Latest / Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons / A Living Church

Transcript

A Living Church · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

0:00
Well friends, good morning. A warm welcome to our service today. May the Lord bless us as together we seek to explore the good news of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
0:10
We welcome any visitors among us and those joining us online. May the Lord bless us and be near to us as together we worship Him this morning.
0:18
Well, my name is Colin McLeod and I'm ministering back and with James' recent retirement, the Presbytery have appointed me as your interim moderator.
0:25
In taking up this role, I count it as a real privilege and I will do everything I can to support Calamurdo and work alongside the Kirk Session and you as a congregation as we seek to work towards filling the vacancy of senior minister in the congregation.
0:42
I'll say a little bit more about that at the close of the service.
0:45
I've been asked just to highlight the bulletin sheet that's available today. It's full. I won't even attempt to go through it because it's like an essay.
0:52
Please do take your time to look through. There's lots of information on there. Upcoming meetings this week all are scheduled.
0:58
There's tea and coffee in the hall after the service this morning. All are very welcome.
1:03
On Monday the 15th of July, the Kirk Session will meet in Kennet Street Session room at 7pm. That's an important one to take note, please, Elders.
1:10
And then also there's a note here about the free breakfast at the free church.
1:14
If anyone would like to help with the annual free breakfast on Sunday the 21st of July, please email the church office, not the church officer, and get in touch with Peggy McLennan.
1:26
That's information for you.
1:27
Also, there was an update shared last night.
1:30
Sad news that an elder of the congregation, Charlie Finlayson, had passed away.
1:35
We remember very much the family, Catherine and Rury, and we commend them to the Lord that his peace and mercy would uphold them at this time in their sad loss.
1:47
We'll be gathered together this morning to worship the Lord.
1:50
And we begin by singing to his praise from Psalm 121.
1:55
Psalm 121.
1:57
Singing the psalm from the Psalter, page 416 in our Blue Psalm books.
2:02
And we'll sing this whole psalm to the tune French.
2:05
I to the hills will lift mine eyes.
2:07
From whence doth come mine aid.
2:09
My safety cometh from the Lord, who heaven and earth hath made.
2:13
Thy foot he'll not let slide, nor will he slumber that thee keeps.
2:17
Behold, he that keeps Israel, he slumbers not, nor sleeps.
2:22
Psalm 121.
2:23
We'll stand and sing together.
2:24
Amen.
2:24
I to the hills will lift my eyes.
2:37
From whence doth come my aid.
2:43
My safety cometh from the Lord, who heaven and earth hath made.
2:58
Thy foot he'll not let slide, nor will he slumber that thee keeps.
3:12
Behold, he that keeps Israel, he slumber that thee keeps.
3:19
Israel, he slumber that thee keeps.
3:23
The Lord, he keeps the Lord my shape.
3:35
On thy light and of stay.
3:42
The Lord, my life, thee shall not spite.
3:51
Nor yet the sun by day.
3:56
The Lord, my soul, he shall preserve me from all ill.
4:12
Henceforth thy going, our children.
4:19
God keep forever.
4:25
We'll bow in prayer together.
4:33
our lord and our god on this your day we bow before you and give you thanks for this opportunity
4:41
this privilege of singing praise to you the living god together and we ask you lord from
4:48
the outset of our time as we worship and sing praise as we bow in prayer as we bring to you
4:54
lord our petitions and as we express to you in prayer the things that are most upon our hearts
5:00
and minds we do so lord in humility and dependence we bow in reverence and awe and wonder and lord we
5:09
adore we worship we give thanks to you the living god creator sustainer ruler sovereign over all
5:17
that we can come to you in prayer what a privilege what a joy and what a blessing and so lord we ask
5:25
for your hand to be upon us today that you would come in among us and do us good that lord you would
5:31
bless to our hearts your word the gospel of god this good news of jesus christ and him crucified
5:39
we bless you for the hope of the gospel the promise of the gospel the life-giving life-changing impact
5:47
of the gospel upon hearts and lives and may that be so today may men and women and boys and girls be
5:53
encouraged by the word and may many who as yet remain unconvinced and unconverted be brought in repentance
6:02
and faith to jesus christ there to receive from him forgiveness and life everlasting we bless you for this
6:11
message of life that it is a message that resounds from and brings us to the lord jesus christ and in
6:19
his name we pray lord that you draw near to us that you would bless us renew us forgive us our sin cleanse
6:25
us and renew us and all that we ask is in jesus precious name amen
6:31
well i'm sure everybody boys and girls here if we were to total up the number of trips everyone in here
6:39
is made on the ferry it would be quite significant we've all been there haven't we many times
6:44
on the the ferry from you can probably hear remember that the names of the previous ferries going back
6:49
a number of years and now we have of course a lot seaforth i was on there the other day i want to
6:54
talk to you talk to you about this i was just on the ferry i think last week we're on there
6:57
sailing across the minch is like a pond beautiful it always is isn't it there's never a wind in the
7:02
minch so we tell the visitors and then there were dolphins sightings and the usual scramble to the
7:08
windows and taking pictures of the sea and as we were crossing over an announcement came on over
7:15
the tannoy from the captain saying that we're going to run a drill they're informing us as passengers
7:21
we're going to run a drill on the boat don't worry about it we're going to shut the restaurant while the
7:25
crew practice their drills at sea fair enough so we get to hear and see a drill being carried out
7:34
as a passenger quite interesting in fact more than interesting it was quite something and every
7:41
stage through the drill bing bong on the t on the tannoy on the pa the announcer would say crew to
7:49
stations bing bong crew to next station bing bong crew to the next and so we were able to follow
7:55
through what was actually happening and at one point we saw quite a few of the crew gather at this spot on
8:01
the ferry and they slid open the doors and there were hundreds of life jackets just stacked up
8:08
perfect okay everything i see of course is perfect everything is stowed away tied down lashed secured
8:14
perfect and it was just it was just just so nice to see that the precision the care and everything
8:20
that the crew were doing and that's what struck me and that's what i wanted to share with you
8:24
today the crew were practicing how to make sure everybody on the boat if they needed to
8:32
would be kept safe by them the crew that's what they were doing practicing what to do
8:39
in case of an emergency which is something none of us ever want to experience and those who have
8:44
experienced it well wow to go through something like that at sea and what was really good to see
8:50
was the crew going through all their practices so they would know what to do if there was a drama
8:57
and that's the thing we've just sung today a really well-known psalm 121 i to the hills will lift mine
9:05
eyes from whence hath come my made what a great question that is who's going to help me said the
9:10
psalmist as he looked to the strength and hills of the hills and looked at the created world around
9:15
him said who's going to help me if i get into a crisis or a drama my safety cometh from the lord
9:21
who heaven and earth hath made now that's quite something the psalm writer was caught up with god's
9:29
power and wonder the the amazing ability of god to say let there be and there was god is the creator of
9:38
all things and the psalmist was thankful for that but that's not what he was most thankful for it wasn't
9:44
that god was the maker of all things it was that god was his keeper that's what really thrilled the psalmist
9:53
thy foot he'll not let slide nor will he slumber that thee keeps behold he that keeps israel he does not
10:03
slumber he does not sleep six times in this short song of praise the psalm talks about god being the keeper
10:11
of his people what a wonderful thing that is just to think about for a few minutes today on a sunday
10:18
morning the lord thee keeps and then verse 7 the lord shall keep thy soul if you're a christian here today
10:29
that's your song you can say that the lord is not just your maker he is your keeper he is the keeper
10:37
of your soul and that crew drill on the lock sea forth a few nights ago seeing them practicing how
10:44
to make sure everyone would be kept safe on the boat if they were needed that reminded me of this
10:49
great reality in the psalm we've just sung together that when we put our trust in jesus when we ask the
10:56
lord into our hearts and confess our sin to him and ask him to forgive us and cleanse us and make us new
11:02
that's exactly what he does and then we speak of him not just as our maker but our keeper the lord
11:10
shall keep thy soul this boys and girls is not a message for old people it's not a message just for elders
11:17
or ministers or or church folk this is a message for you today for everyone on our island and in our country
11:24
that if we put our trust in jesus he will be our keeper and may he bless us as we look to him
11:31
but we're going to say together the words of the lord's prayer as is the congregation's custom and
11:37
the words are in the bulletin if you would like to use them we say together our father who art in
11:43
heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this
11:51
day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors lead us not into temptation
11:58
but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever amen
12:06
well we'll sing again to god's praise from sing psalms in psalm 18 psalm 18 page 19 in our blue psalm
12:17
books and we're going to sing in psalm 18 from verse 1 to verse 6 to the tune duke street psalm 18 and
12:25
sing psalm singing from the beginning i love you lord you are my strength a fortress is the lord to me
12:33
my rock and my deliverer for refuge to my god i flee he is my stronghold and my shield the lord who
12:41
saves me by his might i'll call on him and give him praise i'm saved he puts my foes to flight psalm 18
12:49
from verse 1 to 6 we'll stand together
12:52
i love you lord you are my strength a fortress is the lord to me
13:10
my lord and my deliverer for refuge to my god i flee he is my stronghold and my shield the lord who saves me by his might
13:30
I'll count my shield, the Lord who saves me by His might.
