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Peace in the Storm · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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  We're going to begin our worship this evening by singing to God's praise in Psalm 46, the
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  Scottish Psalter version, Psalm 46, page 271 of the Psalm books.
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  We're going to sing from verse 1 to verse 7.
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  God is our refuge and our strength and strength, a present aid, therefore although the earth
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  remove, we will not be afraid.
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  The tune is St. Andrew and we'll stand to sing to God's praise.
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  God is our refuge and our strength, in space and present aid, therefore although the
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  earth renew, we will not be afraid.
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  The hills of mist and seas be cast, the waters rolling bay, and drought will be made for the hills,
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  by swearing seas to shame.
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  The river is to streams to glad, the city of our God.
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  God is our refuge and our strength, the waters of the Lord.
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  The holy place, great in the Lord, most high, but is above.
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  God in the midst of earth dwell.
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  God in the midst of earth dwell, nothing shall have renewed.
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  God in the midst of earth dwell, the Lord to have a helper will, and that right there he grew.
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  God in the midst of earth the Spirit, the Lord drowns us live, and that right there he is safe.
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  God in the midst of earth do not have one at any event, he forget.
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  God will read,ольше yet, there he is safe andolo.
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  God in the midst of earth all day, here God the Lord Irish presence is the one which is the one who our brave
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  The kingdom's doing where the Lord God uttered his voice.
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  The earth did well for fear.
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  The Lord of hosts upon our side.
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  The hosts that we remain.
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  The God of hosts upon our refuge.
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  Our saving to maintain.
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  Let's come to God in prayer.
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  Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer.
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  Amen.
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  Our Father in heaven, as we still ourselves in your presence anew this evening, as we come,
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  unworthy as we are, the sin in our heart is often so clear before us.
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  We know so often, Lord, that we are not worthy of the least of your mercies.
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  But yet we come, as you command us to, to come boldly to the throne of grace that we might receive mercy.
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  We thank you that you are a God who is the God of redemption.
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  That you are a God who has promised so much to his people.
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  And your promises are fulfilled.
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  And have their amen in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
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  And so we thank you that it's not about how we feel as we come to worship you.
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  It's not about how we are unworthy of it.
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  But it is our duty.
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  And it is what we are to long and desire to do.
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  To praise your name.
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  For as we come, O Lord, we recognize that you are able to pardon our sin.
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  That you are the one who is able to refresh our soul.
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  That you are the one who is able to encourage us, even as we go on.
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  Feeling our own weakness, but knowing your strength.
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  And we thank you that we have sung of that strength that you are able to give.
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  That you are the God who is our refuge and our strength.
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  Our present aid in all the straits that we go through.
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  That even though the hills be removed, Lord.
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  That you are able to help us, to shelter us.
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  And we do thank you, Lord, for the many blessings that are ours in Christ.
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  We thank you for how you protect us from so much.
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  That you are the God who keeps his people.
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  That you are the God who watches over his people.
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  That you are the God who is calling his people.
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  Even those who are maybe not yet acknowledging you as Lord and God.
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  We thank you for your Holy Spirit.
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  That works.
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  That moves.
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  That comes to speak to us.
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  Even in the quietness of our hearts.
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  And through the power of your word.
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  We pray for your spirit to be at work.
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  We pray, O Lord, for that blessing.
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  To be ours.
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  To have ears.
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  To hear what you are saying.
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  Not just here, but far and wide.
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  May your people hear and receive your word with joy and great gladness.
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  We thank you.
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  We thank you that no matter what stage we are at in life.
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  We thank you for young, old, middle-aged.
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  We thank you that together we come to worship and praise your name.
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  We thank you that there is that blessing of unity in worship.
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  That families, individuals, that we are all able to come.
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  And to come and know what it is to be a brethren, a people who enjoy the blessing of unity.
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  And we pray that you will guard our unity and guard our hearts.
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  For we know how easy it is to drift away from you.
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  We know how easy it is to neglect our prayers or the reading of your word.
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  We know how easy it is to neglect our attendance at the means of grace.
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  And we know, Lord, that it can so quickly come upon us.
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  And the longer we leave it, the harder it is to come back to.
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  So we thank you, Lord, for our accountability to one another.
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  And above all, our accountability to you.
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  For you are a God who will not leave us to drift away.
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  And we thank you for that.
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  And that you use many means to bring us back to yourself.
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  That you use people.
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  That you use our word in season.
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  And that you use even the things of this world to remind us of how empty they are.
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  And we pray for any, Lord, who maybe are feeling that sense of drifting away from you.
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  That they would feel the call back.
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  That they would feel the urgency of the Spirit working in their hearts to return to you.
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  And so we pray, Lord, for all who go through these struggles.
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  That you will help, that you will bless.
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  And that you will help us even to watch out for those who may find themselves in such situations.
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  Not to criticize, but to be a blessing to them.
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  And to encourage them back.
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  We thank you too, Lord, for the way you encourage us together.
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  The way that we are able to fellowship one with another.
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  Not just here, but throughout the week as well.
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  And we thank you for the many different meetings that we have during the week.
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  May we are able to be together around your word.
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  And to seek to serve you with all our hearts.
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  We thank you for the prayer meetings during the week.
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  We pray your blessing on them.
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  Upon the prayers of your people.
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  And upon the preaching of your word.
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  That it will be blessed to all our souls.
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  We thank you that we come prayerfully to you.
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  Recognizing our dependence upon you.
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  But as we call on your name.
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  We thank you that you are faithful in your hearing.
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  And that as we pray, your will be done in all things.
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  That you are able to do so much for us.
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  So teach us to pray and help us to pray.
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  And to pray with faith.
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  Help us to remember the work that goes on around us.
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  And the protection of your cause.
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  We thank you for the Christian Institute.
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  And for the way they are defenders of the faith.
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  And how they help your people in so many different situations.
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  How they help your cause.
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  And seek to honour your name.
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  In education.
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  In politics.
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  And in every walk of life.
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  And we do pray for the meetings taking place around Scotland.
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  Just now we pray for the meeting.
