
on a daily basis
are going to be 10 times as likely
to read the Bible.
That's just the way it is.
And just imagine reversing this
because you tell your kids
do as I say and not as I do.
You know, I'm smoking, but don't smoke.
Don't give this in a good way.
Let's say you tell your kids
they see you reading the Bible,
and you wouldn't do this,
but let's say you tell them
don't read the Bible.
You know what they're going to be like?
But I want to because I see you reading the Bible.
And they're going to read the Bible
because they see you reading the Bible.
Well, I mean, likewise,
they're not going to listen
if you say don't smoke.
They're not going to listen
if you say don't drink.
My son, Zeph, wants to be just like me.
You raise a boy,
he wants to be like Dad.
Right? If Dad likes basketball,
he likes basketball.
Right? I mean, if Dad likes soccer,
he likes soccer.
This is why oftentimes you'll see
that in America,
kids whose favorite sports team
is a certain sport or whatever,
it's almost always exactly like their Dad.
People used to ask me,
well, they didn't say Brother Stuckey.
They'd say, hey, why is your favorite
basketball team the Utah Jazz?
That was my Dad's favorite team.
That's the answer.
I could say whatever it was.
Why are the Atlanta Braves
their favorite baseball team?
That was my Dad's favorite team.
And so I likewise rooted for the same team.
Because you want to be just like Dad.
You want to model yourself just like Dad.
That can be a good thing
or it can be a scary thing.
It's a good thing if you're being
a good influence.
You know, it's just like
they're going to want to do the same.
But if you're living a sinful life,
they're going to want to do
the same thing that you are doing.
That's just the way it works.
Acts 21, verse 8.
And the next day,
we that were of Paul's company
departed and came out of Caesarea
and we entered into the house
of Philip the Evangelist,
which was one of the seven,
and abode with him.
Now this word evangelist appears
and so evangelio is spelled
very similar to evangelist
or evangelizing.
And so an evangelist is someone
who's spreading the Gospel,
but truly at a church,
we're all preaching the Gospel,
or at least most of us
on a weekly basis.
But an evangelist is someone
who actually has a real position,
an ordained position,
where basically they're greatly
trying to spread the Gospel.
So by me starting these churches
is not an evangelist,
but it's a specific position.
But it's attached to this idea
of preaching the Gospel.
One of the great stories
of soul winning in the Bible,
arguably the greatest story,
is in Acts 8,
right where Philip is just
running after this person
to preach the Gospel.
I mean it's a great story.
I mean I'd love to see that event.
I mean it's exciting.
And you know what,
Acts 8, he was a great soul winner.
He was a very zealous soul winner.
But then notice what it says
in the next verse.
And the same man had four daughters,
virgins, which did prophesy.
Now when it's saying
they're prophesying,
it's not hard to see
that it's not they're preaching
a sermon.
You can tell from the context
from verse 8,
while their dad was Philip
the evangelist,
but why does it mention it
specifically the verse before
Philip the evangelist?
It's just trying to show you
that you lead by example.
I mean you've got a dad
who's a zealous soul winner.
What a shock.
His daughters love soul winning.
And I'm sure their mom,
I mean Philip's wife,
was also a soul winner, I'm sure.
But it's like these kids
learn from example.
Now for most of us,
although things worked out for us
that were soul winners now,
your kids are far more likely
if you raise them
in a soul winning environment
and you teach them
that it actually matters.
Yes, we are soul winners
and the odds of that
are extremely small.
But the reality is
if you raise your kids
in soul winning,
then they're going to want to do it.
None of my kids at this point
in life love soul winning.
My daughter Christabelle
loves soul winning.
They don't fully understand
everything that that involves,
but it's a part of our lives.
And so they're excited about it.
Yesterday when we went soul winning,
it's like I drove the car
over to Nepo Park
but it was raining in Pampanga
and so I stayed with the kids
and my wife went out
and my son's like,
so it's like not the best thing.
They're going to get sick and everything.
But there's just that love
for soul winning.
You say, why do they love it?
Well, they love soul winning
just simply because mom and dad
go soul winning
and they want to be like mom and dad.
Turn in your Bible to Luke 22.
Luke 22.
Say what are you saying,
Brother Stuckey?
I'm saying if you want your kids
all the time for being unthankful
if you are always complaining
and unthankful and ungrateful also
because they're learning that from you.
It's a byproduct of your attitude.
That's why they have a bad attitude.
Now, here's the thing with kids.
Obviously, you know what, foolishness
is bound in the heart of a child
and we have to teach our kids
because not all of these things
come naturally.
It doesn't come natural to be thankful
because people have a tendency
to complain naturally.
It starts by teaching your kids
by setting a good example.