13:40
I'll call on Him and give Him praise.
13:48
I've saved He puts my foes to fight.
13:55
A portal of death had tumbled me.
14:04
Destruction hit me like a wave.
14:11
Encircled by the stairs of death,
14:19
I faced the tethers of the cliff.
14:27
In my distress I called on God.
14:35
I cried unto the Lord for it.
14:42
He from His temple heard my voice.
14:50
He listened to the prayer I made.
14:57
Amen.
14:58
Amen.
15:04
We'll read together this morning from God's Word from the New Testament.
15:08
Two passages.
15:09
First of all, from the Acts of the Apostles in chapter 17.
15:13
The Acts of the Apostles.
15:15
We'll read in chapter 17.
15:17
And then we'll turn forward in our Bibles to read in 1 Thessalonians.
15:22
And the first chapter.
15:23
So first of all, Acts in chapter 17,
15:27
where we read of a part of what we call today the second missionary journey.
15:33
The gospel has been brought by the small missionary team to Europe.
15:37
Paul, Timothy and Silas, and at some point joined by Luke,
15:41
begin or continue to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
15:46
Here in chapter 17 we read of what happened when they come to the ancient city of Thessalonica.
15:51
Thessalonica.
15:52
And when we'll read later the letter Paul would write to these new converts.
15:58
Chapter 17 in Acts.
15:59
Now, when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia,
16:04
they came to Thessalonica where there was a synagogue of the Jews.
16:08
And Paul went in as was his custom.
16:10
And on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the scriptures,
16:14
explaining and proving it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead,
16:20
saying, This Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Christ.
16:25
Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas,
16:28
as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.
16:33
But the Jews were jealous.
16:35
And taking some wicked men of the rabble,
16:37
they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar,
16:40
and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.
16:44
And when they could not find them,
16:46
they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities,
16:50
shouting, These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.
16:55
And Jason has received them,
16:57
and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar,
17:00
saying, There is another king, Jesus.
17:03
And the people in the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things.
17:07
And when they had taken money, a security from Jason,
17:10
and the rest, they let them go.
17:13
The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea.
17:18
And when they arrived, they went into the Jewish synagogue.
17:22
And when we turn forward to 1 Thessalonians,
17:26
we find in this passage a short, powerful pastoral letter,
17:33
written a year perhaps later, a number of months later,
17:39
as far as we can tell, while Paul was ministering in Corinth.
17:43
And he writes to the church that he was responsible for founding
17:47
to encourage them and to stabilize them in their faith
17:54
as they faced a difficult providence.
17:58
And so we read from chapter 1,
17:59
Paul, Silas, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians
18:03
and God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
18:06
Grace to you and peace.
18:08
We give thanks to God always for all of you,
18:11
constantly mentioning you in our prayers,
18:14
remembering before our God and Father
18:16
your work of faith and labor of love
18:19
and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
18:23
For we know, brothers loved by God,
18:25
that he has chosen you
18:26
because our gospel came to you not only in word,
18:29
but also in power and in the Holy Spirit
18:32
and with full conviction.
18:34
You know what kind of men we prove to be among you for your sake.
18:38
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord,
18:41
for you received the word in much affliction
18:44
with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
18:46
so that you became an example
18:48
to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achia.
18:51
For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth
18:54
from you in Macedonia and Achia,
18:57
but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere,
19:00
so that we need not say anything.
19:04
For they themselves report concerning us
19:06
the kind of reception we had among you
19:08
and how you turned to God from idols
19:11
to serve the living and true God
19:13
and to wait for his Son from heaven,
19:15
whom he raised from the dead,
19:17
Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.
19:22
Amen.
19:23
May the Lord bless his word to our hearts,
19:26
to his name be all the praise.
19:28
Let's bow in prayer again for a moment together.
19:33
Our Lord and our God,
19:35
we bless and praise you this morning
19:37
that we have opened in our gathering your word.
19:41
And we bless you that we are led here
19:43
to the word that became flesh and dwelt among us,
19:46
to Jesus Christ the righteous,
19:48
who came to seek and to save the lost,
19:50
to call sinners to repentance.
19:53
And so we pray today, Lord,
19:55
for this time we are together,
19:56
that you would bless us and do us good,
19:59
that you would open our hearts
20:00
and grant us renewed insight
20:03
and understanding as to the truths of the gospel,
20:06
these wonderful doctrines of grace,
20:08
this message of life and forgiveness
20:11
and reconciliation in Jesus.
20:14
For we know that there is no condemnation
20:17
to those who are in Christ Jesus.
20:19
And we know that he has come to bring us to God,
20:23
to deliver us from the wrath to come.
20:25
What a message, what a hope and what a saviour.
20:27
And we pray, Lord, this morning
20:29
that this message would take root in our hearts and lives,
20:34
shaping us from the inside out,
20:36
leading us and motivating us
20:38
to be servants of the living God.
20:40
That we, as the Christians in Thessalonica,
20:43
it would show we have turned to God,
20:46
to serve him,
20:48
waiting for the appearing of Jesus Christ,
20:51
our saviour, your son.
20:53
So we pray, Lord, this day,
20:55
that your message of truth and love and peace
20:58
would be blessed to our hearts,
21:01
that as happened in Thessalonica,
21:03
the word would be blessed here
21:05
and it would come home to hearts
21:07
with power and much conviction,
21:09
blessed of the Holy Spirit,
21:10
that there would be joy,
21:12
joy in the proclamation of Christ,
21:14
joy in receiving Christ,
21:16
joy in knowing forgiveness of sin.
21:20
We pray, Lord, for your blessing on your word today,
21:22
that you would watch over
21:23
and bless the congregation here
21:25
at this time of change,
21:27
at this time of a new chapter,
21:29
beginning with the retirement of James,
21:31
with James and Donna
21:32
now moving away from the congregation.
21:35
Lord, we pray that your hand
21:36
would rest upon them and their family.
21:39
And we pray, Lord,
21:39
for the ongoing work of the gospel
21:41
here in the congregation.
21:43
We pray for Calamurdo
21:44
and the elders and deacons,
21:46
the Sunday school teachers,
21:47
all those who are on tea and coffee rotas,
21:50
creche rotas,
21:51
and who run holiday clubs.
21:52
The work goes on.
21:54
And for that, Lord, we praise and thank you
21:56
that the message of Christ crucified
21:59
will continue to go forth.
22:01
And we pray it would go forth
22:02
with great power and conviction
22:04
that men and women
22:05
and boys and girls in Stornoway
22:07
would come under the sound of the gospel
22:09
and commit themselves to the Lord,
22:12
that they would know that salvation
22:14
in their souls for themselves.
22:17
Lord, this we ask,
22:18
that your hand would be upon
22:20
the ongoing work of the ministry
22:22
here in the congregation.
