Latest / Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons / Godliness and Grace

Transcript

Godliness and Grace · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

0:00
We're going to begin our worship by singing to God's praise.
0:02
We're singing in Psalm 1a, the Sing Psalms version, page 1 of the psalm books.
0:08
We sing the whole of this psalm.
0:10
The tune is creditin.
0:12
Psalm 1, blessed is the one who turns away from where the wicked walk,
0:16
who does not stand in sinner's paths or sit with those who mock.
0:21
We sing the whole of this psalm.
0:22
We stand to sing to God's praise.
0:30
Blessed is the one who turns away from where the wicked walk,
0:41
who does not stand in sinner's paths or sit with those who mock.
0:54
Hence, yet he finds the holy law, his joy and the delight.
1:08
He makes the presence of the Lord, his sunny day and night.
1:20
He prospered, ever like a tree, as mounted by a sea.
1:35
And in due season yields its fruit, his season always came.
1:48
He prospered, ever like a tree, as voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy
2:18
The Lord who sees and knows
2:23
The way the righteous go
2:29
But those who live and leave the light
2:37
The Lord will hold my throne
2:48
Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer
2:50
Let us pray
2:51
Lord our gracious God
2:54
We thank you for this day that you have made for us
2:57
A day that you have given
2:58
From the very foundation of time
3:00
A day that we are to come and rest
3:02
And worship and praise
3:04
You as our Lord and as our God
3:06
And that we are to do it together
3:08
All of us as a body of people
3:11
From the youngest to the oldest
3:13
We thank you for all who are here today
3:15
For all who are tuning in online
3:17
And for all who gather just like we do here
3:20
In so many different parts of our island
3:22
Our nation
3:23
And indeed throughout the world
3:25
We are reminded so often that you have your people
3:29
To all the ends of the earth
3:31
Boys and girls
3:32
Men and women
3:33
In different situations and circumstances
3:36
And yet with you as their Lord
3:39
And as their God
3:40
And so we thank that we belong to you
3:42
To your family
3:43
That we are your children
3:45
And that your children are near and far
3:48
Here in this world in which we live
3:50
And that we as we pray here today
3:52
That you have people praying
3:53
All over the world
3:55
For us as we worship
3:57
And for all your people
3:58
As they worship you this day
4:00
To know your blessing
4:02
And your goodness with us
4:04
And we do pray that for us all together here
4:06
For our Sunday school
4:08
Our creche
4:09
Our tweenies
4:09
And for our Bible class
4:11
We pray that
4:12
As they will shortly go out to the classes
4:14
That you will be with them
4:16
To help them
4:17
To understand your word
4:19
And to know
4:19
That you are their God
4:21
And that you are there for them
4:23
We do particularly pray
4:24
For the Bible class trip
4:27
This coming weekend as well
4:28
We thank you for all
4:29
Who have helped to organise it
4:31
And for all who will be there
4:32
Over this coming weekend
4:35
And we do ask for safety and blessing
4:36
In the midst of all that they do
4:39
That they would know
4:40
That you are with them in it
4:41
That they would know more of Jesus
4:43
Our Lord and our Saviour
4:44
We pray that we would all know that today
4:46
That we would learn more of
4:48
How precious you are
4:49
And your great grace and love towards us
4:52
As we ask it all
4:53
In your precious name
4:54
Amen
4:55
Before you go out to your classes
5:01
I just want to say a little word to you
5:02
And it's about a word today
5:04
A particular word
5:05
That we find quite often in the Bible
5:08
And we're going to be looking at this word
5:10
In our sermon this morning
5:12
As we look at Paul writing a letter
5:14
To a place called Thessalonica
5:17
The letter to the Thessalonians
5:19
And he speaks about this word there at the end
5:22
And at the beginning
5:23
He mentions it
5:24
And it's the word grace
5:25
Grace
5:27
It's a great word
5:28
Grace
5:29
But what does it mean?
5:31
What do you think of
5:32
When you think of the word grace?