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  Here in Stornoway on Tuesday evening.
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  We pray Lord your blessing on that time.
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  And that people would be encouraged to attend.
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  And to hear what is said.
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  We know the topic is such an important one at this time.
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  The importance of the family circle.
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  And how so much is being eroded to that end.
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  Oh Lord.
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  We do pray for Christian homes and families.
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  We pray Lord for your protection over us.
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  We pray Lord for your word.
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  To be at the heart of all that we do as a people.
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  We know we have drifted away from that.
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  And we pray for your restoration in that as well.
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  We do continue to pray for our young people.
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  We thank you for the work of campaigners.
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  Over many years in this congregation.
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  We thank you for all who have been involved in it to this point.
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  And the many encouragements and blessings that there has been.
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  We pray for the meeting to take place on Thursday evening.
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  For the resumption of that work.
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  That you would be in it to bless.
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  That you would bless our young people.
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  And look after them in this day of so many different pressures.
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  So many different temptations.
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  But a day of salvation too.
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  And we thank you that you work in the midst of all.
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  And we pray that you will do a powerful work.
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  In amongst our young people.
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  To shelter them.
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  And to watch over them.
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  But above all Lord.
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  To bring them to know the Lord Jesus as their saviour.
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  To know him as their Lord.
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  And as their God.
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  We pray Lord for your continued blessing over us.
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  As a church and as a people.
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  Far and wide as we were thinking this morning.
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  Of the scattered nature of our congregations.
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  And of your people.
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  Throughout our nation.
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  And throughout all ends of the earth.
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  We thank you that there is so many gospel ministries going on.
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  That your word is being proclaimed.
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  Faithfully week by week.
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  In many different parts of the world.
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  And we thank you for the promise.
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  That as your word goes forth.
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  It will not return empty or void.
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  But accomplish every purpose for which you send it forth.
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  And so we pray Lord your blessing on your word.
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  And upon your people far and wide.
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  That there will be a people praising your name.
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  Even as we join in the praise of your name at this time.
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  We do so Lord with many around the world.
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  In so many different parts.
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  And so we thank you that yours is a kingdom.
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  That is being built.
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  That yours is a kingdom.
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  That has power.
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  And authority over all others.
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  And that your kingdom will indeed come with power.
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  We ask your blessing on us.
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  As we continue in your word.
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  As we read it.
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  And as we sing your praise.
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  May we oh Lord be blessed by it.
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  And encouraged through it.
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  And reminded of all that is ours in Christ.
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  The one who indeed is our refuge and our peace.
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  So we ask your blessing as we sing your praise.
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  May we lift up our voices.
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  With thankful hearts.
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  Thankful for all that you do for us.
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  All that you have done.
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  And all that you will do.
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  Uphold the one who leads us in the praise too.
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  And may we all be encouraged to lift up our voices to you.
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  We pray that you will hear our praise.
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  And our thanksgiving and our prayers.
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  As we ask it all in the name of our precious saviour.
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  Our Lord Jesus Christ.
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  As we ask for the forgiveness of all our sins.
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  And to his name be praise and glory forever.
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  Amen.
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  Let us again sing to God's praise.
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  This time we sing in the Sing Psalms version of Psalm 36.
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  Psalm 36.
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  Sing at verse 5.
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  Page 44 of the Psalm book.
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  Psalm 36 and at verse 5.
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  We're going to sing from verse 5 to 10.
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  The Tunis Free Church.
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  And we stand to sing.
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  Amen.
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  Your steadfast love is great, O Lord.
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  It reaches heaven high.
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  Your faithfulness is wonderful, extending to the sky.
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  Your righteousness is very great, like mountains high unseen.
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  Your justice is very good, like ocean depths.
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  Oh, God and peace to thee.
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  How precious is your steadfast love, what God's faith brings.
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  Oh, God and love.
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  God and love thy shelter in the shadow of your ways.
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  The peace within your hands standing, from streams of your delight.
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  For when you raise the source of light, in your life we see light.
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  To those who know you must bear God, your steadfast love impart.
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  Maintain your righteousness to those of you and of my heart.
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  Well, let us turn to God's word as we're going to read two passages.
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  First of all, in the Old Testament, in the book of Psalms.
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  And then we'll turn to the New Testament and to the book of Hebrews.
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  Our first reading is in the book of Psalms, reading Psalm 29.
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  We can read the whole of this psalm together.
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  Psalm 29, a psalm of David.
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  Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings.
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  Ascribe to the Lord, glory and strength.
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  Ascribe to the Lord, the glory due his name.
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  Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
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  The voice of the Lord is over the waters.
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  The God of glory thunders.
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  The Lord over many waters.
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  The voice of the Lord is powerful.
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  The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
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  The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars.
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  The Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
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  He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf.
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  And Syrian like a young wild ox.
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  The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
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  The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness.
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  The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
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  The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth.
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  And strips the forest bare.
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  And in his temple all cry, glory.
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  The Lord sits enthroned over the flood.
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  The Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
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  May the Lord give strength to his people.
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  May the Lord bless his people with peace.
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  Then we turn to our second reading in the book of Hebrews in the New Testament.
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  And we read in Hebrews chapter 12 and at verse 25.
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  Hebrews chapter 12 at verse 25.
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  See that you do not refuse him who is speaking.
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  For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth,
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  much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.
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  At that time his voice shook the earth.
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  But now he has promised.
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  Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.
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  The phrase yet once more indicates the removal of things that are shaken.
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  That is, things that have been made.
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  In order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.
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  Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
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  And thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe.
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  For our God is a consuming fire.
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  Amen.
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  And may God bless these readings from his word.
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  Before we come to look at, in particular, Psalm 29, we are going to again sing to God's praise.
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  This time in Psalm 107.
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  In the Scottish Psalter verse in Psalm 107.
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  And at verse 23.
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  Singing down to verse 30.
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  Psalm 107 at verse 23.
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  We sing from verse 23 to 30.
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  To the tune Torwood.
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  And we stand to sing.
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  We go to sea in ships and in great waters trading me.
