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Stones that Speak · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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We're going to begin our service then, friends, worshipping God by singing to his praise from Psalm 103.
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Psalm 103 in Sing Psalms.
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That's on page 135 of the Blue Psalm books, reading at the beginning of the psalm, Psalm 103.
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Praise God my soul with all my heart, let me exalt his holy name.
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Forget not all his benefits, his praise my soul in song proclaim.
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The Lord forgives you all your sins and heals your sickness and distress.
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Your life he rescues from the grave and crowns you in his tenderness.
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We'll sing down to the end of the verse marked 11 to the praise of God, standing to sing,
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Praise God my soul with all my heart.
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Praise God my soul with all my heart.
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Let me exalt his holy name.
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Forget not all his benefits, his praise my soul in song proclaim.
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The Lord forgives you all your sins and heals your sickness and distress.
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Your life he rescues from the grave and crowns you in his tenderness.
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He satisfies your deep desire.
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He satisfies your deep desire.
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From his unending source of good.
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So that just like the evil strength, your youth will be her is renewed.
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The Lord is known for righteous acts, and justice to the God in once.
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Till Moses he made known his ways.
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His mighty days to Israel's sons.
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The Lord is merciful and kind.
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To thine best, low and full of grace.
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He will not constantly do.
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For in his anger hide his days.
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He does not banish our mercies.
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For he has been their just reward.
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And great his love as high as men.
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To hearts alone, to fear the Lord.
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Amen.
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Friends, let's unite our hearts in prayer.
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Let us pray.
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Lord our God, we come and we seek this evening to know what it is to worship you in spirit and in truth.
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That we are a people who are richly blessed as we reflect this evening upon the reason of our gathering.
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That we gather together in order to come before the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the one who is high and lifted up.
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The one who is infinite, eternal and unchangeable.
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What a wonder it is that this is our desire.
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To come and to worship.
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And as we gather, O Lord, at this time, we pray that we might know something of your Holy Spirit leading us and guiding us to those fountains of living water.
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That our gathering together would not be born out of any routine or ritual.
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But rather that we would come with that sense of expectation.
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Expecting you to fulfill your promise to your people.
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That where two or three gather in your name.
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You promised to be there in their midst.
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And so we pray that indeed we would be here in the name of Jesus Christ.
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That you would honor this promise.
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And that we would be able to say it was good for us to meet.
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You are worthy of all praise and adoration.
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Not least because although you are the God who inhabits eternity, you are the God who draws nigh to sinners just like us.
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You are a God who accommodates our weakness and our infirmities.
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You are a God who meets us at our very point of need.
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You accommodate our finite mind by revealing yourself to us in a way that we can understand.
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And for this we give thanks.
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We give thanks for your word.
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This special revelation of not only who you are, but who we can be in you.
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What a blessing it is that for many of us here tonight, we can say that indeed we are in Christ.
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That our identity is not found in anything in this world.
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Not even in ourselves.
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But in the one who died and gave himself for us.
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The one who cried out upon that cross.
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It is finished.
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So that for us, our life would just begin.
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And so as we reflect upon the wonders of such an identity, we pray that all the more we would find ourselves coming and worshiping your name.
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Individually and collectively as a people who you tell us is your beloved bride.
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We know that indeed we are those who have been chosen from all eternity.
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We know not why and in many ways we cannot understand the depths of such wonders.
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But yet we believe.
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We believe that you are God and that there is none other.
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And that in this very act of faith, we come and we cling on to you as the only one for life and for death.
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And Lord, we pray this evening for all who gather here.
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Those who perhaps are unable to identify as of yet as a child of God.
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Those who are perhaps wandering aimlessly in the wilderness as we once were ourselves.
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That you would be with them even this evening.
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That you would speak to them mightily by your word through your spirit.
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That you would bring them to that place where they recognize their need of you.
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For indeed what should it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his soul?
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What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
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Help us to see the brevity of time.
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The time is short and eternity is long.
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And that in light of this, we would make our calling and election sure by coming and laying hold of these promises by faith.
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That those who seek will find.
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Those who knock will have that door opened unto them.
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And so we pray also for any gathered here this evening who as of yet are to profess your name publicly.
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Those who perhaps do identify in their hearts as a child of God.
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But have not come out and publicly shown that they have been bought by the precious blood of Christ.
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Help them we pray even this evening as your word goes out.
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That it would encourage them and draw them and strengthen them.
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To truly know the blessing that follows such obedience.
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We know that Satan is like a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour.
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He is the accuser of the brethren.
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He is the one who even at this time is whispering in our ears and telling us that we are his.
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Forgive us, O Lord, for listening to his voice.
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Forgive us for doubting our salvation.
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Forgive us for the many times that we lose sight of the fact that our security is not in our own righteousness.
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But in the righteousness of another.
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And so we pray then that you would be with this dear congregation in the days that lie ahead.
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We give thanks for their witness here in the town of Stornoway.
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That this would be a continued witness.
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That they would shine as a beacon of light in a dark world.
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And that they would seek to reach out with the good news of the gospel.
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We pray for this new ministry that has commenced.
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We give thanks for it, for Calamordo.
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And we pray that as he partners in the gospel with James.
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That together they will see great things happening.
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Not only in terms of a leadership team.
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But as a congregation.
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That they would all have that shared vision and purpose.
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To go out and to, as it were, from one beggar to another.
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Show them where to get food.
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What a wonder it is.
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That you have not left us to ourselves.
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But you have provided for us that way of salvation.
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Help us then to be reminded of its urgency.
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And to seek with every fiber of our being.
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To fulfill that calling that is ours.
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To make disciples of all nations.
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And so we pray that you would bless our time together this evening.
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And also every other congregation that is meeting in a like manner.
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We pray your hand of blessing upon the ministry of your word.
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Wherever it goes out.
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That it would go out with sincerity and with power.
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That it would penetrate hearts.
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So that men and women, boys and girls.
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Would be fed and nourished in their souls.
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That they would be drawn even from darkness.
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Into your own most marvelous light.
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And so be with us now we pray.
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Forgive us for all our many sins.
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And all we ask, we ask in Jesus name.
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Amen.
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Well we're going to continue singing to God's praise.
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This time from Psalm 106.
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Psalm 106 in the Scottish Psalter.
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This is on page 378.
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Psalm 106.
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We can pick up a reading from verse 4.
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Psalm 106 and verse 4.
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Remember me Lord with that love.
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Which thou to thine dost bear.
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With thy salvation, O my God.
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To visit me draw near.
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That I thy chosen good may see.
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And in their joy rejoice.
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And may with thine inheritance triumph with cheerful voice.
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Let's lift up our voices and praise.
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Let's lift up our voices and praise from Psalm 106.
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Verse 4.