5:35
There's maybe a few things
5:37
That come to mind
5:38
Maybe first of all
5:39
You think of a person
5:40
Because there's plenty
5:42
People
5:43
Girls especially
5:44
That have the name grace
5:45
It's a lovely name
5:47
Behind that name
5:48
Is a lot of meaning
5:49
And I'm sure that's why parents
5:51
Give the name grace
5:53
To a child
5:54
Because it means goodness
5:55
It means
5:56
Favor
5:57
It means blessing
5:58
It means generosity
6:00
But even the best grace
6:03
In this world
6:04
Can't always be generous
6:06
And kind
6:07
And all of these things
6:08
Because we all make mistakes
6:10
But grace
6:11
Is a wonderful name
6:12
So maybe you think of it
6:14
In that way
6:14
You think of someone
6:15
Who's called grace
6:16
I'm sure we all know
6:17
Someone who's called grace
6:20
Maybe you also think of grace
6:22
In this way though
6:23
Something that you say
6:24
Before you have a meal
6:25
Maybe when you sit down
6:27
To have your dinner today
6:28
You'll say grace
6:30
You might say it together
6:31
Or maybe someone
6:33
Just one person
6:34
Will say grace
6:35
And what does that mean?
6:38
Well
6:38
It means that we're
6:39
Not just saying a few words
6:41
To ourselves
6:42
But we're saying a few words
6:44
To God
6:44
We're giving grace
6:45
To God
6:46
We're giving thanks
6:47
To God
6:48
For his
6:49
Generosity to us
6:51
And providing for us
6:52
In our food
6:53
And for all that we enjoy
6:55
When we sit down
6:56
To enjoy that food together
6:58
The peace that we have
6:59
The homes that we have
7:00
The people that we have
7:01
Around us
7:02
And the food
7:03
That's on the table
7:04
So we think of grace
7:06
In that way
7:07
It's something that we enjoy
7:08
Together around a table
7:10
But when Paul
7:12
Is writing about this word
7:15
Grace
7:16
And when he's using this word
7:17
Grace
7:17
It has a much deeper meaning
7:19
Than all of these things
7:21
It has the meaning of
7:23
Knowing his gift
7:25
To us
7:26
When he writes
7:28
To another church
7:29
In Ephesus
7:29
He speaks of it
7:30
In this way
7:30
He speaks of grace
7:31
As a gift
7:33
From God
7:34
It is the gift
7:35
Of God
7:36
For by grace
7:37
You have been saved
7:38
Through faith
7:39
And this is not
7:40
Your own doing
7:40
It is the gift
7:41
Of God
7:42
Grace
7:43
Is a gift
7:45
Something that we cannot
7:46
Earn ourselves
7:48
Or get ourselves
7:49
It is the gift
7:50
That God gives
7:52
When someone has
7:53
A birthday
7:54
You receive a gift
7:56
And you don't expect
7:58
To pay something
7:59
For that gift
8:01
You don't expect
8:01
Someone to give you
8:02
Something
8:02
And you have to say
8:03
Oh how much do I owe you
8:04
For that
8:05
They say no
8:05
You take it
8:07
It's a gift
8:08
And that's what God
8:10
Has done for us
8:11
By his grace
8:12
He's given us
8:13
A gift
8:14
And we might think
8:15
Well what can I do
8:16
To pay you back
8:17
He says you can't
8:19
Pay for it
8:19
This is my gift
8:20
To you
8:21
All you have to do
8:23
Is believe
8:24
Have faith
8:26
In me
8:26
Because it is a gift
8:28
As Paul says
8:28
That you have been
8:30
Saved through faith
8:31
That is the gift
8:33
Of his grace
8:34
To us
8:34
So believe
8:36
That he has come
8:37
To save us
8:37
That Jesus came
8:38
To save us
8:40
And that his grace
8:41
Is his gift to us
8:42
So we might know
8:43
That is his goodness
8:45
His generosity to us
8:47
In all of these things
8:48
He has been so good
8:49
To us
8:50
So let us believe
8:52
In him
8:53
And trust him
8:54
That we might know
8:55
His grace
8:56
More and more
8:57
Well may God bless
8:59
These thoughts to us
9:00
We're going to say
9:01
The Lord's prayer
9:02
Together now
9:03
Our Father
9:06
Which art in heaven
9:07
Hallowed be thy name
9:09
Thy kingdom come
9:11
Thy will be done
9:12
On earth
9:13
As it is in heaven
9:14
Give us this day
9:16
Our daily bread
9:17
And forgive us
9:19
Our debts
9:19
As we forgive
9:20
Our debtors
9:21
And lead us
9:23
Not into temptation
9:24
But deliver us
9:25
From evil
9:26
For thine is the kingdom
9:28
The power
9:29
And the glory
9:30
Forever
9:30
Amen
9:32
Well we'll sing again
9:35
Of voy voy
9:56
The Lord so most entirely art
10:06
Hath waved with all my grace
10:13
For in my time before I see
10:23
Thought any word can be
10:30
But all together, O Lord
10:39
This is well known to Thee
10:47
Behind before the past be said
10:56
And laid on me Thy hand
11:03
Such knowledge is too strange for me
11:12
Too high to understand
11:20
From Thy split wither shall I go
11:30
Or from Thy presence I
