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Resurrection Blessings · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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Our worship, we sing to God's praise from the Psalm 103.
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We'll be singing, first of all, from the Scottish Psalter, page 369.
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O thou, my soul, bless God the Lord, and all that in me is.
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Be stirred it up his holy name to magnify and bless.
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Bless, O my soul, the Lord thy God, and not forgetful be of all his gracious benefits
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he hath bestowed on the verses 1 to 5 of Psalm 103.
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O thou, my soul, bless God the Lord, and all that in me is.
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He's headed up his holy name to magnify and bless.
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Bless, O my soul, the Lord thy God, and not forgetful be.
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All of his gracious benefits he hath bestowed on me.
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All thine iniquity circumcised, most graciously forgive.
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All of his gracious, O my soul, the Lord, and not forgetful be.
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Who doth redeem my life, but thou to death may shod for thou.
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Who thee with loving kindness, the unendened mercy's crown.
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Who with abundance of good things, does satisfy thy mouth.
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So that in love, the angel's age, reneweth thy youth.
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Let's now unite our hearts in prayer.
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Almighty and ever-blessed God, with the psalmist we would indeed say,
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O thou, my soul, bless God the Lord, and all that in me is.
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O loving Heavenly Father, help us, we pray.
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Help us by the power and the presence of your Holy Spirit to do just that.
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To bless our God.
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To acknowledge that you are indeed the sovereign creator and sustainer of all things.
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You are the one with whom we have to do.
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And you are the one, albeit creator and sovereign,
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the one who comes to us, who meets with us through your own beloved son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
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And thus you become our Father.
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And as your children, we can cry.
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We can cry out, Abba, Father.
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We do bless you, Lord.
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We just want to bless you more and more and more with all that is within us.
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We find ourselves so often struggling.
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We find ourselves doubting and fearful.
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But hey, we thank you tonight that we can come.
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We can come.
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There's no constraint upon us to stay away, but more of a constraint to be in this place tonight.
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To worship you.
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To meditate upon your word.
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To fellowship with God's people.
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And to be reminded once again that you are indeed the resurrection and the life.
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We can say, Christ is risen.
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I know he's risen from the dead.
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Why?
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Because he lives within my heart.
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And we pray that that would be the experience of everyone gathered here tonight.
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That you might know the risen Christ ruling and reigning in your heart.
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And so we bless you, Lord.
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We bless you for all that you are, for all that you mean to us.
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And again, we would come with a spirit of humility and an attitude of gratitude, Lord,
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for your lavish providence over us.
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You've blessed us beyond our understanding, beyond our imaginations, oh Lord.
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Who could number all our blessings if we were to try that, Lord?
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Who could count them?
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And so we come and we bow before you.
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Lord, we mention this edict.
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And we rejoice in the knowledge that there is a call to the Reverend Callum Smith.
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And we pray, oh loving Heavenly Father, that you would continue, as you have done,
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to go before this congregation and to make the crooked places straight,
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to break in pieces the gates of brass, to cut asunder the bars of iron.
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And all things will be done according to your will and your purpose.
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We ask your blessing, Lord, upon him and whatever family he may have, even at this time.
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And many, Lord, would come and to show their opinion, to show their hope.
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Indeed, Lord, to show their faith and to sign this call.
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And we thank you also, Lord, for the Reverend James McKeever.
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And we thank you, Lord, for his ministry in this place,
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for all that he does, Lord, in the preaching and proclamation of your word
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and for the pastoring of your people.
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How blessed we are.
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Even across our island, oh Lord,
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we have those who proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ,
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even in these dark and difficult days.
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And so as we gather, we pray that you would be mindful of us, each one.
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As we seek to draw near to you, you would draw near to us.
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And we remember, oh loving Heavenly Father,
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those who have lost loved ones,
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who know bereavement, sadness and sorrow.
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For families, oh Lord,
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whose lives have been changed,
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some in the twinkling of an eye,
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others through a long illness.
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But we pray that your Holy Spirit
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would minister to each one.
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They would know the comfort,
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the nearness.
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They would know that God is in the midst.
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They would know he understands.
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And that Christ himself has promised to
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come alongside.
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The one who knows our infirmities,
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our weaknesses, our tears.
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The one who understands.
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And we bless you tonight, oh Lord,
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that we have one,
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the risen Christ,
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who understands,
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who knows.
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And above all, Lord,
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and sometimes we say it so often in a flippant way,
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yet nevertheless we say it again,
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you love us.
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You love us with a deep love.
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A love that proved itself,
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evidenced itself on that cross on Calvary's hill.
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And yet a love that died,
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but death couldn't keep you,
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and the grave couldn't keep you.
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You did indeed rise again.
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So we come tonight in that atmosphere
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of the living Christ.
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And not a dead story,
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but an inspired word that speaks to us of Jesus.
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So we remember these families, oh Lord,
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tonight, and others, Lord,
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who know sadness and loss in these past days,
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these past weeks,
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and even these past months, oh Lord.
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And we would commit and commend them to you.
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Lord, we pray tonight for Ukraine.
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Oh, Heavenly Father,
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it just amazes us, Lord.
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We just can't understand at times
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all that's happening and taking place
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in that land.
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We pray, oh God,
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we pray, Lord,
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from the outset that that war would be stopped.
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And that things, Lord,
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would get back to normal,
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if that would ever be possible.
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But we pray, Lord,
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for the enemy to be confused.
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We pray for the transgressor, Lord,
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to be removed.
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We pray for safe passage
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for those within the cities
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and the villages of the Ukraine,
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Lord,
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that they would find safe haven,
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even though many, Lord,
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know not where their destination
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would take them.
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Lord, again,
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we have to remember how blessed we are,
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how peaceful, Lord,
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we are in this portion of the vineyard
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where we are planted,
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when we consider the Ukraine,
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but not only the Ukraine,
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oh Lord,
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many, many countries tonight
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where once there was the cry of peace,
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peace,
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and there is no peace.
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There's more of the deviousness,
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the deceit,
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the depth of sin,
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the ravages of sin,
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the wickedness
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and depravity of men
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against others, Lord.
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And oh, how we long,
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how we long,
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oh loving Heavenly Father.
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Perhaps, Lord,
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you're bringing us to that place
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where now we should be crying out,
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come Lord Jesus,
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come Lord Jesus,
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because everything that is happening
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in our world,
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oh Lord,
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is revealed in the scriptures.
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There are wars and rumours of wars.
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There are famines,
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there are diseases,
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there are floods.
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Oh loving Heavenly Father,
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and yet we know through faith,
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and only through faith,
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that you are sovereign,
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that the devil may have free reign
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for a time,
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yet he is on a lead,
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a long lead.
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You are sovereign,
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all God.
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He can go so far and no more.
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And so we thank you, Lord,
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that we can look to you,
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we can find in your word
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direction and guidance
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and assurance.
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And truly tonight,
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because of the resurrected Christ,
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we can say with the Apostle Paul,
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I know whom I have believed,
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and I'm persuaded that he is able
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to keep that which I have committed
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unto him against that day.
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And Lord,
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we pray that every soul gathered here tonight,
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those who may be watching,
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Lord,
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on TV screens,
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that they've handed over their souls,
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they have surrendered themselves
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to Christ,
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they have responded to his love.
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We love him because he loved us first
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and gave himself for us.
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How blessed we are to be able to share
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in the things of the gospel,
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to gather together in the house of God,
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and in the knowledge that you are with us.
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That's your promise.
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Where the twos and threes are gathered
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in your name,
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you are there in the midst,
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and in the midst to bless.
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We give you thanks again,
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oh Lord,
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for all that you are
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and all that you mean to us.
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And we pray that each one of us,
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oh Lord,
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would indeed have the gift of faith
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within our hearts and lives stirred up,
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that we would be prepared
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to go the second mile.
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We would show,
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Lord,
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our community.
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We would show,
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Lord,
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whose we are
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and who we are,
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soldiers,
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ambassadors,
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followers of Christ Jesus,
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our Lord.
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Heavenly Father,
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we confess our sins before you.
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We know we fail
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and let you down so often.
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We know that only too well.
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But help us, Lord,
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to stop looking at our own hearts,
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for therein we see deceitful hearts.
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But enable us to look to Jesus,
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the author
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and the perfecter of our faith,
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remembering that he indeed forgives us.
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If we bring our sins before him day by day,
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he forgives us.
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And so we thank you,
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oh, hey,
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we thank you
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for all that you are
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and all that you mean to us.
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And ask your blessing, Lord,
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upon us,
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owe us for yourself tonight.
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May we see no man save Jesus only.
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May we know the unction of your Holy Spirit.
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Lord,
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put the pride away
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deep within a locked box.