22:25
We remember today, Lord,
22:26
the family of Charlie Finlayson.
22:28
We pray for Catherine and Rury,
22:30
and the wider family.
22:32
We pray, Lord,
22:33
that your hand would be upon them
22:34
at this time.
22:35
And as we reflect on Charlie
22:38
and his life and witness
22:40
and service in the congregation,
22:42
may that be a witness
22:44
that will continue to speak to many.
22:46
We thank you, Lord,
22:47
that there are so many
22:48
who down through the years
22:50
have served you faithfully
22:51
in similar ways.
22:53
And we pray that this great cloud
22:56
of witnesses would continue
22:58
to speak to us
22:59
and that we would draw from them
23:00
an example to follow,
23:03
a promise to claim,
23:05
a race to run,
23:06
a battle to fight.
23:08
And may we do so keeping the focus
23:10
on our Lord and Saviour,
23:12
Jesus Christ.
23:14
Lord, at this time as a nation,
23:16
we too are experiencing change.
23:18
We have a new government,
23:19
a new prime minister.
23:21
And Lord, we have been inundated
23:23
these past weeks
23:24
with promise and counter-promise,
23:26
claim and counter-claim,
23:28
manifesto and counter-manifesto.
23:31
Lord, we've heard it all before.
23:34
And yet we see change.
23:36
And at this time of change,
23:38
we remember Jesus Christ,
23:41
the same yesterday,
23:43
today and forever.
23:45
And we pray, Lord,
23:46
that the certainty of the gospel
23:48
would take root in hearts and lives
23:50
at this time of change.
23:52
We pray, Lord,
23:52
for our new government,
23:54
for the prime minister,
23:55
for the cabinet,
23:56
for the royal family.
23:57
And that as an establishment,
23:59
Lord,
23:59
there would be a sense
24:01
not just of importance,
24:03
but a sense of humility,
24:05
a sense of your goodness
24:06
and greatness,
24:08
and that the gospel of grace
24:09
would change hearts and lives.
24:11
We long for the day
24:12
when we will see men and women
24:13
taking their place
24:14
in the public square,
24:15
unashamed of the gospel,
24:18
serving Jesus Christ
24:19
as a bright,
24:20
shining witness
24:21
in that capacity.
24:22
So we pray for Christian MPs,
24:24
Christian MSPs,
24:26
and we pray,
24:26
and long, Lord,
24:27
for the day
24:28
where they would,
24:29
at the heart of government
24:30
and heart of the legislative process
24:31
in our land,
24:32
be hungering and thirsting
24:34
after righteousness,
24:36
and be a longing for
24:37
a knowledge of Christ
24:38
and him crucified,
24:40
and an experience
24:40
of personal salvation.
24:42
Remember us, Lord,
24:43
at this time as a nation,
24:44
and we pray that your hand
24:46
would be upon us
24:47
as this new chapter begins,
24:49
both here locally
24:50
and nationally.
24:52
Lord, we commend
24:53
all these things to you.
24:56
We come to you
24:57
as the King of kings
24:58
and Lord of lords.
24:59
We bring to your petitions
25:01
our cares, your concerns,
25:03
and we pray, Lord,
25:04
today for those
25:05
known to you,
25:06
perhaps not known to us,
25:07
but known to you,
25:09
who are finding things
25:10
difficult at this time.
25:11
We pray for those struggling.
25:13
We pray, Lord,
25:14
for those who are
25:15
finding life hard,
25:17
who are weighed down,
25:17
who are uncertain,
25:18
afraid,
25:20
lonely,
25:21
anxious,
25:22
broken.
25:23
Lord, we pray above all
25:24
that they might know
25:25
that underneath
25:27
are the everlasting arms.
25:29
May they know
25:29
Jesus Christ
25:30
and him crucified
25:31
by coming to him
25:32
in repentance and faith,
25:33
and may those
25:34
of your people
25:35
draw alongside them
25:36
and share a word
25:37
in season,
25:38
and bring, Lord,
25:39
that offer of life
25:41
and that promise
25:42
of peace of heart
25:43
and mind
25:44
that passes
25:45
all understanding.
25:47
Hear us, Lord,
25:48
in these things we pray.
25:49
Draw near to us.
25:50
Bless your word
25:50
to our hearts
25:51
this morning
25:52
for forgive our sin.
25:54
In Jesus' name
25:54
we ask it.
25:55
Amen.
25:56
We'll sing to God's praise
26:02
once more
26:02
from the Psalter
26:03
in Psalm 84.
26:05
Psalm 84,
26:06
we'll sing
26:07
from the beginning
26:07
of the Psalm,
26:08
page 338
26:09
in our blue Psalm books,
26:11
and we're singing
26:12
to the tune
26:13
Tramps and Hawkers.
26:14
Psalm 84,
26:16
from the beginning,
26:16
How lovely is
26:18
thy dwelling place,
26:19
O Lord of hosts,
26:20
to me the tabernacles
26:21
of thy grace,
26:23
how pleasant,
26:24
Lord, they be.
26:25
My thirsty soul
26:26
longs vehemently,
26:27
ye faints thy courts
26:28
to see.
26:30
My very heart and flesh
26:31
cry out,
26:32
O living God,
26:33
for thee.
26:34
We'll stand and sing
26:35
together.
26:36
Amen.
26:39
How lovely is
26:42
thy dwelling place,
26:45
O Lord of hosts,
26:48
to me.
26:51
The tabernacles
26:54
of thy grace,
26:57
how pleasant,
26:59
Lord, they be.
27:02
My thirsty soul
27:06
longs vehemently,
27:08
in things I go
27:11
to see.
27:13
My very heart
27:17
and flesh
27:18
cry out,
27:20
O living God,
27:23
for thee.
27:26
Behold,
27:27
the sparrow
27:29
findeth out,
27:32
and house
27:33
wherein to rest.
27:37
The swallow
27:39
also
27:41
for herself
27:43
hath purchased
27:45
said,
27:47
unless.
27:49
In thy
27:50
known altars
27:53
where she
27:54
stayed,
27:55
her young
27:57
what's forth
27:58
may bring.
28:00
O the
28:02
almighty
28:04
Lord of hosts,
28:07
through heart
28:08
thy God
28:09
and King.
28:10
O the
28:12
Lord of hosts,
28:12
my God
28:13
and King.
28:14
may in thy
28:16
house not dwell,
28:19
may ever
28:20
give me
28:22
praise.
28:24
Blessed
28:25
is the
28:26
one
28:27
whose strength
28:29
thy heart
28:30
in whose
28:32
heart
28:33
are
28:33
thy ways.
28:36
Who
28:37
passing
28:38
flood,
28:39
obey
28:40
God's
28:41
will,
28:42
heaven
28:43
to
28:44
Jacob
28:45
wells,
28:47
also
28:48
the
28:50
rain
28:51
that
28:51
falleth
28:53
down,
28:54
that
28:54
cools
28:55
with
28:56
water
28:56
fills.
28:58
angels.
29:04
There are
29:05
wonderful words
29:06
and we,
29:07
having sung them
29:07
together,
29:08
we turn to
29:09
the second
29:10
passage we
29:10
read this
29:11
morning in
29:12
1 Thessalonians.
29:14
1 Thessalonians,
29:15
letter of the
29:16
Apostle Paul to
29:17
this brand new
29:18
church that he
29:20
had planted as
29:22
part of his
29:23
journeying,
29:24
what we call
29:25
today the
29:25
second missionary
29:26
journey.
29:27
he's left
29:28
the city
29:28
by night
29:29
because of
29:30
the pressure
29:31
and opposition
29:32
of the world
29:33
around him
29:33
and now some
29:34
months later he
29:35
writes back to
29:36
them and this
29:36
is the record
29:37
we have before
29:38
us.
29:39
And I'd like us
29:39
to especially
29:40
notice perhaps
29:41
in verse 2,
29:42
we give thanks
29:43
to God always
29:44
for all of you,
29:45
constantly mentioning
29:46
you in our
29:47
prayers,
29:48
remembering before
29:48
our God and
29:49
Father your
29:50
work of faith,
29:52
your labour
29:53
of love,
29:54
your steadfastness
29:55
of hope in
29:57
our Lord
29:58
Jesus Christ.