11:37
Ascent I am, though Thou art there
11:46
And in heaven have I lie
11:54
If I in the morning wings can dwell
12:03
There that was parts of sea
12:10
In there, Lord, shall I hand me lead
12:19
Thy light and all shall be
12:26
We'll turn to read together now
12:34
In 1 Thessalonians chapter 5
12:36
We'll take up our reading at verse 12
12:39
And down to the end of the chapter
12:42
1 Thessalonians 5
12:44
Around page 1189 of the church Bibles
12:47
We'll take up our reading at verse 12
12:50
We've been looking at this chapter
12:52
Previously, twice previously
12:54
We've looked at
12:55
I just want to look at
12:56
The last few verses
12:57
In this chapter together today
12:59
So we take up our reading at verse 12
13:02
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labour among you
13:07
And are over you in the Lord
13:08
And admonish you
13:09
And to esteem them very highly in love
13:11
Because of their work
13:13
Be at peace among yourselves
13:15
And we urge you, brothers
13:17
Admonish the idle
13:19
Encourage the faint-hearted
13:20
Help the weak
13:21
Be patient with them all
13:23
See that no one repays anyone evil for evil
13:27
But always seek to do good to one another
13:30
To one another and to everyone
13:32
Rejoice always
13:34
Pray without ceasing
13:36
Give thanks in all circumstances
13:38
For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you
13:42
Do not quench the spirit
13:45
Do not despise prophecies
13:47
But test everything
13:49
Hold fast what is good
13:51
Abstain from every form of evil
13:54
Now may the God of peace himself
13:57
Sanctify you completely
13:59
And may your whole spirit and soul and body
14:02
Be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
14:06
He who calls you is faithful
14:09
He will surely do it
14:11
Brothers, pray for us
14:13
Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss
14:16
I put you under oath before the Lord
14:18
To have this letter read to all the brothers
14:22
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
14:25
Be with you
14:26
Amen
14:27
And may God bless that reading from his word
14:30
We'll again engage in a word of prayer
14:32
Let us pray
14:35
Lord our God we do thank you for your word
14:37
And just pray that as we approach it anew today
14:40
That we would come with that encouragement
14:44
That joy and delight in knowing
14:46
That it is you who is speaking to us
14:48
That you have not left us in the darkness of this world
14:52
But that you have sent your light and your truth into this world
14:56
That we have it before us
14:58
That we have it with us
14:59
Not just for today
15:01
But each and every day of our lives
15:03
We have your word to lean upon
15:06
And not leaning on our own understanding
15:08
As we think of the memory verse that the children have just now
15:12
But to lean upon you for all wisdom and help
15:15
And we thank you that you give
15:17
That you are a God who abundantly gives
15:20
As we think of your grace towards us
15:22
Your riches towards us in Christ Jesus
15:25
That we have so much to be thankful for
15:29
That we have such blessings in Christ
15:32
And in our fellowship
15:34
And in our families
15:35
And in the world in which we live
15:37
A world that we so often see
15:39
In all its wickedness and cruelties
15:42
And hurts and pains
15:44
And yet we realise too Lord
15:46
That there is so much joy in this world too
15:49
That you have given us much to enjoy
15:52
Your creation
15:54
That we see the beauty of around us so much
15:57
That we see in so many different ways
16:00
And we see it in the people that you give us in life
16:03
We see it in the places that you put us in life
16:06
We see your glory in our midst Lord
16:09
And we thank you for that
16:10
That you have not abandoned us as a people
16:13
That you have not left us
16:15
And so we continue to pray to you as our Lord
16:18
And as our God
16:19
To help us to acknowledge you
16:21
To help us to commit our ways to you
16:24
And to trust in you with all our heart
16:27
And we thank you Lord
16:28
That it is by your grace that we are enabled
16:31
And we thank you that that grace that was given
16:34
Down through all the generations
16:36
We think of all your people
16:39
From the very beginning of the creation of the world
16:42
And we go back to our
16:44
The beginning there in the garden
16:46
With Adam and Eve
16:47
And how grace was shown to them
16:49
And how we see it Lord worked out
16:52
Through the Old Testament and the New
16:54