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  Within the sea.
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  Within the sea.
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  These men go to sea.
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  And his great wonders see.
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  For he called man stand forth in place.
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  The stormy tempest flies.
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  The stormy tempest flies.
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  Which shakes the sea with rolling waves.
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  A love to spend the rise.
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  They mount to heaven.
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  They mount to heaven.
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  They mount to heaven.
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  They mount to the rest.
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  They do go down again.
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  Their stormy.
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  The stormy temos got to heaven.
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  Their stormy Yes.
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  This is as fair.
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  ям a love to spend it.
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  They rely low on high heat.
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  We'll answer like one drunk, a fair which then they lead.
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  Then they do all in troubled pride, who then from strays doth fear.
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  The star is changing to a crown, but it's all man and will.
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  So that the waves which rage before, not quiet, not still.
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  Then our day but the host of rest, and quiet now they be.
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  So to the heaven he embrings, which they desire to see.
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  Well, our main focus this evening is going to be on Psalm 29.
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  But just to take with us into that psalm the words that we read in Hebrews as well,
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  especially maybe verse 25 there.
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  See that you do not refuse him who is speaking.
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  For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth,
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  much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.
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  There in the Hebrews, the writer is warning the people of a coming day,
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  a day when the earth will be shaken,
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  and our only place of refuge will be in the Lord.
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  And he's warning them to listen to the one who is speaking.
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  And as we turn to Psalm 29, there we find the one who is indeed speaking.
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  For you see the phrase used throughout this psalm,
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  the voice of the Lord.
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  And it's the voice of the Lord that is over the whole of creation.
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  The voice of the Lord that is crying out to people everywhere.
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  And this is the voice that we are to heed.
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  Psalm 29 is a psalm again with that image behind it,
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  one of the shaking of the whole of creation,
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  and the devastation that a storm brings upon creation.
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  And in the past week, we have realized again just how the seasons change,
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  and how we enter into the stormy seasons once again.
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  We can enjoy relative peace, as it were, over the summer months,
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  although even then we're not immune to storms and gales coming upon us either.
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  But in these times, as we move into these months,
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  and around the world, we start to see that the seasons change.
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  And in this last week, we've seen it locally ourselves,
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  with the gale that came through on Friday.
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  And we've seen it far and wide as well in the United States,
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  with the hurricane that passed through there,
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  and the devastation that that brings.
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  There are these storms in life that will always come our way.
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  And sometimes it's impossible to shelter from them,
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  or to get out of the way of these storms.
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  We find ourselves caught up in them in many different ways.
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  We don't want to be a people who are out at sea, for example,
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  when these storms come.
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  Ferries don't sail.
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  There's not much movement around the coast.
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  But even on land as well, we don't want to be caught out in the storm.
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  We want to find a place of shelter and a place of peace.
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  And that's the warning that we have in Hebrews that we read there,
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  and also in the psalm.
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  There are many situations that we can find ourselves in.
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  And we can turn to the psalms and find in the psalms
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  similar experiences in the lives of others.
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  We can often enter into the experience of the psalms
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  and relate to it in our own experience in life.
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  They help us to understand how to deal with things.
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  And they speak to us so much of the reality of the world that we live in.
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  And you often see the psalmist using the illustrations from around him
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  to remind us of a greater power.
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  And so often the psalmist uses the illustrations of the natural world.
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  And it highlights so much to us.
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  When you think of the power of storms and gales and hurricanes,
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  typhoons, tornadoes, all of these things,
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  they leave a devastation behind them.
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  But again, when we look at the psalms,
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  they speak of these things, but maybe in a different way.
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  And at times it's in a way that we don't maybe see
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  as powerful as the natural world.
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  And yet there's a greater power behind them.
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  There's a greater storm being spoken of here.
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  And the psalmist uses the illustration of the natural world
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  to remind us of the Creator.
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  The Lord, whose voice it is, that is over all things.
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  The voice of the Lord is over the waters.
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  The God of glory thunders, it says in verse 3.
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  The Lord over many waters.
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  The voice of the Lord is powerful.
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  The voice of the Lord is what's calling to us.
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  Now, in our day and age now, we see storms come.
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  And they are given a name.
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  The hurricane in the United States was Hurricane Ian.
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  And they've got a whole season of hurricane season
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  where each hurricane will have a name.
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  The same as the storms that will come our way
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  during the winter months as well.
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  They'll all be given a name.
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  And if you want to give a name to the storm
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  that is being spoken of here in the psalm
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  and the book of Hebrews,
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  it's the storm judgment.
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  The storm is judgment.
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  And that day when the Lord is going to come
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  and judge all his people.
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  Again, we just say for a minute that the psalms,
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  they use the imagery to remind us of the greatness of God.
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  In Psalm 8, the psalmist says,
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  O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name
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  in all the earth.
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  The psalmist is lifting up his eyes
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  and seeing the heavens created by God
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  and the way his name is spread all over the world.
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  Psalm 19 uses the imagery of the sun and its warmth.
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  The heavens declare the glory of God
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  and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
• 32:03
  There are these ways that we see the calmness of creation
• 32:07
  and the beauty of the Lord.
• 32:09
  But there's other ways, as we saw in Psalm 107,
• 32:14
  where it speaks about the Lord
• 32:16
  who causes the waves to rise, the storms to come,
• 32:20
  and the Lord who is able to bring peace.
• 32:24
  Psalm 65, verse 3 says,
• 32:27
  When we were overwhelmed by sin and guilt upon us lay.
• 32:32
  The psalmist there is speaking about the flood.
• 32:35
  We were overwhelmed by the waters of sin.
• 32:38
  There was nothing that we could do
• 32:40
  to stop that flood coming upon us
• 32:43
  unless the Lord intervened.
• 32:46
  And the psalm goes on to show that.
• 32:49
  And here in Psalm 29,
• 32:50
  we have this illustration from the natural world,
• 32:53
  a time of a great storm.
• 32:57
  And it's teaching us,
• 33:00
  I want to see three things this evening.