30:02
I wonder what
30:02
it is you look
30:03
for in a
30:04
church.
30:05
It's a good
30:06
question, it's a
30:07
fair question.
30:08
I'm sure most
30:09
of us, if not
30:10
all, have at
30:10
some point been
30:11
on our travels
30:12
on holiday or
30:13
in a town or
30:14
city we're not
30:14
very familiar
30:15
with and we've
30:16
looked for a
30:16
church to go
30:17
along to and
30:18
I wonder in
30:19
doing so what
30:20
it is you would
30:21
look for.
30:22
What is it you
30:23
look for in a
30:24
church?
30:25
What is it you
30:26
would like to
30:26
see when you
30:27
walk in?
30:29
What is it you
30:29
would like to
30:30
experience as the
30:31
worship begins
30:32
and unfolds?
30:34
What would you
30:35
hope to feel
30:36
while you were
30:38
there?
30:39
And above all
30:39
perhaps, what
30:41
would you want
30:42
to hear from
30:43
the pulpit during
30:45
that worship
30:46
service?
30:46
That's the kind
30:47
of questions that
30:48
are in the
30:49
background to this
30:50
letter.
30:51
we know from
30:53
the Acts of
30:53
the Apostles
30:54
that Paul and
30:55
his small team
30:55
of co-workers
30:56
brought the
30:57
gospel to
30:58
mainland Europe
30:59
and he travelled
31:00
from Philippi to
31:01
Thessalonica to
31:02
Berea down to
31:03
Athens and
31:03
Corinth and
31:04
Ephesus and
31:05
overall it seems
31:06
scholars can
31:07
piece things
31:07
together.
31:08
They think it
31:09
was about a
31:09
three-year period
31:11
covering about
31:12
3,000 miles and
31:14
we know we
31:14
park the statistics
31:15
that what happened
31:16
above all was
31:17
the gospel of
31:18
grace took hold
31:19
in hearts and
31:21
lives.
31:22
Everywhere they
31:22
went there was
31:23
conversions, there
31:24
was blessing,
31:25
churches were
31:26
planted but no
31:28
sooner had the
31:29
light dispelled
31:30
the darkness
31:30
than very quickly
31:31
opposition came
31:32
and these new
31:33
churches that we
31:34
have the letters
31:35
to Galatians,
31:36
Ephesians,
31:37
the Philippians,
31:38
the Colossian
31:39
church, the
31:39
church here in
31:40
Thessalonica,
31:41
they were brand
31:41
new churches,
31:42
church plants in
31:44
pagan cities full
31:46
of darkness and
31:47
mysticism and
31:49
pluralism and
31:50
paganism,
31:51
emperor worship
31:52
was a thing and
31:53
if you didn't
31:54
take some
31:54
spice and
31:56
sprinkle it on
31:57
the altar and
31:58
say Caesar is
31:58
God, you'd be
31:59
instantly branded
32:00
as some kind of
32:01
lunatic, an
32:02
atheist, an
32:02
outcast, someone
32:03
to be watched, a
32:04
troublemaker, some
32:05
kind of insurgent.
32:07
So that was what
32:08
Christians had to
32:09
accept right from
32:10
the off.
32:12
And we read
32:13
through Acts
32:14
17 and we read
32:15
it for a purpose
32:16
because we read
32:17
there the
32:18
founding of this
32:19
church that Paul
32:20
is now writing
32:20
to, these words,
32:22
remembering before
32:23
our God and
32:23
Father your work
32:24
of faith, your
32:25
labour of love and
32:26
steadfastness of
32:28
hope in our Lord
32:28
Jesus Christ.
32:30
What do you look
32:31
for in a church?
32:33
This is what the
32:34
apostle Paul was
32:35
looking for.
32:37
And to see if
32:38
these things were
32:39
there, what he
32:40
did was he sent
32:42
Timothy back.
32:43
As we piece
32:44
things together in
32:45
the Acts of the
32:45
Apostles and we
32:46
read through this
32:47
letter, chapter 3
32:48
tells us we could
32:49
bear it no longer,
32:50
chapter 3, verse 1,
32:52
we were willing to
32:53
be left alone at
32:53
Athens and we sent
32:55
Timothy, our
32:56
brother and God's
32:57
co-worker in the
32:58
gospel of Christ,
32:59
why?
32:59
To establish and
33:00
exhort you in your
33:02
faith that no one
33:04
be moved by these
33:05
afflictions.
33:07
This church had
33:08
known the blessing
33:09
of God Almighty,
33:11
but also they had
33:12
already tasted the
33:13
enmity and opposition
33:14
and intolerance of
33:15
the world.
33:16
The apostle had to
33:18
leave Thessalonica
33:19
under the cover of
33:21
darkness.
33:21
That's what chapter
33:22
17 in Acts tells us.
33:25
There was such an
33:25
uproar and the
33:27
riot and the threat
33:28
and the threat of
33:29
violence was so real
33:30
in the air that the
33:32
brothers in chapter
33:33
17 and verse 10
33:34
sent Paul and Silas
33:35
away by night to
33:37
Berea.
33:38
They had arrived in
33:39
the daytime as far as
33:40
we can tell, but such
33:42
was the opposition and
33:43
enmity and hatred they'd
33:44
experienced that they
33:45
had to leave under the
33:46
cover of darkness.
33:47
They moved on to
33:48
Berea and then were
33:49
told that the Jewish
33:50
people in Thessalonica
33:52
heard he was at work
33:53
in Berea and they
33:54
came there and stirred
33:55
up the crowd as well.
33:56
So in Thessalonica
33:57
there was real danger
33:59
and violence and
34:00
threat and opposition.
34:02
Paul knew it.
34:04
And some months later
34:05
down in Corinth when he
34:06
could take it no longer,
34:08
chapter 3, we could
34:09
bear it no longer.
34:10
He couldn't take it
34:11
anymore.
34:12
He couldn't take the
34:12
worry, the anxiety, the
34:15
care he felt for these
34:16
people and so he sends
34:18
Timothy and he sends
34:19
Timothy to a very clear
34:20
mission.
34:20
Timothy, travel back up
34:22
these 300 or so miles to
34:24
Thessalonica and see if
34:26
the church has stood the
34:28
test.
34:29
See if they've survived.
34:31
See if they're growing.
34:33
Go and see if there's a
34:34
church of Jesus Christ in
34:36
Thessalonica.
34:38
So I'd like us to think
34:39
about this and what comes
34:40
out of this background
34:41
particularly in light of
34:43
these words here in
34:44
chapter 1 and verse 3.
34:45
And notice this morning
34:46
two things.
34:47
First of all, the
34:48
motivation behind this
34:50
letter being Paul's
34:51
loving concern.
34:52
There's a loving concern
34:54
here.
34:55
To such a degree that he
34:57
sends Timothy.
34:58
He sends his best.
34:59
He takes Timothy, his
35:00
right-hand man, and he
35:02
sends him on a perilous
35:03
mission on his own by the
35:04
look of it, back up the
35:05
Isthmus from Corinth in the
35:07
south, back up to the
35:08
north to Thessalonica.
35:09
Which was at the time the
35:11
provincial capital.
35:12
It was a city of around, as
35:14
far as we can tell, 200,000.
35:16
So the population of ancient
35:18
Thessalonica was just slightly
35:20
smaller than modern-day
35:22
Aberdeen.
35:23
It's a big ancient city.
35:25
And in that city, there's a
35:27
church.
35:28
There was a church.
35:30
And Timothy's mission is to
35:32
go back and see if the church
35:35
is still there.
35:36
That's the interesting
35:37
background and dynamic.
35:39
That's the canvas upon which
35:41
this letter is written.
35:42
So there's a loving concern
35:44
here, first of all.
35:45
We'll look at the loving
35:45
concern, and then we'll think
35:47
about the living church that
35:49
Timothy finds.