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And may we just rejoice.
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Even dare we say,
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enjoy ourselves,
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be reminded of what we have
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in Christ Jesus,
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our Lord.
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Go before us then,
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we pray.
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Forgive us all our sins.
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In Jesus' name do we ask it.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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I want to read now
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some verses from
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Peter's first letter,
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1 Peter,
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chapter 1.
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Just a few verses.
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We'll read verses 1
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down to the verse
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marked 9.
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Let us hear then
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and read the word of God
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together.
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1 Peter,
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chapter 1
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and at verse 1.
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Peter,
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an apostle
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of Jesus Christ.
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To those who are
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elect exiles
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of the dispersion
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in Pontus,
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Galatia,
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Cappadocia,
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Asia,
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and Bithynia,
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according to the foreknowledge
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of God the Father,
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in the sanctification
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of the Spirit,
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for obedience
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to Jesus Christ
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and for sprinkling
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with his blood.
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May grace
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and peace
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be multiplied
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to you.
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Blessed be the God
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and Father
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of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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According to his great mercy,
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he has caused us
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to be born again
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to a living hope
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through the resurrection
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of Jesus Christ
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from the dead
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to an inheritance
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that is imperishable,
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undefiled,
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and unfading,
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kept in heaven
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for you,
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who by God's power
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are being guarded
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through faith
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for a salvation
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ready to be revealed
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in the last time.
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In this,
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you rejoice,
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though now
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for a little while,
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if necessary,
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you have been grieved
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by various trials,
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so that the tested
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genuineness of your faith,
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more precious
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than gold
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that perishes,
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though it is tested
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by fire,
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may be found
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to result in praise
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and glory
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and honor
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of the revelation
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of Jesus Christ.
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Though you have not
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seen him,
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you love him.
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Though you do not
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now see him,
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you believe in him
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and rejoice
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with joy
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that is inexpressible
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and filled
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with glory,
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obtaining the outcome
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of your faith,
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the salvation
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of your souls.
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Amen.
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Then,
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and may the Lord
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bless to us
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that reading
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of his most holy
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and precious word.
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We're going to sing now
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from,
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sing Psalms,
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Psalm 23,
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and it's on page 28.
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The Lord is my shepherd,
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no one shall I know.
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He makes me lie down
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where the green pastures grow.
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He leads me to rest
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where the calm waters flow.
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And down to the end,
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so surely,
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your covenant,
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mercy,
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and grace
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will follow me closely
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in all of my ways.
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I will dwell
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in the house of the Lord
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all my days.
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The whole of Psalm 23.
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The Lord is my shepherd,
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no one shall I know.
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He makes me lie down
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where the green pastures grow.
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He leads me to rest
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where the calm waters flow.
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My wandering steps
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He brings back to His way,
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In straight paths
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of righteousness
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making me stay,
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And this He has done
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His great name to display.
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Though I walk
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in death's valley
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where darkness is near,
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Because You are with me,
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no evil I fear.
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Your blood and Your suffering
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be comfort and cheer.
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In the sight of my enemies
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that table You spread,
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The oil of rejoicing
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You pour on my head,
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My cup overflows
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and I'm graciously fed.
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So surely Your power
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and mercy and grace
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Will follow me closely
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in all of my ways.
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I will dwell in the house
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of the Lord all my days.
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Amen.
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In 1 Peter chapter 1,
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in verses 3 and 4,
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Peter writes,
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Blessed be the God
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and Father
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of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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According to His great mercy,
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He has caused us
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to be born again
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to a living hope
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through the resurrection
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of Jesus Christ
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from the dead
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to an inheritance
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that is imperishable,
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undefiled,
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and unfading,
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kept in heaven
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for You.
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And so here we have
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some of those blessings,
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the consequences
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of that glorious resurrection
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of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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And I would ask
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at the beginning
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of this service,
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does the resurrection
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of Jesus Christ
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mean anything to you
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at all?
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We go through the motions,
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don't we,
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year by year,
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and we come
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and we have these
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Easter services
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and we are reminded
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of the resurrection
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of Christ.
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But does it really
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mean anything to you?
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I would ask the question
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of myself.
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Does it mean anything to me?
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Does it affect me?
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Does it help me
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want to live a life
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that betrays that,
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that shows that?
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Is my faith real and alive?
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Do I really believe
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in the Lord Jesus Christ?
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Do I want others
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to come to know Him
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so much so
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that I visit them,
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I pray for them,
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I speak to them
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about the Lord Jesus
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when I meet them,
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whether it's in the street
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or whether it's
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in the supermarket?
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Does the risen Christ
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mean anything to me?
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Does it mean anything
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to you?
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Well, well it should.
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Of course it should.
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And I'm sure many
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are sitting here tonight
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and yes it does mean,
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it does mean a great deal
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to us.
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In fact,
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it means everything to us
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because we know
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we're not alone
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and never shall be alone.
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We have one
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who's promised
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never to leave us
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nor forsake us.
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So here,
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in these two verses,
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we have a new birth,
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we have a living hope
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and we have an inheritance,
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imperishable,
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undefiled
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and unfading
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or as the NIV has it,
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that can never perish,
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spoil or fade,
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kept in heaven
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for you.
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And I want us to
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concentrate then
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on these blessings
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of Christ's resurrection,
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this new birth.
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And some of us
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gathered here,
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we can go back
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a long, long time.
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Maybe we've forgotten
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or maybe we remember well
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when we were born anew,
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when we came to faith
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in Jesus Christ.
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And I want to speak
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about this living hope
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that we have.
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Of all people,
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we are richly blessed,
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that we're living in a world
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where there seems to be
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so little hope.
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And yet we can gather tonight
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and because of the resurrection
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and because of our belief
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that Christ has risen
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from the dead,
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we have a lively,
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we have a living hope.
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And I want to speak
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about this inheritance
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that is yours and mine.
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We have a destiny,
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we're going places,
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we are pilgrims
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and strangers
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here on earth.
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And though we be pilgrims
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and strangers,
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we'll never be orphans
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because God is our Father
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and he's gone before us
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and in Christ
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he's prepared,
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prepared a place
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in the house
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and many mansions
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and our inheritance
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is there
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and sometimes
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we're not quite sure
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of what that inheritance is
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but we know this,
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that Christ will be there
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and we'll see him,
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we'll see him
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as he is
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and he'll be beautiful.
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and the scriptures tell us
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that when we see him
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we'll be like him
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and so we'll be beautiful.
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We may not be beautiful
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here and now
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when we get home to glory
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through all that we have
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to go through,
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the trials and the tribulations,
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the perfecting of our faith,
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the difficulties,
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the tears,
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the sadness and sorrows
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when we get there,
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when we get there.
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we'll be like,
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we'll be beautiful.
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Do you hope for that?
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Do you know that?
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Is that,
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is that your,
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is that your promise?
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Is that your destiny?
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Do you have that assurance?
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Sometimes people say
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it's wrong to have
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such a strong assurance
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of faith in Christ
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and to know we're going to heaven.
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It's not wrong.
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It's childlike faith.
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It's trusting our loving
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heavenly father.
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It's believing the word of God
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that I have a place,
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you have a place
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through faith in Christ
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in heaven.
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And so God has given us,
22:22
God has caused us
22:23
or God has given us
22:24
new birth.
22:26
Again in verse 3,
22:27
blessed be the God and Father
22:28
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
22:31
according to his great mercy,
22:34
he has caused us
22:35
to be born again
22:37
or in his great mercy,
22:39
he has given us
22:40
new birth.
22:42
The New Living Translation
22:44
puts it this way,
22:46
all honor to God
22:47
and Father,
22:48
all honor to the God
22:50
and Father
22:50
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
22:52
for it is by his
22:54
boundless mercy
22:55
that God has given us
22:57
the privilege
22:58
of being born again,
23:01
of being born again.
23:03
You see,
23:04
our first birth,
23:05
our first birth,
23:06
which of course
23:06
was a natural birth,
23:09
that caused us
23:10
to sink
23:11
very gradually
23:13
for some of us,
23:13
but nevertheless,
23:14
it caused us
23:15
to sink downward.
23:16
But this second birth,
23:18
a spiritual birth,
23:19
that is faith
23:20
in Christ Jesus,
23:22
it causes us
23:23
to rise upwards,
23:26
to come into
23:27
a deeper
23:27
and more solemn
23:28
relationship
23:29
with God,
23:30
our Heavenly Father,
23:31
to faith in Christ,
23:33
enabled by
23:34
his Holy Spirit.