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Standing to sing.
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Remember me Lord with that love.
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Remember me Lord with that love.
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For the love of that love.
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Which thou to light us bear.
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With thy salvation, O my God.
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To visit me draw near.
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That I thy chosen to be.
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To be.
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That I thy chosen to be.
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To be.
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For the love of that love.
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To be.
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To be.
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To be.
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To be.
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To be.
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To be.
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Is it me, John, near
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That I, thy chosen to deceive
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And in their joy rejoice
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And here with thine inheritance
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Triumph with cheerful voice
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We with our fathers
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Say it, God
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Act of iniquity
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Too long we have the workers' feet
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We have done wickedly
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Thou wonders great wish
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That, O Lord, this work
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In each of our
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Our fathers
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All they saw yet well
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It did not understand
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And may thy mercy
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Is not assured
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Yet not in memory
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But at the sea
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In mercy
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Provoked in grieveously
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Never the rest
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He saved the dead
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Been for his own name's sake
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That so he might
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To be well
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Lord
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His mighty power
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May
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Well, friends, let us now turn
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To read the word of God together
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We're going to read from the Old Testament
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And from the book of Joshua
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Joshua chapter 4
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We'll read the whole chapter together
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Let us hear the word of God
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When all the nation had finished
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Passing over the Jordan
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The Lord said to Joshua
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Take twelve men from the people
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From each tribe a man
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And command them saying
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Take twelve stones from here
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Out of the midst of the Jordan
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From the very place
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Where the priest's feet stood firmly
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And bring them over with you
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And lay them down in the place
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Where you lodge tonight
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Then Joshua called the twelve men
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From the people of Israel
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Whom he had appointed
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A man from each tribe
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And Joshua said to them
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Pass on before the ark
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Of the Lord your God
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Into the midst of the Jordan
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And take up each of you
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A stone upon his shoulder
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According to the number of tribes
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Of the people of Israel
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That this may be a sign
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Among you
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When your children ask
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In time to come
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What do these stones
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Mean to you
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Then you shall tell them
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That the waters of the Jordan
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Were cut off
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Before the ark of the covenant
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Of the Lord
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When it passed over the Jordan
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The waters of the Jordan
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Were cut off
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So these stones
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Shall be to the people of Israel
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A memorial forever
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And the people of Israel
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Did just as Joshua commanded
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And took up twelve stones
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Out of the midst of the Jordan
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According to the number
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Of the tribes
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Of the people of Israel
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Just as the Lord
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Told Joshua
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And they carried them
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Over with them
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To the place
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Where they lodged
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And laid them down there
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And Joshua set up
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Twelve stones
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In the midst of the Jordan
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In the place
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Where the feet
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Of the priests
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Bading the ark
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Of the covenant
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Had stood
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And there they are
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To this day
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For the priests
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Bading the ark
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Stood in the midst
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Of the Jordan
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Until everything
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Was finished
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That the Lord
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Commanded Joshua
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To tell the people
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According to all
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That Moses
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Had commanded Joshua
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The people
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Passed over in haste
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And when all the people
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Had finished passing over
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The ark of the Lord
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And the priests
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Passed over
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Before the people
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The sons of Reuben
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And the sons of Gad
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And half the tribe
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Of Manasseh
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Passed over
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Armed before the people
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Of Israel
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As Moses had told them
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About forty thousand
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Ready for war
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Passed over
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Before the Lord
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For battle
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To the plains
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Of Jericho
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On that day
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The Lord exalted Joshua
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In the sight
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Of all Israel
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And they stood
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In awe of him
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Just as they had
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Stood in awe of Moses
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All the days
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Of his life
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And the Lord
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Said to Joshua
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Command the priests
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Bearing the ark
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Of the testimony
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To come up
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Out of the Jordan
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So Joshua
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Commanded the priests
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Come up
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Out of the Jordan
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And when the priests
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Bearing the ark
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Of the covenant
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Of the Lord
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Came up from the midst
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Of the Jordan
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And the souls
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Of the priests
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Were lifted up
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On dry ground
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The waters of the Jordan
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Returned to their place
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And overflowed
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All its banks
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As before
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The people came up
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Out of the Jordan
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On the tenth day
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Of the first month
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And they encamped
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At Gilgal
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On the east border
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Of Jericho
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And those twelve stones
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Which they took
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Out of the Jordan
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Joshua set up
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At Gilgal
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And he said
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To the people
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Of Israel
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When your children
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Ask their fathers
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In time to come
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What do these stones mean?
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Then you shall let
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Your children know
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Israel passed over
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This Jordan
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On dry ground
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For the Lord
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Your God
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Dried up
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The waters
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Of the Jordan
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For you
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Until you passed over
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As the Lord
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Your God
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Did to the Red Sea
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Which he dried up
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For us
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Until we passed over
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So that all
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The peoples
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Of the earth
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May know
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That the hand
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Of the Lord
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Is mighty
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And that you
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May fear the Lord
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Your God
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Forever
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Amen
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And we pray
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God's blessing
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On that reading
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Of his own
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Holy word
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Let's once again
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Sing praise to God
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This time from
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Psalm 20
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Psalm 20
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Again in the
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Scottish Psalter
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We're going to
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Read from verse 5
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This is on page
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224
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Psalm 20
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And verse 5
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In thy salvation
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We will joy
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In our God's name
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We will
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Display our banners
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And the Lord
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Thy prayers
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All fulfill
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Now know I God
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His King
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Doth save
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He from his
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Holy heaven
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Will hear him
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With the saving
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Strength
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By his
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Own right
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Hand
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Given
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We'll sing down
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To the end of the verse
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To the end of the psalm
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Rather
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To the praise of God
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Standing to sing
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In thy salvation
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We will joy
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In thy salvation
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We will joy
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In our God's name
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We will
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Tis
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�
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Now know I magazines
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O my God, his gift has saved him from his holy hand.
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We'll hear him with the saving strength, by his own right and clear.
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In chariots sounded, all fiddeth, some horses passed upon.
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The dear remember, well, the name of our Lord God alone.
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We rise and up, but stand where they are, how it come and fall.
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Deliver, Lord, and let the king pass here when we do call.
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Well, friends, just for a short time this evening, if we could turn back to Joshua chapter 4.
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Joshua chapter 4, and we can read again from verse 19.
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The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month,
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and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.
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And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal.
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And he said to the people of Israel,
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When your children ask their fathers in times to come, what do these stones mean?
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Then you shall let your children know.
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Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.
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For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over,
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as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over.
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So that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty,
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that you may fear the Lord your God forever.
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I wonder, friends, if there's anyone here tonight who would say that they have an especially bad memory.
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They find it difficult to remember things.
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I know myself.
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I find it difficult at times to remember dates.
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And I need to be reminded.
