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What Christ was Doing on the Cross · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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  And we're going to begin now by singing to God's praise in Psalm number 63.
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  ! This is from the Scottish Psalter, Psalm number 63.
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  It's on page 295 in the Blue Books, and the tune is Weatherby, Psalm 63.
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  As I have seen thee heretofore within thy holy place, since better is thy love than life,
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  my lips thee praise shall give. I in thy name will lift my hands and bless thee while I live.
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  Even as with marrow and with fat my soul shall fill it be.
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  Then shall my mouth with joyful lips sing praises unto thee.
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  To the end of verse 8, Psalm 63, verses 1 to 8, and the tune is Weatherby,
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  Lord, thee my God, I'll early see.
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  Amen.
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  Let thy heart shines, when no water shines, but thy thy power may behold,
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  Behold, the brightness of thy face,
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  as I have seen thee near to forth
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  within thy holy place.
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  Since betterness, thy love the night,
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  my mercy reign shall give.
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  I give, I give, will end my arms.
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  I bless thee, my life, I live.
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  I pass with my,
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  O angel, my soul shall be let thee,
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  and shall my love with joyfulness
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  sing Christmas unto thee.
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  When I do thee upon my bed,
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  remember with delight,
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  and wake on thee,
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  I meditate,
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  and watch this all the night.
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  In shadow, I live, I enjoy,
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  for thou my help us be.
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  My soul thee follows hard,
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  and thee thy light and dust sustain.
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  Amen.
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  Let us bow and pray.
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  Amen.
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  The psalmist said,
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  Lord, thee my God,
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  I'll early seek.
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  My soul doth thirst for thee.
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  And we pray that we also
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  will have that thirsting soul
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  where we'll be seeking after the living
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  and through God.
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  Help us, Lord,
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  to realize that above all that we need
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  and all that we should have in this world,
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  the greatest blessing is to have you
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  as our Lord and our Savior.
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  And we pray that you will open our hearts
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  and open our minds
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  to discover more of you in the truth.
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  We give thanks, Lord,
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  for your word,
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  because it is truly a lamp to our feet
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  and a light to our path.
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  We give thanks, Lord,
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  for the reality of your truth
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  and for the way it shows us
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  so much of who you are
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  and indeed of who we are ourselves.
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  And it reveals to us our duties
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  and our responsibilities before you.
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  And so we pray for help and grace
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  that we might walk in your paths.
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  Because we have to confess, O Lord,
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  that so often we are wayward.
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  So often we walk with a limb spiritually.
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  So often we wander spiritually.
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  So often, Lord,
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  we need the good shepherd going out after us.
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  And so we pray that you will bless
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  every single one of us here tonight
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  and that our focus will be entirely upon yourself.
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  We pray that we may be able to see you
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  as the great, mighty Lord of heaven and earth,
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  the one who spoke this very world into existence,
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  the one who spoke the planetary system,
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  the one who spoke all things into being.
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  And we worship you tonight as the great creator God
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  and the one who has not only brought life
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  but continues to sustain life.
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  And the God who rules and overrules all things.
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  And that we give thanks, Lord,
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  that even when our world, as we look out,
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  may appear chaotic,
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  that there is no chaos with you.
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  And that you will order and bring things to a conclusion
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  in your own way and at your own time.
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  And so we pray that every day that we might live
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  with an expectant heart,
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  because one day the Lord will return without any warning.
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  The word of God tells us to watch and to be ready.
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  And so we pray that we might have that spirit
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  and that we might have that eye of faith
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  looking ever towards the heavens.
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  We pray that you will bless each and every one of us tonight
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  as we gather round your word.
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  And we pray that you will open that word into our hearts,
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  into our minds,
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  and that it will go down deep,
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  that it will affect us.
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  Forbid, Lord, that we just come here as a sense of duty,
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  like marking a card and then going away,
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  that we might come with a genuine desire in our heart
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  to know more of you,
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  that there might be a true longing within our heart
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  to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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  And we pray that we will not be those who simply hear the word
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  and don't do it.
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  That we pray, O Lord, that our lives might be lives of faith
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  and help us to remember that what is not of faith is sin.
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  And so we pray that faith will govern and guide us
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  as we focus upon you as we journey through this life.
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  We pray that you will be merciful to us as we come confessing our sin.
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  We confess our sins personally, individually,
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  and we also confess our sin collectively as a body of your people.
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  And ask for that cleansing and that forgiveness,
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  which is yours to give and which was achieved by yourself.
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  And we pray that we might know what it is to be rid of the guilt and the shame that sin brings.
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  And to have the peace of God that passes all understanding.
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  And to have the freedom that comes in Jesus Christ.
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  We pray that you will bless everybody here tonight according to our own individual needs.
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  We all come with our own issues in life.
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  And for some people, they might have very sad hearts.
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  And yet they're hiding it.
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  For other people, life might be going very well just now.
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  We're all in different situations with different circumstances.
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  But we pray, O Lord, that you will help each and every one of us according to our own particular needs.
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  Bless homes.
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  Bless families.
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  Bless husbands and wives.
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  Bless them.
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  Bless parents.
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  Bless children.
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  Bless grandparents.
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  Bless those who are so old now and infirm that they are no longer able to get out and about.
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  And in fact, are now at a stage where they need to be cared for.
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  We pray that you will be with them.
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  And we give thanks, Lord, for all the care that we have in this community.
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  And we give thanks, Lord, for the many blessings that are brought through that.
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  We pray, Lord, for those who are in hospital.
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  Those who are unwell.
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  Those who are maybe waiting for treatment or undergoing it.
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  Or likewise for surgery.
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  We pray, Lord, your blessing upon them.
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  And we give thanks for all that is done for us.
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  We give thanks for our hospitals and for all that is done in so many different aspects and ways.
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  And we give thanks, Lord.
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  Help us always to be giving thanks.
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  Because so often we can take for granted and just look and say, well, this is what's due us.
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  This is what's all right.
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  Help us to remember that everything ultimately comes from your hand.
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  And so we pray that we might have thankful hearts.
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  And that we might not be slow in giving the Lord thanks for all the many blessings that we receive from you.
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  Pray to bless all the different activities of this congregation.
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  As there will be a return to school tomorrow.
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  And return to all the activities.
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  We pray your blessing upon all that is done.
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  Those who commit week by week and month by month to the ongoing work that takes place.
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  We give thanks for them, for their willingness, and for their love for you.
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  We pray that you'll bless them.
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  Bless all who attend from the senior fellowship right all the way down to the creche.
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  And ask your blessing upon them.
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  We pray your blessing upon our young ones growing up.
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  And a day full of challenges.
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  Yes, opportunities.
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  But a very different day to the day even when we grew up ourselves.
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  And so we pray for them.
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  And you will bless them.
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  Bless all the instruction that they receive at home.
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  And the instruction that they receive in Sunday school.