23:37
So our new birth
23:38
causes us
23:38
to rise upwards
23:39
and to be involved
23:40
in the Trinity
23:41
of God
23:42
in Father,
23:42
Son,
23:43
and Holy Spirit
23:44
and for the Trinity
23:45
to be involved
23:46
in your life
23:47
and my life.
23:49
We were born
23:51
enemies of God.
23:54
Yet through faith
23:54
in Christ,
23:55
we've been reborn,
23:57
reborn as friends
23:58
of God.
24:00
Someone has said,
24:02
conversion is no
24:03
repairing
24:04
of the old building,
24:06
but it takes
24:07
all down
24:08
and erects
24:10
a new structure.
24:12
And Paul writes,
24:13
but God being
24:13
rich in mercy
24:14
because of the
24:15
great love
24:16
with which he loved us,
24:18
even when we were
24:19
dead in our trespasses,
24:21
made us alive.
24:23
made us alive
24:24
with Christ together.
24:27
Without Christ then,
24:28
we were dead
24:29
in our trespasses
24:30
and our sins.
24:31
We needed to be
24:32
brought alive
24:34
spiritually.
24:35
But in our own strength,
24:37
our own power
24:37
and our own wisdom,
24:39
we could never do that.
24:41
We couldn't make
24:42
ourselves
24:42
spiritually alive.
24:46
There may have been times,
24:48
there may have been
24:48
an occasion,
24:49
when we tried to turn
24:50
over a new leaf,
24:53
or to get a new lease
24:54
on life.
24:56
But we couldn't do it,
24:57
we just couldn't do that,
24:59
no matter how hard
25:00
we tried.
25:01
We could not change
25:02
ourselves by stopping
25:04
a few bad habits,
25:06
or changing some
25:08
of our attitudes,
25:09
or even just trying
25:10
to be a wee bit better,
25:12
or a wee bit good.
25:13
we needed,
25:14
we needed
25:15
a new heart,
25:17
a new engine room,
25:18
a new vision.
25:19
We needed
25:20
a new life.
25:23
And praise God,
25:25
praise God,
25:27
he gave us
25:27
that new life.
25:29
We didn't need
25:30
reformation,
25:31
we needed
25:32
regeneration.
25:33
You see,
25:35
reformation
25:36
is just
25:37
whitewashing,
25:39
whereas
25:39
regeneration
25:40
will wash you
25:42
whiter
25:43
than snow.
25:45
Though your sins
25:46
be as scarlet,
25:48
they shall be
25:48
as white as snow.
25:51
Reformation
25:51
will put
25:52
new clothes
25:53
on a person,
25:54
whereas
25:55
regeneration
25:56
will put
25:56
a new person
25:58
in those clothes.
26:01
And so
26:01
the Holy Spirit
26:02
came.
26:03
The Holy Spirit
26:04
came to us,
26:06
whether it was
26:06
under the preached
26:07
word,
26:09
through some
26:09
illness,
26:10
through some
26:10
affliction,
26:12
maybe some
26:13
deep sadness,
26:14
maybe conviction
26:15
of sin,
26:16
a longing
26:16
for forgiveness,
26:18
perhaps that time
26:19
when you were
26:20
burdened
26:21
with guilt.
26:23
Whatever it was,
26:24
the Holy Spirit
26:24
came,
26:26
and he met us.
26:28
He met you,
26:28
and he met me
26:29
in our need.
26:31
and praise God.
26:34
Praise God,
26:35
praise God
26:35
for that.
26:37
The Holy Spirit
26:37
met us
26:38
where we were.
26:40
And where were we?
26:41
We were dead
26:42
in our sins.
26:43
And he made us
26:44
spiritually alive,
26:46
and being made
26:47
spiritually alive,
26:48
we were then
26:48
able to
26:49
repent of our
26:50
sins
26:51
and confess
26:52
that Jesus
26:54
Christ
26:54
is Lord.
26:57
What a blessing,
26:58
what a privilege
26:59
that we can
27:00
confess that
27:01
Jesus Christ
27:02
is Lord
27:03
tonight.
27:03
We're living
27:04
in a world,
27:05
an anti-Christian
27:06
world.
27:06
You see that.
27:07
You see the
27:08
changes in our
27:09
world.
27:11
And yet tonight
27:11
we gather.
27:13
We gather and
27:14
we can confess
27:14
and profess
27:15
that Jesus Christ
27:17
is the Lord
27:18
of our lives.
27:19
You know,
27:19
we were not
27:20
born again
27:21
because we
27:22
repented
27:22
or exercised
27:24
faith.
27:25
We repented
27:26
and exercised
27:28
faith in Jesus
27:29
because of the
27:30
Holy Spirit's
27:31
work in us.
27:32
We were born
27:33
again from
27:33
above.
27:34
It was a work
27:35
of God.
27:35
It was a
27:36
supernatural
27:36
work of
27:38
God.
27:40
Of his
27:41
conversion
27:41
experience,
27:43
Billy Bray
27:43
said,
27:44
I remember
27:45
this,
27:46
that everything
27:47
looked new
27:47
to me,
27:49
the fields,
27:50
the cattle,
27:51
the trees.
27:53
I was like
27:53
a new man
27:54
in a new
27:55
world.
27:57
Do you
27:57
remember that?
27:59
Do you
27:59
remember those
28:00
days?
28:01
For some,
28:02
it was deep
28:03
and so real
28:04
and so dramatic
28:05
like the
28:06
Apostle Paul
28:07
on the
28:08
Damascus Road
28:08
being broken
28:09
and brought
28:10
down upon
28:11
his knees
28:11
and his
28:12
face.
28:12
Had to be
28:13
broken so
28:14
that Christ
28:14
could remake
28:15
him.
28:17
For some,
28:17
it was like
28:17
Lydia,
28:18
whose heart
28:20
the Lord
28:21
opened.
28:22
In a sense,
28:22
the penny
28:23
dropped.
28:23
But listen,
28:24
it was the
28:25
same Holy
28:25
Spirit.
28:26
If you're
28:27
in Christ
28:27
tonight,
28:28
if you can
28:29
confess Jesus
28:30
as your
28:31
Lord and
28:31
Saviour,
28:32
then you
28:33
have been
28:33
born anew
28:33
and the
28:34
same Holy
28:34
Spirit
28:35
touched
28:36
your life.
28:38
Whether it
28:38
was the
28:38
Apostle Paul,
28:39
whether it
28:39
was Lydia,
28:41
whether it
28:41
was you and
28:42
I sitting
28:42
here tonight.
28:44
The fields,
28:45
the cattle,
28:46
the trees,
28:46
I was like
28:47
a new
28:47
man in
28:49
a new
28:49
world.
28:50
That's what
28:50
the new
28:50
birth does
28:52
to you
28:52
and in
28:53
you.
28:53
It opens
28:54
your blind
28:54
eyes to
28:55
a new
28:56
world.
28:57
It changes
28:58
you from
28:58
the inside
28:59
out.
29:00
It gives
29:01
you a new
29:01
heart.
29:03
We read in
29:03
1 John 3
29:04
and verse 9,
29:05
no one born
29:06
of God
29:07
makes a
29:08
practice of
29:09
sinning,
29:10
for God's
29:10
seed abides
29:11
in him.
29:12
And he
29:12
cannot keep
29:13
on sinning,
29:14
because he
29:15
has been
29:15
born of
29:17
God.
29:18
It's all
29:19
of mercy,
29:19
all of
29:20
grace,
29:21
it's all
29:21
of love.
29:23
It is
29:23
God's
29:24
doing.
29:26
It is
29:26
God's
29:27
doing,
29:28
because
29:28
Christ
29:29
not only
29:30
suffered and
29:31
died and
29:32
paid the
29:32
price for
29:33
our sins,
29:33
paid the
29:34
ransom price,
29:36
but he
29:36
rose again.
29:37
He rose
29:37
again from
29:38
the dead.
29:38
The grave
29:39
couldn't keep
29:39
him,
29:40
death
29:40
couldn't
29:40
keep him,
29:41
Satan
29:41
couldn't
29:42
keep him,
29:43
sin
29:43
couldn't
29:43
keep him.
29:44
He conquered
29:44
it all.
29:46
And there
29:46
are a
29:46
measure of
29:47
that conquerorship
29:48
is in your
29:49
life and
29:50
my life.
29:52
C.H.
29:53
Spurgeon
29:53
says,
29:54
from the
29:54
word of
29:54
God,
29:55
I gather
29:56
that damnation
29:58
is all of
29:58
man,
29:59
from top
30:00
to bottom,
30:01
and salvation
30:02
is all of
30:03
grace,
30:04
from first
30:05
to last.
30:07
He that
30:08
perishes
30:08
chooses to
30:10
perish,
30:11
but he that
30:12
is saved
30:12
is saved,
30:13
because God
30:14
has chosen
30:15
to save
30:17
him.