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And of course, I suppose it's a case for all of us in many ways.
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Our lives are governed by diaries and by schedules.
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We're apt to forget.
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That is the nature of who we are.
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We have short memories.
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There are few people, of course, who are gifted with good memories.
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Those who remember every last detail of every last situation.
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Those who remember every last date that's on their calendar in the year that's ahead of them.
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But generally speaking, we have poor memories.
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We are apt to forget.
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And friends, as we gather here this Friday evening, we praise the Lord.
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We praise the Lord because he is a God of mercy and of grace and of love.
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He is a God who meets us at our very point of need.
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He knows who we are and what we're like.
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He knows our infirmities.
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He knows our struggles.
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He knows our challenges.
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He knows our trials.
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He knows our tribulations.
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Whatever you're going through tonight, perhaps no one else in here knows, but he knows.
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And the wonder of who our God is, is this.
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That he accommodates us.
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He accommodates us at our point of need.
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I said that in prayer.
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A God who is infinite, eternal and unchangeable.
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A God who inhabits eternity and yet he reveals himself to us through words.
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He doesn't need to do this.
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But he does.
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He accommodates our limitations.
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And in terms of our memory, he does the same.
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That's why we're here tonight.
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And we see that, do we not, throughout Scripture.
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That because we as human beings, due to our sinful fallen nature, we are those who forget time and time again.
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He is a God who meets us at our point of need and who prompts us to remember.
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You remember in Exodus 12, what do we see there?
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Well, we see that after God has saved his people, he does what?
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Well, he passes over the houses, does he not?
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And he puts blood on the lintels of those who he's going to save.
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He saves his people.
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And of course, in response to saving his people, he knows that his people will forget.
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So what does he do?
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He institutes the Passover, this time where they would gather together and they would remember as a people that great deliverance from God to safety.
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Of course, that's what we see here tonight.
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Not only in the chapter that we read, but also in our own experience.
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Because as we reflect upon how the Lord deals with us, we see that he's continuing to prompt us to remember.
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Take, for example, the Lord's Day.
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Today, we are a people who are so busy in life.
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We have so much consuming our time and our energy.
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But yet the Lord, in his love and in his mercy, he gives us this one day that we can set aside things that so take up our time.
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And we can focus on gathering with his people and worshipping his name.
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Why?
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Because we forget.
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I spoke to some in lockdown.
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Perhaps you yourself would be able to testify to this as well.
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That during lockdown, when we didn't have that routine of gathering together as God's people,
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before we knew it, yes, we would watch sermons online.
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But before we knew it, the Lord's Day began to become just like any other day.
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And we could see, if we're being honest, and good Christian people have confessed to this,
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being honest, that yes, we found ourselves as a people, once we had got our services out of the way,
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doing what we wanted with the rest of the day.
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That's the way we are by nature.
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Left to ourselves, we forget.
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And so that's why the Lord gives us this Lord's Day, not as a bind, but as a blessing.
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A blessing to remind us.
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To remind us of what?
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To remind us of that great resurrection power.
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So that we can gather together as his people, and that we can celebrate, because that's what it is, a celebration.
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We can celebrate that victory that is ours in him, that he is not dead, he is risen.
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That's what the Lord's Day is.
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It's for our good.
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And we come to a passage here tonight in Joshua 4,
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and we see that the Lord is reminding the people for their good.
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The context of this chapter is, of course, the exodus of the children of Israel.
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They are making their way to the promised land.
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They've had the Jordan parted for them, and they've had the path made clear,
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so that after decades of wandering in the wilderness,
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finally, eventually, they make their way to Canaan's shore.
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That land that God had promised long since would be a land that is flowing with milk,
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milk, and honey.
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You know the story.
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I don't need to go into it in detail.
33:51
We don't have time to go into that side of the story in detail.
33:56
But we know that they were a people who were making no progress.
34:00
They had been offered this freedom that God had given to them to lay hold of by faith,
34:06
and yet time and time again, they thought they were better off where they were.
34:11
Sounds familiar.
34:13
Maybe you're like that here tonight.
34:16
Maybe you're not a Christian.
34:18
And you're here tonight, and you know of the gospel message.
34:22
You know of the freedom that's offered in the pages of Scripture,
34:28
Lord's Day after Lord's Day in your head,
34:30
but not in your heart.
34:32
And perhaps you refuse to acknowledge it in your heart because you're scared.
34:39
And because you're scared, you're happy to settle for the status quo.
34:45
As it were, as I once was myself and every one of the Lord's people here,
34:49
going round and round in circles, perhaps even for decades in this wilderness,
34:55
when all along there is something so much better on offer.
35:01
That land that is flowing with milk and honey.
35:05
That place where there is freedom and joy and liberty.
35:10
That place where you can say, as I said in prayer,
35:14
I am in Christ.
35:15
And what a place that is to be in our souls.
35:21
And so they make their way through the Jordan.
35:25
We know the narrative.
35:27
We know the story.
35:28
But that's not the end of the story.
35:32
That's not the end of the Jordan narrative.
35:35
Because as the Israelites find themselves safe on the other side,
35:39
before they can move on to the next part of their journey,
35:43
the next chapter in their experience to go on and to conquer the land,
35:48
they're stopped.
35:50
They're asked to pause.
35:53
To reflect.
35:55
And in this reflection,
35:57
essentially what they're being asked to do is
36:00
is to ensure that they don't forget what the Lord has just done for them.
36:08
And of course, looking at what the Lord has just done for them,
36:11
he's parted the seas.
36:13
So that the sea was, as it were, a wall on either side of them.
36:16
This miraculous phenomena took place before their very eyes.
36:20
This wasn't something that they would have been seeing every day.
36:23
This was something, a sight to behold even for themselves.
36:27
And so we might say, well, of course they won't forget.
36:30
How could they ever forget what the Lord has just done for them?
36:33
This will be etched upon their minds for as long as they live.
36:40
But of course they would forget.
36:44
If not reminded,
36:47
they were fallen human beings,
36:49
apt to forget like you and like me.
36:54
And so what does the Lord do?
36:57
Well, he accommodates again in his mercy and in his love.
37:00
He accommodates their weakness.
37:02
How?
37:03
Well, let's look together at verses 1 to 3.
37:06
When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan,
37:10
the Lord said to Joshua,
37:13
take 12 men from the people,
37:15
from each tribe a man,
37:17
and command them, saying,
37:19
take 12 stones from here,
37:21
out of the midst of the Jordan,
37:24
from the very place where the priest's feet stood firmly,
37:28
and bring them over with you,
37:30
and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.
37:35
So basically what they were to do was this,
37:39
that one of each of the tribes of Israel,
37:43
one man from the tribes of Israel,
37:45
this was, of course,
37:46
representing God's people as a whole.