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  And the youth fellowship.
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  And at the various clubs.
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  We ask, Lord, your blessing upon them.
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  We pray that you will bless teachers as they go back.
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  And pray safety upon the pupils.
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  We pray that you will be with us nationally and internationally.
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  Pray your blessing upon our leaders.
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  And ask, Lord, that you will grant them divine wisdom.
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  Even if they don't acknowledge you.
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  Even if they don't look for it.
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  But it is our duty.
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  Our duty to pray for our King.
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  It's our duty to pray for those in authority over us.
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  And so we pray for them.
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  Because if they don't pray, then who's going to pray?
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  And so we pray that that wisdom from above will be given to lead us in the right way.
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  We pray for truth to prevail.
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  And we pray that you will raise up your people into places of position of prominence and authority.
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  And so that their witness will be a good one in the day that we live.
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  We pray for peace on earth.
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  Oh, Lord, how we long.
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  That nations would lay down their arms so that conflict would cease.
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  And we realize that in so many parts of this world, right now, people are living in fear.
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  People are so apprehensive.
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  They don't know what the next moment is going to bring.
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  We don't understand that, where we live.
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  We give thanks for the safety and security we enjoy here.
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  But it's not like that for many people in this world.
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  There's so much suffering, bloodshed, hatred, violence.
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  Oh, Lord, we long for a day when that violence will cease.
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  And people will be able to live side by side, one with another.
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  And it is really only in and through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, where that radical, powerful change can take place.
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  And so we pray for the spread of your word globally tonight.
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  And we pray that many will come under the sound of the gospel.
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  And that many will respond to the gospel.
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  And so we pray your blessing upon your word, wherever it is preached throughout the nations of this world.
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  We pray your blessing on the 40th reunion that took place.
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  And we give thanks for these times along the way, where there's a time of meeting up together, time of reflecting,
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  often time too of sadness of those who are no longer part of the group.
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  And we pray your blessing upon them.
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  And we give thanks, Lord, for the friendships that we make in life.
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  Often school friends become lifelong friends.
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  And we give thanks, Lord, for the way that these things enhance and enrich our lives.
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  Watch over us then as we wait upon you.
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  And take away from us our every sin.
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  In Jesus' name we ask it. Amen.
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  We're going to sing again from Psalm 32.
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  And this is in Sing Psalms, Psalm 32.
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  We're going to sing verses 1 to 7.
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  It's on page 38 of the Tunis Arlington.
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  Psalm 32.
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  Psalm 32.
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  Psalm 32.
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  Verses 1 to 7.
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  How blessed the one who has received forgiveness for a sin, whose sins are covered from God's face,
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  whose debt is cancelled in God's grace.
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  There's no deceit in him.
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  Psalm 32.
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  When I kept silent, all my bones with groaning were worn out.
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  Beneath your hand I felt entrapped.
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  Both day and night my strength was sapped, as in a summer drought.
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  Then I laid bare my sin to you, the guilt that lay within.
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  I said, O Lord, I have transgressed.
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  And you forgave when I confessed.
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  You pardoned all my sin.
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  Psalm 32, verses 1 to 7.
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  The Tunis Arlington.
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  How blessed are the one who has received forgiveness for his sin.
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  How blessed are the one who has received forgiveness for all his sin, whose sins are covered from God's face,
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  whose death is God's face, whose death is God's face, whose death is God's face,
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  whose death is cancelled in God's face, whose death is cancelled in God's face,
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  whose death is cancelled in God's face,
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  Death is counseled in God's grace.
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  There's no deceit in heaven.
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  When I kept silent all my wounds,
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  With rolling weather worn out,
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  Beneath your hand I felt a child.
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  O day and night my strength was soft,
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  Out in the summer cold.
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  Then I leave my sin to you,
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  The guilt that me within.
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  I said, O Lord, I love God's grace,
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  And you for me claim I confess,
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  You pardon all my sins.
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  So let the glory pray to you,
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  While you are to be found.
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  Surely when waves are singing past,
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  And mighty waters rising fast,
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  You keep them safe and sound.
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  You are my hiding place,
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  O Lord, my true security.
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  You keep me safe in troubled days,
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  You circle me with joyful grace,
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  When you have set me free.
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  Let's turn to read God's word now,
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  In Paul's letter to the Corinthians,
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  2nd Corinthians, and chapter 5.
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  2nd Corinthians, chapter 5.
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  And we'll read the chapter.
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  For we know that if the tent,
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  Which is our earthly home,
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  Is destroyed,
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  We have a building from God,
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  A house not made with hands,
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  Eternal in the heavens.
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  For in this tent we groan,
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  Longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,
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  If indeed by putting it on,
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  We may not be found naked.
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  For while we are still in this tent,
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  We groan, being burdened,
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  Not that we would be unclothed,
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  But that we would be further clothed,
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  So that what is mortal
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  May be swallowed up by life.
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  He who has prepared us
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  For this very thing is God,
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  Who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
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  So we are always of good courage.
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  We know that while we are at home in the body,
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  We are away from the Lord.
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  For we walk by faith,
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  Not by sight.
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  Yes, we are of good courage,
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  And we would rather be away from the body,
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  And at home with the Lord.
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  So, whether we are at home or away,
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  We make it our aim to please Him.
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  For we must all appear
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  Before the judgment seat of Christ,
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  So that each one may receive what is due,
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  For what he has done in the body,
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  Whether good or evil.
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  Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord,
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  We persuade others.
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  But what we are is known to God,
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  And I hope it is known also to your conscience.
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  We are not commending ourselves to you again,
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  But giving you cause to boast about us,
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  So that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance,
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  And not about what is in the heart.
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  For if we are beside ourselves,
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  It is for God.
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  If we are in our right mind,
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  It is for you.
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  For the love of Christ controls us,
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  Because we have concluded this,
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  That one has died for all,
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  Therefore all have died.
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  And he died for all,
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  That those who live might no longer live for themselves,
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  But for him,
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  Who for their sake died and was raised.
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  From now on, therefore,
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  We regard no one according to the flesh.
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  Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh,
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  We regard him thus no longer.
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  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
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  He is a new creation.
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  The old has passed away,
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  Behold, the new has come.
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  All this is from God,
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  Who through Christ reconciled us to himself,
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  And gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
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  That is, in Christ,
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  God was reconciling the world to himself,
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  Not counting their trespasses against them,
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  And entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
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  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ,
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  God making his appeal through us.
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  We implore you on behalf of Christ,
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  Be reconciled to God.
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  For our sake he made him to be sin,
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  Who knew no sin,
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  So that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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  Amen.
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  And may God bless to us this reading of his own holy word.
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  I'm going to sing again now in Psalm 73,
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  From the Scottish Psalter.
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  Psalm 73,
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  From verse 23,
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  To the end,
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  And the tune is Tiverton.
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  Psalm 73,
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  At verse 23,
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  Page 316.