30:18
Because God
30:18
has chosen
30:19
to save
30:20
him.
30:21
I've given
30:22
up asking
30:23
why.
30:24
I don't
30:24
know why
30:25
God chose
30:26
me,
30:27
but I know
30:28
he did.
30:28
The scriptures
30:29
tell me that.
30:31
It's pointless
30:32
now trying to
30:32
figure out
30:33
why,
30:34
because I know
30:35
also that it
30:35
was all of
30:36
grace.
30:36
There was
30:37
nothing in
30:37
me,
30:38
nothing in
30:39
me what I
30:39
was doing
30:40
then,
30:40
nothing in
30:41
me what I
30:42
do now.
30:44
It was all
30:44
of grace.
30:45
We are the
30:45
people in
30:46
debt even
30:47
to knights.
30:48
We owe
30:49
the Lord
30:49
Jesus
30:49
everything.
30:51
We owe
30:52
him it
30:53
all.
30:54
To Nicodemus,
30:55
Jesus said,
30:57
truly,
30:58
truly,
30:58
I say to
30:59
you,
30:59
unless one
31:00
is born
31:00
again,
31:01
he cannot
31:02
see the
31:03
kingdom of
31:04
God.
31:05
Jesus was
31:06
telling Nicodemus
31:07
that entrance
31:07
into God's
31:09
salvation.
31:10
It was not
31:10
a matter of
31:11
adding something
31:12
to all his
31:14
efforts.
31:16
It wasn't
31:16
about topping
31:16
off his
31:17
religious devotion,
31:19
but rather
31:20
cancelling
31:20
everything out
31:21
and starting
31:23
again.
31:24
You must
31:25
be born
31:27
again.
31:29
Becoming a
31:30
child of
31:31
God then.
31:32
It's not
31:32
about what
31:32
we do
31:33
or how we
31:34
excel.
31:36
It's not
31:36
about how
31:37
good we
31:37
might make
31:39
ourselves.
31:40
It's about
31:40
seeing
31:41
ourselves
31:42
as sinners,
31:44
as seeing
31:44
ourselves as
31:45
dead to the
31:46
things of
31:46
God and
31:47
lost
31:47
eternity.
31:50
It's not
31:50
about what
31:51
we can
31:52
do for
31:52
God.
31:54
It's about
31:54
what God
31:55
has done
31:57
for us,
31:58
what he
31:59
has done
31:59
for us
32:00
through his
32:01
own beloved
32:01
son,
32:03
Jesus
32:03
Christ.
32:05
I wonder
32:06
for a moment
32:06
does that
32:07
name
32:07
Jesus.
32:09
Is that
32:09
also
32:10
precious to
32:10
you?
32:11
I hope
32:11
it is.
32:13
We have
32:13
heard the
32:14
name so
32:16
often.
32:16
I'm sure
32:17
there are
32:17
people gathered
32:17
here like
32:18
me.
32:18
We've heard
32:18
the name
32:19
Jesus in
32:19
prayer.
32:20
We've read
32:20
about the
32:21
name Jesus
32:22
in our
32:23
Bibles,
32:24
in Scripture.
32:26
Sometimes we
32:26
get just a
32:27
little complacent.
32:28
It doesn't
32:29
seem to
32:30
touch us
32:32
any longer.
32:33
Yet in
32:34
that name
32:34
is our
32:35
salvation.
32:36
In that
32:36
name is the
32:37
depth that
32:38
he came to
32:38
reach you
32:39
and I,
32:40
to lift us
32:40
out of the
32:41
mighty clay
32:42
and the
32:42
fearful pit.
32:43
In that
32:44
name,
32:44
in that
32:45
name is
32:45
our life,
32:46
our eternal
32:46
life.
32:47
In that
32:48
name is the
32:48
peace that
32:49
we have,
32:49
the peace
32:50
of God
32:50
which passes
32:51
all understanding.
32:53
In that
32:53
name we have
32:54
assurance that
32:54
we belong to
32:56
the Lord.
32:56
I'm very
32:57
privileged.
32:58
I live
32:58
opposite the
32:59
Roman Catholic
33:00
Church and
33:01
you wonder
33:01
how is that
33:02
a privilege?
33:03
Well you see
33:04
from my
33:04
living room
33:05
window and
33:07
from my
33:07
bedroom window
33:08
I can look
33:08
over and
33:09
on the roof
33:10
of the
33:10
Catholic Church
33:11
there is a
33:11
cross.
33:12
So every
33:13
day I see
33:13
that cross
33:14
and I'm
33:15
privileged that
33:16
I'm able to
33:16
think just a
33:18
little about
33:19
what it costs
33:20
Christ to
33:22
redeem me and
33:23
to make me the
33:24
kind of person
33:25
that I hope
33:26
I'm coming
33:28
to be.
33:30
And remember
33:31
it's Jesus.
33:33
It's Jesus
33:34
who said
33:35
I tell you
33:36
the truth
33:36
you must
33:37
be born
33:39
again.
33:40
There's no
33:40
escape from
33:42
that.
33:42
That's not
33:43
an American
33:44
thing.
33:45
That's biblical.
33:46
That's scripture.
33:47
That's the voice
33:48
of Jesus.
33:50
Jesus said
33:50
it and
33:51
Jesus means
33:52
it.
33:53
There's no
33:53
entrance into
33:55
the kingdom
33:55
of God,
33:56
into the family
33:56
of God unless
33:58
one is born
33:59
again.
34:01
Have you
34:02
ever heard
34:02
such phrases
34:03
like pull
34:04
yourself
34:05
together,
34:07
turn over
34:07
a new
34:08
leaf,
34:09
turn yourself
34:10
around,
34:12
get a new
34:12
lease on
34:13
life,
34:15
try again.
34:16
will all
34:17
these things
34:17
refer to
34:18
something that
34:19
men and
34:20
women attempt
34:20
to do.
34:21
They may
34:21
refer to
34:22
things that
34:22
you and
34:23
I once
34:23
tried to
34:24
do,
34:24
but a
34:25
person needs
34:25
to be
34:26
born again.
34:28
Something only
34:28
God can
34:30
do.
34:33
Do you
34:33
ever despair?
34:35
I wonder
34:35
if there is
34:36
anyone here
34:36
who ever
34:37
despairs of
34:38
being saved.
34:40
You want to
34:41
know,
34:42
you want that
34:42
assurance that
34:43
your sins
34:44
are forgiven.
34:46
You don't
34:46
know in
34:46
your heart
34:47
whether you
34:47
are hell
34:48
bound or
34:49
heaven bound.
34:51
You're not
34:52
quite sure if
34:53
you have any
34:53
part in
34:54
Christ at
34:54
all.
34:56
Well,
34:56
let me say
34:57
this,
34:58
if you have
34:58
despaired of
35:00
any of these
35:00
things,
35:02
then this
35:03
kind of
35:03
despair is
35:05
one of the
35:05
first steps
35:06
to heaven.
35:09
Indeed,
35:10
of being
35:11
born again.
35:12
you see,
35:14
no one ever
35:15
came to
35:15
Christ
35:16
because he
35:17
or she
35:18
knew that
35:19
they were
35:19
one of the
35:20
elect.
35:22
They
35:22
became,
35:23
they came
35:24
to Christ
35:25
because they
35:25
needed Christ
35:27
and because
35:28
they wanted
35:29
Christ.
35:31
Is there
35:31
anyone here
35:32
tonight who
35:32
needs Christ?
35:34
He's there.
35:35
He's available.
35:36
He's in the
35:36
scriptures.
35:38
He has risen.
35:40
A missionary
35:41
was speaking
35:41
to a
35:43
remote tribe
35:44
of people
35:44
who had
35:45
never heard
35:46
about the
35:46
life and
35:47
ministry of
35:47
Jesus.
35:49
Seated in
35:50
the front
35:50
row,
35:50
listening
35:51
intently
35:51
to what
35:52
the
35:52
missionary
35:52
had to
35:53
say,
35:53
was the
35:54
chief
35:54
of the
35:55
tribe.
35:57
As the
35:57
story of
35:58
Jesus
35:58
came to
35:58
its
35:58
climax,
36:00
and the
36:00
chief
36:00
heard how
36:01
Christ was
36:02
cruelly
36:02
crucified,
36:03
he could
36:04
restrain
36:04
himself no
36:05
longer.
36:06
He jumped
36:07
up and
36:07
cried,
36:08
stop,
36:08
take him
36:09
down from
36:09
the cross.
36:10
I belong
36:11
there,
36:12
not him.
36:15
You see,
36:15
he had
36:16
grasped the
36:17
meaning of
36:18
the gospel.