• 33:03
  As we think of this storm called judgment
• 33:06
  and the devastation that that can cause to us.
• 33:11
  Unless we find refuge,
• 33:14
  this psalm is reminding us of how to be prepared
• 33:17
  and to weather that storm
• 33:19
  and to come through that storm
• 33:21
  with the peace that only God can give.
• 33:24
  So today, despite the storms that we see around us
• 33:30
  and despite us going into another stormy season,
• 33:34
  we can come and see that there is peace
• 33:37
  to be found with God from this storm judgment.
• 33:41
  And the three things I want us to see in this psalm,
• 33:43
  how it tells us, first of all,
• 33:46
  the way to be prepared.
• 33:49
  If we know a storm is coming,
• 33:51
  we prepare for it.
• 33:54
  The second thing we see in this psalm
• 33:56
  is the powerful reminder it gives
• 33:59
  of the devastation that this storm brings.
• 34:03
  We see that in verse 3 through to verse 9.
• 34:07
  But then at the end of the psalm,
• 34:09
  in verse 10 and 11,
• 34:11
  we see that we can find peace and strength.
• 34:14
  And that we can find that in the Lord.
• 34:19
  And all of these are related
• 34:20
  to listening to the voice of the Lord.
• 34:25
  So the first thing we see is
• 34:27
  to be prepared for the storm.
• 34:31
  And the way to be prepared,
• 34:32
  as the psalmist is making clear for us here,
• 34:34
  is to be prepared by praise.
• 34:37
  If you know a storm is coming,
• 34:41
  we often get warnings days in advance now
• 34:45
  that storms are coming.
• 34:47
  And if we know a storm is coming,
• 34:49
  what do we do?
• 34:50
  We make sure that everything that was loose
• 34:52
  and outside, maybe over the calm summer months,
• 34:55
  that it's put away inside,
• 34:57
  it's put somewhere safe,
• 34:59
  that things are tied down.
• 35:01
  One of the greatest things that you often see
• 35:04
  storms take with them is trampolines.
• 35:06
  You often see it in the news
• 35:08
  where trampolines are seen rolling down the road.
• 35:12
  And so if you've got a trampoline
• 35:13
  and you know a storm is coming,
• 35:15
  you tie it down or you take it down.
• 35:18
  You do everything that you can
• 35:19
  to be prepared for this storm coming.
• 35:23
  You make sure you are ready as you can be for it.
• 35:28
  And as we think of that preparation,
• 35:31
  how do we prepare for the storm
• 35:34
  that this psalm speaks of?
• 35:35
  How do we prepare for the storm called judgment?
• 35:41
  Well, the psalm here begins
• 35:43
  with the theme of worship.
• 35:47
  Ascribe, it says to the Lord,
• 35:50
  O heavenly beings,
• 35:51
  ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
• 35:54
  Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.
• 35:57
  Worship the Lord in splendor of holiness.
• 36:01
  And in the book of Hebrews chapter 12,
• 36:06
  we read quite similar things there as well.
• 36:09
  It speaks in verse 28 about us being grateful
• 36:12
  for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken
• 36:14
  and thus let us offer to God
• 36:18
  acceptable worship with reverence and awe
• 36:21
  for our God is a consuming fire.
• 36:25
  Both of these texts are speaking about
• 36:29
  the devastation that the Lord can bring.
• 36:33
  And living in light of that
• 36:35
  and the fear of the Lord
• 36:36
  being prepared for this storm that's coming.
• 36:40
  The Lord is a gracious God.
• 36:44
  He gives time.
• 36:46
  He warns us of this time that's coming,
• 36:48
  this storm that comes.
• 36:50
  But he's saying that we are to be prepared for it.
• 36:55
  And as you look at the Psalms here,
• 36:57
  and as you look at David's day,
• 36:59
  the problem with the people was
• 37:00
  they were not prepared.
• 37:02
  They were not ready for this storm coming.
• 37:06
  God was not their refuge and their strength,
• 37:09
  as Psalm 46 says.
• 37:11
  Instead, they were putting their confidence,
• 37:14
  their trust, their strength,
• 37:16
  and giving glory to the idols
• 37:17
  and everything else that they worshipped.
• 37:20
  They were giving false worship to false gods
• 37:23
  when God the Lord was there for them.
• 37:28
  And they were ignoring the warnings
• 37:30
  that he was giving.
• 37:32
  David, in writing this Psalm,
• 37:34
  makes it clear that there is no other
• 37:37
  who is due praise like the Lord.
• 37:40
  That's the theme that you see throughout this Psalm.
• 37:44
  The glory is due to God.
• 37:47
  Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
• 37:50
  Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.
• 37:55
  And it goes on then with the voice of the Lord.
• 37:58
  The Lord speaks,
• 37:59
  and yet the people are choosing to ignore this voice.
• 38:05
  And so the question for us
• 38:07
  as we are thinking of preparing for storm judgment
• 38:10
  is are we giving the Lord the glory
• 38:14
  that is due to his name?
• 38:16
  Are we ascribing to the Lord
• 38:18
  the glory that only he deserves?
• 38:22
  Giving glory and strength
• 38:24
  that is due to his name.
• 38:26
  The way to prepare for this storm
• 38:30
  is to be ready by worshipping God
• 38:34
  with all our heart.
• 38:36
  By him being the centre of everything
• 38:39
  that our life revolves around.
• 38:42
  When you see a weather warning,
• 38:46
  you prepare for it.
• 38:48
  You listen to it.
• 38:50
  You pay great attention.
• 38:52
  This time of year,
• 38:52
  we start looking more and more to the forecast.
• 38:55
  Every time we're going to travel somewhere,
• 38:57
  we check the winds
• 38:59
  to see if there's going to be a gale
• 39:01
  or rain or whatever.
• 39:02
  But as we are as diligent,
• 39:05
  are we as prepared for this storm?
• 39:09
  Are we heeding the weather warning
• 39:11
  that the Lord gives us?
• 39:13
  Are we preparing for this storm of judgment
• 39:17
  over our lives?
• 39:19
  Are we listening to the voice of the Lord?