We see it fulfilled in Christ
16:56
And we see it offered to us through him
16:59
By faith
17:00
And so we ask Lord that you will help us
17:02
That you would give us that faith that is so necessary
17:06
That faith that we so often doubt
17:08
As we look to ourselves
17:10
Help us that we would not look within
17:12
But look to you
17:14
And to the one who is able
17:16
The one who is faithful
17:18
The one who will surely do it
17:20
As we have read in these words
17:22
And so we thank you Lord
17:24
For your constancy towards us in every way
17:27
And we pray that you will hear all our prayers together today
17:30
As we offer them up
17:31
For all the different issues of life
17:34
Whether it's personal
17:36
Whether it's in our own church or community
17:38
National or international
17:40
We thank you that we have in prayer
17:43
Such a wonderful gift
17:45
That we can pray not just selfishly
17:47
Or for ourselves
17:48
But we pray for all
17:50
We pray for all around the world today
17:53
And we think of our meeting last Wednesday
17:56
And how we were reminded of
17:58
The great poverty of this world
18:01
And South Sudan and Haiti
18:03
And other parts of the world that we saw
18:06
And your people there
18:07
And yet the joy of the Lord in them
18:10
And we thank you Lord for that joy
18:13
That is a strength to your people
18:15
And we pray that your people everywhere
18:17
Would know it today and always
18:19
Whether it's in times of great needs
18:22
Or in times of great rejoicing
18:25
That the joy of the Lord would be a strength to all
18:29
So we thank you Lord for all that you do for us
18:32
We thank you for every need that you meet for us as well
18:36
Whether it's practical needs of food
18:39
Or comforts practical in this world
18:42
Or whether it's our spiritual needs
18:44
Or all the different issues that go on in life
18:48
We thank you that as we sang in Psalm 139
18:51
There is nothing hidden from you
18:53
Not any words or concerns that we have
18:56
Not any place that we go
18:58
That you do not see us
18:59
That you do not uphold us
19:01
And so we pray that people all around our communities here
19:05
We would know your great upholding power and strength
19:08
Especially those who mourn
19:10
We know that there are many in our own congregation
19:13
And in our community just now
19:15
Whose hearts are heavy
19:17
We pray for comfort
19:19
We pray for help
19:20
We pray that your strength will be towards them
19:23
And the comfort of your spirit and your word
19:26
Would be so precious to them at this time
19:29
We pray for those who are going through times of ill health
19:32
Or concerns about health
19:34
Their own or others
19:35
We pray Lord for help and healing in that
19:38
We pray Lord for those who are anxious and fearful
19:42
For those who are lonely and isolated
19:44
For those who have many different troubles in this life
19:49
And yet we come Lord pleading with you
19:51
To meet with them
19:53
And that they will be able to lean upon you
19:55
So Lord we ask that you will continue to bless us
19:57
And watch over us this day
19:59
Give us refreshment in your word
20:01
As we turn to it now
20:02
And rest this afternoon
20:04
And the joy of worship again this evening as we gather
20:07
Remember Gordon as he ministers here this evening
20:11
Bless him and uphold him in that
20:13
And all others who preach your word today as well
20:16
Lord we pray that there will be a real sense of your presence
20:19
As your word is proclaimed
20:20
And our praise Lord that it will be to your glory as well
20:23
That you would hear us in all of these things
20:26
And receive our thanks and all our worship
20:29
And may glory be yours in all of it
20:31
As we ask it all with the forgiveness of our sins
20:33
In Jesus name
20:35
Amen
20:39
Again sing to God's place
20:40
Before we turn back to look at this passage
20:42
We're going to sing in Psalm 36
20:45
We're going to sing Psalms
20:46
Page 44
20:48
Of the psalm book
20:50
Psalm 36
20:51
We sing from verse 1 to 7
20:53
The tune is Huddersfield
20:56
My heart has heard an oracle about the wicked sin
21:00
There is no fear of God in him
21:01
He feels no dread within
21:04
He views himself with blind conceit
21:06
His sinful nest in eyes
21:08
He speaks with evil and deceit
21:10
No longer good or wise
21:13
We'll sing from verse 1 to 7
21:15
To God's praise
21:16
His holy name is God's praise
21:17
Amen
21:18
Amen
21:19
Amen
21:20
Amen
21:21
Amen
21:46
Please voy voy voy
22:07
Please voy voy
22:09
!