37:49
We see the collective of God's people coming together,
37:53
of course,
37:53
we know that two and a half of the tribes
37:55
had gone on before previously
37:57
to make their home in the promised land.
38:00
They had pledged to come back
38:02
and to help their brethren in the Lord
38:06
when the time would come,
38:07
and of course that time has come,
38:09
and so they all joined together
38:11
to send out one man to the riverbed
38:15
and to take a stone on their shoulder.
38:19
Now we can see that this was a large stone.
38:21
It wasn't a small stone.
38:22
It was one that would have to go on their shoulder,
38:24
a large stone.
38:25
And so 12 large stones made their way
38:28
from the riverbed up to the riverbank.
38:33
That's where they were to stay the night, in Gilgal.
38:37
And what they were to do with these stones
38:39
was to build a monument.
38:42
We don't know what this monument would have looked like.
38:46
In my own mind, I have a picture
38:48
of what we would call a cairn.
38:50
You see them on our island.
38:53
I know in Ness, in Skigersta,
38:55
there are two cairns out at a place called the Ka.
38:59
They're built up with stones.
39:01
They're a monument of something,
39:04
of what I'm not quite sure,
39:05
but of something.
39:06
There's another monument further out
39:08
called the Karnangyal.
39:10
This is a cairn that's speaking of a geologist
39:14
who, in years gone by,
39:16
worked in that part of Ness.
39:18
There's a war memorial in Stornoway,
39:20
a far more conspicuous monument,
39:23
a cairn, one that testifies
39:25
to the men who died in the war.
39:28
There are cairns, there are monuments
39:30
all around us.
39:34
And so that's what they're asked to do,
39:37
to build a monument,
39:39
to build a cairn.
39:41
But as we look at verse 9, friends,
39:42
we might begin to get a little bit confused.
39:47
Because there we read this,
39:48
and Joshua set up twelve stones
39:50
in the midst of the Jordan,
39:52
in the place where the feet of the priests
39:54
bearing the Ark of the Covenant had stood.
39:57
And there they are to this day.
40:02
So is there one monument?
40:04
Or is there two?
40:05
Is there one on the banks of the Jordan
40:08
and one in the middle of the Jordan?
40:10
This raises the question.
40:13
And of course,
40:14
commentators differ on this.
40:17
Even commentators of the same
40:18
Reformed tradition
40:19
will differ on their opinion
40:21
as to whether there are two monuments
40:24
or one monument.
40:28
Some who say that there's just one monument
40:31
would say that when this is speaking
40:34
of the twelve stones set
40:37
in the midst of the Jordan,
40:39
that the Hebrew would allude
40:41
to a translation that says
40:42
that Joshua had set up the stones
40:46
that had been in the midst of the Jordan.
40:48
So that he had taken up the stones
40:51
that had been in the midst of the Jordan.
40:54
And as we read the passage as a whole,
40:56
and as we read the comments
40:58
on the Cairn and Gilgal,
41:00
I think myself that this is most likely.
41:04
When we think logically
41:05
about there being a monument,
41:08
a Cairn in the middle of the River Jordan,
41:11
we would see that this poses
41:13
its own difficulties
41:14
if we look at verse 18.
41:16
And when the priests
41:17
bearing the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord
41:19
came up from the midst of the Jordan,
41:21
and the souls of the priests
41:23
were lifted on dry ground,
41:24
the waters of the Jordan returned
41:27
to their place
41:28
and overflowed all of its banks
41:31
as before.
41:34
The waters returned.
41:36
So that the valley of the Jordan River,
41:39
which went from 15 to 60 meters,
41:43
it was now full of water.
41:45
So that any stones,
41:47
any Cairns that had been built
41:48
in the middle of it
41:49
would either not be able to be seen,
41:52
which would defeat the whole purpose of them,
41:54
or would more likely be washed away.
41:57
But either way,
41:58
whether there's one or there's two,
42:00
what we know is this,
42:01
that this monument was set there
42:04
as a reminder.
42:06
That was its purpose,
42:08
to be a reminder.
42:11
But who was it to remind?
42:14
And what was it to remind them of?
42:16
Well, there are two or three things
42:18
for us to consider.
42:20
We read in verse 6
42:22
that they were to make this a sign among you,
42:27
so that when your children ask in time to come,
42:31
what do these stones mean?
42:36
What do these stones mean to you?
42:41
Then you shall tell them.
42:43
Then you shall tell them.
42:45
And these stones were there
42:47
to provoke conversation,
42:50
to stimulate discussion,
42:52
just as any Cairns or monument does today.
42:56
It was to be a talking point.
42:58
What do these stones mean?
43:03
Verse 21.
43:05
And he said to the people of Israel,
43:06
when your children ask their fathers
43:08
in times to come,
43:09
what do these stones mean?
43:11
Then you shall let your children know.
43:14
Israel passed over this Jordan
43:17
on dry ground.
43:19
For the Lord your God
43:20
dried up the waters of the Jordan for you
43:23
until you passed over,
43:26
as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea,
43:30
which he dried up for us
43:32
until we passed over.
43:36
Can you see, friends,
43:37
the purpose of this monument?
43:41
That this monument would be a talking point,
43:44
not only for the children of Israel.
43:47
This is a small detail,
43:48
but it's a significant detail.
43:51
And that's the wonder of Scripture.
43:53
The Lord includes these small details,
43:55
these small accommodations
43:57
for our weaknesses
43:59
so that we don't forget.
44:03
And that's exactly what this monument would do.
44:06
It would go on to act as a reminder
44:10
to the generations to come,
44:13
what the Lord had done.
44:15
People would say,
44:16
well, what does this mean?
44:17
What do these stones mean?
44:19
And those who would have heard it told to them
44:21
by their fathers,
44:23
who had been told by their fathers,
44:25
would say,
44:25
well, these stones tell a story.
44:28
They tell a story of the wonder
44:31
and the power of the God of Israel
44:34
who delivered his people.
44:37
Do you know that God?
44:39
Do you know that God?
44:42
Get to know that God.
44:43
He's a great God
44:44
who can do wonders for you.
44:47
And so conversations would be stimulated
44:51
for years to come.
44:53
These are stones that speak.
44:58
And of course,
44:59
as the Israelites themselves
45:01
went on to conquer the land of Canaan,
45:05
they would be overwhelmed, no doubt,
45:08
as they were faced with the magnitude
45:10
of what lay ahead of them,
45:12
the paralyzing fear
45:14
of the daunting task that was before them
45:17
to conquer the enemy.
45:19
They would forget.
45:21
Quite quickly, they would forget.
45:24
How often do you and I forget?
45:28
We're faced with something that's difficult.