• 39:22
  There was a hurricane
• 39:26
  that hit the United States
• 39:27
  on the 21st of September 1938,
• 39:32
  many years ago.
• 39:35
  But for years after,
• 39:36
  people were speaking about it
• 39:38
  because of the severity of it,
• 39:40
  but also just how quickly it hit.
• 39:44
  They knew a storm was coming,
• 39:47
  but they hadn't expected it to be a hurricane.
• 39:50
  They hadn't expected it to be quite as serious
• 39:53
  as it turned out to be.
• 39:55
  There wasn't the same advance warning
• 39:58
  that we have today.
• 39:59
  It wasn't tracked by satellite
• 40:01
  for the week before seeing its track.
• 40:05
  But they knew something was coming,
• 40:07
  but they hadn't prepared.
• 40:10
  There was a story told of one man
• 40:12
  who lived in Long Island,
• 40:14
  close to New York.
• 40:16
  And just the days before,
• 40:18
  he had bought a barometer.
• 40:21
  That's what tells us
• 40:22
  how the weather is going to be,
• 40:24
  what the pressure is doing,
• 40:26
  and what we can expect from the weather.
• 40:29
  Well, on the morning of the 21st of September,
• 40:33
  the barometer arrived at his house.
• 40:36
  A nice, calm morning.
• 40:39
  And when the man unpacked the barometer,
• 40:42
  he was so disgusted.
• 40:44
  He was so annoyed with what he saw.
• 40:46
  He saw the barometer,
• 40:48
  and the needle was pointing so low,
• 40:50
  pointing to stormy weather.
• 40:53
  And he said,
• 40:53
  this cannot be working.
• 40:55
  There's something wrong with this.
• 40:56
  It's such a fine, calm day outside.
• 40:59
  So in his disgust,
• 41:00
  he packed it up,
• 41:01
  and he went back to the post office
• 41:03
  to send it back to where it came.
• 41:05
  It took a little over an hour
• 41:08
  to get to the post office,
• 41:10
  and yet in that time,
• 41:12
  before he got back to his house,
• 41:14
  his house had been devastated
• 41:16
  by the hurricane
• 41:17
  and blown away.
• 41:19
  The storm came so quickly.
• 41:23
  He had the warning in his hands before him,
• 41:27
  but he chose to ignore it,
• 41:28
  thinking it wasn't right,
• 41:30
  that there was something wrong with it.
• 41:33
  He ignored it,
• 41:36
  almost threw it away.
• 41:39
  And that's the reality for ourselves
• 41:41
  so often just now.
• 41:43
  We hear the warning of God.
• 41:46
  We hear the voice of the Lord,
• 41:48
  but we don't believe that it's true.
• 41:51
  We don't believe that this could possibly come our way.
• 41:54
  Not yet.
• 41:56
  Maybe sometime in the future,
• 41:58
  something's going to happen,
• 42:00
  but we have such days of peace just now.
• 42:03
  But do we?
• 42:05
  The warnings are all around us.
• 42:09
  The voice of the Lord,
• 42:10
  as it goes on in this,
• 42:12
  thunders in many different ways.
• 42:15
  And to us,
• 42:15
  it is thundering in many different ways just now.
• 42:19
  But we're choosing to ignore it.
• 42:22
  We're choosing to throw it away.
• 42:26
  You know,
• 42:26
  on Thursday evening,
• 42:28
  standing outside,
• 42:29
  you would think to yourself,
• 42:30
  there's a storm coming.
• 42:32
  There was hardly a breath of wind.
• 42:37
  But we hear the saying so often,
• 42:38
  the calm before the storm.
• 42:41
  And sure enough,
• 42:42
  through the night and into the morning,
• 42:45
  the wind got up,
• 42:47
  the rain came,
• 42:48
  and you could hardly stand outside the next morning.
• 42:51
  That's the reality for us today.
• 42:54
  The warning is there to be prepared,
• 42:56
  to be ready for the storm of judgment.
• 43:00
  It's the calm before the storm.
• 43:04
  But in the calm,
• 43:05
  we are to make ready
• 43:06
  and to heed the word of God.
• 43:09
  The scripture tells us
• 43:11
  to build our house upon the rock.
• 43:14
  So when the storm comes,
• 43:16
  we're prepared,
• 43:17
  we're ready.
• 43:19
  And what is the rock?
• 43:20
  Who is the rock that we are to build on?
• 43:23
  The rock is Jesus Christ.
• 43:25
  He is the only one
• 43:27
  who we can find refuge in
• 43:29
  for the storm of judgment.
• 43:32
  The second thing we see here
• 43:34
  is a powerful reminder.
• 43:37
  From preparing for this storm,
• 43:39
  we move into verse 3 to verse 9.
• 43:42
  And you see just how powerful
• 43:43
  this storm is that it arrives.
• 43:46
  It's one that the voice of the Lord
• 43:48
  goes forth so dramatically.
• 43:51
  And again, it ties in so closely
• 43:54
  with what Hebrews is saying to us as well.
• 43:57
  It's talking about this shaking
• 43:59
  that's going to take place.
• 44:01
  And if you've ever been in a storm
• 44:03
  of any great magnitude,
• 44:04
  even just popping your head outside
• 44:07
  on Friday morning,
• 44:08
  you hear the wind whistling and howling.
• 44:14
  And there's something frightening
• 44:16
  about that wind noise.
• 44:17
  There's something frightening
• 44:19
  about being in the midst
• 44:21
  of this storm.
• 44:24
  But imagine the storm
• 44:26
  that the Scriptures speak of.
• 44:29
  The storm called judgment.
• 44:31
  And what it'll be like
• 44:32
  to be in the midst of that.
• 44:35
  It's not the howling wind
• 44:36
  you're going to hear.
• 44:38
  You're going to hear the voice
• 44:39
  of the Lord.
• 44:40
  In the same way as the psalmist here
• 44:43
  describes the voice of the Lord
• 44:45
  over all things
• 44:46
  and the power and devastation it brings.