22:07
Please voy voy
22:09
voy
22:07
!
22:09
voy
22:07
He speaks within the land he seeks, no longer good or wise.
22:23
And that he calls his evil ways, he schemes throughout the night.
22:39
I'll see the Lord lift himself to sin, rejecting want is fine.
22:56
Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
23:12
Your faithfulness is wonderful, extending to the sky.
23:29
Your righteousness is very great, like mountains high and sea.
23:44
Your justice is like ocean dead, of man and peace to hear.
24:01
O precious is your steadfast love, what confidence it brings.
24:17
O high and low, my shelter in the shadow of your wings.
24:37
We can turn back together to our reading in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5.
24:43
We look at the end of the chapter from verse 23 down to the end.
24:50
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely,
24:54
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
24:58
at the coming of our Lord Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ, and so on.
25:05
We've been looking at this chapter.
25:07
We looked at it, I think, first of all, in the light of Advent,
25:10
and the coming of the Lord, not just thinking of it as the first coming of the Lord,
25:15
but thinking of the Lord's second coming.
25:17
That's when we first started to look at this chapter.
25:21
And you find that throughout this letter that Paul writes,
25:24
the coming of the Lord is something that appears throughout.
25:27
We see it even here in this final conclusion that he has in verse 23,
25:32
where we read that you may be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
25:37
So that's a theme that runs right throughout.
25:41
That's a very practical letter as well in terms of how we are to live our lives.
25:46
Paul's writing to this young church where he's visited, he's preached the gospel.
25:52
The gospel has taken hold in many people's lives, but he's been torn away from them.
25:58
But he wants them to go on growing in the faith.
26:01
And the last time we looked at it, we looked at verse 12 down to verse 22.
26:06
We were seeing, in light of the coming of the Lord, how are we going to go on living?
26:11
How are we to live our lives?
26:14
But now we look at this last section, which we could easily just miss out, if you like,
26:19
just glance over it as not as important as the rest.
26:22
Maybe when you write a letter, or more so an email these days, or even as you're texting someone,
26:29
one of the questions you ask when you're finishing is,
26:32
how am I going to finish this off?
26:35
What am I going to write at the end?
26:37
And how are the people who are going to receive this,
26:40
how are they going to understand what I'm saying?
26:43
Does it sound cold?
26:45
Does it sound too warm?
26:47
You know, you think of writing a letter, it's usually yours sincerely or yours faithfully.
26:53
They have a different meaning.
26:55
One has more depth to it than the other.
26:57
But how do you write at the end of an email, or even just in a text?
27:00
What do you put?
27:01
And you think, well, I hope it's not misunderstood, whatever I put at the end.
27:05
Well, here Paul comes to the conclusion of this letter that he's writing to the people in Thessalonica.
27:12
And he leaves them in no doubt.
27:14
He leaves them in no doubt as to what his meaning behind it all is,
27:18
what he's looking to leave them with.
27:21
It's not about himself.
27:23
It's all about the Lord.