45:32
We're faced with something,
45:33
if we're being honest in our mind's eye,
45:35
we say it's too difficult,
45:38
even for God.
45:40
And we forget.
45:42
In that blur of anxiety and of fear,
45:46
we forget.
45:47
We forget that this is the self-same God
45:50
who has delivered us in times past.
45:53
This is the self-same God
45:56
who seeks to lead us
46:00
to that place of safety and of refuge,
46:04
but still we forget.
46:07
We need reminded.
46:10
We need reminded.
46:11
And so for us here tonight, friends,
46:16
these stones speak.
46:20
They speak to us.
46:22
They speak to you and to me.
46:24
And what do they say?
46:26
Well, they say plenty.
46:30
Because if you're here tonight
46:32
and you're a Christian,
46:33
the reality is that you too
46:36
have a memorial in your life,
46:38
your own personal memorial.
46:40
You have that marker
46:41
that you can go back to in your mind's eye,
46:43
that point in time.
46:45
It might be a specific hour,
46:48
day, week, month, year,
46:51
couple of years,
46:52
whatever it is.
46:53
You have a time in your mind's eye,
46:55
a period whereby you know
46:58
that the Lord did something miraculous
47:00
in your life.
47:02
Perhaps you can't remember a time
47:05
in your life when you weren't the Lord's.
47:08
That's also the case for some.
47:10
Some are converted so young
47:12
that they cannot recollect this time,
47:14
but still you know the Lord
47:16
has done something miraculous
47:18
in your life.
47:19
He didn't part the Jordan,
47:22
but what he did was this.
47:23
He parted your heart.
47:25
He opened your heart
47:26
so that you could receive Jesus Christ
47:29
as your Lord and your Savior.
47:32
So much more miraculous
47:34
than anything we read here before us.
47:39
And when we're first converted,
47:41
when we have our hearts opened
47:43
in such a way,
47:43
is it not true, friends?
47:45
We're so full.
47:47
We're so full of zeal
47:48
and vigor and wonder
47:50
and awe
47:51
as we look back upon
47:52
what Jesus has just done
47:54
in our lives.
47:55
Just as the children of Israel
47:57
were here
47:57
as they reflected at Gilgal
47:59
on what the Lord had just done,
48:01
they couldn't believe it
48:02
and so it is with us.
48:05
When we see lambs,
48:06
as it were, coming,
48:08
we pray for more.
48:09
We can almost see it in their face.
48:12
face.
48:12
This brightness,
48:14
this vigor,
48:16
this zeal,
48:18
that something wonderful
48:19
has taken place
48:20
in their lives.
48:22
and we think that will never end.
48:27
That we'll always be on that mountaintop.
48:30
And how disappointed we are
48:32
when we come crashing down to earth
48:34
with a bang.
48:35
And so we do.
48:37
And so we do.
48:39
And as we're left, as it were,
48:41
to, not left,
48:43
but as we're called
48:44
to go on
48:45
and to live that life
48:47
of faith,
48:48
it can be difficult.
48:50
So much so
48:51
that we lose sight
48:52
of what the Lord's done
48:54
in our life
48:54
at the beginning.
48:55
We forget
48:56
the wonder
48:57
of that grace
48:59
and mercy
48:59
and love
49:00
that has drawn us
49:02
to Him
49:02
in the first place.
49:04
So that our hearts
49:06
grow cold.
49:08
Or so that
49:09
we're so busy
49:10
even with the church
49:12
but we forget
49:13
the Savior,
49:15
the Lord,
49:16
the King
49:17
of the church.
49:19
The main thing
49:20
doesn't become
49:20
the main thing.
49:22
He becomes secondary
49:23
in all that we do.
49:26
And so we need
49:27
reminded.
49:30
Allow me to ask you,
49:33
what does Jesus mean
49:34
to you tonight?
49:36
And I ask myself
49:37
the same question.
49:38
And we know
49:39
the textbook answer
49:40
what we should say
49:41
but really
49:42
in working terms,
49:44
what does Jesus
49:45
mean to you tonight?
49:47
In your life
49:48
on this Friday evening
49:49
in August,
49:50
if you were to
49:52
honestly answer,
49:53
what does Jesus
49:54
mean to you tonight?
49:57
How would you
49:58
articulate that?
50:00
How would I
50:01
articulate that?
50:03
It's a challenge.
50:04
It's a question
50:05
that searches us
50:07
because we can tell
50:09
what many different
50:10
things mean to us
50:11
tonight.
50:11
We can even tell
50:12
what church means
50:13
to us tonight.
50:15
But what does Jesus
50:16
mean to you
50:17
tonight?
50:21
We forget.
50:25
We forget
50:26
the wonder
50:27
of who He is
50:28
and what He's done
50:31
and what He will do.
50:33
we lose sight
50:35
of our identity
50:36
as being
50:37
in Him
50:38
and in none other.
50:40
We get bogged down
50:41
and held back.
50:45
We forget.
50:48
But tonight,
50:48
friends,
50:49
we have good news.
50:51
And the good news
50:52
is this,
50:54
that He accommodates us.
50:57
It's not to justify
50:58
our neglect
51:00
of our Lord
51:00
and Savior
51:01
or far from it,
51:02
but still,
51:04
the Lord
51:04
accommodates us.
51:05
He's so different
51:06
to us.
51:07
When people forget us
51:09
or neglect us,
51:11
what do we do?
51:12
We turn our back
51:13
on them.
51:14
We let them know
51:15
in no uncertain terms
51:16
that we're not happy,
51:18
we're not pleased,
51:19
not the Lord.
51:20
He accommodates us,
51:22
He meets us
51:23
at our point of need.
51:24
How?
51:26
By giving
51:27
to His bride
51:28
that memorial
51:30
to return
51:30
to time
51:31
and time
51:33
again.
51:34
What is it?
51:36
It is,
51:37
of course,
51:37
the Lord's Supper.
51:40
What do we read
51:40
in Luke 22, 19?
51:43
And He took bread
51:44
and when He had given thanks,
51:45
He broke it
51:46
and gave it to them,
51:47
saying,
51:48
This is my body
51:49
which is given
51:51
for you.
51:52
We read these words
51:53
so often
51:53
and, of course,
51:54
when we read words,
51:55
often familiarity
51:57
can lead us
51:58
to lose sight
51:59
of the depth
52:00
of their meaning.
52:01
This is my body
52:02
which is given
52:03
for you.
52:04
Do this
52:05
in remembrance
52:06
of me.
52:09
And likewise,
52:10
the cup
52:10
after they had eaten,
52:11
saying,
52:12
This cup
52:13
that is poured
52:14
out for you
52:15
is the new covenant
52:17
in my blood.
52:19
Do this
52:20
in remembrance
52:21
of me.