• 44:50
  The voice of the Lord
• 44:51
  on the day of judgment
• 44:52
  is going to do one of two things.
• 44:56
  It is either going to bring you peace
• 44:58
  as you hear the voice
• 45:00
  of the one who is your Lord.
• 45:04
  Or it's going to bring terror
• 45:06
  because you don't know
• 45:08
  the voice of the Lord
• 45:09
  as your Lord.
• 45:11
  But he's going to speak.
• 45:13
  He's going to speak powerfully.
• 45:15
  He's going to speak loudly.
• 45:17
  He's going to speak clearly.
• 45:20
  And he's going to say
• 45:20
  one of two things.
• 45:23
  On one hand,
• 45:24
  to those who are his own,
• 45:25
  he says,
• 45:25
  Come.
• 45:27
  Come,
• 45:28
  you who are blessed.
• 45:30
  But on the other hand,
• 45:31
  he says to those
• 45:32
  who have ignored his voice,
• 45:34
  he says,
• 45:35
  Depart.
• 45:37
  Depart from me.
• 45:39
  I knew you not.
• 45:41
  And so it is what we do
• 45:43
  in our preparation
• 45:44
  and preparing for that day
• 45:46
  that affects how this storm,
• 45:49
  what devastation
• 45:50
  it's going to leave for us.
• 45:53
  Will we know the peace of God?
• 45:57
  Or will we know the devastation
• 45:59
  and terror of the voice of the Lord?
• 46:02
  Look at the voice of the Lord here.
• 46:05
  It's described in two ways for us.
• 46:08
  First of all,
• 46:09
  it's described as powerful.
• 46:11
  And you see the way the voice of the Lord
• 46:13
  goes over all things.
• 46:16
  Over the waters.
• 46:17
  The God of glory thunders over many waters.
• 46:20
  The voice of the Lord is powerful.
• 46:23
  The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars,
• 46:28
  those trees,
• 46:29
  the cedars of Lebanon,
• 46:31
  famous for their strength,
• 46:34
  famous for standing strong.
• 46:36
  The Lord will destroy them.
• 46:39
  It says,
• 46:41
  The voice of the Lord.
• 46:44
  It flashes forth flames of fire.
• 46:47
  The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness,
• 46:50
  the wilderness of Kadesh.
• 46:51
  The voice of the Lord makes a deer give birth.
• 46:56
  There's such a shock,
• 46:57
  such a power in this voice of the Lord.
• 47:02
  And the power that it does,
• 47:03
  it strips the forest bare.
• 47:06
  All of this devastation that it brings.
• 47:08
  We've seen in the news in these past days,
• 47:12
  the devastation of the hurricane in America.
• 47:16
  It wreaks havoc.
• 47:18
  It leaves a great trail of destruction behind it.
• 47:23
  The voice of the Lord is even more powerful.
• 47:26
  In the devastation that it's able to leave behind,
• 47:30
  it's a powerful voice.
• 47:33
  God's voice is seen from the outset of Scripture.
• 47:37
  Scripture, when you go back to the book of Genesis,
• 47:40
  it is the voice of the Lord
• 47:41
  that speaks everything into creation.
• 47:45
  And it's the voice of the Lord
• 47:46
  that is going to bring things to an end.
• 47:49
  The voice of the Lord is powerful.
• 47:53
  The power of God is seen in His voice.
• 47:57
  A powerful judgment.
• 48:00
  And you heard the voice of the Lord.
• 48:05
  You have.
• 48:07
  For the voice of the Lord is speaking even now.
• 48:11
  The word of God is His word to us.
• 48:14
  It speaks powerful.
• 48:16
  It speaks wisely.
• 48:18
  It speaks truth to us all here this evening.
• 48:22
  This is a powerful voice.
• 48:25
  But we thank God that just as it is powerful,
• 48:31
  it is a voice full of majesty.
• 48:34
  In verse 4, it describes the voice of the Lord in these two ways.
• 48:38
  The voice of the Lord is powerful.
• 48:40
  The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
• 48:44
  The Lord has graciously spoken.
• 48:46
  The Lord is still graciously speaking.
• 48:51
  He speaks to us in our days of calm,
• 48:54
  in our days of peace.
• 48:56
  He speaks an invitation.
• 49:00
  He speaks an encouragement.
• 49:02
  He speaks a blessing to us.
• 49:04
  So may we heed that voice of the Lord.
• 49:10
  Because God's voice is heard through the scriptures.
• 49:15
  Calling people to Himself.
• 49:17
  Calling people to find refuge before this storm comes.
• 49:22
  To find in Him the one who is able to give salvation.
• 49:28
  In the book of Hebrews, in the beginning of that book,
• 49:31
  in chapter 1, verse 1, it starts by saying this,
• 49:34
  Long ago, at many times and in many ways,
• 49:37
  God spoke to our forefathers by the prophets.
• 49:42
  It goes on though,
• 49:44
  But in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son,
• 49:49
  whom He appointed the heir of all things,
• 49:52
  through whom He also created the world.
• 49:56
  He has spoken to us through His Son,
• 50:00
  so powerfully.
• 50:02
  The great invitations of the Lord Jesus to come.
• 50:06
  Come, all who labour, and I will give you rest.
• 50:10
  Come to the banquet.
• 50:12
  Come to the waters.
• 50:14
  Come and take.
• 50:15
  The invitation goes out.
• 50:17
  We hear the voice.
• 50:19
  And so later on in Hebrews, in that verse we read,
• 50:21
  it says,
• 50:22
  See that you do not refuse Him who is speaking.
• 50:26
  For if they did not escape when they refused Him
• 50:29
  who warned them on earth,
• 50:30
  much less will we escape if we reject Him
• 50:34
  who warns from heaven.
• 50:38
  His voice to us will be final.
• 50:41
  So are you hearing the majestic voice of the Lord calling on your life,
• 50:50
  calling to find shelter,
• 50:52
  to find refuge in Him?
• 50:55
  He says,
• 50:56
  I heard the voice of Jesus say,
• 51:00
  He says,
• 51:01
  I heard the voice of Jesus say,
• 51:03
  Come unto me and rest.