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  Nevertheless,
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  O Lord,
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  I am with thee.
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  Thou dost me hold by my right hand,
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  And still upholdest me.
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  Thou with thy counsel,
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  While I live,
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  Wilt me conduct and guide.
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  And to thy glory afterward,
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  Receive me to abide.
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  Whom have I in the heavens high,
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  But thee, O Lord, alone?
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  And in the earth whom I desire,
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  Besides thee there is none.
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  My flesh and heart doth faint and fail,
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  But God doth fail me never.
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  For of my heart God is a strength,
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  And a portion forever.
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  Verses 23 to 28,
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  Psalm 73,
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  Nevertheless,
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  Continually.
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  Nevertheless,
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  Continually,
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  O Lord,
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  I am with thee.
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  Thou dost me hold by my right hand,
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  And still upholdest me.
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  Thou with thy counsel,
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  Orth voyque voyque
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  The heaven's sight, but thee, O Lord, alone.
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  Hath in the earth, through thy desire,
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  besides thee there is none.
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  My flesh and heart doth inch and veil,
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  but God doth veil me never.
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  For of my heart God is the strength
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  and portion forever.
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  For, O they that are far from thee,
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  forever perish shall,
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  they plant a holding from thee, O
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  the past destroyed all.
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  But surely it is good for thee,
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  that I draw near to all.
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  And, O I just, that all my words
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  I may declare abroad.
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  Let's turn back again to the chapter we read
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  in 2 Corinthians chapter 5.
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  And it's a fairly long section,
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  so I'm not going to read it all,
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  but from verse 14.
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  And I'm not going into every verse of it
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  or every aspect of it,
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  but just looking at it quite simply.
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  For the love of Christ controls us,
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  because we have concluded this,
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  that one has died for all,
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  therefore all have died.
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  And he died for all,
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  that those who live might no longer
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  live for themselves,
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  but for him who for their sake
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  died and was raised.
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  And then in verse 18,
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  we read,
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  all this is from God,
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  who through Christ reconciled us
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  to himself
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  and gave us the ministry
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  of reconciliation.
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  That is, in Christ,
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  God was reconciling the world
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  to himself.
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  Verse 20,
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  therefore we are ambassadors for Christ,
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  God making his appeal through us.
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  We implore you on behalf of Christ,
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  be reconciled to God.
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  For our sake he made him to be sin
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  who knew no sin,
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  that in him we might become
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  the righteousness of God.
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  Now we know that Paul was a man
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  who was on a mission,
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  and Paul loved the Lord Jesus Christ.
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  Paul lived for the Lord Jesus Christ,
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  and Paul in the end
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  was going to lay down his life
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  for the Lord Jesus Christ.
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  And he tells us here
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  that it is the love of Christ
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  that controls him,
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  or as we have in the AV,
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  constrains him.
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  And that was very true
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  in Paul's life.
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  This was the driving force.
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  This is what propelled him on.
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  This is what gave the impetus
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  to his life,
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  this sense of the love of Christ.
• 29:58
  Of what God had done in Christ for Paul,
• 30:02
  and what God in Christ was doing for Paul.
• 30:06
  And if you're a believer tonight,
• 30:08
  you can echo the same,
• 30:10
  that what God has done for you in Christ,
• 30:13
  and what God is doing for you in Christ.
• 30:17
  And Paul sees this amazing love
• 30:19
  in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• 30:22
  And when Paul talks about
• 30:25
  the death of Jesus Christ,
• 30:26
  he isn't just talking about
• 30:27
  a historical fact.
• 30:29
  You know, quite often people,
• 30:31
  they will talk about
• 30:32
  the death of Jesus,
• 30:34
  and they will say that,
• 30:36
  yes, Jesus died on a cross.
• 30:38
  And they will think of Jesus' death
• 30:40
  no more than any other person
• 30:42
  who was maybe executed.
• 30:44
  And they will say,
• 30:45
  well, he was either hung,
• 30:47
  or he was crucified,
• 30:49
  or he was beheaded,
• 30:50
  or whatever.
• 30:51
  And it's a historical fact.
• 30:53
  And they think about it like that.
• 30:54
  And there's others
• 30:55
  who might go a little further on,
• 30:56
  and they might say,
• 30:57
  well, Jesus Christ was
• 30:58
  a really quite remarkable person.
• 31:01
  His teaching was so extraordinary,
• 31:04
  and his moral life was beyond blemish
• 31:08
  in any shape or form.
• 31:11
  And he died the way he lived,
• 31:14
  a life of just self-sacrifice.
• 31:18
  And he died for what he taught.
• 31:21
  And a lot of people look at it
• 31:23
  just like that,
• 31:23
  and they say,
• 31:24
  he left a great example for us.
• 31:28
  That's not how Paul is looking at it,
• 31:30
  and neither should we.
• 31:31
  Because Paul is looking at why he died.
• 31:35
  What was taking place on the cross
• 31:37
  as he died.
• 31:39
  Because that is at the very heart
• 31:41
  of what Christianity really is all about.
• 31:45
  And that is why Paul,
• 31:46
  he says earlier on in Corinthians,
• 31:49
  for I decided to know nothing among you
• 31:52
  except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
• 31:56
  And that was a great message
• 31:57
  of all the early church,
• 32:00
  was preaching Jesus Christ
• 32:02
  and him crucified.
• 32:03
  And when they talked and preached that,
• 32:05
  it was what took place,
• 32:07
  and what that involved,
• 32:09
  and what it was for us as well.
• 32:12
  So what was Christ doing on the cross?
• 32:14
  Well, there's two or three things
• 32:16
  that we can see.
• 32:17
  Well, one of them,
• 32:17
  if we go right to the end,
• 32:19
  we see this word righteousness,
• 32:21
  that we might become
• 32:22
  the righteousness of God.
• 32:24
  So, an incredible transaction
• 32:27
  took place on the cross.
• 32:30
  Because the problem for all of us
• 32:33
  is that we don't have righteousness ourselves.
• 32:36
  The Bible tells us
• 32:37
  what a righteousness is like.
• 32:39
  It's like filthy rags.
• 32:41
  You know, sometimes when you're in the city,
• 32:43
  you sometimes see a poor,
• 32:46
  down and out,
• 32:47
  a poor beggar in a doorway.
• 32:50
  And they're looking utterly
• 32:51
  and absolutely disheveled.
• 32:53
  Their clothes are torn.
• 32:54
  Their face is dirty.
• 32:56
  And you say,
• 32:57
  oh, what a poor soul that is.
• 33:00
  Well, with regard to our righteousness,
• 33:02
  that's how it is in God's sight.
• 33:04
  Not one of us
• 33:05
  is able to say to the Lord,
• 33:08
  because I've done this,
• 33:09
  because I've done that,
• 33:10
  I have a claim upon you.