Number two,
require your kids to use the word thanks
when they get something.
Require them.
Make sure that they say the word thank you.
Actually, actively teach them
to use the word thanks,
thank you, salamat, whatever.
Make sure that they do it.
This is not attached to the sermon
but also the words please and sorry
should be very common vocabulary
for young children.
When I say for young children,
I'm saying at the age of two,
they should know those words
and be used to using those words regularly.
Why should they use those words regularly?
Because two-year-olds make a lot of mistakes
and they have a lot of apologies to make.
It's just like kids,
they get a lot of things from their parents
and kids often want things.
You say, brother, even with something small,
look, we tell our kids
that they're asking for water
and they don't say please.
It's like, what word do you say?
You say, well, it's something so small
but you gotta start it at a young age
and on a small level
so that becomes just part of who they are.
So the words please and thank you and sorry,
they just get used to doing it
and they just have common courtesy.
As I said, we live in an ungrateful world.
People don't say thank you for anything.
They don't say sorry.
They don't say please.
It might seem normal to you.
It's not.
It's rude.
This is the world we live in
and I'm not saying everybody's like this
but here's what I'm saying.
It's just like, you know what,
the cultural thing growing up in America,
it's like, you know what,
somebody's coming behind you,
you hold the door for them.
Now, is that a big thing?
No, it's not a big thing but here's the thing,
if somebody does that for you,
what do you say?
I don't think it's going to get any better
but here's the thing,
I'd expect that from the world
but we don't want Bible believing Christians
to be like that.
We ought to be peculiar people.
The fact that if you were to say please
or sorry or thank you,
people would be surprised saying,
wow, nobody else does that
because we ought to be different than the world.
And so require your kids
to use the word thank you
when they're given something.
What are some examples of this?
Well, when you get food,
you should teach your kids,
require them to give thanks
and part of this is setting an example
in the fact that when you eat,
you pray to God and thank God
for the food you've been given.
You say, brother Stuckey,
is this just a tradition we do?
No, it's actually all throughout the Bible
thanking God for the food that you have.
Luke 22 verse 14,
let's look at the first example.
Luke 22 verse 14,
this is when Jesus is about to be delivered
by Judas, verse 14.
Luke 22 verse 14,
and when the hours come,
he sat down in the 12 apostles with him
and he said unto them,
with desire I've desired to eat this Passover
with you before I suffer.
For I say unto you,
I will not any more eat thereof
until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
And he took the cup and gave thanks
and said take this
and divide it among yourselves.
He's the one who's going to be crucified.
Now of course we ought to be thankful
when we take the Lord's Supper
that hey, we remember the death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ,
but here's the one who's being crucified.
And yet he gives God thanks
for what they're going to partake in.
Verse number 18,
for I say unto you,
I will not drink of the fruit of the vine
until the kingdom of God shall come.
And he took bread and gave thanks
and break it and gave unto them saying,
this is my body which is given for you,
this do in remembrance of me.
And when they say something,
they give God thanks for it.
Turn your Bible to Romans 14.
Romans 14.
You say, Brother Stuckey,
why is it that people always pray
before they eat food at meals,
or at least they should?
Because this is what you see in the Bible.
And it shouldn't be a vain repetition.
You should honestly, sincerely be thankful
for the food that you've been given.
You say, well,
what if it's not the food that I want?
What if it's not the food that I want
to complain about?
Where basically you got something,
it wasn't your first choice,
and then you complain about it.
Well, guess what's going to happen
with your kids?
It's like you put something before them.
It's like, oh, I wanted rice, not bread.
Right?
Or I want chicken instead of pork.
That's the sort of way
you're going to raise your kids
if you complain about the food that you have.
And what that means is,
God's promising to provide
your physical food.
Now, here's the thing.
I'll be honest with you.
If money were not an issue,
let's say I was the richest person
in the world.
You know what?
I would eat at a lot of fancy places.
Right?
Because fancy restaurants,
the food's probably very good there.
But I don't eat at fancy restaurants.
You say, why?
Because of the fact money is an issue
that you ought to be thankful for.
Even if it's not the number one choice
that you would have in this world,
you ought to be thankful for anything
that God has given you.
And in general, look, at least as a guy,
most food tastes very good.
So what do you really have to complain about?
I have some food I like more than others.
And look, I'm not the biggest rice person.
I think everybody knows that.
But honestly, I like the taste of rice.
It's just not my number one
that I would pick.
So really, what do you have to be complaining about
about the food at Jollibee?
But I like some of the food at Jollibee.
Right?
Just being completely honest.
It's not my favorite, but you know what?
I have food there that I can eat,
and it tastes good to me.
Okay?
So Romans 14, notice what it says in verse 5.
Romans 14, verse 5.