36:19
He understood
36:20
that he was
36:21
the sinner,
36:22
and that
36:23
Christ was
36:24
the sinless
36:25
one.
36:27
You see,
36:28
do you see
36:28
now then,
36:29
the Son of
36:30
God hanging
36:30
on the cross
36:31
in agony,
36:33
with blood
36:33
flowing from
36:34
his wounds,
36:35
and can you
36:35
say from
36:36
your heart,
36:38
I belong
36:39
there.
36:40
I belong
36:41
there.
36:44
If you
36:44
can,
36:45
if you can
36:46
say that
36:46
you're not
36:47
far from
36:49
being born
36:49
again.
36:51
Let's go
36:51
one step
36:52
further.
36:54
Put your
36:54
trust in
36:55
I,
36:55
put your
36:56
trust in
36:56
the Saviour,
36:58
put your
36:58
trust in
37:00
Jesus Christ.
37:00
Never mind
37:01
what people
37:01
say,
37:02
what your
37:02
family say,
37:03
what your
37:03
position is,
37:04
what denomination
37:05
you are,
37:06
never mind
37:06
about all
37:07
of that.
37:08
Put your
37:08
trust in
37:09
Jesus as
37:09
your Saviour,
37:11
and then
37:11
you can
37:12
say,
37:12
then you
37:13
can say
37:13
with the
37:13
Apostle
37:14
Paul,
37:14
I have
37:15
been
37:15
crucified
37:15
with
37:16
Christ.
37:18
It is
37:18
no longer
37:19
I live,
37:20
but Christ
37:21
who lives
37:21
in me.
37:23
And the
37:23
life I
37:24
now live,
37:25
in the
37:25
flesh,
37:26
I live
37:26
by faith
37:27
in the
37:28
Son of
37:28
God,
37:29
who loved
37:30
me and
37:31
gave
37:32
himself for
37:33
me.
37:33
Let me
37:35
quote C.
37:36
H.
37:36
Spurgeon
37:36
again.
37:38
I believe
37:38
the doctrine
37:38
of election
37:39
because I'm
37:40
quite sure
37:41
that if God
37:42
had not chosen
37:43
me, I
37:44
would never
37:45
have chosen
37:45
him.
37:47
And I'm
37:47
sure he
37:48
chose me
37:49
before I
37:49
was born,
37:51
or else he
37:51
would never
37:52
have chosen
37:53
me afterwards.
37:56
The grace
37:57
of God
37:57
that sought
37:57
us out,
37:59
that drew
37:59
us to
38:00
himself,
38:01
that caused
38:02
us to be
38:02
born again,
38:03
that made
38:04
us to
38:04
be spiritually
38:05
alive.
38:08
No wonder
38:08
Peter calls
38:09
us to
38:10
praise God,
38:12
the Father
38:12
of our
38:13
Lord Jesus
38:13
Christ,
38:14
for in
38:15
his great
38:15
mercy,
38:16
he has
38:17
given us
38:17
new
38:18
birth.
38:20
Secondly,
38:21
then,
38:22
he has
38:23
given us
38:23
a lively
38:24
hope,
38:25
a living
38:26
hope.
38:27
In
38:27
verse 3,
38:28
caused
38:28
us to
38:29
be born
38:29
again,
38:30
to a
38:30
living
38:31
hope,
38:31
through the
38:32
resurrection
38:32
of Jesus
38:33
Christ
38:34
from the
38:35
dead.
38:36
The writer
38:37
to the
38:37
Hebrews
38:37
describes the
38:39
Christian hope
38:39
as a
38:40
sure and
38:41
steadfast
38:42
anchor for
38:43
the soul.
38:45
So when Peter
38:46
says that
38:46
God has given
38:47
us new
38:48
birth into
38:49
a living
38:50
hope,
38:51
he means
38:52
that through
38:52
being born
38:54
again,
38:55
we are now
38:55
safe.
38:57
We are safe
38:57
and secure
38:58
in God's
39:00
keeping.
39:00
Whatever the
39:01
future may
39:01
hold,
39:03
he holds
39:03
the future.
39:05
Whatever you
39:06
and I may
39:06
have to go
39:07
through in
39:08
this life,
39:09
the Lord
39:09
knows and
39:10
he's promised
39:11
to be
39:12
with us.
39:14
And just
39:14
as an
39:14
anchor holds
39:16
a great
39:17
ocean liner
39:18
in place
39:19
and stops
39:21
it from
39:21
drifting to
39:22
our new
39:22
birth in
39:23
Christ is
39:24
something that
39:25
can never
39:25
be moved
39:26
or taken
39:27
from us,
39:29
no matter
39:29
how far
39:30
we may
39:31
drift from
39:32
God and
39:33
sometimes,
39:33
sadly,
39:34
we do
39:35
drift in
39:36
the stormy
39:37
currents of
39:37
life.
39:39
But Peter
39:39
tells us
39:40
then we
39:41
have received
39:42
a living
39:43
hope,
39:43
a lively
39:44
hope.
39:45
Simply put,
39:46
this refers
39:47
to a
39:48
living
39:48
confidence
39:48
that we
39:50
have a
39:50
bright future.
39:51
hope is
39:54
a living
39:55
hope,
39:55
it's
39:56
something
39:56
real,
39:58
it's
39:59
impart to
39:59
us,
40:00
it's part
40:01
of Christ
40:02
in us,
40:03
the hope
40:03
of glory,
40:05
a hope
40:05
that is
40:05
certain
40:06
and real
40:07
as opposed
40:09
to the
40:09
deceptive,
40:10
empty and
40:11
false hopes
40:12
of this
40:13
world.
40:15
And aren't
40:15
they empty
40:16
and aren't
40:17
they deceptive
40:18
and we
40:18
hear of
40:19
these false
40:20
hopes
40:20
day by
40:21
day.
40:21
But in
40:21
Christ,
40:23
we have
40:23
a lively
40:23
hope,
40:24
a living
40:25
hope.
40:25
When the
40:26
believer speaks
40:26
of hope,
40:28
it's a
40:28
hope that
40:29
can see
40:29
heaven
40:31
through the
40:32
thickest of
40:32
clouds.
40:34
We can
40:34
see heaven
40:35
through the
40:35
thickest of
40:36
clouds.
40:37
For the
40:38
believer in
40:39
Christ,
40:39
heaven itself
40:40
is a real
40:41
place,
40:42
it's a
40:43
sure thing.
40:44
It's not
40:44
pie in the
40:45
sky,
40:45
by and
40:46
by,
40:47
but a
40:48
place.
40:48
it's a
40:50
place
40:50
prepared
40:50
for the
40:52
children
40:52
of God.
40:54
It's a
40:55
reality,
40:56
it's not
40:56
seen with
40:56
the eyes
40:57
of flesh,
40:58
but it's
40:59
made known
40:59
by revelation
41:00
and received
41:02
by faith.
41:04
And if
41:05
knowing God
41:06
here can
41:07
mean so
41:07
much for
41:08
the children
41:08
of God,
41:09
how much
41:09
more will
41:10
it mean
41:11
in heaven?
41:13
A few
41:13
minutes in
41:14
heaven,
41:14
someone has
41:15
said,
41:15
and we
41:16
shall be
41:16
ashamed
41:17
that we
41:18
ever
41:18
grumbled.
41:20
A few
41:20
minutes in
41:20
heaven,
41:21
and we
41:22
shall be
41:22
ashamed
41:23
that we
41:24
ever
41:24
grumbled.
41:26
We know
41:27
ourselves,
41:27
and it's
41:28
very sad,
41:28
there are
41:28
many in
41:29
our day,
41:29
and they're
41:30
pitting their
41:30
hopes on
41:31
money,
41:32
on health,
41:32
on family,
41:34
possessions,
41:35
dare I say,
41:36
even politicians.
41:38
Yet all
41:38
these hopes
41:39
are but
41:40
wishful
41:40
thinking.
41:41
Nothing on
41:42
earth will
41:43
last.
41:44
It will
41:45
all perish.
41:46
The time
41:46
will come
41:47
when Christ
41:48
shall return
41:49
and he'll
41:49
wrap up
41:50
the four
41:50
corners of
41:51
the earth
41:51
and everything
41:52
will go.
41:53
But there'll
41:54
be a new
41:54
heaven,
41:55
and there'll
41:56
be a new
41:56
earth,
41:57
but that's
41:58
a prepared
41:58
place for
41:59
the people
42:00
of God.
42:03
When the
42:03
New Testament
42:04
refers or
42:05
uses the
42:06
word hope,
42:07
it doesn't
42:07
refer to
42:08
fond wishes
42:09
or strong
42:10
desires.