52:23
What we have here,
52:25
friends,
52:25
is a crucial marker
52:28
for God's people,
52:29
a time when we can
52:31
refocus on our Savior
52:32
and His loving kindness
52:35
and delivering us
52:36
out of the bondage
52:38
and the tyranny
52:39
of that wilderness
52:40
that we found ourselves in.
52:41
It's so easy to forget.
52:44
It's so easy,
52:44
even as the Lord's people,
52:46
to become high
52:47
and lofty
52:48
and to start looking down
52:49
on those who are not saved
52:51
and tutting
52:52
at their behavior
52:53
as if we ourselves
52:54
were never there.
52:55
We forget
52:56
that He took us
52:58
from the mighty clay,
52:59
from the fearful pit.
53:00
We didn't take ourselves,
53:01
He took us.
53:03
And so we need to be brought
53:04
back down to earth.
53:07
We need to be brought back
53:08
to that place
53:09
where we remember.
53:12
A reminder
53:13
of that miracle,
53:14
not the parting
53:15
of the Jordan,
53:16
but the miracle
53:17
of grace
53:18
that has taken place
53:20
in our lives.
53:21
That's what you hope
53:22
to do here
53:23
this Lord's Day.
53:26
And in this reminder,
53:28
there is strengthening.
53:30
Because it's important
53:31
to remember
53:32
that the Lord's Supper
53:33
isn't just a bare
53:34
memorial service.
53:36
That's not what it is.
53:38
We're not coming
53:38
to just remember.
53:41
It's so much more
53:42
than that.
53:44
The eating and drinking
53:45
in the Lord's Supper,
53:46
it shows forth
53:48
what they used
53:48
to call that
53:49
that mystical union
53:50
between Christ
53:52
and His people,
53:53
which essentially
53:54
refers to that
53:55
intimate,
53:56
that spiritual union
53:58
between Christ
54:00
and you
54:01
if you are His.
54:03
What the Apostle Paul
54:05
calls communing
54:06
or fellowshipping
54:08
in the body
54:09
and in the blood
54:10
of Jesus Christ.
54:13
Isn't that wonderful?
54:15
That He's given us that.
54:16
Do we deserve it?
54:18
No.
54:18
Are we worthy of it?
54:20
Certainly not.
54:21
But yet He gives us
54:23
that time
54:24
where we can be reminded
54:26
that we are in Christ.
54:30
This is not a bare memorial
54:32
or an act of remembrance.
54:33
And so never ever
54:34
treat the Lord's Supper
54:36
as such.
54:37
Come with that sense
54:38
of expectation
54:40
and praise
54:41
and worship.
54:43
that almost
54:45
sense of victory
54:47
within your heart.
54:49
He is not here
54:50
for He
54:51
has
54:52
risen.
54:55
And that's why
54:56
it's so important
54:57
for us to
54:58
avail ourselves
55:01
of such
55:02
a blessing.
55:05
God has given it
55:07
to us
55:07
for our good.
55:08
Now I didn't say
55:11
God has given it
55:12
to us
55:12
because we are good.
55:14
That's sometimes
55:15
what we can think.
55:17
Maybe you think
55:18
that tonight
55:18
you haven't professed
55:19
the Lord
55:20
as your Savior
55:20
and you are His.
55:21
You have a relationship
55:22
with Him
55:23
and you have done
55:24
for years.
55:25
But you say
55:26
I am not good enough
55:28
and neither you are
55:29
and neither you will be.
55:31
That is a complete
55:32
and I say this
55:33
with all love
55:34
and due respect
55:35
that is a complete
55:36
and utter
55:37
misunderstanding
55:38
of the whole
55:39
gospel of Jesus Christ
55:40
and not only that
55:41
but it undermines it.
55:44
Because with that
55:45
approach
55:46
you are saying
55:46
that there could be
55:47
a time that you
55:48
are good enough.
55:49
It will never come.
55:51
That's the whole point.
55:53
He is good enough.
55:56
And that's what
55:57
ought to draw us
55:58
all the more
55:59
that we take our eyes
56:00
off ourselves.
56:01
Yes we examine ourselves
56:02
but we take our eyes
56:03
off ourselves
56:04
and we look
56:05
to Him
56:06
and we say
56:06
Hallelujah
56:07
what a Savior.
56:10
What a Savior.
56:15
And so if you
56:16
haven't come forward
56:17
to the Lord's table
56:18
what's stopping you?
56:21
If you're His
56:22
we know that
56:23
this is the table
56:24
of the Lord
56:25
for His people.
56:28
It's a strengthening
56:29
ordinance.
56:30
What is it
56:31
that's stopping you?
56:32
You can't say
56:34
that you're not
56:35
good enough
56:35
or you can say that
56:38
but you're never
56:39
going to get over
56:40
that hurdle.
56:42
But what about
56:43
Christ?
56:45
What think
56:46
ye of Christ?
56:48
You answer that
56:49
and allow your
56:50
answer to that
56:51
question
56:51
to inform
56:52
the reason
56:53
why you are
56:55
or are not
56:56
at the Lord's table.
56:57
You're denying
56:58
yourself a blessing.
56:59
But more than that
57:02
this is important.
57:05
You're denying
57:05
others
57:06
your witness.
57:08
Remember
57:09
this memorial
57:10
was to serve
57:10
as a witness
57:11
to the children
57:12
of the people.
57:15
As many of you know
57:16
I grew up
57:17
in this very
57:17
congregation
57:18
and I would
57:20
sit up
57:21
in that seat
57:21
that has the
57:22
ladder in it
57:23
in the back
57:23
there
57:24
and the Lord's
57:25
Supper
57:26
would be
57:26
dispensed here
57:27
on a Lord's Day
57:28
morning
57:29
and I would
57:29
peer over
57:30
and I would
57:31
ask questions
57:32
what's happening?
57:35
Why are they
57:36
doing what
57:36
they're doing?
57:38
And I would
57:39
see people
57:39
partaking
57:40
some of whom
57:41
are here tonight
57:41
some are long
57:43
gone
57:43
and I would
57:45
look upon them
57:46
and they would
57:48
speak not as
57:49
stones
57:50
but as
57:51
living stones
57:53
those who
57:55
join
57:55
together
57:57
to build
57:58
the house
57:59
of God
58:00
that's what the
58:00
house of God
58:01
is not this
58:01
building but his
58:02
people
58:03
joining
58:05
together
58:06
I would
58:08
ask
58:08
what are they
58:09
doing?
58:11
What
58:11
does
58:12
this
58:13
mean?