• 33:13
  And that's really hard for us
• 33:15
  to get hold of.
• 33:17
  Because we cling,
• 33:18
  it's very hard to uncover
• 33:20
  self-righteousness.
• 33:22
  And it's very hard
• 33:23
  for self-righteousness to be broken.
• 33:26
  Because we kind of judge one another.
• 33:30
  And a lot of people will say,
• 33:31
  they look around and they say,
• 33:33
  well, I know I'm not perfect.
• 33:34
  I know I would never dare
• 33:36
  to say I'm perfect.
• 33:38
  But I'm a pretty decent citizen.
• 33:41
  Never done anything
• 33:42
  drastically wrong.
• 33:45
  And sometimes you look at somebody
• 33:47
  and you say,
• 33:48
  oh, see what he did,
• 33:49
  see what she did.
• 33:50
  I would never have done that.
• 33:52
  And so we kind of,
• 33:53
  we puff ourselves up.
• 33:55
  That's a self-righteousness.
• 33:57
  It's very judgmental self-righteousness.
• 34:00
  But it's within us all.
• 34:01
  It's part of who we are.
• 34:03
  It's part of what we are.
• 34:05
  And we somehow think
• 34:07
  at the end of the day,
• 34:08
  the Lord will say,
• 34:09
  well, I know that you're not perfect.
• 34:11
  And I know that,
• 34:12
  but it's going to be all right.
• 34:14
  No, it doesn't.
• 34:14
  It's not.
• 34:15
  That's not the way it works.
• 34:18
  God says that,
• 34:20
  as we said,
• 34:21
  oh, right, you're right.
• 34:22
  There is none righteous.
• 34:24
  No, not one.
• 34:25
  In the whole wide world,
• 34:27
  ever,
• 34:28
  there's not one
• 34:29
  that has ever been righteous.
• 34:31
  And because we are unrighteous,
• 34:34
  it means that we are guilty
• 34:36
  before God.
• 34:37
  that we have no place of protection,
• 34:41
  that we have no shelter,
• 34:43
  because we're under,
• 34:44
  Scripture tells us,
• 34:45
  under God's wrath,
• 34:46
  because of our unrighteousness.
• 34:49
  But on the cross,
• 34:51
  God was doing something amazing.
• 34:55
  It was like,
• 34:56
  people describe it
• 34:57
  like in a bookkeeping term.
• 34:59
  And you have,
• 35:01
  on the one side,
• 35:03
  you have all the wrongs.
• 35:05
  And there's all your sin,
• 35:07
  past, present, future.
• 35:10
  All recorded.
• 35:12
  Everything you've said,
• 35:13
  everything you've done,
• 35:14
  everything you've ever thought.
• 35:15
  It's all there.
• 35:17
  And on the other page
• 35:18
  is Christ's righteousness.
• 35:19
  And on the cross,
• 35:23
  a transfer was taking place.
• 35:26
  Where all our sin
• 35:28
  was being placed
• 35:29
  to Christ's account.
• 35:31
  That's what he was experiencing
• 35:33
  through the abandonment
• 35:35
  and forsakenness
• 35:36
  when God's wrath
• 35:38
  was being poured upon him.
• 35:40
  For our sin.
• 35:42
  But more than that,
• 35:44
  Christ's righteousness
• 35:45
  has been placed
• 35:47
  to our account.
• 35:48
  It's not that all of a sudden
• 35:49
  we become perfect
• 35:50
  and altogether righteous.
• 35:53
  But in legal terms,
• 35:55
  as God looks on us,
• 35:57
  once you become a believer,
• 35:59
  God looks at you
• 36:00
  through Jesus.
• 36:02
  And as he looks at you
• 36:03
  through Jesus,
• 36:04
  he sees the perfect
• 36:05
  righteousness of his Son.
• 36:08
  And so you're accepted
• 36:09
  because of what Jesus Christ
• 36:12
  has done.
• 36:13
  And so there's this
• 36:14
  incredible transaction
• 36:15
  taking place on the cross.
• 36:18
  And sometimes it's hard
• 36:19
  for us to understand that
• 36:20
  and to understand
• 36:21
  that we are as righteous
• 36:24
  as we will ever be
• 36:25
  in God's sight.
• 36:28
  There's another level,
• 36:29
  of course,
• 36:29
  we know with regard
• 36:30
  to our ongoing sin
• 36:31
  and such like.
• 36:32
  But in legal terms,
• 36:33
  that's how it is.
• 36:36
  But another thing
• 36:37
  was taking place
• 36:38
  on the cross
• 36:39
  and we see that
• 36:39
  in verses 18 and 19
• 36:41
  because it tells us here
• 36:43
  that God,
• 36:45
  through Christ,
• 36:46
  reconciled us to himself.
• 36:48
  Verse 19,
• 36:49
  in Christ,
• 36:50
  God was reconciling
• 36:51
  the world to himself.
• 36:54
  Because you see,
• 36:56
  by nature,
• 36:57
  we're alienated from God.
• 36:59
  God,
• 37:00
  we're estranged from God.
• 37:02
  That's our default position.
• 37:05
  We don't want God.
• 37:07
  We're ignorant of God.
• 37:08
  God,
• 37:08
  don't care about God.
• 37:11
  I suppose if you went
• 37:11
  around Stornway tonight
• 37:13
  and you did a survey,
• 37:14
  there'd be a lot of people
• 37:15
  who would say,
• 37:16
  I don't believe in God.
• 37:18
  I never think about God.
• 37:19
  I don't care about God.
• 37:22
  And people often find
• 37:23
  that God's word,
• 37:24
  when they hear it,
• 37:26
  they find that
• 37:26
  his word is intolerable
• 37:28
  and that his law
• 37:30
  is distasteful.
• 37:32
  And they say,
• 37:32
  no,
• 37:33
  I don't want this.
• 37:35
  As we're hearing this morning,
• 37:36
  we want our life
• 37:38
  and we don't want anything
• 37:39
  cutting across our life.
• 37:42
  And that's so true.
• 37:43
  That's the way we are by nature.
• 37:45
  It's my life
• 37:46
  and I will live it my way
• 37:48
  and I'm not in any way ready
• 37:50
  to live my life
• 37:52
  with somebody else ruling,
• 37:55
  somebody else on the throne
• 37:56
  of my heart.
• 37:57
  It's mine.
• 37:58
  Me.
• 37:59
  Mine.
• 38:00
  And so,
• 38:02
  by nature,
• 38:04
  we are alienated.
• 38:06
  We're strangers to God.
• 38:08
  We're at enmity.
• 38:08
  We're told in Scripture
• 38:09
  that the haters of God,
• 38:12
  who is the Lord,
• 38:13
  it says in Scripture,
• 38:14
  that we should obey him.
• 38:16
  Also, remember what it says,
• 38:18
  we will not have this man
• 38:19
  rule over us.