42:12
It means a
42:13
confident,
42:13
assurance,
42:15
based on
42:15
the word
42:16
of God
42:16
and the
42:17
resurrection
42:18
of Jesus
42:19
Christ from
42:21
the dead.
42:22
So our
42:23
resurrection
42:23
hope itself
42:24
is a
42:26
hope that's
42:27
yet to be
42:28
finalized,
42:29
shall we say,
42:29
yet to be
42:30
revealed,
42:31
and yet in
42:32
Christ,
42:33
in a sense,
42:34
it's already
42:34
taken place
42:35
because we've
42:36
not only died
42:37
with Christ,
42:37
but also
42:38
risen with
42:39
him.
42:40
Our hope
42:41
is resurrection
42:42
hope.
42:43
Bless God
42:44
then.
42:45
Bless God
42:46
that there
42:46
is a
42:47
resurrection
42:47
hope in
42:49
all of those
42:49
gathered here
42:50
tonight who
42:50
are born
42:51
again by
42:52
the Spirit
42:52
of God,
42:53
and there
42:54
awaits for
42:55
the people
42:55
of God
42:56
a resurrection
42:57
morning.
42:59
You see,
43:00
hope is
43:01
biblical
43:01
shorthand
43:03
for
43:03
certainty.
43:06
And is
43:06
that not
43:06
what you've
43:07
heard from
43:08
the preacher
43:08
this morning,
43:09
I believe?
43:09
that the
43:10
resurrection
43:11
is certain.
43:13
And if you
43:13
and I
43:14
are united
43:14
to Christ,
43:15
Christ is
43:16
in us
43:16
and we
43:17
in Christ,
43:18
then your
43:18
resurrection
43:19
and my
43:19
resurrection
43:20
it is
43:22
certain.
43:24
Therein we
43:24
have this
43:25
living hope.
43:27
For Peter,
43:27
when Jesus
43:28
died,
43:30
all hope
43:30
in him
43:30
was gone
43:31
and there
43:32
was deep
43:33
remorse.
43:33
remorse
43:35
pierced his
43:36
soul and
43:37
he wept
43:37
bitter tears
43:38
recalling the
43:39
night of
43:40
his sad
43:41
denial of
43:42
the Lord
43:42
Jesus when
43:43
he let
43:43
Jesus down.
43:45
This was
43:45
his darkest
43:46
hour and
43:48
now his
43:48
hope lay
43:49
buried in
43:50
that sealed
43:51
grave, that
43:52
sealed tomb
43:52
where Jesus
43:54
was.
43:55
But then
43:56
came that
43:56
message, that
43:58
personal message
43:59
from the
43:59
women.
44:00
Jesus had
44:01
risen from
44:02
the dead.
44:03
And that
44:04
message was
44:04
for Peter.
44:05
Tell Peter
44:06
that message
44:07
was for
44:07
Peter and
44:08
it was the
44:08
shaft of
44:09
light in
44:09
the darkness.
44:11
The revival
44:12
of his
44:13
hope, the
44:13
healing in
44:14
his heart
44:14
and new
44:16
meaning for
44:17
his life.
44:19
So from
44:20
having dashed
44:21
hopes, which
44:22
is no hope
44:23
at all, Peter
44:24
was transformed.
44:26
Transformed into
44:27
a man with
44:27
living hope
44:29
which was
44:30
given to
44:30
him and
44:32
given to
44:32
you and
44:33
I.
44:33
given to
44:34
us by
44:36
believing in
44:37
a living
44:37
saviour.
44:39
Because it's
44:40
only, it's
44:40
only, it's
44:41
only by the
44:42
resurrection of
44:43
Jesus Christ
44:44
can true
44:46
hope live
44:47
and every
44:48
pain and
44:49
fear be
44:50
banished from
44:52
the believer.
44:54
Paul wrote
44:55
in his
44:55
letters to
44:56
the
44:56
Corinthians,
44:56
Christians, if
44:57
only in
44:58
this life
44:58
we have
44:59
hope in
45:00
Christ, we
45:01
are to be
45:02
pitied more
45:03
than all
45:04
men.
45:05
But Christ
45:06
has indeed
45:06
been raised
45:07
from the
45:08
dead, the
45:09
first fruit of
45:10
those who
45:11
have fallen
45:12
asleep.
45:14
Someone once
45:15
said,
45:17
our hope is
45:18
not in the
45:19
man we put
45:20
on the moon,
45:21
but our
45:23
hope is
45:26
in the man
45:27
we put on
45:28
a cross.
45:30
Therein lies
45:31
our hope.
45:31
No wonder the
45:32
preaching of the
45:32
word is called
45:33
foolishness.
45:34
our hope is
45:37
not in the
45:38
man we put
45:39
on the moon,
45:41
but the man
45:41
whom we put
45:42
on the cross.
45:43
And so this
45:44
living hope
45:44
then, it's
45:46
linked, it's
45:46
associated with
45:47
the resurrection
45:48
of Jesus
45:48
Christ.
45:49
We may have
45:49
to die, but
45:51
death for the
45:52
Christian, it's
45:53
not the end,
45:54
it's a new
45:55
beginning.
45:55
It's what we've
45:56
been called
45:57
out for.
45:59
The hope of
46:00
our resurrection
46:00
is the
46:01
foundation, it's
46:02
the foundation
46:03
of our faith.
46:04
Paul said,
46:05
and if Christ
46:06
has not been
46:06
raised, your
46:07
faith is futile
46:08
and you are
46:09
still in your
46:10
sins, but he
46:11
has been
46:11
raised and
46:12
our faith is
46:13
not futile.
46:15
Our faith is
46:16
fixed, it's
46:16
focused in the
46:18
resurrected
46:19
Christ.
46:22
Listen, we
46:22
know only too
46:23
well the world
46:24
is in turmoil
46:25
today, but
46:26
those who are
46:27
saved, those
46:28
who know this
46:29
new birth, we
46:30
possess a hope
46:31
that is out of
46:32
this world.
46:34
Yet can be
46:34
enjoyed in
46:36
this world
46:36
here and
46:37
now.
46:37
It's a
46:38
living hope.
46:40
Paul writes,
46:41
do you not
46:42
know that your
46:43
body is a
46:44
temple of the
46:45
Holy Spirit
46:46
within you,
46:47
whom you have
46:48
from God?
46:49
You are not
46:49
your own, you
46:51
were bought
46:51
with a price.
46:53
So glorify God
46:55
in your body.
46:56
You were
46:57
bought with a
46:59
price.
46:59
I am not
47:01
my own, you
47:01
are not your
47:02
own.
47:02
I don't live
47:03
to myself and
47:04
I don't die
47:05
to myself.
47:07
I am his.
47:09
So I seek to
47:09
live to him
47:11
and for him
47:11
and I'll die.
47:14
I'll die to
47:15
him, I'll die
47:16
in him.
47:18
And all of us,
47:19
all believers,
47:20
we have this
47:20
same relationship
47:21
to the Lord.
47:22
We all serve
47:23
the sovereign
47:24
Lord, whom
47:25
we have
47:26
embraced as
47:27
our redeemer.
47:28
there's a
47:29
verse in
47:29
Romans 14
47:30
and verse 8.
47:32
For if we
47:33
live, we
47:34
live to the
47:34
Lord.
47:35
And if we
47:36
die, we
47:37
die to the
47:38
Lord.
47:39
So in
47:40
life and
47:41
in death, we
47:42
belong to
47:44
the Lord.
47:45
So there it
47:46
is again.
47:47
We belong to
47:48
the Lord.
47:49
Believers are
47:50
the Lord's
47:50
possession now
47:51
and forever
47:53
more.
47:54
I belong.
47:55
This is so
47:56
terrifying and
47:57
so sad.
47:58
That we're
47:59
reading not
47:59
only in the
47:59
Ukraine of
48:00
families that
48:01
have been
48:01
separated, of
48:02
children losing
48:03
parents and
48:04
parents losing
48:06
children.
48:06
They're
48:06
separated, maybe
48:08
never to see
48:08
each other
48:09
again.
48:10
But in
48:11
Christ, we
48:12
belong.
48:14
We belong to
48:15
God.
48:15
Nothing can
48:16
separate us from
48:17
the love of
48:17
God.
48:18
Why?
48:18
Because it is
48:19
found in
48:20
Christ Jesus,
48:21
our Lord.
48:23
In life and
48:24
in death, we
48:26
belong to the
48:27
Lord.
48:28
The sentiment
48:28
is this, we
48:29
are entirely
48:30
his, having
48:32
no authority
48:33
over our
48:34
lives and
48:35
having no
48:36
authority over
48:37
our death.
48:40
A.W.