58:14
if you
58:16
are not
58:16
coming to
58:18
the Lord's
58:18
table
58:19
and you
58:19
are his
58:20
and again
58:21
I say this
58:22
in love
58:23
what you're
58:23
doing is
58:23
this
58:24
you're
58:25
marrying
58:26
your witness
58:27
your friends
58:29
your loved
58:31
ones
58:31
your children
58:32
your grandchildren
58:33
your husband
58:34
your wife
58:34
your mother
58:35
your father
58:36
they're seeing
58:38
you holding
58:38
back year
58:40
after year
58:41
after year
58:42
refusing
58:44
to identify
58:45
with the
58:46
people
58:46
of God
58:47
and not
58:53
only that
58:53
and this
58:54
is a real
58:54
challenge
58:54
to us
58:55
you're
58:56
marrying
58:57
your witness
58:57
to the
58:58
community
58:58
at large
58:59
what do
58:59
I mean?
59:00
well let's
59:00
come back
59:01
to our
59:01
text
59:02
and with
59:02
this
59:02
I'm
59:02
nearly
59:02
finished
59:03
because
59:04
as well
59:05
as reminding
59:05
the Israelites
59:06
and their
59:06
children
59:07
that this
59:07
simple
59:08
monument
59:09
this simple
59:11
monument
59:11
was to
59:12
remind
59:12
all
59:13
people
59:14
the pagans
59:15
the godly
59:16
the ungodly
59:17
all that were
59:18
living in the
59:19
vicinity
59:20
all who were
59:21
worshipping
59:21
false gods
59:23
they were
59:24
they were
59:25
this
59:25
monument
59:27
would serve
59:28
as a reminder
59:28
of what the
59:29
God of Israel
59:30
had done
59:31
and was
59:32
doing
59:33
verse 24
59:36
so that all
59:37
the peoples
59:37
of the earth
59:38
may know
59:39
that the
59:40
hand of
59:40
the lord
59:41
is mighty
59:42
that you
59:43
may fear
59:43
the lord
59:45
your god
59:46
forever
59:47
these stones
59:50
spoke to
59:51
the people
59:52
at large
59:53
and you know
59:55
that's what
59:56
our profession
59:56
of faith
59:57
does
59:57
it speaks
59:59
to people
1:00:00
we're nailing
1:00:02
our colours
1:00:03
to the mast
1:00:04
that is the
1:00:05
nature of
1:00:06
faith
1:00:06
we will not
1:00:07
walk on
1:00:07
water
1:00:08
till we
1:00:08
step out
1:00:09
of the
1:00:09
boat
1:00:09
and when
1:00:11
we nail
1:00:11
our colours
1:00:12
to the mast
1:00:12
people see
1:00:13
that we
1:00:13
identify
1:00:14
not in
1:00:15
this world
1:00:15
but in
1:00:16
Christ
1:00:17
so that
1:00:18
when you
1:00:18
go back
1:00:18
to your
1:00:19
workplace
1:00:19
on Monday
1:00:20
you can
1:00:20
say I
1:00:21
have
1:00:21
professed
1:00:22
I have
1:00:23
come out
1:00:23
on his
1:00:24
side
1:00:24
when you
1:00:25
go back
1:00:25
to your
1:00:26
street
1:00:27
you can
1:00:27
say to
1:00:28
your neighbours
1:00:28
I have
1:00:29
now
1:00:30
identified
1:00:30
as a
1:00:31
child
1:00:31
of God
1:00:32
by being
1:00:32
obedient
1:00:33
to his
1:00:34
command
1:00:34
you're
1:00:35
witnessing
1:00:35
to those
1:00:37
around you
1:00:38
not of
1:00:38
yourself
1:00:39
but of
1:00:41
your
1:00:41
saviour
1:00:42
and you
1:00:43
can say
1:00:43
then with
1:00:44
all confidence
1:00:45
come see a
1:00:46
man who
1:00:47
told me all
1:00:48
things that
1:00:48
ever I
1:00:49
did
1:00:49
is this
1:00:49
not the
1:00:50
Christ
1:00:50
is this
1:00:52
not the
1:00:53
Christ
1:00:53
I'm not
1:00:55
ashamed to
1:00:56
call him
1:00:56
my saviour
1:00:57
you come
1:00:59
and know
1:01:00
him
1:01:00
for
1:01:01
yourself
1:01:02
what a
1:01:03
witness
1:01:04
that is
1:01:05
don't we
1:01:05
need that
1:01:05
witness
1:01:06
in the
1:01:06
day that
1:01:06
we live
1:01:07
in
1:01:07
that's
1:01:09
what faith
1:01:09
is
1:01:10
stepping
1:01:11
out
1:01:11
in the
1:01:12
strength
1:01:13
of the
1:01:14
Lord
1:01:14
and so
1:01:14
friends
1:01:14
if you
1:01:15
are his
1:01:15
come
1:01:16
you come
1:01:18
and you
1:01:18
show forth
1:01:19
in humble
1:01:21
remembrance
1:01:22
of what
1:01:23
God
1:01:24
has done
1:01:25
in
1:01:25
your
1:01:26
life
1:01:27
you be
1:01:28
part of
1:01:29
this
1:01:29
marker
1:01:30
of this
1:01:30
cairn
1:01:31
we've
1:01:33
often heard
1:01:33
it said
1:01:34
that the
1:01:35
church is
1:01:36
like a
1:01:36
wall made
1:01:37
up of
1:01:37
stones
1:01:38
different
1:01:39
sized
1:01:40
stones
1:01:40
there are
1:01:41
large
1:01:42
stones
1:01:42
there are
1:01:43
small
1:01:43
stones
1:01:44
but every
1:01:45
single
1:01:46
stone is
1:01:47
needed
1:01:47
you might
1:01:48
look at
1:01:48
other people
1:01:49
here and
1:01:49
you might
1:01:49
say I
1:01:50
will never
1:01:50
be as
1:01:51
godly as
1:01:52
that person
1:01:52
of course
1:01:53
that's the
1:01:53
voice of
1:01:54
the devil
1:01:54
but no
1:01:55
matter how
1:01:56
you see
1:01:56
yourself
1:01:57
the reality
1:01:58
is that if
1:01:59
you're
1:02:00
Christ's
1:02:00
he sees
1:02:01
you as
1:02:02
a precious
1:02:02
stone
1:02:03
a needful
1:02:04
stone
1:02:05
and so
1:02:06
come
1:02:06
be part
1:02:08
of
1:02:09
this
1:02:10
glorious
1:02:11
body
1:02:12
of Christ
1:02:12