• 38:21
  So, you see,
• 38:22
  there's this alienation
• 38:24
  which needs reconciliation.
• 38:27
  So, reconciliation is essential,
• 38:29
  but here's the thing.
• 38:32
  It's not just us
• 38:33
  that have to be reconciled to God,
• 38:36
  but God has to be reconciled to us.
• 38:42
  And that's a serious thing.
• 38:45
  Why?
• 38:45
  Because, well,
• 38:46
  we know the story in Genesis 3.
• 38:48
  We know what happened.
• 38:50
  We remember the story of the fall,
• 38:52
  of how Adam and Eve disobeyed God.
• 38:55
  And how do we find Adam and Eve after that?
• 38:58
  We find them outside the garden.
• 39:01
  How did they end up outside the garden?
• 39:03
  Did they get lost?
• 39:04
  Did they sort of wander out?
• 39:06
  And did Adam turn to Eve and say,
• 39:08
  oh, you know,
• 39:09
  we've gone outside the garden here.
• 39:10
  We'll have to try and get back in.
• 39:12
  No.
• 39:13
  What did God do?
• 39:14
  He drove them out of the garden.
• 39:17
  He expelled them.
• 39:18
  And more than that,
• 39:21
  there was an angel with a flaming sword
• 39:23
  barring their way back in,
• 39:27
  lest they come to the tree of life.
• 39:29
  So, from that moment on,
• 39:32
  we need reconciliation with God,
• 39:35
  but God has to be reconciled to us as well.
• 39:39
  Because God is against us.
• 39:40
  His wrath is against us.
• 39:42
  We're told that in Romans,
• 39:43
  that the wrath of God
• 39:44
  is revealed from heaven
• 39:46
  against all ungodliness.
• 39:48
  As we say,
• 39:48
  that's a default position.
• 39:51
  You know,
• 39:52
  it's a grim situation.
• 39:54
  But that's how it is.
• 39:56
  And that's the wonder
• 39:57
  of what has happened here.
• 39:59
  That there's reconciliation.
• 40:01
  And the wonderful thing is
• 40:03
  that God,
• 40:06
  the God who has been wronged,
• 40:09
  is the author
• 40:10
  of this reconciliation.
• 40:11
  reconciliation.
• 40:13
  Now,
• 40:14
  usually when we think
• 40:15
  of reconciliation
• 40:16
  in human terms,
• 40:18
  in our everyday thing,
• 40:19
  we always talk about negotiation.
• 40:23
  Supposing it's just
• 40:24
  within a family,
• 40:25
  supposing there's a breakup
• 40:25
  in a family,
• 40:27
  there's,
• 40:28
  you try and,
• 40:29
  and you need,
• 40:29
  you need both parties
• 40:31
  coming together.
• 40:32
  You'll often see it
• 40:33
  in employment,
• 40:35
  in work.
• 40:36
  And you'll see that
• 40:37
  the workers
• 40:40
  and the management
• 40:42
  have reached an impasse.
• 40:45
  And often you'll find
• 40:46
  there's a strike
• 40:48
  takes place.
• 40:49
  Because neither side
• 40:50
  will agree.
• 40:51
  And there's an ongoing strike.
• 40:52
  And then all of a sudden
• 40:54
  you see,
• 40:55
  oh,
• 40:55
  there's talks taking place.
• 40:57
  There's negotiation.
• 40:58
  And when there's negotiation
• 40:59
  taking place,
• 41:00
  there's always hope
• 41:01
  that there'll be
• 41:01
  an outcome,
• 41:03
  a good outcome.
• 41:05
  We see it again
• 41:06
  in global conflicts.
• 41:09
  And we've seen it
• 41:10
  with the likes of Ukraine
• 41:11
  and in Gaza.
• 41:12
  And you're saying,
• 41:14
  just it's ongoing.
• 41:15
  And then you hear
• 41:15
  there might be talks.
• 41:17
  And there's always this hope.
• 41:18
  Oh,
• 41:18
  the moment people start talking,
• 41:21
  you're saying,
• 41:21
  well,
• 41:22
  hopefully,
• 41:23
  hopefully this will bring
• 41:25
  a solution.
• 41:25
  Hopefully we'll get
• 41:26
  things together.
• 41:30
  Is that how it was
• 41:31
  with us and God?
• 41:32
  No.
• 41:33
  Because we couldn't
• 41:34
  negotiate with God.
• 41:37
  We had nothing
• 41:37
  to negotiate with.
• 41:40
  We couldn't even
• 41:41
  approach God.
• 41:43
  So this is the
• 41:44
  extraordinary thing
• 41:45
  that God
• 41:46
  is the one.
• 41:47
  He is the initiator
• 41:48
  of it.
• 41:49
  God is the one
• 41:50
  who has
• 41:51
  initiated
• 41:52
  and that was what
• 41:53
  Christ was doing
• 41:54
  on the cross.
• 41:56
  However,
• 41:56
  there were negotiations.
• 41:58
  And the negotiations
• 42:00
  that took place
• 42:01
  with regard to
• 42:02
  reconciliation
• 42:02
  took place in heaven.
• 42:03
  because Christ,
• 42:06
  the Son of God,
• 42:07
  entered into a covenant
• 42:09
  with God the Father.
• 42:11
  So the negotiation
• 42:13
  for the reconciliation
• 42:14
  took place in heaven
• 42:16
  where the Son
• 42:18
  agreed to come
• 42:19
  in our nature.
• 42:21
  Think of it.
• 42:22
  The Son of God,
• 42:23
  the one who is equal
• 42:24
  in power and glory
• 42:25
  to the Father,
• 42:28
  took our nature,
• 42:29
  became one with us
• 42:30
  to be our representative
• 42:31
  in this world
• 42:32
  in order to
• 42:34
  reconcile us
• 42:36
  to God the Father.
• 42:39
  And so all this
• 42:40
  was taking place
• 42:41
  on the cross
• 42:42
  where God was
• 42:44
  reconciling us
• 42:46
  to himself
• 42:48
  through the work
• 42:49
  of Christ.
• 42:52
  And again,
• 42:53
  when you think
• 42:53
  of the cross
• 42:54
  and you think
• 42:55
  of these hours
• 42:55
  of desolation
• 42:57
  and isolation
• 42:58
  and abandonment
• 43:00
  for Christ,
• 43:02
  what was he suffering?
• 43:05
  Right?
• 43:05
  Try and turn this
• 43:06
  personally.
• 43:08
  And you think,
• 43:10
  try and say to you,
• 43:11
  right,
• 43:11
  for the next three hours,
• 43:14
  I'm going to list
• 43:15
  every wrong deed
• 43:17
  that I have done
• 43:19
  that I can remember.
• 43:20
  and I'm going
• 43:22
  to write it down.
• 43:24
  And I'm going
• 43:25
  to write down
• 43:25
  everything wrong
• 43:27
  that I said.