One man esteemeth one day above another.
Another esteemeth every day alike.
Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
The idea of if you want to celebrate holidays or not,
as I said in the first sermon,
he that regardeth the day regardeth it unto the Lord.
The key is are you regarding the day unto the Lord?
Are you involving God in your day?
And he that regardeth not the day
to the Lord he doth not regard it.
Notice this.
He that eateth, eateth to the Lord,
for he giveth God thanks.
And he that eateth not,
to the Lord he eateth not,
and giveth God thanks.
And this is about basically different dietary opinions.
And of course in the Old Testament
there was clean and unclean animals.
What the Bible's saying is
if you say that there's certain foods
I'm not going to eat, that's fine.
As long as you give God thanks
for the food that you do have.
Or you say, you know what,
I am going to eat pork.
I am going to eat bacon.
That's fine too.
As long as you give God thanks
for what you have.
That's the key.
Now biblically speaking,
I mean there is no clean and unclean in 2022.
Now clean animals are probably
a lot healthier than unclean animals,
but whatever, it's not a sin
as long as you give God thanks for it.
That's the key.
And so whether it's bacon
or pork or whatever,
as long as you give God thanks,
that's what matters.
Go to 1 Timothy 4.
Now I do believe we should strive
to have a healthy diet,
but you know what,
as I said in the first sermon,
I believe in celebrating holidays
Easter, birthdays, and look,
here's the thing,
I think that when you have Christmas,
birthdays, events like this,
you're celebrating either with
a church family or friends,
I think it's nice to make it kind of special.
And oftentimes what that means
is you have an unhealthy dessert
that you're going to partake in.
Now there's nothing wrong with that
because if on your daily basis
you're eating a lot of junk food every day,
well you really ought to change your diet
because it's not going to be good
for you.
And you know, we have birthdays,
we have anniversaries,
and sometimes some of the food
is not the healthiest,
but it's okay because we have
a special event.
And here's the thing,
and it's up to you whether
you want to eat it or not,
but here's what I believe personally,
I believe you could eat the
healthiest meal in the world,
but if you don't give God
thanks for that,
you're going to eat all the junk food
as long as you give God thanks,
because I don't think that's
the right balance in the Bible,
but what I'm saying is
I don't think you have to feel guilty
about I ate something a little bit unhealthy
as long as you give God thanks for it.
God says to give me thanks
for what you get.
So look, as long as you're giving God
thanks, it's not sinful,
it's okay.
But that's an important step.
And look, all of us,
we eat and sometimes you just
kind of go through the motions,
at least if you're me.
Sometimes I pray and you go
through the motions, right?
You don't really mean it
in your heart, but you're just
kind of saying the words.
We really should try to mean it though
because we live in a culture
in 2022 that we don't have to fear
where our next meal is coming from.
I'm not worried about
starving to death next week,
but did you know that
in America, all around the world,
I mean, people are literally thinking,
man, I hope we're going to be able
to find drinking water.
I mean, that's one of the big things.
You move to a new place.
I hope we can find water.
I hope we can find a way to get food.
And all around the world,
I mean, this is something
that's a real concern in people
throughout history.
It's not really a concern for any of us
in 2022 in the Philippines.
It's like we're not worried
where it's like, man, I'm very thankful,
but for us, everything is just
handed to us. We have so much,
the life of luxury in 2022.
I mean, even in the poorest areas,
everybody has a cell phone.
It's, oh, we're so poor.
Everybody has a cell phone in 2022.
I'm just thinking, man,
you could probably use that money
for something else, but it's like
nobody's really super poor
based on the history of the world
when you look at those standards.
Instead of comparing yourself
to what God has provided for you,
and if He feeds the sparrow,
He's going to feed you
as a Bible-believing Christian,
but you need to give God
thanks for that food.
Go to 1 Timothy 4.
1 Timothy 4.
So look, when you give food
to your kids, tell them
to give thanks for it.
You say the prayer,
but actually tell them,
especially if you see them complaining
like, no, I gave you this food.
Thank you, Mom, for making this meal.
That's reality.
At every meal.
You might think this is extreme,
but this is the way it was culturally
100 years ago.
At every meal, thank you, Mom,
for making this food.
Right? Or Dad comes home from work,
thank you, Dad, for coming home
and providing for us.
I mean, that was the culture.
It was 100 years ago.
Man, to me, that seems like
a great culture, at least in that aspect.
That's where the sacrifices
their parents make.
1 Timothy 4, verse 1.
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly
that in the latter times
some shall depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits
and doctrines of devil,
speaking lies in hypocrisy,
having their conscience seared
with a hot iron,
forbidding to marry
and commanding to abstain from meats.