by identifying
1:02:14
as him
1:02:16
as his
1:02:17
rather
1:02:17
that you
1:02:18
would
1:02:19
unashamedly
1:02:21
allow that
1:02:21
flag to
1:02:22
fly above
1:02:24
that cairn
1:02:26
he
1:02:27
has died
1:02:29
for me
1:02:30
let us
1:02:32
pray
1:02:32
what wonderful
1:02:36
words oh
1:02:36
lord that
1:02:37
any of us
1:02:38
can say
1:02:39
he
1:02:39
has died
1:02:41
for me
1:02:41
and as
1:02:43
we reflect
1:02:44
upon
1:02:44
what you
1:02:45
have done
1:02:46
we come
1:02:48
and we
1:02:48
seek
1:02:49
forgiveness
1:02:49
for our
1:02:50
apathy
1:02:51
and our
1:02:51
coldness
1:02:52
but yet
1:02:53
we don't
1:02:54
stop there
1:02:55
because our
1:02:57
identity is
1:02:57
not found
1:02:58
even in
1:02:59
our own
1:02:59
obedience
1:03:00
but in
1:03:01
Christ
1:03:02
but help
1:03:04
oh lord
1:03:04
our identity
1:03:05
in Christ
1:03:06
to inform
1:03:07
our obedience
1:03:08
so that we
1:03:09
might come
1:03:10
come and
1:03:12
know for
1:03:13
ourselves
1:03:13
the blessing
1:03:14
that follows
1:03:16
therein
1:03:16
for us to
1:03:18
come
1:03:18
and identify
1:03:20
that indeed
1:03:21
we have been
1:03:21
brought into
1:03:22
your banqueting
1:03:23
house
1:03:24
the banner
1:03:25
over us
1:03:26
is love
1:03:27
and so we
1:03:28
pray for any
1:03:28
of our dear
1:03:29
friends here
1:03:30
who are
1:03:30
perhaps
1:03:31
struggling
1:03:31
and have
1:03:32
been for
1:03:32
years
1:03:33
who have
1:03:34
got so
1:03:35
many fears
1:03:35
and anxieties
1:03:36
of what it
1:03:37
means to
1:03:37
profess your
1:03:38
name
1:03:38
draw them
1:03:40
we pray
1:03:40
by your
1:03:41
spirit
1:03:41
give them
1:03:42
that boldness
1:03:43
to come
1:03:44
forward
1:03:45
a step
1:03:46
that they
1:03:46
will never
1:03:47
ever regret
1:03:49
and so go
1:03:50
before us
1:03:50
now we pray
1:03:51
be with
1:03:52
our friends
1:03:53
here in the
1:03:53
remainder of
1:03:54
their communion
1:03:55
weekend
1:03:55
as they
1:03:56
remember
1:03:56
your death
1:03:58
until
1:03:58
you come
1:03:59
again
1:04:00
that they
1:04:01
would do
1:04:01
so so
1:04:02
mindful of
1:04:03
the fact
1:04:03
that you
1:04:04
are here
1:04:05
with them
1:04:06
part us
1:04:06
then with
1:04:07
your blessing
1:04:07
and forgive
1:04:08
us for
1:04:08
Jesus
1:04:09
sake
1:04:09
amen
1:04:10
we're going
1:04:12
to conclude
1:04:13
singing to
1:04:13
God's praise
1:04:14
from Psalm
1:04:15
136
1:04:17
Psalm 136
1:04:19
again in the
1:04:19
Scottish
1:04:20
Psalter
1:04:20
this is a
1:04:27
psalm of
1:04:28
reminders
1:04:29
what we
1:04:32
read in
1:04:32
every verse
1:04:33
is that
1:04:34
his mercy
1:04:34
for certainly
1:04:35
his mercy
1:04:37
is due
1:04:37
most firm
1:04:38
and sure
1:04:39
eternally
1:04:41
each and
1:04:41
every verse
1:04:42
reminds us
1:04:43
why because
1:04:44
we forget
1:04:45
so let's
1:04:46
sing friends
1:04:47
together
1:04:47
verses
1:04:48
first of
1:04:49
all verses
1:04:49
1 to
1:04:50
4
1:04:50
1 to
1:04:52
4
1:04:52
and then
1:04:53
down to
1:04:54
13 to
1:04:55
16
1:04:55
so verses
1:04:56
1 to
1:04:56
4
1:04:57
and then
1:04:58
verses
1:04:58
13 to
1:05:00
16
1:05:00
praise God
1:05:01
for he is
1:05:02
kind
1:05:02
his mercy
1:05:03
lasts for
1:05:04
he's
1:05:04
standing to
1:05:05
sing
1:05:05
praise God
1:05:12
for he
1:05:13
is
1:05:14
kind
1:05:16
his mercy
1:05:18
lasts for
1:05:20
aid
1:05:22
give thanks
1:05:24
with heart
1:05:26
and mind
1:05:29
to God
1:05:31
across
1:05:33
his mercy
1:05:37
away
1:05:38
for certainly
1:05:38
his mercy
1:05:41
dear
1:05:42
most firm
1:05:44
and should
1:05:46
be
1:05:47
turned
1:05:49
away
1:05:51
the Lord
1:05:55
the Lord
1:05:57
is here
1:05:59
his mercy
1:06:02
his mercy
1:06:02
still
1:06:03
endure
1:06:05
with
1:06:07
one
1:06:08
verse
1:06:09
only
1:06:10
he
1:06:12
that
1:06:14
were
1:06:14
by his
1:06:16
great
1:06:17
power
1:06:18
for
1:06:20
certainly
1:06:22
his mercy
1:06:25
sure
1:06:26
was
1:06:27
destroyed
1:06:27
from
1:06:35
his cities
1:06:36
nor
1:06:37
one
1:06:37
or
1:06:37
his
1:06:40
has
1:06:41
his
1:06:42
Chloe
1:06:43
or
1:06:44
his
1:06:45
Devil
1:06:45
has
1:06:46
just
1:06:47
been
1:06:48
he
1:06:49
to
1:06:52
нож
1:06:53
CHOIR SINGS
1:07:23
CHOIR SINGS
1:07:53
CHOIR SINGS
1:07:55
CHOIR SINGS
1:07:57
CHOIR SINGS
1:07:59
CHOIR SINGS
1:08:01
CHOIR SINGS
1:08:03
CHOIR SINGS
1:08:05
CHOIR SINGS
1:08:07
CHOIR SINGS
1:08:09
CHOIR SINGS
1:08:11
CHOIR SINGS
1:08:13
CHOIR SINGS
1:08:15
CHOIR SINGS
1:08:17
CHOIR SINGS
1:08:19
CHOIR SINGS
1:08:21
CHOIR SINGS
1:08:23
CHOIR SINGS
1:08:25
CHOIR SINGS
1:08:27
CHOIR SINGS
1:08:29
CHOIR SINGS
1:08:31
For certainly is mercy sure, most pernature, eternally.
1:08:49
After the benediction, if you'd just allow me to meet you at the door.
1:08:53
Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit,
1:08:59
rest on and abide with you now and forevermore. Amen.
1:09:29
Amen.