35:50
The loving concern that we see
35:52
in Paul is, first of all, it's
35:54
expressed in the language that
35:56
opens a letter to the church of
35:58
the Thessalonians.
35:59
He writes to them, identifying
36:01
them as to where they are, but
36:03
more importantly, who they are
36:05
and whose they are.
36:06
They are the church in God the
36:08
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
36:11
Grace to you and peace.
36:12
And then immediately, there's a
36:13
switch in the language.
36:15
We thank, we give thanks to God
36:16
always for all of you, constantly
36:18
mentioning you in our prayers,
36:20
remembering you before our God and
36:22
Father.
36:23
And so he talks about them being
36:25
the church of the Thessalonians
36:28
in God the Father, who is our God
36:31
and Father, through our Lord Jesus
36:34
Christ.
36:36
So by the end of verse 3, the
36:38
language of family is established.
36:40
There's a bond.
36:41
And this bond shows and is expressed
36:44
in Paul's loving concern.
36:47
He speaks of them as being one.
36:50
And with absolute certainty and
36:52
clarity of thought, as he pens this
36:54
letter down in Corinth, he reflects
36:57
on their standing in Christ and
37:01
their bond through Christ.
37:03
Faith has established a new reality.
37:08
And that reality is pouring out of
37:10
Paul's own heart.
37:11
We give thanks to God always for you,
37:15
constantly, re-mentioning you in
37:17
our prayers, remembering before our
37:19
God and Father.
37:20
He is so concerned for them.
37:22
He has such a love for them because
37:24
he was there when he brought the
37:27
gospel to them.
37:28
And what was the message?
37:29
Chapter 17 in Acts tells us the
37:32
emphasis Paul brought to ancient
37:34
Thessalonica.
37:36
We're told in chapter 17 that he
37:38
spent three Sabbath days, that's over
37:40
a period of three weeks as a minimum,
37:43
explaining and proving it was necessary
37:46
for the Christ to suffer and to rise
37:49
from the dead saying, this Jesus who
37:52
might proclaim to you is the Christ.
37:56
And so we have Paul emphasizing in a
37:59
matter of weeks the cross and the
38:04
resurrection, the death and life of
38:07
the Lord Jesus Christ and saying, this
38:10
Jesus who might proclaim to you is the
38:12
Christ.
38:12
He preached Christ crucified.
38:14
And what happened in response to this
38:17
message?
38:18
Some were persuaded, as did a great
38:20
many of devout Greeks and many of the
38:23
leading women of the city.
38:24
They were converted because Paul preached
38:27
Christ.
38:28
He kept the focus.
38:30
He was there to tell them not about who
38:32
he was and what he had achieved.
38:35
He didn't go there with a CV as many
38:37
traveling preachers and philosophers did in
38:39
his day.
38:40
Many made itinerant speakers, made their
38:42
living by holding public classes and
38:46
lectures.
38:47
They would be paid to perform orations
38:50
and give great declarations of
38:52
philosophy and mysticism and all sorts of
38:54
pluralism and paganism.
38:56
All sorts of things were rebounding
38:58
around the city at this time.
38:59
And many would have thought, oh, here's
39:00
just another itinerant speaker.
39:02
Here's another preacher.
39:03
I wonder what he's got to say.
39:05
And what he had to say was, this Jesus,
39:08
whom I proclaim to you is the Christ.
39:10
Paul's heart for these people is founded
39:14
in these words in these few short weeks.
39:17
As far as we can tell, he had a maximum of
39:19
just a couple of months, maybe eight weeks,
39:21
ten weeks with them before he had to flee
39:24
the city or leave the city, I should say,
39:26
by the cover of darkness.
39:28
Such was the threat and violence and
39:31
aggression that the church was now
39:33
experiencing.
39:36
And so his loving concern is genuine,
39:38
he's deep-rooted, he's praying for
39:40
and really concerned for his fellow believers.
39:42
And so it comes to the point down there
39:45
in Corinth a matter of months later,
39:47
he can't take the worry anymore,
39:48
he can't take the concern anymore.
39:50
He wants to know how they're doing
39:52
and so he sends Timothy.
39:54
He gives him his best.
39:57
And so Timothy is sent back to encourage,
40:00
he is sent back to encourage the people,
40:03
the languages, his co-work,
40:05
he's sent back to establish and exhort you
40:08
in your faith that no one be moved
40:11
by these afflictions for you yourselves.
40:12
No, we are destined for this.
40:16
He doesn't want any Christians sitting there
40:18
experiencing a difficult providence
40:19
or a hard time thinking,
40:22
well, why am I going through this?
40:23
Surely Christians are not meant to experience this.
40:27
And he knows that such is the heart
40:29
of the human heart that we fall over,
40:33
don't we, we struggle, we're weak,
40:35
we give in to temptation
40:37
and then we get into such a confiddle
40:39
and we think, well, things should go this way
40:41
and when they don't go that way,
40:43
we fall apart and think,
40:44
well, how can this be?
40:45
Where's God in all of this?
40:47
And Paul is writing to them to remind them.
40:50
And the language he uses is remarkable.
40:53
You yourselves know we are destined for this.
40:58
We should experience and anticipate difficulty,
41:03
hardship, challenge, unsettledness.
41:08
And so Paul's loving concern is that
41:10
they would be kept on track.
41:13
He knew they'd be experiencing affliction,
41:16
opposition and frustration.
41:18
It was all there and he knew
41:20
that they would be going through it.
41:22
He knew and was concerned for them
41:24
that in what they would be experiencing,
41:27
they would not be blown off course,
41:29
that they would not crumble
41:30
and that they would not collapse in themselves,
41:33
that they would not become obsessed
41:35
with the hardship they were going through.
41:37
And so he says, Timothy, go back
41:39
and minister to them, pastor to them,
41:42
look after them and see if the church
41:44
is standing fast.
41:47
And he writes, grace to you and peace.
41:49
What more could he hope for?
41:51
What more could we today wish for anyone
41:52
but grace and peace?
41:55
And there's a clear way we can apply all of this
41:59
at this point today.
42:00
We need to pause before thinking about the living church.
42:03
This loving concern that led to Timothy
42:05
being sent back on this mission to Thessalonica.
42:10
If we put ourselves in that position
42:12
and imagine Timothy coming here,
42:16
what would Timothy find?
42:18
What kind of church would Timothy find
42:21
if he joined us this morning?
42:23
We know what he'd be looking for.
42:25
He found it in Thessalonica.
42:27
He found a living church,
42:30
defined here in verse 3
42:31
as a church that was set apart
42:34
by their work of faith,
42:35
their labor of love and steadfastness of hope.
42:38
So here's our challenge
42:39
by way of application of all of this.
42:43
If Timothy was to come here,
42:44
what would he find?
42:46
Has he spent time moving in amongst you
42:48
in fellowship and worship and praise and prayer?
42:53
What would he find?
42:55
And then what report would he bring back
42:56
to the apostle of the church in Stornoway?
43:00
He'd been sent back to establish
43:01
and exhort them in their faith,
43:04
reminding them that they're not exempt
43:06
difficulty, hardship and setbacks.
43:10
How did you get on, Timothy?
43:11
What's the message?
43:12
What's the report?
43:13
Tell me about the church.
43:14
That's what happened in Corinth
43:16
when Timothy eventually caught up.
43:19
Perhaps it seems maybe it wasn't in Athens.
43:22
It was maybe either in Corinth
43:23
or maybe even in Ephesus.
43:24
Probably Corinth as we try and piece it together,
43:26
which isn't always that easy to do.
43:28
But the report he brought back
43:30
was crystal clear.
43:32
Whatever city he re-aligned himself with Paul,
43:36
whatever they were at that time,
43:37
he brought back a wonderful report.
43:39
A report that gladdened the heart.
43:44
Chapter 3, verse 6.
43:45
Timothy has come to us from you
43:47
and has brought us the good news
43:49
of your faith and love and reported.
43:52
You always remember us kindly
43:54
and long to see us
43:55
as we long to see you.