Oftentimes we look at the Catholic Church,
and that's a good application
that we meet God has created
to be received, but what's the key
with thanksgiving?
Giving God thanks.
Where God has provided something,
thank you, God, for what you provide.
You know what? We need to teach
our kids to be thankful
for the food that they get.
This is a common theme
throughout the New Testament,
giving God thanks for the food
that we have. Verse 4.
For every creature of God is good
and nothing to be refused
is what He gave you.
Go to Philippians 4.
Philippians chapter 4.
You say, oh, brother, this seems
like a little much.
Well, you might think that,
but stop and think about this
for a second.
When you do something nice
for someone and they do not
say thank you,
how does that make you feel?
When you do something for someone,
there's an expected, polite,
thank you.
Otherwise, it starts to bother you.
I'll give you an example.
When I was in Sacramento,
I drove the church van
for the church, and there'd be
various people that you'd pick up
on the church van.
People that didn't have vehicles,
but you'd give them a ride for church.
And you know what?
Some people were very thankful.
Some people were not.
When you're driving the church van
every single week, sometimes you're tired.
Sometimes you don't want to do it.
Sometimes you just want to rest
or whatever.
So there are times that I was
excited to do it.
Other times I'm just thinking,
man, I don't really feel like
doing it right now.
But here's the thing.
When somebody says thank you
and they mean it and they're sincere,
it makes you feel good.
It makes you realize it's all worth it.
It's just like, you know,
didn't your parents ever teach you this?
And the answer is probably not.
There was someone,
when I first started going,
I knocked on this door,
gave this guy an invitation.
I said, you know, I'm from
Verity Baptist Church,
and he starts getting really mad at me.
Apparently he used to ride
the church van to church
before I was actually a member
of the church, so I didn't know
one year ago.
It's like I was signed up
to go to the church van on a Sunday.
The van didn't pick me up.
They didn't call about it.
They didn't apologize.
They were really mad at one
of the members of our church.
And so whenever there's any situations,
I'll tell Pastor Mendez about it,
just letting him know.
There's always situations at church.
It is what it is.
But apparently this is a guy
who every other Sunday
has this person canceled
like 50 times on the church.
And let me explain to you
how running a church van works.
You're rushing to get to church service.
You show up.
People are not ready,
which is also a rude thing
if you're waiting on them
and you're the one doing them a favor.
And then all of a sudden
you're scrambling around,
and then all of a sudden
it's like one road's blocked.
You go a different route,
and you forget people sometimes.
It's just the way it works.
Plus, you know what?
You're trying to call people
and say, hey, are you coming tomorrow
because many people will cancel last second.
And then all of a sudden
you get the rides confused.
And then all of a sudden
this person, who had canceled
many times before,
one time the church van
apparently messed up.
And it's like the end of the world to him.
And I'm just thinking, ungrateful.
Ten percent of the time
you ought to be thankful for.
But this is the sort of culture
that we live in where people
expect everything.
They're just unthankful, ungrateful
for even small things.
Another thing that we need
to teach our kids to be thankful for
is with prayer requests.
Notice what it says in Philippians 4 verse 6.
Be careful for nothing,
but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made
by your requests to God.
We need to do it with thanksgiving.
Now this is kind of tricky.
What exactly does that mean?
Because to pray for something
is to ask for something.
That's why you'll see the expression
where I pray thee, meaning I ask thee
in the Bible, where they're not
talking to God, they're just saying
I pray thee or I ask thee.
It's for asking for something.
And of course it's good to ask
for things from God.
The Bible says you have not
to pray for something.
But it's good to ask for something.
And I think that's a good example
of this.
Go to Daniel 6, and I think
we'll see a good example of this.
Daniel 6.
Daniel chapter 6 verse 6.
Famous chapter on Daniel
and the lion's den.
Let me show you in Daniel 6
verse 6 to set the context here.
Daniel 6 verse 6.
Then these presidents and princes
assembled together to the king
to establish a royal statute
and to make a firm decree that
whosoever shall ask a petition
of any god or man for 30 days
save of thee, O king, he shall be
cast into the den of lions.
Now, O king, establish the decree
and sign the writing that it
be not changed according to the
law of the Medes and Persians,
which altereth not.
Wherefore, king Darius signed
the writing in the decree.
This is similar to what England
was like 450 years ago as we
don't ask for anything from any
god or man save of the king.
Right, now obviously this is
some real religious persecution
and the king in this instance
is not really a bad guy.
He's just a bit bobo or foolish
in this situation, but it's
illegal to pray.
Now, imagine you live during
this time period.
Are you going to be happy that
it's illegal to pray?
Obviously not.
I'm not saying you should be
happy about that.
If the government says you can't
go to church, I'm not going to
be happy about that.