27:26
You see there in verse 23,
27:27
Now may the God of peace himself.
27:30
It's all about the Lord.
27:32
It's about all giving glory to the Lord.
27:34
And the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
27:38
There's warmth, there's blessing, and there's concern in it.
27:43
So as he's saying almost like a goodbye to them for now, he's leaving them with that warmth.
27:49
And goodbyes can be a hard thing.
27:52
We all know that in life in different ways.
27:56
Saying goodbye to people in many different circumstances is hard.
28:00
It's emotional.
28:01
And here we find it's hard for Paul to write to them in this way and just knowing what to say to them.
28:10
Because you find throughout this letter that there is that warmth that you see between the people and Paul himself as well.
28:18
The verse that we're looking at today, Paul's closing remarks, are in many ways a hard goodbye for him.
28:26
But they're still full of confidence in God and looking for the people to know this confidence themselves.
28:36
And it's remarkable because he hadn't been with them very long.
28:40
And yet you see the bonds that the gospel brought between them.
28:45
He hadn't been there very long.
28:46
But when you go back to chapter 2, verse 17, it shows us there just the kind of parting that they had.
28:54
Since we were torn away from you, brothers.
28:58
For a short time, he's saying this hopefully, in person but not in heart.
29:03
We endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face.
29:08
You see there's so much in these words.
29:11
Torn away.
29:12
It wasn't something that they wanted to happen.
29:14
But something that they needed to do for a time.
29:18
For their own safety.
29:19
But he says only in person, not in heart.
29:23
You're still very much in our hearts because we're praying for you and remembering you.
29:27
And we're endeavoring the more eagerly with great desire to see you face to face.
29:33
So there's just warmth and there's just love there as well.
29:37
And again, it's seen in chapter 3, verse 5.
29:42
It's almost like he couldn't wait any longer to hear what was happening with them.
29:47
They weren't living in the days of communication that we have.
29:50
We can keep in touch with people instantly.
29:53
They had to wait for a time to hear what was happening.
29:56
And when you look at chapter 3, verse 5, it says,
29:59
For this reason, when I could bear it no longer,
30:02
I sent to learn about your faith for the fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.
30:10
There was this concern.
30:12
He was longing to hear what was happening.
30:15
And as he heard a good report, as he heard back from Timothy who had gone to them,
30:21
he wrote then this letter to them, encouraged to hear of their faith,
30:26
but still concerned that they would keep going.
30:29
And so now as he comes to the conclusion of his letter,
30:34
to his goodbye in this section,
30:36
the benediction as it's called from verse 23 to the end,
30:41
it's a prayerful concern for them.
30:45
And the hope and security that God is with them,
30:49
and that that's what counts.
30:51
It's not just yours faithfully or yours sincerely.
30:58
It's the full blessing of God be with you.
31:03
And so for ourselves today, as we look at these concluding verses of this chapter,
31:08
we think of what Paul's longing for the church at Thessalonica was,
31:13
the longing that he would have for ourselves today as well.
31:17
The longing that we should have together to see what he's saying here is so important
31:22
for ourselves today too.
31:24
To know this great benediction,
31:27
this great blessing of God on us,
31:30
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ with us today and always.
31:36
And there's three things that Paul gives in this benediction
31:41
that I want us to look at.
31:42
The first thing we see is godliness.
31:46
We see that in verse 23 and 24.
31:49
The power of God in our midst.
31:52
The godliness that we see here.
31:54
The second thing is the gifts.
31:57
The gifts that we see in verse 25 to 27.
32:02
There's gifts there.
32:03
And then finally we see the grace that we see in verse 28.
32:07
So we're going to look at these three things.
32:09
Godliness, gifts, and grace.
32:11
So first of all we see godliness.
32:15
Verse 23.
32:16
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely.
32:21
And so he goes on there.
32:23
How well do you know God?
32:27
How well do you think the church at Thessalonica knew God?
32:32
They didn't have all the answers of faith,
32:35
but still they knew God in a powerful way.
32:39
And that knowledge of God is often the knowledge that we have ourselves as well.
32:44
We may not have all the answers.
32:46
We may not have all the understanding of every point that we find in Scripture.