43:59
There was a description
44:01
a number of years ago I read
44:03
of the liner, the old liner,
44:07
the Queen Mary,
44:07
that eventually was retired
44:09
from the transatlantic crossing,
44:11
was bought by a multi-billionaire
44:13
over in America
44:14
and parked up and turned into
44:15
this five-star luxury hotel complex
44:19
as part of a massive retail park
44:21
there over in the States somewhere.
44:23
And after a number of years,
44:25
the ship was inspected.
44:26
From the outside,
44:28
the Queen Mary looked absolutely incredible,
44:31
colossal,
44:32
this vast luxury liner
44:34
that famed around the world
44:36
for the luxurious appointments
44:38
in the ship
44:39
as she crossed the Atlantic
44:40
in the 30s and the 40s.
44:42
But when the ship was inspected,
44:45
it was found to be
44:47
in utter disrepair.
44:49
There was all sorts of issues
44:52
and problems.
44:54
The ship had simply suffered
44:56
from neglect.
44:57
It had sat in that docking position
45:00
and her engines,
45:03
her systems below the waterline
45:05
were an absolute catastrophe
45:07
that was going to cost millions
45:09
to put right.
45:10
The ship had just suffered
45:12
from neglect.
45:14
And that's the kind of picture,
45:16
I think,
45:16
that we need to take hold of today,
45:18
that we would not suffer
45:20
from neglect
45:21
and that we would not neglect
45:23
the cause,
45:24
the work,
45:25
the ministry
45:26
that is to continue
45:27
here as a congregation
45:29
among you.
45:30
Your responsibility
45:31
and privilege
45:32
is to serve this community
45:34
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
45:36
That work goes on.
45:39
And so we need to ensure
45:40
the focus remains,
45:42
that the temperature
45:43
remains high,
45:44
that the pulse
45:45
remains strong,
45:46
and that fellowship
45:48
and worship
45:49
and communion
45:50
go together.
45:53
Paul's love and concern
45:55
brings all this out
45:56
because that's what Timothy
45:57
found in ancient Thessalonica
45:59
and our challenge,
46:01
our responsibility
46:02
is that we would seek
46:04
to achieve the same
46:06
in our day and age,
46:08
in our setting.
46:09
So there's love and concern here.
46:11
Secondly, of course,
46:12
there's what Timothy found
46:13
when he got to Thessalonica.
46:15
He travelled that 300 or so miles
46:17
on his own by foot,
46:18
as far as we can tell,
46:19
back up to Thessalonica.
46:21
He went back to the site
46:23
where the church had been founded
46:24
and what he found there
46:26
gladdened his heart.
46:28
And he brought back to Paul
46:30
a message of joy
46:31
and thanksgiving.
46:33
Timothy in chapter 3
46:34
has come to you
46:36
and has brought us
46:37
the good news
46:38
of your faith and love.
46:41
Paul, he would have said,
46:42
the church has stood
46:44
the test of time.
46:45
The church has not been
46:46
hold beneath the waterline.
46:48
The church is good.
46:49
The church is solid.
46:51
The church is full of faith
46:53
and love and hope.
46:56
So what we find here
46:57
is a wonderful description
46:59
or definition, if you like,
47:01
of a living church.
47:04
A church defined by
47:05
her work of faith.
47:07
Faith regardless of the opposition.
47:10
There was love
47:10
even though there had been frustration.
47:12
There was hope
47:13
even though there had been persecution.
47:16
What is it that this language
47:17
tells us then of the living church?
47:19
Your work of faith,
47:20
your labour of love
47:21
and steadfastness of hope.
47:23
These things
47:24
are all productive.
47:27
There's nothing static.
47:28
There's nothing formal.
47:29
There's nothing dull.
47:30
There's no sense of routine here.
47:32
This is a dynamic
47:34
and dedicated
47:35
and determined picture
47:37
of a church.
47:38
Their faith is producing works.
47:40
Their love is producing labour.
47:43
And their hope
47:44
is producing steadfastness.
47:46
That's the phrasing goes on.
47:48
It's not that their work
47:50
is then going to lead them to faith.
47:52
It's the other way around.
47:53
Their faith is leading them to work.
47:55
Their love is motivating them
47:57
to labour.
47:58
And their hope
47:59
is leading them
48:00
to endure with steadfastness.
48:03
So then we see that
48:05
as one writer put it
48:06
very nicely,
48:07
he put it this way.
48:08
Theirs was the dynamic
48:10
outworking
48:11
of a life transforming principle.
48:15
It's quite something, isn't it?
48:16
Timothy found here
48:18
a dynamic outworking
48:20
of a life transforming principle.
48:24
What is that principle?
48:26
We find it again in Acts.
48:28
You may remember the story
48:29
of when the apostles
48:30
were arrested
48:30
and incarcerated
48:31
and the Sanhedrin
48:33
were gathering the next day
48:34
to bring them on trial.
48:35
But that night
48:36
an angel came in
48:37
and released them from prison
48:39
and said to them,
48:41
go into the temple
48:44
and tell the people
48:46
all the words
48:47
of this life.
48:50
Life.
48:52
This is what the gospel is.
48:54
It's life-giving.
48:55
It's life-changing.
48:56
It is the promise
48:57
of life in Christ Jesus.
48:59
Something Paul himself
49:00
never forgot.
49:01
If you look at 2 Timothy,
49:03
his final letter
49:04
written from a prison cell
49:06
in Rome
49:06
under the sentence of death,
49:08
in his first sentence
49:09
he speaks of the promise
49:11
of life in Christ Jesus.
49:14
Life-giving.
49:15
Life-transforming.
49:17
The gospel of grace
49:19
had done its work
49:20
in the hearts
49:21
of these brand new Christians.
49:23
And Timothy comes in among them
49:25
and finds things going well.
49:29
And he describes it for us here.
49:31
He defines it, if you like,
49:32
as a work of faith.
49:33
Their faith is active.
49:34
Their faith is producing
49:37
work amongst them.
49:40
Faithfulness.
49:40
What is this faithfulness?
49:42
Take up your cross daily
49:43
and come after me.
49:46
And it has a purpose,
49:47
a very clear purpose.
49:49
As we grow in grace,
49:50
as we develop our understanding,
49:52
as we become more mature
49:53
in the faith,
49:55
Paul had a very clear purpose in mind.
49:59
He sent Timothy
50:00
to exhort and encourage them.
50:02
Why?
50:02
And he charged them
50:05
to walk in a manner
50:06
worthy of God.
50:09
To walk in a manner
50:10
worthy of God.
50:11
Chapter 2 and verse 12.
50:13
What a description
50:14
of the Christian life that is.
50:16
Have a walk
50:17
that is worthy of God.
50:20
That, Christian friends,
50:22
is our responsibility.
50:23
Day in and day out.
50:25
Especially, perhaps,
50:26
at a time of change.
50:28
With James retiring
50:29
and a vacancy
50:30
of the senior minister post.
50:32
Now established.
50:33
What do we do?
50:35
What do you do?
50:36
You continue the work.
50:38
You show forth
50:39
the praises
50:40
of the one
50:41
who called you
50:41
from darkness
50:42
into his marvelous light.
50:44
And you seek in doing so
50:45
to have a walk
50:46
that is worthy of God.
50:49
And that walk
50:50
that will be worthy of God
50:51
will be defined
50:52
in the language
50:53
of verse 3
50:54
as a faith
50:55
that produces works,
50:56
a love
50:57
that produces
50:58
a labor,
50:58
and a hope
51:00
that produces
51:00
a steadfastness
51:02
in our Lord
51:04
Jesus Christ.
51:07
This labor of love
51:08
is an interesting phrase
51:09
to think about that
51:09
for a moment.
51:10
This labor,
51:11
it's a word
51:12
that speaks of
51:13
difficulty,
51:14
costly effort.
51:15
It's not just something
51:16
that's formality
51:17
or, oh, well,
51:18
it's my turn
51:19
on the rota.