If the government says you
can't pray, I'm not going to
be happy about that.
But notice the reaction of
Daniel in Daniel 6 verse 10.
Now, when Daniel knew that the
writing was signed, he went
into his house and his windows
being opened his chamber toward
Jerusalem.
He kneeled upon his knees
thinking God.
He's not thinking God.
It's illegal to pray.
What he's doing is saying,
hey, God, I have some
petitions today.
I also have a lot of things
that I'm thankful for that
you've given me in my life.
You see, oftentimes when we've
got a big burden, we will pray
and ask God for something, but
we forget to thank God for
things that he has given us.
What's an example of this?
And I'm sure there's people at
both of our churches that are in
that situation right now, that
you're looking for a different
job, you want a different job.
There is nothing wrong with
asking God to bless you with a
different job where you can
provide better for your family
or you're able to serve God
better or whatever the situation
may be.
But remember to say, God,
thank you, though, for the
job you have given me so far
well, God did give you that to
help you at least through this
time period. Maybe it's not
perfect and maybe you want
something different and that
might be your situation, but
still remember to thank God for
what he has given you. Thank
God that he has provided for
you. Nothing wrong with praying
and asking for something from
God, but also thank God for
the things you have given.
Another example might be if
people go through health
surgery, and here's the thing,
there's nothing wrong in saying,
God, I ask thee, I beseech thee,
please let this surgery go well.
But what we should also do is
with thanksgiving say, but
God, thank you for the health
you've given me the first
50 years of my life, or thank
you for my health in other
areas as you're asking God to
heal you in this matter.
And look, I'm not saying this
is the easiest thing because
when we really want something or
nothing wrong with that, but
what we should also do is thank
God for the things that he has
given us. Because if God sees
somebody that's thankful for
what he does have, then God's
going to be like, you know
what, maybe I might bless you
in another way as well. You
say, well, brother, why would
God work that way? Well,
think about how you are with
your kids. You give your kids
something small and they're
ungrateful, they're
ungrateful. You know what I do
as a dad? I say no. You say
why? Because you didn't thank
me for the Dutch meal I got
you. It's like you need to
remember to use that word
thanks next time, don't you?
Because it's just like, you
know, if I get you something
and you're not thankful for
it, it's like don't expect me
to just, you know, we live in
a culture where, you know,
things like Christmas are
programmed in like Santa Claus,
the Christmas list, you thank
them for that gift. We live in
a culture where kids get gifts.
They get gifts from their
parents. Their parents, save
them money, they buy a gift
for them for Christmas. They
don't have to do that. You
don't have to be like every
other parent. They get
something for them and then
the child is upset because I
wanted the PlayStation. I wanted
the Xbox. I wanted, it's not
Super Nintendo, what is it?
I want the iPhone 15. You just
gave me an iPhone 10 or
whatever. It's like that's not
the sort of child I want to
raise. I want to teach my child
to be thankful and look, we tell
our kids sometimes, you know,
when we go to the mall as a
family and it's like they want
to buy everything. Kids have
a tendency when they'll buy
every toy and I'm just like
no. Right? And sometimes kids
will be like, well, but that
other kid has that. It's like
no. Right? Or just wait until
your birthday. We'll give you
one gift for your birthday.
We'll give you one gift for
Christmas that you can pick out
from here but not right now.
Turn to Psalm 100. Psalm 100.
Psalm 100. I mean these are
pretty basic things but when
you really think about it, I
think all of us struggle with
this. Right? I mean praying to
God and thanking God because
oftentimes, you know, we put
God on the back burner. We
pray and we really need Him.
All we do is ask Him for what
we want. I'm guilty of that
sometimes. I'd say probably
all of us are probably guilty
of that but then you look at
Daniel and if you stop and
think about that, he's just
been told it's illegal to pray
and your life is going to be
in jeopardy every single day
but yet he found things to
thank God about. It's like but
thank you God. You say what
could you thank God for in
this? I've been able to serve
you freely and get people
saved and serve you and
freely been able to pray. I
mean that's something to be
thankful for. I mean usually
when the glass is half empty,
it's also half full also.
It's also something you can be
thankful for. This is kind of
a small example but you know
earlier today when we were
driving up here and the
vehicle stalled, it's like it
actually stalled before we got
here and you know what I can be
thankful for? Well I'm glad it
didn't stop on the interstate.
I'm glad that it stopped before
we got started because it's
easy to get upset and
frustrated because I'll be
honest with you, I like
showing up to church very early
before I preach and I just get
relaxed and everything like that.
I don't like showing up last
second. Other people are
different and we actually got
here earlier than I expected
right? It's like you know
usually even when things don't
go exactly how we expect or
want, we still have things
that we can be thankful for.