• 43:29
  And you're writing
• 43:30
  down things
• 43:31
  that you're ashamed of,
• 43:32
  things that embarrassed
• 43:33
  you,
• 43:34
  things that you felt
• 43:35
  real guilt about,
• 43:37
  things that you
• 43:38
  were remorseful about,
• 43:40
  and you so wish
• 43:41
  that you had never
• 43:42
  said them
• 43:42
  or never done them.
• 43:44
  And what about
• 43:45
  our thoughts?
• 43:47
  Imagine if there's
• 43:48
  a big screen here
• 43:49
  at the back of the pulpit.
• 43:51
  And every thought
• 43:52
  that you thought
• 43:55
  was screened up there.
• 43:59
  Every thought.
• 44:01
  And when you think
• 44:02
  of all the filth
• 44:03
  and the anger
• 44:04
  and the murder,
• 44:05
  every commandment
• 44:06
  is breached
• 44:06
  in our mind.
• 44:08
  Every single one.
• 44:10
  Can you imagine
• 44:11
  the shame
• 44:12
  and embarrassment
• 44:13
  and the sense
• 44:14
  of guilt
• 44:14
  we would have
• 44:15
  if it was all
• 44:16
  screened
• 44:17
  for everybody
• 44:18
  to see,
• 44:19
  I don't think
• 44:20
  we'd ever come
• 44:20
  out of the house
• 44:21
  again.
• 44:22
  Well, on the cross,
• 44:24
  Christ was bearing
• 44:26
  all our guilt,
• 44:28
  all our shame,
• 44:30
  all our embarrassment,
• 44:32
  all the defilement
• 44:33
  of our sin
• 44:35
  and our iniquity,
• 44:36
  everything.
• 44:36
  and he was enduring
• 44:39
  the Father's wrath
• 44:40
  upon him
• 44:42
  for our sin.
• 44:45
  It's that personal
• 44:46
  because sometimes
• 44:48
  we look at it
• 44:48
  in an abstract way.
• 44:50
  But this was personal,
• 44:51
  right on.
• 44:53
  And there was nothing
• 44:54
  for Christ
• 44:55
  but silence.
• 44:56
  He couldn't hear
• 44:57
  the walk of the Father
• 44:58
  or the talk of the Father,
• 45:00
  just his anger.
• 45:01
  And this is what
• 45:03
  he was doing
• 45:04
  for us
• 45:05
  in order that
• 45:06
  we can be reconciled.
• 45:09
  What was
• 45:10
  keeping us away
• 45:11
  had to be removed.
• 45:15
  And of course,
• 45:15
  it is the work then
• 45:16
  of the Holy Spirit
• 45:17
  to apply
• 45:18
  that to our hearts.
• 45:20
  And that is what
• 45:21
  Paul talks about
• 45:22
  in verse 17.
• 45:23
  Therefore,
• 45:23
  if anyone
• 45:24
  is in Christ,
• 45:25
  he is a new creation.
• 45:26
  The old has passed away
• 45:28
  because the new
• 45:30
  has come.
• 45:31
  And that's exactly
• 45:32
  what happens
• 45:33
  when we come to faith.
• 45:35
  It's a new creation.
• 45:36
  Every bit as powerful
• 45:37
  and as awesome
• 45:39
  as the original creation.
• 45:41
  At the very start,
• 45:42
  God said,
• 45:43
  let there be light.
• 45:43
  And there was a day
• 45:44
  God said
• 45:46
  into your heart,
• 45:47
  let there be light.
• 45:50
  And you saw
• 45:51
  in a way
• 45:51
  you never saw before.
• 45:53
  You saw the way
• 45:54
  of salvation.
• 45:56
  You saw Christ
• 45:57
  as your Savior.
• 46:00
  And
• 46:00
  everything changed
• 46:02
  because you have
• 46:03
  new desires,
• 46:04
  new aims,
• 46:05
  new ambitions,
• 46:06
  new hopes.
• 46:08
  The Word of God,
• 46:10
  you might have been used
• 46:11
  to reading the Bible,
• 46:12
  but it was maybe
• 46:13
  just out of habit
• 46:14
  or out of duty.
• 46:16
  But now this book
• 46:17
  has become precious
• 46:18
  to you.
• 46:19
  And every day
• 46:20
  you go to it
• 46:20
  because it gives you
• 46:21
  food for your soul,
• 46:23
  gives you nourishment,
• 46:24
  gives you light.
• 46:25
  it sets out
• 46:27
  before you
• 46:27
  the whole future
• 46:29
  of what's ahead
• 46:31
  for you.
• 46:32
  This book is just
• 46:33
  the most amazing book
• 46:35
  in the world.
• 46:36
  And that is because
• 46:37
  you are now
• 46:39
  a new creation.
• 46:41
  And this is all part
• 46:42
  of what the Lord
• 46:44
  has done for us,
• 46:45
  what God was doing
• 46:46
  for us
• 46:47
  in Christ Jesus.
• 46:49
  And so because of this,
• 46:51
  now there's lots of things
• 46:52
  we could look at,
• 46:53
  but because of this,
• 46:55
  it tells us now
• 46:56
  that we are ambassadors
• 46:58
  for Christ.
• 47:00
  Prior to that,
• 47:01
  it tells us
• 47:02
  that we no longer
• 47:03
  live for ourselves,
• 47:05
  but we live
• 47:05
  for Christ.
• 47:09
  That'll tell you
• 47:10
  exactly tonight
• 47:11
  where you are.
• 47:12
  Who do you live for?
• 47:15
  Is it yourself?
• 47:18
  Or is it for Christ?
• 47:23
  You know that
• 47:24
  sometimes we fear
• 47:27
  that we're not living
• 47:28
  for Christ
• 47:28
  in the way
• 47:29
  that we should.
• 47:31
  But you know,
• 47:32
  one of the things
• 47:33
  that makes it so clear
• 47:34
  to us is,
• 47:35
  you know when you
• 47:36
  do anything wrong
• 47:37
  or say wrong
• 47:37
  or you think wrong,
• 47:40
  what's your immediate thought?
• 47:42
  I'm letting Christ down.
• 47:44
  It's not letting yourself down.
• 47:45
  There was a day
• 47:46
  you only thought
• 47:46
  about letting yourself down.
• 47:49
  You never thought
• 47:49
  about the Lord.
• 47:50
  Oh, I've let myself
• 47:51
  down badly here.
• 47:52
  That's not the way
• 47:53
  you think now.
• 47:54
  You say,
• 47:55
  oh Lord,
• 47:55
  have mercy on me.
• 47:57
  Oh, forgive me Lord.
• 47:58
  I shouldn't have said that.
• 47:59
  I shouldn't have done that.
• 48:01
  What on earth
• 48:02
  has been going on
• 48:02
  in my head?
• 48:04
  Because you're living
• 48:04
  for Christ.