• 51:05
  Lay down, O weary one,
• 51:07
  lay down your head upon my breast.
• 51:10
  I came to Jesus as I was,
• 51:12
  so weary, worn and sad.
• 51:15
  I found in Him a resting place,
• 51:19
  and He has made me glad.
• 51:22
  He is the only place we can find,
• 51:25
  that place of security,
• 51:28
  that place of peace.
• 51:31
  The voice of the Lord is powerful,
• 51:34
  but the voice of the Lord is majestic.
• 51:38
  It is full of grace just now.
• 51:40
  May we heed the voice.
• 51:43
  What's the response of the people here in verse 9?
• 51:48
  It says,
• 51:49
  In the temple,
• 51:50
  all cry glory.
• 51:54
  All cry glory.
• 51:58
  A storm can leave us with a sense of awe.
• 52:02
  The power of the natural world,
• 52:06
  but behind that is the power of the Creator.
• 52:10
  The one who made all things.
• 52:14
  And any storm should leave us saying glory.
• 52:18
  God is in it.
• 52:20
  And this storm of judgment,
• 52:22
  may we be found to say glory to God,
• 52:26
  who remembered us.
• 52:28
  For the last thing we see in this psalm
• 52:31
  is a peace that is found.
• 52:34
  In verse 10 and 11,
• 52:36
  it says to us,
• 52:38
  The Lord sits enthroned over the flood.
• 52:42
  The Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
• 52:47
  May the Lord give strength to his people.
• 52:50
  May the Lord bless his people with peace.
• 52:55
  God is on the throne.
• 52:58
  God is king over all,
• 53:02
  forever it says.
• 53:03
  And that's the one who is able to give peace
• 53:08
  and to give strength.
• 53:11
  Psalm 107 shows us
• 53:13
  the picture of calling on the name of the Lord
• 53:15
  in the midst of the storm.
• 53:18
  And the Lord changing that storm
• 53:20
  into a calm.
• 53:23
  And bringing the people
• 53:24
  into that desired haven,
• 53:26
  that haven of rest.
• 53:28
  The same picture with the disciples
• 53:31
  who were with Jesus in the boat
• 53:33
  in Mark chapter 4.
• 53:35
  As we were passing over to the other side
• 53:38
  and across the sea
• 53:39
  and a great storm arose,
• 53:42
  who spoke the voice of the Lord.
• 53:45
  And what did he say?
• 53:46
  Peace, be still.
• 53:49
  The voice of the Lord
• 53:50
  is able to bring that peace.
• 53:54
  The disciples were in awe.
• 53:56
  They cried out,
• 53:58
  Who is this?
• 53:59
  That even the wind and the waves obey him.
• 54:02
  That is the power that he has.
• 54:05
  And tonight as we come
• 54:06
  to look for a place of peace,
• 54:09
  a place of shelter,
• 54:10
  it is to find it in the Lord.
• 54:14
  Peace with God is not something
• 54:15
  to be taken for granted.
• 54:18
  It is something we don't deserve.
• 54:21
  Our sin destairs the destruction
• 54:26
  of judgment.
• 54:28
  But God, by his grace,
• 54:31
  delivers us from our sins
• 54:33
  through faith in Jesus Christ.
• 54:37
  So as we look to the one
• 54:39
  who bore our sin,
• 54:41
  as we look to the cross at Calvary,
• 54:45
  as we see the one
• 54:46
  who takes away the sin of the world,
• 54:49
  the Lamb of God slain,
• 54:52
  does that leave us
• 54:53
  with a sense of wonder.
• 54:57
  Wonder that he would do that
• 54:59
  for you and for me.
• 55:01
  The wonder that he would bear
• 55:02
  our sin.
• 55:06
  Even before the crucifixion,
• 55:10
  the disciples saw the glory of God
• 55:13
  in Jesus Christ.
• 55:14
  There in the storm,
• 55:16
  in Mark 4,
• 55:17
  they said,
• 55:18
  who is this?
• 55:20
  And another time
• 55:21
  in the Gospel of Luke,
• 55:22
  chapter 5,
• 55:23
  there in the first number of verses
• 55:25
  in that chapter,
• 55:26
  you read of Jesus
• 55:27
  calling his disciples.
• 55:29
  And they see the power
• 55:31
  that he has
• 55:32
  as they're out fishing.
• 55:34
  And they say,
• 55:35
  we've labored all night
• 55:37
  and we caught nothing.
• 55:39
  But at your command,
• 55:40
  at your voice,
• 55:42
  we let down our nets.
• 55:43
  And they had a great haul
• 55:47
  of fish,
• 55:48
  we're told.
• 55:49
  And what does it do
• 55:50
  to Simon Peter?
• 55:52
  It says of him in verse 8,
• 55:54
  but when Simon Peter saw it,
• 55:56
  he fell down at Jesus' knees,
• 55:58
  saying,
• 55:59
  depart from me,
• 56:01
  for I am a sinful man,
• 56:03
  O Lord,
• 56:04
  unworthy of it.
• 56:07
  And yet,
• 56:07
  as we've seen,
• 56:08
  as we're looking at the study
• 56:09
  in Peter,
• 56:10
  the love
• 56:11
  that Jesus showed to him,
• 56:14
  undeserving as he was,
• 56:16
  he knew the grace
• 56:17
  of his Lord Jesus Christ.
• 56:21
  Peace
• 56:21
  is something
• 56:22
  that we are to desire
• 56:24
  and long for.
• 56:26
  And the peace
• 56:27
  is found
• 56:28
  in Jesus Christ.
• 56:31
  The more we see
• 56:32
  our sin,
• 56:34
  the more we should see
• 56:35
  our need of a Saviour.
• 56:37
  The more we know
• 56:39
  the storm that's coming,
• 56:42
  the more we should be prepared
• 56:43
  for when it comes.
• 56:46
  Because a storm
• 56:47
  called judgment
• 56:48
  will come.