Another example to be thankful
is in the house of God. In
God's house we ought to be
thankful. The Bible says in
Psalm 100 verse 1, make a
joyful noise unto the Lord all
ye lands. Serve the Lord with
gladness, come before his
presence with singing. You
know what, when it comes to
things in life, that's what the
songs are about, right? And
what's amazing is when you
praise God, it puts you in a
good mood. Isn't that true?
If we had become people that
are thankful people, it
actually puts you in a good
mood. People that complain are
in a bad mood, but people
that are giving thanks are
actually in a good mood.
Getting in the habit of saying
thanks, it actually puts you
in a better mood, right?
And that is gates with
thanksgiving. Church is meant
to be a place where regardless
of your problems and your
stress and things that are
bothering you, you can set it
aside and just say I'm going
to go to church and just praise
God and be thankful to be here.
I get to go to a good church
and hear the preaching of God's
word. I get to be around
like-minded people and just put
our problems behind us. I'm not
saying there's never a time to
go to church. Don't take what
I'm saying out of context.
I'm not trying to go overboard
because I understand I've been
in church where it's not just
I'm in a bad mood, but I have
real things to mourn about.
Those are times when I'm not
saying you're going to
necessarily enter. I'm just
saying that in general, you
ought to be able to come to
church and say, you know
what, I'm thankful to be here.
And even in times of mourning,
you can still praise God.
This is something that around
the world most people do not
have. Most people around the
world don't have a place that
they can gather of 50-plus
people every week that love
God. It's not a reality in
most parts of the world. It's
not a reality in most parts of
the Philippines. There's a
reason why a lot of you are
coming from a long distance
because it's just not a
reality everywhere. And so
there's a reason for allowing
me to hear the gospel and be
around like-minded people and
be able to serve God and
with other people that love
you. That is something to be
thankful for. And into His
courts with praise, be
thankful unto Him and bless
His name. For the Lord is
good, His mercy is everlasting,
and His truth endureth to all
generations. Go to Revelation
chapter 7. Revelation 7.
Actually, go to 1 Corinthians
chapter 7. It's hard to get an
accurate percentage of the
people in this world that are
saved. My opinion is less than
1 percent of this world is
saved. I hope I'm wrong. I
hope it's a lot higher. Now, I
do believe it's over 1
percent probably in the
Philippines and in some other
countries, but worldwide I'd say
it's less than 1 percent in my
opinion. I believe there's safe
people everywhere, but I don't
think there's a lot of safe
people in most places.
Regardless of what the
percentage is, it's certainly
less than 5 percent, and if
you're a soul winner, you can
certainly agree with that,
whatever the percentage is.
Regardless of whether it's 1
percent or 5 percent, the fact
that you're in the minority and
the few, not just, well, it's
40 percent to 60 percent. No,
no, no, we're talking about
almost everybody is unsaved,
and narrow is the way which
happens. You've got to be
thankful every single day, and
here's the thing. The day you
got saved, you were very
thankful. There's no doubt
about that. I mean, I was so
happy when I got saved. I was
so relieved, and you realized
like, man, I was literally like
this close to going to hell. I
could have been in one car wreck
and been in hell forever. It's
like, man, you're so thankful,
but as time goes by, what
takes place? You kind of forget
about it, and you put it out of
mind when in reality you ought to
be thankful every day and
realize I'm saved. Very few
people are. I went to church
one time, and the pastor was
preaching on the
pre-tribulational rapture, and
obviously I don't believe in a
pre-tribulational rapture. We
believe in a post-trib rapture,
as the Bible says, but it's
not a sermon that I fully
agreed with because I disagreed
with that, but there's one
about salvation, and he's just
saying, and at the time I was
going through some various
problems in my life, and I was
a little bit down on some
things, and he said,
regardless of any problems you
have in your life, thank God
you're saved. Such a simple
point, and yet very powerful.
That's the truth. If you have
the literal worst life of
anyone in the world the rest
of your life, you're better
than 99 percent of people.
Praise God you're saved. I got
saved at the age of 18. In
America, from experience, I have
found colleges to be about the
most receptive place to the
Gospel, very receptive to the
Gospel, but there's one caveat
to that. There's one catch to
that. It depends on what year
they are in school, because
freshmen are extremely receptive to
the Gospel. Sophomores are
pretty receptive. Juniors are not
that receptive. Seniors are very
unreceptive. I got saved as a
freshman. I'm just thinking,
what if I didn't hear the
Gospel my first or my second
year, and I heard it when I was
25 or 30 or something, because
that's the reality for some
people. They hear the Gospel
later. Maybe I would have been
too stubborn. Maybe I would have
been set in my ways. I believe
the reason why that is is
because in college, at least
growing up in America, what
college is about is fornication
of faith. You don't have to work
hard to get a degree in America.