32:52
But it doesn't mean that we don't know God.
32:56
God is known through his word.
32:58
God is known through his spirit at work in us.
33:01
God is known through Jesus Christ as our Lord.
33:05
And we see that when we know God in these ways,
33:09
we know God as a God who is steadfast towards us,
33:13
who is loving, who is gracious towards his people.
33:18
And as Paul concludes his letter here,
33:22
he concludes it not looking just to the people at Thessalonica
33:25
and saying,
33:27
you take care of yourselves,
33:29
look after yourselves,
33:30
I'll be remembering you.
33:32
He's not looking to himself as all important.
33:35
Don't worry, I'm still here for you,
33:37
although I'm at a distance.
33:39
They're looking first and foremost to God.
33:44
Now may the God of peace himself,
33:49
may he be with you.
33:52
He's written to them to believe in this God,
33:56
to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
33:59
And now he's reminding them in this conclusion,
34:02
in this benediction,
34:04
that this is all important
34:06
and it's all encompassing.
34:09
The gospel is at the heart of everything
34:11
that he's saying here,
34:12
the good news of Jesus Christ
34:15
and the God who makes all things possible,
34:18
the God of peace himself.
34:21
And then in verse 24, he says,
34:23
he who calls you is faithful,
34:26
he will surely do it.
34:28
There is godliness in this.
34:31
It's all about God.
34:34
And so his benediction here,
34:36
and we think of godliness,
34:37
it contains both a request and a reminder.
34:42
A request and a reminder.
34:46
And we see, first of all,
34:47
his request in two parts.
34:50
Now may the God of peace himself,
34:53
it's this prayer that the God of peace would be with them.
35:00
So do we know that it is only God that can give us peace?
35:07
The God of peace himself.
35:11
We are by nature a restless people.
35:15
We are by nature a people who don't always enjoy peace in our lives.
35:21
Sometimes it's because of ourselves.
35:25
Sometimes it's because of circumstances going on around us.
35:29
And when you think of what the church in Thessalonica was like,
35:33
they had experienced both sides of the coin.
35:36
They had experienced that restlessness,
35:40
that lack of peace,
35:42
that lack of assurance in their lives.
35:45
And yet, when the God of peace himself came to them,
35:49
they understood in a new way what peace really was.
35:53
It's not the absence of trouble,
35:56
but it's the presence of God in it.
35:59
And the God of peace himself was there for them.
36:04
And we as a people too,
36:06
we are restless without God.
36:09
We are restless.
36:10
We are anxious.
36:11
We are leaning on our own understanding, as it were.
36:14
We are doing all things and trying to do them all by ourselves.
36:18
And how do we cope?
36:20
How do we manage?
36:22
The reality, ultimately, is we don't and we can't.
36:27
If we're looking for peace outside of God,
36:29
that cannot be found.
36:32
And so as Paul concludes this letter,
36:34
he's saying,
36:34
now may the God of peace himself be there with you.
36:39
We are not in control of our lives.
36:44
He is.
36:47
And we have to look to him
36:48
in the midst of everything that goes on around us,
36:52
in the search for peace in our lives,
36:54
in our hearts,
36:55
or the lives of others.
36:57
It is found in God alone.
37:01
The God of peace himself.
37:04
Otherwise, we are pulled and tossed
37:07
in so many different directions,
37:10
going one way, then another,
37:11
searching for this peace.
37:13
And it's not there.
37:15
And so Paul's prayer, his benediction,
37:18
is the focus is on the God of peace himself.
37:23
We cannot have peace apart from God.
37:27
Then there's the second part of his request here.
37:31
The God of peace be with him,
37:32
but to sanctify you completely.
37:35
May your whole spirit and soul and body
37:39
be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
37:44
Do you know that it is only God that can save you?
37:49
Only God can give you peace
37:51
and only God can save you.
37:55
He is sanctifying his people completely.
38:00
It says, may he sanctify you completely
38:01
with your whole spirit and soul and body.
38:05
May he work in you to the completion of all things.
38:09
And sanctification is ongoing.
38:12
It is God at work in his people
38:15
to be more like him.