• 56:51
  We may enjoy calm
• 56:52
  just now,
• 56:53
  but it's just the calm
• 56:54
  before this storm.
• 56:56
  And the voice of the Lord
• 56:57
  is saying,
• 56:59
  be ready,
• 57:00
  be prepared,
• 57:01
  for this storm
• 57:02
  will bring
• 57:04
  great devastation.
• 57:05
  but through me
• 57:08
  he is saying,
• 57:09
  you may know strength,
• 57:11
  you may know peace.
• 57:13
  Worship
• 57:14
  the Lord
• 57:15
  with the glory
• 57:17
  that is due
• 57:17
  to that name.
• 57:19
  Bow the knee
• 57:20
  before him,
• 57:21
  unworthy as we are,
• 57:23
  and cry for mercy
• 57:25
  to him
• 57:25
  while we have
• 57:27
  opportunity.
• 57:29
  Hebrews
• 57:29
  and this psalm
• 57:30
  both speak
• 57:32
  of this great
• 57:33
  shaking
• 57:33
  that is to come.
• 57:36
  But they also
• 57:37
  speak
• 57:38
  of the wonder
• 57:39
  of our God
• 57:41
  who saves.
• 57:43
  May the Lord
• 57:44
  give strength
• 57:45
  to his people.
• 57:47
  May the Lord
• 57:48
  bless
• 57:48
  the people
• 57:49
  with peace.
• 57:52
  That is a God
• 57:53
  who is powerful
• 57:54
  but majestic
• 57:55
  and patient
• 57:57
  and long
• 57:58
  suffering.
• 58:00
  But he is
• 58:00
  calling us
• 58:01
  now,
• 58:02
  now
• 58:02
  to find
• 58:04
  peace
• 58:04
  in him
• 58:05
  before
• 58:06
  the storm
• 58:08
  comes.
• 58:09
  May we offer
• 58:10
  to him
• 58:10
  an acceptable
• 58:12
  worship
• 58:13
  with reverence
• 58:15
  and awe
• 58:16
  for our God
• 58:18
  is a consuming
• 58:19
  fire.
• 58:20
  In that day
• 58:21
  may we know
• 58:22
  his refuge
• 58:24
  and strength
• 58:25
  and not
• 58:26
  the full wrath
• 58:27
  of his judgment
• 58:28
  for we take heed
• 58:30
  of the warning
• 58:31
  of the storm
• 58:32
  that is coming
• 58:32
  and are prepared
• 58:34
  by trusting
• 58:35
  in him.
• 58:37
  Let us pray.
• 58:40
  Our Father
• 58:41
  in heaven
• 58:42
  every warning
• 58:43
  we have
• 58:44
  is an opportunity.
• 58:47
  We are given
• 58:47
  direction
• 58:48
  in your word
• 58:49
  to find
• 58:50
  that place
• 58:51
  of refuge
• 58:52
  and a place
• 58:53
  that is found
• 58:54
  only in Christ
• 58:55
  Jesus
• 58:55
  your son.
• 58:57
  And so we pray
• 58:58
  that you will help us
• 58:59
  to be prepared
• 59:00
  for that day
• 59:01
  that's coming
• 59:02
  for the storm
• 59:03
  of judgment
• 59:04
  that we would not
• 59:05
  be overwhelmed
• 59:06
  by it
• 59:07
  but that we would
• 59:08
  find in you
• 59:08
  both refuge
• 59:09
  and strength
• 59:10
  the voice
• 59:11
  that is powerful
• 59:12
  the voice
• 59:13
  that is majestic
• 59:14
  speaks
• 59:15
  so give us
• 59:16
  ears to hear
• 59:17
  and we ask it
• 59:18
  in his precious
• 59:19
  name.
• 59:20
  Amen.
• 59:22
  We are going
• 59:25
  to conclude
• 59:26
  by singing
• 59:27
  to God's praise
• 59:29
  in Psalm 84
• 59:30
  in the Scottish
• 59:31
  Psalter
• 59:32
  Psalm 84
• 59:33
  page 339
• 59:35
  of the Psalm book
• 59:36
  we are singing
• 59:36
  at verse 8
• 59:37
  to the end
• 59:38
  of the Psalm
• 59:39
  Lord God
• 59:41
  of hosts
• 59:42
  my prayer
• 59:43
  hear
• 59:43
  O Jacob's
• 59:44
  God
• 59:44
  give ear
• 59:45
  see God
• 59:46
  our shield
• 59:47
  look on
• 59:47
  the face
• 59:48
  of thine
• 59:49
  anointed
• 59:50
  dear
• 59:51
  we'll sing
• 59:52
  from verse 8
• 59:52
  to the end
• 59:53
  of the Psalm
• 59:53
  the tune
• 59:54
  is
• 59:54
  weather
• 59:55
  be
• 59:55
  and we stand
• 59:56
  to sing
• 59:56
  to God's
• 59:57
  praise
• 59:57
  Lord God
• 1:00:03
  of hosts
• 1:00:06
  my prayer
• 1:00:09
  and hear
• 1:00:11
  O
• 1:00:13
  take
• 1:00:14
  love
• 1:00:15
  song
• 1:00:17
  give
• 1:00:18
  ear
• 1:00:19
  sing
• 1:00:21
  to h tard
• 1:00:22
  Father, shield, look on the face of thy anointed ear.
• 1:00:38
  For in thy course one day excels a thousand rather in.
• 1:00:57
  My God's arms will my King adore and dwell in tents of sin.
• 1:01:15
  For God the Lord's a sun and shield in grace and glory day.
• 1:01:34
  And will the faithful know him from there as the bright He did.
• 1:01:52
  O thou that art the Lord of hosts, the man is truly blessed.
• 1:02:12
  Who I trust you, the hope of grace.
• 1:02:24
  On thee, hallowed, O praise.
• 1:02:33
  After the benediction, I'll go to the door to my right here.
• 1:02:37
  Let's close with the benediction.
• 1:02:38
  Now may grace, mercy and peace from God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• 1:02:45
  Rest upon and abide with you all now and forevermore.
• 1:02:50
  Amen.