51:20
Oh, well,
51:21
I better go
51:21
and pick up the phone
51:22
and phone that.
51:23
So I haven't seen them
51:24
in church for a while.
51:26
There isn't that kind
51:26
of sense of,
51:27
well, I think
51:28
I might do that.
51:30
No.
51:30
This labor of love
51:32
is costly.
51:34
It's effort.
51:35
It's endeavor.
51:36
And the emphasis
51:37
in the ancient Greek word
51:38
is actually
51:39
to labor
51:39
to the point
51:40
of exhaustion.
51:42
Do everything
51:42
you can.
51:43
That's what this love
51:45
is.
51:45
This love
51:46
that is driving
51:47
these young,
51:48
brand new Christians
51:49
in Thessalonica
51:50
is a love
51:51
that is the beating
51:51
heart of the church
51:53
of Christ on earth.
51:54
When we turn together
51:55
to read of this,
51:57
we can read in
51:58
1 Corinthians
51:59
in chapter 13,
52:00
a letter that Paul
52:01
would write
52:02
four or five years
52:03
after writing
52:04
to the Thessalonians.
52:05
And what does he say
52:06
of love?
52:07
Love is patient
52:08
and kind.
52:09
Love does not envy
52:10
or boast.
52:11
It is not arrogant
52:12
or rude.
52:12
It does not insist
52:13
on its own way.
52:14
It is not irritable
52:15
or resentful.
52:16
It does not rejoice
52:17
at wrongdoing
52:17
but rejoices
52:18
with the truth.
52:19
Love bears all things,
52:21
believes all things,
52:23
hopes all things,
52:24
endures all things.
52:26
Love never ends.
52:29
So now,
52:30
faith,
52:31
hope,
52:31
and love
52:32
abide.
52:34
But the greatest
52:35
of these
52:36
is love.
52:38
You can almost
52:38
imagine
52:39
Paul
52:40
listening to
52:42
Timothy's report
52:43
and saying,
52:44
yes,
52:44
Timothy,
52:44
that's amazing.
52:46
They're committed
52:46
in their faith.
52:48
Their faith is producing
52:49
works,
52:49
but is there love?
52:51
Is there love?
52:53
Do they love the Lord?
52:55
Do they love his cause?
52:57
Do they love his people?
52:58
Do they love the gospel
52:59
of grace that's changed them?
53:01
Yes,
53:02
yes,
53:02
Paul,
53:03
their love
53:04
is bringing them
53:05
to labor.
53:06
They're working together
53:07
almost to the point
53:08
of exhaustion.
53:09
That's what the love
53:10
of Christ,
53:11
when it takes hold
53:12
in hearts and lives,
53:13
can result in
53:14
and should result in.
53:16
So Paul's question,
53:19
there's faith,
53:20
Timothy,
53:20
oh,
53:20
that's wonderful.
53:22
Is there love?
53:23
And there was.
53:25
Your work of faith,
53:27
your labor of love,
53:28
and your steadfastness
53:30
of hope.
53:32
You see,
53:32
they loved so much,
53:34
they labored,
53:35
they worked,
53:36
they served together.
53:38
Notice that language
53:38
at the end
53:39
of chapter one.
53:40
You turn to God
53:42
from idols
53:42
to serve
53:44
the living
53:45
and true God.
53:46
Here am I,
53:47
Lord,
53:47
send me,
53:48
friends,
53:48
at a time of vacancy
53:49
as things progress
53:51
and come to an end.
53:52
Be sure to do
53:53
all you can.
53:54
If there's a gap,
53:55
offer yourself.
53:57
If there's a need,
53:58
see to it.
53:58
Don't think someone else
54:00
will do it.
54:00
If you can do it,
54:01
then do it.
54:02
Do your bit.
54:04
It's the purpose
54:04
and responsibility
54:05
of all
54:06
to do what they can
54:08
to the furtherance
54:09
of the gospel,
54:10
to the betterment
54:10
of the congregation.
54:12
Let there be
54:13
these marks,
54:14
this faith
54:15
that produces works.
54:16
This love
54:17
that produces
54:18
a labour
54:19
as we serve
54:21
the Lord Jesus Christ
54:22
here.
54:22
There's lastly
54:23
this,
54:23
a steadfastness
54:24
of hope.
54:24
That's a word
54:25
that speaks
54:25
of endurance
54:26
and my goodness
54:27
did they need
54:27
to endure.
54:29
There'd been hardness,
54:30
there'd been a riot,
54:31
there'd been beatings,
54:32
there'd been violence.
54:33
The missionaries
54:34
had had to leave
54:34
under the cover
54:35
of darkness.
54:37
Then the Thessalonian
54:38
Jewish people
54:38
heard that there was
54:39
the work of the gospel
54:40
was happening
54:41
down the road
54:41
in Berea.
54:42
So they'd get
54:42
on their horses
54:43
and they'd go down
54:44
there and stir up
54:44
the crowds in Berea.
54:45
Then they'd have
54:46
come home to Thessalonica.
54:47
What would they have
54:47
done when they came
54:48
back from Berea?
54:49
They'd have gone
54:49
hunting for Christians.
54:51
They'd have been
54:51
looking for the gospel.
54:53
They'd have been
54:53
looking to identify
54:54
believers in Christ
54:56
to give them
54:57
a hard time
54:57
and to persecute them
54:59
and continue
54:59
in their bitter
55:00
opposition to the gospel.
55:02
These people
55:03
needed
55:03
steadfastness
55:05
of hope
55:05
in our Lord
55:06
Jesus Christ
55:07
and such was
55:08
their hope
55:08
in him
55:08
that they endured.
55:11
They were steadfast.
55:13
In the New Testament
55:14
letters
55:15
we read of hope
55:16
58 times.
55:18
There's a reason
55:18
for that,
55:19
isn't there?
55:20
We have hope.
55:21
Hope in Christ.
55:23
It's quite interesting
55:24
how these last few weeks
55:25
as the election
55:26
has unfolded
55:26
that time and time again
55:28
we've been offered
55:28
hope and a new promise
55:30
and a new start
55:31
and a reset
55:31
and hope
55:32
and reignite
55:32
the flame of hope.
55:33
You're hearing
55:34
all these promises
55:36
they're tripping off
55:36
the tongues of politicians.
55:38
They're taking
55:38
the language
55:39
of the Bible.
55:40
They're taking
55:41
the language
55:41
of the New Testament
55:42
and they're turning
55:43
it into their
55:43
they're giving it
55:44
their particular
55:45
political colour
55:46
in order to sound
55:47
good.
55:48
And it does sound
55:49
good
55:49
because a message
55:51
of hope
55:51
is what we need.
55:54
But there is no hope
55:54
like the hope
55:55
that comes from
55:56
knowing the Lord
55:56
Jesus Christ
55:57
as your saviour
55:58
and friend.
55:59
And I would hope
56:00
and pray today
56:00
friends that
56:01
knowing him as such
56:03
has been your experience
56:05
and joy
56:05
and comfort.
56:07
And I hope
56:07
and pray that you
56:08
would think today
56:09
well if Timothy
56:09
came to visit
56:10
this church
56:11
and sat beside me
56:12
would he
56:13
would he
56:14
understand
56:15
that I'm a Christian?
56:17
Could I share
56:18
with Timothy
56:19
if he visited
56:19
the church here
56:21
that I have this
56:22
faith
56:23
and hope
56:24
and love?
56:26
Or would he find
56:26
you unconvinced
56:28
and unconverted
56:28
unmoved
56:29
uncertain
56:30
still
56:31
far off
56:32
in the darkness
56:33
refusing
56:35
to come
56:35
to Christ
56:36
refusing
56:37
to bow the knee
56:38
refusing
56:38
to acknowledge
56:39
him
56:39
as your Lord
56:40
and saviour
56:40
and friend.
56:42
I would hope
56:42
and pray
56:43
that today
56:43
friends
56:44
some of this
56:44
might resonate
56:45
with you.