It's like you can just goof off
throughout college, commit all
manner of sin, and they
basically say, well, just show
your wild oats while you're
young and take life seriously
when you're in your 20s. Well,
that's certainly not how I want
to raise my kids in 2022, but
that's the way it is culturally.
But here's the thing. Even
though salvation is by faith
alone, people that live sinful
lives, you would think that
you'd be so thankful for a gift,
and then those same people will
tell you how you have to be a
good person, and you're just
thinking, it's like, by what
standard are you good? That's
what I'm thinking in my head.
I'm just like, you should be so
thankful. It's a gift. It's
like I'm telling you, it's like
yes, you can, I mean, you see
like a million red horse outside
of their house. It's like
you can say the rest of your
life as long as you believe on
Christ, and those people are
going to do that and say you
have to live a good life to
get to heaven. It's just like,
it's crazy. But see, this is
why I believe that freshmen tend
to be very receptive, because
when people become freshmen in
America, most of them, or at
least probably half of them,
have not gone down that road,
but it ends up becoming very
common with most people. That's
not the way it works. Usually
you go to college and you start
becoming a drunk and drop out of
school or whatever, and I became
very religious. I'm very
thankful I heard the gospel at
the age of 18. If I had heard
it at 19, I'd be less receptive.
Who knows? If I heard it at 20,
I heard it at 21. I'm very
thankful I didn't get brainwashed
with a false gospel before I was
saved. Many people, they get
that. Regardless of how you got
saved, you can be thankful that
this is a very good church in
comparison to other churches
around the Philippines and
around the world. I mean, if
you've been part of our church
for a while, you know that
there's a difference between our
church and other churches, and
you ought to be thankful. Is it
a perfect church? Of course not.
Am I a perfect preacher? Of
course not. But you know what?
It's better than most people's
situations. You ought to be
thankful that you have fellow
churches that you can worship
with. A lot of people would
love to have something like
that. We ought to enter into
God's house with thanksgiving
regardless of the problems
that are going on in our
personal lives. 1 Corinthians
15, verse 54. This is
obviously the famous
resurrection chapter in the
Bible. It says in 1 Corinthians
15, verse 54, so when this
corruptible shall have put on
incorruption and this mortal
sin, O grave, where is thy
victory? The sting of death is
sin, and the strength of sin
is the law, but thanks be to
God, which giveth us the
victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ. What is that victory?
Well, faith is the victory.
Faith is the victory that
overcomes the world.
Basically, thanking God that
you're saved is what that's
essentially saying. We ought to
thank God and praise God that
we're saved. Go to Proverbs 29.
You say, what are you trying to
say, brother? Here's what I'm
saying. And look, of course, at
a young age, we expect that
the fact that kids are foolish
and we've got to train them,
but you know what? If your
child is complaining, it's like,
oh, you know, I've got to sit
through another service or we're
here so long or it's hot
outside for soul winning or
whatever, you should train and
correct your child on that.
They need to be in God's house
coming with this attitude of
complaining and being upset.
They ought to be thankful. And
of course, this is something
that even us as adults can
struggle with, how much more
kids? We have to train our
kids. First, set the example
for your kids. And then
secondly, teach your kids to
say thank you. What I'm saying
is this, that you should
teach and train your kids that
if somebody gives them
something, they say thank you.
Now obviously, you know, we know
this as adults, but we need to
make sure we're training our
kids because I'm telling you,
these kids are going to look at
other kids that are not doing
that. And they're going to
start being like the other
kids. I'm sorry, I don't want
my kids to be like the average
kid in 2022. I want my child
to be different. We ought to
teach them to use the word
thanks. And lastly, if your
child does not use the word
thank you, you need to say
please. You need to say sorry,
right? What I do sometimes at
home is, you know, I'll give
my kids something and then they
go to take it. They said please
or whatever, they go to take it
and then I don't let them have
it. I hold onto that Dutch meal
or whatever because I'm waiting
for something. And I'm waiting and
waiting because I want them to
just learn it naturally. It's
like, you know, thank you,
right? I want them to say that
and if we give our kids
something and then they don't use
that word, I stop and say, wait
a minute, what's that word that
you should be saying, right? Or
if somebody gives them
something, and I'm not saying
I'm perfect at this because, you
know, sometimes you forget. We
all as parents are doing our
best. It's hard. It's difficult.
It takes energy. We're all
trying our best. But what we
should do is correct our kids
and tell them, hey, you need
to use the word thank you and
then they'll say, thank you.