48:40
Tozer said,
48:42
the resurrection
48:43
and the
48:43
judgment will
48:44
demonstrate before
48:45
all worlds who
48:47
won and who
48:49
lost.
48:50
Christ, and
48:51
we can wait,
48:53
and we can
48:53
wait.
48:55
A wise woman
48:56
who was
48:57
traveling in
48:58
the mountains
48:58
found a
49:00
precious stone
49:01
in a stream.
49:02
The next day,
49:03
she met another
49:04
traveler who
49:05
was hungry,
49:06
and the wise
49:07
woman opened
49:08
her bag to
49:09
share her
49:09
food.
49:10
The hungry
49:11
traveler saw
49:13
the precious
49:13
stone and
49:15
asked the
49:15
woman to
49:16
give it to
49:16
him.
49:17
She did
49:18
so without
49:19
any hesitation.
49:22
The traveler
49:22
left.
49:23
Rejoicing in
49:24
his good
49:24
fortune, he
49:26
knew the
49:26
stone was
49:26
worth enough
49:27
money to
49:28
give him
49:28
security for
49:29
a lifetime.
49:31
But a few
49:32
days later, he
49:33
came back to
49:34
return the
49:35
stone to this
49:36
wise woman.
49:37
I've been
49:38
thinking, he
49:39
said.
49:40
I know how
49:42
valuable this
49:43
stone is,
49:44
but I give
49:45
it back to
49:46
you with
49:48
the hope you
49:49
can give me
49:50
something even
49:51
more precious.
49:53
Give me what
49:54
you have within
49:56
you that
49:57
enabled you to
49:58
give me this
50:00
stone.
50:02
Give me what
50:03
you have within
50:04
you that
50:05
enabled you to
50:06
give me this
50:08
stone.
50:09
You see, that
50:10
wise woman, she
50:11
could let go of
50:12
that precious
50:12
stone because
50:14
she knew true
50:16
contentment, true
50:18
joy, true
50:19
peace in her
50:21
heart.
50:21
She didn't need
50:22
riches to give
50:23
her joy.
50:24
She had joy in
50:25
her heart.
50:26
She had faith.
50:27
She had love.
50:29
And she had
50:29
God's power.
50:30
God's power that
50:31
enabled her to
50:33
let go of
50:34
that stone.
50:36
We are his.
50:38
Blood brought.
50:40
A new birth and
50:41
living hope.
50:42
He remains
50:44
faithful to us.
50:46
He cannot
50:46
lie.
50:48
He will
50:48
preserve us.
50:49
He will keep
50:49
us.
50:50
This is the
50:51
doctrine of the
50:51
perseverance of
50:53
the Savior and
50:55
the preservation
50:55
of the saints.
50:58
Being confident
50:59
of this, that
51:01
he who began a
51:02
good work in
51:03
you will carry
51:05
it on to
51:05
completion until
51:07
the day of
51:08
Christ Jesus.
51:09
us.
51:11
There's a
51:11
verse we
51:12
quote.
51:13
We quote at
51:14
most funerals
51:15
very often.
51:18
For the
51:18
unbeliever, this
51:19
verse makes no
51:20
sense.
51:21
Or for the
51:22
Christian.
51:22
For the
51:22
Christian, it
51:23
makes great
51:25
sense.
51:26
It's the very
51:27
foundation of
51:28
our living hope.
51:30
Jesus said,
51:31
I am the
51:32
resurrection and
51:33
the life.
51:34
Whoever believes
51:35
in me, though he
51:36
die, yet shall he
51:38
live.
51:39
And everyone
51:40
who lives and
51:40
believes in me
51:41
shall never
51:43
die.
51:47
What a future
51:48
we have.
51:50
What a, it's
51:53
inexpressible, isn't
51:54
it?
51:54
We can't put it
51:55
in words.
51:57
He's laid up for
51:58
us an inheritance
51:59
in glory.
52:00
Christ has gone
52:01
there to prepare
52:02
a place for us.
52:04
We have a piece
52:04
of land or we
52:05
have a house and
52:06
the title of
52:07
these have been
52:07
signed and
52:08
secured in the
52:10
blood, in the
52:10
blood of the
52:11
lamb.
52:12
It's our place.
52:13
It's your place.
52:14
It's my place.
52:16
And so a new
52:17
birth, a living
52:19
hope, and
52:20
finally God has
52:21
given us that
52:22
lasting inheritance.
52:25
In verse 4,
52:26
to an inheritance
52:27
that is
52:28
imperishable,
52:30
undefiled,
52:32
and unfading,
52:33
kept in heaven
52:35
for you.
52:36
An inheritance
52:37
that can never
52:37
perish, spoil,
52:39
or fade,
52:41
kept in heaven
52:42
for you.
52:43
You know, Peter
52:44
was the son
52:45
of a poor
52:46
fisherman.
52:48
Thus his
52:48
earthly inheritance
52:50
would have been
52:51
very, very small.
52:52
And yet he had
52:53
left all to
52:54
follow Jesus,
52:55
even left
52:56
that small
52:57
inheritance.
52:58
And I'm sure
52:58
friends and
52:59
family would have
53:00
said to Peter,
53:01
they would have
53:01
wondered, what's
53:02
wrong with Peter?
53:03
Doesn't he have
53:04
any thoughts
53:05
for the future?
53:08
But Peter,
53:09
through his
53:09
experiences,
53:11
he now knows
53:12
he has a
53:13
greater
53:14
inheritance
53:15
ahead.
53:17
One that can
53:18
never perish,
53:19
spoil,
53:20
or fade.
53:22
Kept in
53:23
heaven for
53:24
him.
53:24
Kept in
53:25
heaven for
53:26
you and I.
53:27
And of
53:28
course an
53:28
inheritance is
53:29
something usually
53:30
left behind by
53:31
someone who
53:32
has died.
53:32
it's a gift
53:33
from someone
53:34
who is not
53:35
living to
53:36
someone who
53:37
is.
53:39
But in our
53:39
case, we
53:41
have an
53:41
inheritance
53:42
provided by
53:44
one who
53:44
did die,
53:47
but who is
53:48
now alive
53:49
forevermore.
53:52
Paul writes,
53:52
in him you
53:53
also, when you
53:54
heard the word
53:55
of truth,
53:56
the gospel of
53:57
your salvation,
53:58
and believed
53:59
in him,
53:59
were sealed
54:00
with the
54:01
promised Holy
54:02
Spirit,
54:03
who is the
54:04
guarantee of
54:05
our inheritance
54:06
until we
54:08
acquire
54:08
possession
54:09
of it.
54:11
We're saved
54:13
here and
54:13
now.
54:14
We're saved
54:15
from the
54:15
penalty of
54:17
sin.
54:19
We're saved
54:20
truly from
54:21
the power
54:22
of sin,
54:23
and ultimately
54:24
we shall be
54:24
saved from
54:25
the presence
54:26
of sin
54:27
when we
54:28
arrive home
54:29
in glory
54:30
and when
54:31
we collect
54:31
our
54:32
inheritance.
54:34
Our
54:34
inheritance has
54:35
been totally
54:36
guaranteed.
54:37
It will be
54:38
there when
54:39
we get home
54:39
to glory,
54:40
regardless of
54:42
what earthly
54:43
heritage you
54:44
and I might
54:44
have.
54:45
Every Christian,
54:46
every Christian
54:47
has a
54:48
God-given
54:50
inheritance.
54:52
We're promised
54:52
peace,
54:54
love,
54:54
grace,
54:55
wisdom,
54:56
eternal life,
54:57
joy,
54:58
victory,
54:58
strength,
54:59
guidance,
54:59
power,
55:00
mercy,
55:01
forgiveness,
55:02
righteousness,
55:02
truth,
55:03
fellowship with
55:04
God,
55:05
and when we
55:05
get to glory,
55:07
these things
55:08
will be
55:08
perfected
55:10
in our
55:11
experience.
55:13
Many of
55:14
these blessings
55:14
then are
55:15
enjoyed here
55:17
and now,
55:19
but then,
55:20
but then,
55:21
when we see
55:22
him face
55:22
to face.
55:24
Our
55:24
inheritance
55:25
then is
55:26
imperishable,
55:28
undefiled,
55:30
and unfading,
55:31
kept in
55:32
heaven for
55:33
us.
55:35
Let me
55:35
close with
55:36
a thought
55:37
on this.
55:39
What we
55:39
have waiting
55:41
for us is
55:43
incorruptible
55:44
and
55:45
imperishable.
55:46
How rich
55:47
we are.
55:49
We have an
55:50
inheritance that
55:51
can never
55:52
diminish,
55:53
it can never
55:53
perish,
55:55
which means
55:55
that it is
55:56
beyond the
55:58
reach of
55:58
change and
55:59
decay.