• 48:05
  You see,
• 48:05
  it's all changed.
• 48:07
  That's the way you live.
• 48:09
  Every day,
• 48:10
  you're living
• 48:11
  not for yourself,
• 48:12
  but you're living
• 48:13
  for Christ.
• 48:14
  But we're told here
• 48:15
  that we are ambassadors.
• 48:17
  Ambassadors.
• 48:18
  Therefore,
• 48:18
  we are ambassadors
• 48:19
  for Christ.
• 48:20
  God making
• 48:22
  his appeal
• 48:23
  through us.
• 48:24
  Isn't that amazing?
• 48:26
  All of us.
• 48:27
  God is making
• 48:28
  an appeal
• 48:28
  through us.
• 48:31
  Now,
• 48:31
  an ambassador,
• 48:32
  as you know,
• 48:33
  is somebody
• 48:33
  who represents
• 48:35
  king and country.
• 48:36
  And when an ambassador
• 48:37
  goes to a certain place,
• 48:40
  he's not there
• 48:41
  in any way
• 48:42
  or shape
• 48:42
  or form
• 48:43
  to represent himself.
• 48:44
  He's not there
• 48:45
  for his own glory,
• 48:46
  his own honor.
• 48:48
  It's got nothing
• 48:48
  to do with him.
• 48:50
  It's all got to do
• 48:51
  with the king
• 48:51
  and the country
• 48:52
  that he represents.
• 48:54
  So it is for you
• 48:55
  and for me.
• 48:56
  It's not about us.
• 48:57
  It's all about
• 48:58
  the Lord.
• 49:00
  The ambassador
• 49:01
  has to be
• 49:02
  absolutely faithful
• 49:03
  to the message
• 49:05
  that he or she
• 49:06
  brings.
• 49:08
  Not at liberty
• 49:09
  to add to it.
• 49:10
  Not at liberty
• 49:11
  to detract
• 49:12
  from it.
• 49:14
  Neither are we.
• 49:16
  We're not at liberty
• 49:17
  to say,
• 49:18
  well,
• 49:18
  you might say,
• 49:19
  well,
• 49:19
  this is a rather
• 49:20
  strong message.
• 49:22
  This is a bit hard.
• 49:24
  This might make people
• 49:25
  feel uncomfortable.
• 49:26
  I'd better water it down
• 49:27
  a bit.
• 49:27
  We're not at liberty
• 49:28
  to do that.
• 49:29
  This is God's word.
• 49:31
  This is God's message.
• 49:33
  And it has to be,
• 49:34
  it's a message
• 49:34
  that has to be delivered
• 49:36
  faithfully
• 49:37
  and honorably.
• 49:39
  Some people want
• 49:39
  a kind of a pick-and-mix Bible.
• 49:41
  I'll take this bit
• 49:42
  and this bit,
• 49:43
  but oh,
• 49:43
  that's too harsh.
• 49:45
  I'm not having anything
• 49:46
  to do with that.
• 49:47
  No.
• 49:47
  We've got to be honest
• 49:48
  and faithful
• 49:49
  with everything.
• 49:51
  But you'll also notice
• 49:52
  what it says.
• 49:53
  We appeal.
• 49:55
  God is making
• 49:56
  his appeal through us.
• 49:57
  We implore you
• 49:59
  on behalf of Christ
• 50:00
  to be reconciled
• 50:01
  to God.
• 50:02
  Implore.
• 50:05
  When we're preaching
• 50:06
  or when we're witnessing,
• 50:08
  it's not just sort of a,
• 50:10
  well,
• 50:10
  it's not a lecture.
• 50:11
  It's not a,
• 50:12
  well,
• 50:12
  here it is,
• 50:13
  I'm going to tell you
• 50:14
  a few things.
• 50:16
  This is serious stuff.
• 50:17
  We're dealing with
• 50:18
  the most important thing
• 50:19
  in our life,
• 50:20
  our soul,
• 50:21
  our future,
• 50:22
  our destiny.
• 50:24
  And that is why,
• 50:25
  you see,
• 50:26
  the Lord is,
• 50:27
  you can almost see
• 50:28
  a desperation
• 50:28
  in the Lord
• 50:29
  that the word of God
• 50:31
  will go out
• 50:32
  and that people will hear.
• 50:34
  Because it's only here
• 50:35
  in this world
• 50:36
  that this message
• 50:38
  is proclaimed,
• 50:39
  not proclaimed in heaven.
• 50:41
  Everybody in heaven
• 50:42
  has heard the message
• 50:43
  and responded to it.
• 50:44
  It's not proclaimed
• 50:45
  in hell
• 50:46
  because the day
• 50:47
  of the good news
• 50:48
  is over,
• 50:48
  the day of opportunity
• 50:49
  is gone.
• 50:53
  Sadly,
• 50:53
  there will be many
• 50:54
  in hell
• 50:54
  who heard the message
• 50:56
  and they will,
• 50:59
  throughout an endless
• 51:00
  eternity,
• 51:01
  wish that they
• 51:02
  responded to it.
• 51:04
  But it's too late.
• 51:05
  It's a fearful thought.
• 51:07
  And so there is
• 51:09
  this urgency
• 51:10
  about it all.
• 51:13
  And in fact,
• 51:13
  further back,
• 51:14
  Paul says,
• 51:17
  we have to
• 51:18
  implore people
• 51:20
  on behalf of Christ.
• 51:21
  Why?
• 51:22
  Because,
• 51:22
  verse 10,
• 51:23
  for we must all
• 51:24
  appear before
• 51:25
  the judgment seat
• 51:26
  of Christ
• 51:27
  so that each one
• 51:28
  may receive
• 51:29
  what is due
• 51:30
  for what he has done
• 51:31
  in the body,
• 51:32
  whether good or evil.
• 51:33
  Now,
• 51:33
  there's a lot of,
• 51:34
  there's a lot in that.
• 51:36
  But there's one thing
• 51:37
  I'm just going to say
• 51:38
  just now.
• 51:38
  We've got to remember
• 51:39
  that sitting on
• 51:40
  the great white throne
• 51:41
  will be
• 51:43
  the Son of God,
• 51:44
  the Lord Jesus Christ,
• 51:47
  in all his majesty
• 51:48
  and in his glory.
• 51:51
  And I'll have to,
• 51:52
  tonight,
• 51:53
  I will have to stand there
• 51:54
  and answer
• 51:55
  for tonight.
• 51:57
  Was I faithful?
• 51:59
  Was I in any way
• 52:00
  seeking my own honour
• 52:01
  or own glory?
• 52:03
  Was I absolutely faithful
• 52:04
  to the message
• 52:05
  that was given?
• 52:06
  You will have to give
• 52:08
  an account
• 52:08
  for what you did with it.
• 52:11
  Did you accept
• 52:12
  or did you reject?