Now, I know from experience,
this is sometimes what takes
place with your kids. You
know, they get something from
somebody and then you're like,
what's that word you're
supposed to say? And then
they say, please. And it's
like, well, not please. It's
actually thank you, but okay,
that works, right? Where they
get the word wrong. Or, you
know, somebody told me yesterday,
I don't know their child, what's
that word you're supposed to say?
I'm sorry. It's like, no, no,
thank you, right? Sometimes
the kids can get confused at a
young age, but the idea is
that they're putting in that
time and effort, and you've
obviously taught them to do
that. Now, I would say this.
If my kids don't say thank you,
I don't, you know, spank my
kids for that, but if I tell
them to say thank you and
they refuse, I do spank them
again. Are you going to say it?
Or do you need a spanking? And
I kind of give them a decision
because here's the thing. It's
like, you shouldn't let your
kids win these battles and
basically rule the house. Like,
no, they need to be kids that
learn how to say thank you,
please, I'm sorry, and
whatever the basic etiquette,
which used to be just a
cultural thing, but not anymore.
Go to Romans 1. We'll close
up. Romans 1. Romans 1.
How do you teach your children
to be thankful? Well, you set a
good example. That's a large
part of it. I can say this
that, you know, a large reason
why Christabel does certain
things is because her older
brother does it, and if
Kuya says thank you, then she
says thank you, and you know
what, honestly, he did a lot
of the training for her just
seeing what her older brother
does, right? Setting a good
example. Number two is require
them to say thank you, but also
instructing and correcting them
if they complain or they don't
give thanks. That's the time.
I mean, the Bible says we
ought to be teaching our kids
at all times when you're
standing up, when you're
rising up, when you're lying
down, walking by the way.
You know, what exactly does that
mean? It means at all times
you should be ready to teach
and train your kids. So if
your kids make a mistake, you
know, of course, that takes time
and energy and effort, and it's
difficult sometimes. All of us,
you know, there's times where
it's like, ah, man, I just
don't want to worry about this
right now, but we need to make
sure that we're teaching and
training our kids these things.
Now, Romans 1, I want you to
notice this verse in 21, and I
don't want you to misunderstand.
I'm not saying that if you
don't teach your kids to be
thankful, they're going to grow
and grow. And notice this.
Neither were thankful. You say,
Brother Stuckey, what's really
the root cause of being a
reprobate? Being unthankful.
Being ungrateful. Instead of
being thankful to God, getting
mad at God. That's really the
root cause that I see. Now, of
course, if you give your gospel
to your child, I believe they're
going to end up getting saved,
but here's the thing. At the
same time, although they won't go
down the Romans 1 road, I don't
know what the road is of a child
that gets saved but is grown up
to be very unthankful. I don't
want the end of that road
either. I want a child that gets
saved and learns to be
thankful. It might seem like
something very small, but Romans
1, before you get into all the
verses that are very famous,
what's the root cause you see?
Neither were thankful. Just not
thankful for what they've been
given. And as I've said
recently, kids generally are very
thankful. Your kids for like a
month will be trying to jump,
and then they finally do, and
they're like so thankful. But
you know, we need to teach
them to be thankful in all
areas. And it starts by setting
a good example, next by
teaching them and telling them
to use the word thank you, and
lastly, if they're struggling
with it or they don't do it,
we as parents need to correct
them and say, hey, you need to
use the word thank you. You
need to use the word sorry.
Usually they're okay with
saying please or thank you, but
they really have a lot of hard
time using that word sorry. But
these are all words that we
need to make sure become an
active part of our kids' lives.
Let's close in a word of prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you
for allowing us to be here
today and getting to see these
verses and this passage, and I
ask you to help all of us as
parents. Help us to do our best
with the Bible and go soul
winning and are just thankful
for all the small blessings
they've been given in life, God.
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Let's sing it again
last time sir.
When we walk with the Lord
first time sir, ready sing
When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His birth
The glory He sheds on our way
While we do His good will
He abides with us still
And below who will trust and obey
Trust and obey
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey
Not a shadow can rise
Not a cloud in the skies
But His smile quickly drives it away
Not a doubt or a fear
Not a sign or a tear
Can abide while we trust and obey
For us, trust and obey
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey
Not a burden we bear
Not a sorrow we share
But a thought we appreciate
Not a grief nor a loss
Not a frown or a cross
But if let's keep we trust and obey
Trust and obey
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey
But we never can prove
Not the lies of His love
Until all on the altar we lay
For the favor He shows
And the joy He bestows
Are for them who will trust and obey
For us, trust and obey
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey
On the last
Then in fellowship swing
He will sing at His feet
For we'll walk by His side in the way
What He says we will do
Where He says we will go
Never fear, only trust and obey
For us, trust and obey
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus
But we never can be happy in Jesus