56:47
John Bunyan
56:48
who
56:48
famous writer
56:50
wrote
56:50
Pilgrim's Progress
56:51
said this
56:51
he said that
56:52
faith is never
56:53
ill
56:54
when hope
56:55
is well.
56:57
What's our hope
56:58
today?
56:59
Jesus Christ
57:00
the same
57:01
yesterday
57:02
today
57:02
and forever
57:03
and we look
57:04
to him
57:04
for his grace
57:06
his mercy
57:06
and peace
57:07
for his blessing
57:08
for his sustaining
57:09
grace
57:10
for his grace
57:11
to serve
57:11
his grace
57:12
to follow
57:13
his grace
57:14
to reach out
57:15
his grace
57:16
to continue
57:16
the ministry
57:17
in this place
57:18
as a body
57:19
of believers
57:19
as a body
57:21
of people
57:21
gathered together
57:22
to serve
57:22
this community
57:23
in his name
57:25
and may he
57:26
bless you
57:26
as you do
57:28
so.
57:29
Thomas Chalmers
57:30
just to close
57:31
said this
57:32
the great
57:33
leader of the
57:34
free church
57:35
in the 19th
57:35
century
57:36
eminent
57:36
preacher
57:37
and theologian
57:38
scholar
57:38
said
57:39
simply this
57:40
that faith
57:41
that remained
57:42
in the head
57:43
but did not
57:44
warm the heart
57:45
and change lives
57:46
was of no use
57:47
to us.
57:50
Timothy
57:50
found the real
57:51
thing
57:52
when he went
57:53
back to
57:53
Thessalonica
57:54
he made
57:55
an assessment
57:56
and came
57:56
back to
57:57
Paul
57:57
and said
57:57
Paul
57:58
the church
57:58
has stood
57:59
what are they
58:00
like
58:00
Timothy
58:00
well
58:01
I found
58:03
them
58:03
and defined
58:05
them in
58:05
these ways
58:06
and as he
58:07
described them
58:08
Paul wrote
58:08
I could speak
58:09
of their work
58:10
of faith
58:11
their labour
58:11
of love
58:12
and steadfastness
58:13
of hope
58:13
in our Lord
58:14
Jesus Christ
58:15
where we know
58:15
brothers loved
58:16
of God
58:16
he has chosen
58:17
you because
58:18
our gospel
58:18
came to you
58:19
not only in
58:20
word
58:20
but also in
58:21
power
58:22
and in the
58:22
Holy Spirit
58:23
and with
58:24
full conviction
58:25
may that be
58:26
our portion
58:27
today and
58:28
ongoing
58:29
that the word
58:30
of the Lord
58:31
would come to
58:32
us in power
58:33
and in the
58:34
Holy Spirit
58:35
and with full
58:37
conviction
58:37
that we would
58:39
be a people
58:39
with a faith
58:40
that was dynamic
58:41
with a love
58:43
that is devoted
58:43
with a hope
58:45
that is determined
58:46
looking unto Jesus
58:48
us and may we
58:48
all today
58:49
be found
58:50
doing just
58:52
that
58:52
let's pray
58:53
for a moment
58:53
together
58:53
Lord our God
58:56
we pray for
58:59
your blessing
58:59
today
59:00
we pray Lord
59:02
that you would
59:02
be with us
59:03
at this time
59:04
that we might
59:05
take the word
59:06
of life
59:07
the promise
59:08
of life
59:09
and that we
59:10
might take
59:10
this our
59:11
saviour
59:11
into our
59:12
hearts and
59:13
lives by
59:13
acknowledging
59:14
him as
59:15
such
59:15
as the
59:16
King of
59:17
Kings
59:17
and Lord
59:18
of Lords
59:18
who in
59:19
his grace
59:19
and mercy
59:20
has seen
59:22
to it again
59:23
that we have
59:23
this opportunity
59:24
to worship
59:24
and we pray
59:27
while we are
59:27
on mercy's
59:28
ground
59:28
that we
59:29
would respond
59:30
accordingly
59:31
that we
59:32
would respond
59:33
in faith
59:34
that we
59:35
would serve
59:35
in love
59:36
that we
59:37
would endure
59:37
in hope
59:38
looking unto
59:39
Jesus
59:40
day by day
59:41
be with us
59:42
Lord in these
59:42
things we pray
59:43
for Jesus
59:44
sake
59:45
Amen
59:45
We'll turn
59:51
to sing
59:52
Psalms
59:52
and we'll
59:54
sing from
59:54
Psalm 57
59:55
Psalm 57
59:58
and we'll
1:00:00
sing from
1:00:00
verse 7
1:00:01
Psalm 57
1:00:08
page 75
1:00:09
in our
1:00:10
blue psalm
1:00:10
books
1:00:11
we'll sing
1:00:11
from verse 7
1:00:12
to the end
1:00:13
to the
1:00:14
tune
1:00:14
Dennis
1:00:14
Psalm 57
1:00:16
from sing
1:00:17
Psalms
1:00:18
from verse 7
1:00:19
my heart
1:00:20
is steadfast
1:00:21
Lord
1:00:22
with music
1:00:23
I will sing
1:00:23
awake my soul
1:00:25
wake
1:00:25
harp
1:00:26
and lyre
1:00:27
my song
1:00:28
the dawn
1:00:28
will bring
1:00:30
Psalm 57
1:00:31
verses 7
1:00:32
to 11
1:00:32
we'll stand
1:00:34
to sing
1:00:34
and if you
1:00:34
just take
1:00:35
your seats
1:00:35
for a few
1:00:36
minutes
1:00:36
after the
1:00:37
benediction
1:00:37
that would
1:00:38
be appreciated
1:00:39
Psalm 57
1:00:40
we'll stand
1:00:40
and sing
1:00:41
my heart
1:00:47
is
1:00:48
steadfast
1:00:49
Lord
1:00:52
with you
1:00:53
sing
1:00:55
I will
1:00:57
sing
1:00:58
awake
1:01:00
my soul
1:01:03
wake
1:01:04
harp
1:01:06
and
1:01:06
lie
1:01:08
my song
1:01:10
the dawn
1:01:11
will ring
1:01:15
among
1:01:17
the nations
1:01:20
Lord
1:01:22
to you
1:01:24
I will
1:01:27
give praise
1:01:29
among
1:01:31
among
1:01:31
the peoples
1:01:34
of the
1:01:36
earth
1:01:38
my songs
1:01:41
of you
1:01:42
I'll
1:01:44
raise
1:01:46
praise
1:01:47
praise
1:01:47
praise
1:01:48
your steadfast
1:01:51
love
1:01:53
which reaches
1:01:56
to the sky
1:02:00
your most unfaithfulness
1:02:05
will
1:02:24
O God
1:02:25
exalted
1:02:25
God exalted me, and over all the earth below display your majesty.
1:02:45
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
1:02:58
I just wanted to read very briefly a couple of sentences that for many, many years have been put together to encourage congregations at a time of vacancy and change.
1:03:10
Let me just read to you a few snippets from this.
1:03:12
As a congregation, you are entrusted with the responsibility of choosing a pastor to be over you in the Lord.
1:03:20
Each of you have a duty to take your proper part in this responsibility.
1:03:26
In this time of vacancy, we look to the Lord in humility and dependence.
1:03:30
It's an extremely important time for you as a congregation, who by definition are a group of people associated together for the furtherance of the gospel of Christ in your community.
1:03:42
The filling of a vacancy is to be conducted in a spirit worthy of the religion you profess, worthy of Christ in whose name you are associated, and in such a way as to foster unity and brotherly love.
1:03:58
That is sound, sound advice.
1:04:00
And may the Lord grant wisdom, discernment, patience and unity of purpose in going forward, for the work of the gospel goes on.
1:04:09
Ministry, rotas, clubs, meetings, services, communions.
1:04:13
In all of this, I assure you that the prayers of the Presbytery and the wider church are with you.
1:04:19
May the Lord grant our prayers for guidance going forward.
1:04:24
Thank you for your time today.
1:04:26
I'll just pop to the side door.
1:04:27
Thank you.
1:04:27
Thank you.