• 52:15
  And if you reject,
• 52:16
  you're telling Jesus,
• 52:18
  the one who tonight
• 52:19
  is offering you
• 52:20
  himself,
• 52:21
  I chose to reject you.
• 52:24
  Well,
• 52:24
  it's solemn
• 52:25
  because if you reject
• 52:27
  Jesus,
• 52:28
  what's the outcome?
• 52:30
  He rejects you.
• 52:31
  depart
• 52:32
  from me.
• 52:35
  Imagine these,
• 52:36
  the final words
• 52:37
  ever hearing
• 52:39
  from Christ.
• 52:40
  Depart
• 52:41
  from me.
• 52:44
  And so it's important
• 52:45
  that you respond
• 52:47
  to this message
• 52:49
  because all the doing
• 52:51
  has been done.
• 52:52
  The reconciliation
• 52:53
  has taken place.
• 52:55
  God
• 52:56
  initiated,
• 52:58
  Christ
• 52:58
  did it,
• 52:59
  and it's there
• 53:01
  ready for you
• 53:02
  tonight.
• 53:03
  All you have to do
• 53:04
  is ask him
• 53:05
  into your life
• 53:06
  to accept him
• 53:08
  and to believe.
• 53:10
  It's as simple
• 53:11
  as that.
• 53:13
  And the moment
• 53:13
  you do,
• 53:15
  you become
• 53:15
  a new creation
• 53:17
  where you're able
• 53:18
  to see
• 53:19
  and to believe
• 53:20
  and understand
• 53:21
  in a way
• 53:23
  that you never
• 53:23
  did before.
• 53:24
  Let us pray.
• 53:24
  Lord our God,
• 53:26
  we pray to bless us.
• 53:28
  We give thanks
• 53:29
  for this message
• 53:31
  that we have,
• 53:33
  a message
• 53:33
  that is often
• 53:34
  weighty,
• 53:35
  a message
• 53:36
  that is wonderful.
• 53:38
  And we pray
• 53:39
  that we may
• 53:40
  respond to it
• 53:41
  in a right way.
• 53:43
  Our days
• 53:43
  are short.
• 53:45
  One day
• 53:45
  our time
• 53:46
  of opportunity
• 53:47
  will be no more.
• 53:48
  Lord,
• 53:49
  and it won't be long
• 53:50
  until all of us
• 53:51
  will be standing
• 53:52
  before that
• 53:53
  great white throne.
• 53:55
  Oh Lord,
• 53:56
  have mercy upon us.
• 53:58
  Take us all
• 53:58
  to our homes safely.
• 54:00
  Pray to bless
• 54:01
  this congregation.
• 54:03
  We pray your blessing
• 54:04
  on Calamurdo
• 54:05
  and Joanne
• 54:06
  and family
• 54:06
  at this time
• 54:07
  of a wee break
• 54:10
  for them.
• 54:11
  May they have
• 54:12
  recharging
• 54:13
  and renewing
• 54:14
  in themselves.
• 54:16
  We pray for Colin
• 54:17
  the Inter Moderator,
• 54:18
  ask your blessing
• 54:19
  upon him as well.
• 54:21
  And pray, Lord,
• 54:21
  that you will direct us
• 54:22
  and lead us
• 54:23
  as a congregation,
• 54:24
  lead us forward
• 54:25
  in the right way.
• 54:27
  As the psalmist said,
• 54:28
  show me thy ways,
• 54:29
  O Lord.
• 54:30
  We pray that that
• 54:31
  might be
• 54:32
  our prayer collectively.
• 54:34
  Show us
• 54:35
  your ways,
• 54:35
  O Lord.
• 54:36
  Take away from us
• 54:37
  our sin,
• 54:38
  in Jesus' name.
• 54:38
  Amen.
• 54:41
  We're going to
• 54:42
  conclude singing
• 54:43
  in Psalm 126.
• 54:45
  And this is
• 54:45
  in Sing Psalm,
• 54:46
  Psalm 126.
• 54:48
  I'm going to sing
• 54:49
  the whole psalm.
• 54:51
  And the tune is
• 54:51
  Denfield.
• 54:55
  And there we have
• 54:57
  a picture of
• 54:58
  going out
• 55:00
  mourning,
• 55:01
  going out with tears
• 55:03
  of grief,
• 55:03
  bearing the seed,
• 55:04
  sowing the seed,
• 55:05
  because sowing the seed
• 55:07
  can be hard.
• 55:08
  But there's a great
• 55:09
  encouragement
• 55:10
  coming back
• 55:11
  with songs of joy
• 55:12
  bearing harvest sheaf.
• 55:14
  Psalm 126.
• 55:15
  When Zion's fortunes
• 55:17
  God restored,
• 55:18
  it was a dream
• 55:19
  come true.
• 55:20
  Our mouths
• 55:21
  were then
• 55:22
  with laughter
• 55:22
  filled,
• 55:23
  our tongues
• 55:24
  with songs
• 55:24
  anew.
• 55:25
  The nation said,
• 55:26
  the Lord has done
• 55:27
  great things
• 55:28
  for Israel.
• 55:29
  The Lord did
• 55:30
  mighty things
• 55:31
  for us.
• 55:32
  Enjoy our hearts
• 55:33
  new will.
• 55:35
  Restore our fortunes,
• 55:37
  gracious Lord,
• 55:37
  like streams
• 55:38
  in desert soil.
• 55:40
  A joyful harvest
• 55:41
  will reward
• 55:42
  the weeping
• 55:43
  sower's toil.
• 55:45
  1, 2, 6,
• 55:46
  a whole psalm
• 55:47
  to the tune
• 55:48
  Denfield.
• 55:49
  Amen.
• 55:54
  When Zion's fortunes
• 56:00
  God restored,
• 56:02
  it was a dream
• 56:06
  come true.
• 56:10
  Our mouths
• 56:11
  were then
• 56:13
  with laughter
• 56:16
  filled,
• 56:17
  our tongues
• 56:19
  with songs
• 56:21
  anew.
• 56:25
  The nations
• 56:27
  say,
• 56:29
  the Lord
• 56:31
  has done
• 56:32
  great things
• 56:35
  for Israel.
• 56:38
  the Lord
• 56:42
  in mighty
• 56:44
  things
• 56:46
  for us
• 56:47
  and joy
• 56:50
  and hearts
• 56:51
  new will.
• 56:55
  Restore our fortunes,
• 57:01
  gracious Lord,
• 57:03
  like streams
• 57:05
  in desert soil.
• 57:09
  A joyful harvest
• 57:14
  will reward
• 57:18
  the weeping
• 57:21
  sower's toil.
• 57:24
  singing,
• 57:25
  singing,
• 57:26
  singing,
• 57:28
  Let your heavenly singing,
• 57:58
  grace, mercy, and peace of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit rest and abide upon each one of you
• 58:04
  now and forevermore. Amen. I'll go to the door on my right.
• 58:28
  Amen.