56:01
It cannot
56:01
ever be
56:03
removed
56:04
nor taken
56:05
from us.
56:06
It can never
56:07
corrode
56:08
nor crack.
56:10
What we have
56:11
is death
56:12
proof.
56:14
We also
56:15
have what
56:16
is immaculate
56:17
and undefiled.
56:19
It will
56:20
never spoil.
56:21
That means
56:21
it's pure.
56:23
It is in
56:23
perfect condition,
56:25
not touched
56:26
by any
56:27
earthly stain.
56:28
And sin
56:29
will never
56:30
ever defile
56:31
it because
56:31
it is
56:32
sin
56:33
proof.
56:34
what we
56:36
have is
56:37
infinite
56:38
and unfading.
56:40
It will
56:41
never fade.
56:42
It's kept
56:43
in heaven
56:43
for God's
56:44
people.
56:45
It will
56:45
last forever.
56:47
It can
56:47
never suffer
56:48
variation in
56:49
value,
56:50
glory,
56:50
or beauty.
56:52
It has
56:53
already lasted
56:54
since God's
56:55
elective plan.
56:57
And you
56:57
and I
56:57
are kept
56:58
for that
56:59
inheritance.
57:00
We're kept
57:00
for heaven.
57:01
And that
57:02
inheritance,
57:02
along with
57:04
heaven,
57:05
is being
57:05
kept
57:05
for us.
57:07
It is
57:08
time
57:08
proof.
57:10
So our
57:10
inheritance is
57:11
death proof,
57:12
sin proof,
57:13
and time
57:14
proof.
57:15
No wonder
57:16
David could
57:16
write in
57:17
Psalm 16,
57:19
Lord,
57:20
you have
57:20
assigned me
57:20
my portion
57:21
and my
57:22
cup.
57:23
You have
57:24
made my
57:24
lot secure.
57:25
The
57:25
barrenary
57:26
lines have
57:27
fallen for
57:27
me in
57:28
pleasant
57:29
places.
57:30
Surely,
57:31
I have
57:32
a
57:32
delightful
57:33
inheritance.
57:36
Do you
57:36
know that?
57:38
Does that
57:38
touch you
57:39
this evening?
57:40
Does that
57:40
encourage you?
57:41
Does that
57:42
assure you?
57:44
You've
57:44
experienced
57:44
that new
57:45
birth.
57:46
You're no
57:46
longer dead
57:47
in your
57:47
trespasses
57:48
and sins.
57:49
Do you
57:49
have a
57:50
lively
57:50
hope?
57:51
Albeit,
57:52
we have
57:52
to understand
57:53
we go
57:53
through
57:53
many
57:54
sadnesses
57:55
and many
57:55
trials,
57:56
as Peter
57:56
goes on
57:57
to speak
57:58
about the
57:59
various
57:59
trials that
58:00
we go
58:01
through.
58:02
And we
58:02
have this
58:03
wonderful
58:03
inheritance
58:05
kept for
58:07
us, a
58:07
piece of
58:08
land, as
58:08
I said,
58:10
their own
58:10
title deeds
58:11
to it,
58:12
kept by
58:12
our defence
58:13
lawyer,
58:14
Jesus
58:14
Christ,
58:15
an advocate
58:16
and sign
58:18
in his
58:18
own blood.
58:20
And we
58:20
are kept
58:20
for it
58:22
by God's
58:23
power
58:23
until we
58:25
acquire
58:26
possession
58:27
resurrection
58:30
blessings.
58:30
The consequences
58:31
of Christ's
58:33
resurrection.
58:34
How blessed
58:35
we are.
58:36
What a
58:36
people who
58:37
have been
58:37
lavished so
58:38
freely, so
58:39
graciously.
58:41
So we do
58:42
indeed give
58:42
thanks to
58:43
God for
58:44
that this
58:45
evening.
58:45
Of course,
58:46
there's much
58:46
more, there's
58:47
much more.
58:48
But for
58:49
tonight, surely
58:50
that's enough.
58:52
Our loving
58:53
Heavenly Father,
58:53
once again,
58:54
we thank
58:54
you.
58:57
We thank
58:58
you for
58:58
yourself and
58:59
all that you
59:00
mean to us and
59:00
all that you
59:01
do for us.
59:02
We can come
59:03
to you at
59:03
any time.
59:04
We can lean
59:04
upon you.
59:05
We can cast
59:06
all our cares
59:07
and our
59:08
burdens upon
59:08
you because
59:09
you care for
59:09
us.
59:11
We thank
59:11
you for
59:11
that most
59:12
precious gift,
59:13
even the
59:13
Lord Jesus
59:14
Christ, who
59:14
you sent
59:15
into this
59:16
world to
59:16
suffer and
59:17
to die
59:17
for sinners
59:18
such as we
59:19
were or as
59:20
we are.
59:22
Who can
59:22
understand it?
59:23
anyone can
59:24
form a way
59:26
to heaven
59:27
for good
59:28
people, but
59:28
only God
59:29
could procure
59:31
a way for
59:32
bad people,
59:33
for sinners
59:34
like us.
59:35
But we thank
59:36
you even
59:36
tonight.
59:37
We can turn
59:38
from the old
59:38
ways and we
59:39
can look
59:40
unto Jesus,
59:41
the author
59:42
and the
59:43
perfecter of
59:43
our faith.
59:44
And so we
59:45
bless you,
59:45
Lord, for all
59:46
of these
59:46
things and
59:46
we thank
59:47
you again
59:47
that we've
59:48
been able to
59:48
gather together
59:49
to meditate
59:50
upon your
59:50
word.
59:51
And as we
59:52
leave this
59:52
place,
59:52
Lord, may
59:53
we think
59:54
about these
59:55
things, may
59:55
we search
59:56
the scriptures
59:57
and consider
59:58
this new
59:59
birth and
59:59
this lively
1:00:00
hope and
1:00:01
this great
1:00:01
inheritance.
1:00:03
And remember
1:00:03
it's all of
1:00:04
grace, it's
1:00:05
all of God.
1:00:07
Bless us
1:00:07
now we pray,
1:00:08
go before us
1:00:09
and all this
1:00:10
we ask is in
1:00:10
Jesus' name
1:00:11
and for
1:00:13
love of
1:00:13
him.
1:00:15
Amen.
1:00:16
Let's
1:00:17
conclude our
1:00:18
worship then
1:00:18
by singing
1:00:19
from Psalm
1:00:20
16,
1:00:21
this time
1:00:22
again in
1:00:22
the
1:00:22
Scottish
1:00:23
Psalter,
1:00:24
page
1:00:25
216.
1:00:29
Psalm
1:00:29
16 at
1:00:30
verse 6,
1:00:31
unto me
1:00:32
happily the
1:00:32
lions in
1:00:33
pleasant places
1:00:34
fell.
1:00:36
Yea, the
1:00:36
inheritance I
1:00:37
got in
1:00:38
beauty doth
1:00:39
excel.
1:00:40
I bless
1:00:41
the Lord
1:00:41
because he
1:00:42
doth by
1:00:43
counsel me
1:00:44
conduct.
1:00:45
And in the
1:00:45
seasons of the
1:00:46
night my
1:00:47
rains do me
1:00:49
instruct.
1:00:49
And down to
1:00:50
the verse
1:00:51
marked 10,
1:00:52
because my
1:00:52
soul engraved
1:00:54
to dwell
1:00:54
shall not
1:00:56
be left
1:00:56
by thee,
1:00:58
nor wilt thou
1:00:58
give thine
1:00:59
holy one
1:01:00
corruption
1:01:01
to see.
1:01:02
Verses 6
1:01:03
to 10
1:01:04
of Psalm
1:01:05
16.
1:01:06
Amen.
1:01:06
Amen.
1:01:06
onn',
1:01:11
Get y'
1:01:14
reserves
1:01:15
Ch�an 2
1:01:45
God bless you.
1:02:15
Be still, the Lord, I said,
1:02:20
Send him this, O God, he
1:02:27
Doth ever stand at my right hand
1:02:36
I shall not with thee
1:02:45
Because of this my heart is lack
1:02:53
And joy shall be expressed
1:03:00
In by my glory and my flesh
1:03:10
In confidence shall rest
1:03:18
Because my soul in great to dwell
1:03:27
Shall not be left by thee
1:03:34
Nor will thou give thy holy one
1:03:43
For thou hast shone to see
1:03:49
And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
1:03:54
The love of God
1:03:56
And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
1:03:59
Rest and abide with us all
1:04:01
Now and forevermore
1:04:04
Amen
1:04:05
Amen