38:19
You see it mentioned in chapter 4, verse 3.
38:23
For this is the will of God, your sanctification.
38:29
This is the will of God, your sanctification.
38:31
That you would be kept going, learning, growing,
38:35
and more and more becoming like him.
38:38
Robert Murray McShane was a famous preacher.
38:42
And he died at the age of 29.
38:44
He preached in what is now the Free Church in Dundee,
38:48
St. Peter's Free Church in Dundee.
38:50
And he described sanctification in this way.
38:54
He said, it is God making us as holy
38:57
as a saved sinner can be.
39:01
God making us as holy as a saved sinner can be.
39:05
We're saved, but yet we're still sinners.
39:08
We're never perfect.
39:11
They were not complete Christians here in Thessalonica.
39:15
Neither was Paul as he was writing to them.
39:17
He knew himself his own failings.
39:21
But he trusted that God was able to work in him and them.
39:27
And we are not the finished product.
39:30
If you see yourself as the finished product,
39:32
as good enough, you're not.
39:37
But that is where grace comes in.
39:39
It is the gift of God that by faith,
39:41
we can know that he can make us right.
39:46
We can try and live a holy life as we should.
39:51
But it is not that we are trying to do it to save ourselves,
39:54
because that's impossible.
39:57
It is only God who can save us.
40:00
It is only God who can bring us blameless
40:03
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
40:06
So we have these two requests here in godliness,
40:12
that we would be knowing the peace of God
40:14
and the salvation that there is in God.
40:17
But there's also a reminder here in verse 24,
40:21
he who calls you is faithful.
40:24
He will surely do it.
40:27
So when we think, well, we cannot do it,
40:30
I cannot save myself.
40:32
I cannot have peace with God.
40:34
But he who calls you is faithful.
40:38
He will surely do it.
40:41
And isn't that a great reminder for ourselves today?
40:45
That in our own weakness and frailties,
40:47
in our own lack of godliness,
40:49
in our own lack of sanctification,
40:51
as we see ourselves,
40:54
he who calls you is faithful.
40:56
He will surely do it.
40:59
We can trust God
41:02
and seek to be sanctified in him,
41:06
by him.
41:08
So there is godliness first.
41:09
The second thing we see here is gifts.
41:13
We see that in verse 25,
41:15
down to verse 27.
41:17
We see three gifts here.
41:19
Brothers, pray for us.
41:21
Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
41:23
I put you under oath
41:25
before the Lord to have this letter
41:27
read to all the brothers.
41:31
As we said,
41:32
when Paul is writing this letter,
41:34
there's a sense of separation.
41:37
There's a sense of distance between them.
41:40
But in these verses,
41:41
he's showing the gifts that they share together,
41:44
even at a distance.
41:47
And the three things that we have here
41:49
is prayer, fellowship,
41:51
and the word of God.
41:53
Three things that distance doesn't matter in.
41:58
Distance kind of brings us even closer together.
42:00
As you think back to Wednesday evening
42:02
and Mission International
42:04
and the presentation Roddy gave,
42:06
when you're hearing about people
42:07
in different parts of the world
42:09
and yet realizing we can pray for them.
42:13
We have fellowship with them.
42:15
We don't even know them.
42:16
Yet we can have fellowship with them
42:18
as we pray for them
42:19
and as we are around the word of God,
42:22
that we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
42:25
And there's this great distance
42:27
between Paul and the church at Thessalonica.
42:29
Pray for us.
42:33
And there we have that first gift.
42:35
That first gift is prayer.
42:37
They prayed for them
42:39
and they were praying for each other
42:41
and prayer for the gospel to flourish.
42:45
Is there any greater request
42:47
that you could make to someone
42:48
than will you pray for me?
42:49
Or to know that somebody is praying for you.
42:56
What a powerful gift there is in that.
42:59
Just a simple message.
43:00
I'm praying for you.
43:01
But what it means.
43:04
And what it meant for the church at Thessalonica
43:07
to know Paul was praying for them
43:09
as he outlines at the beginning.
43:11
And now he's saying,
43:12
brothers, pray for us.
43:13
It brings us close to God.
43:18
I had a Sunday school teacher
43:19
who when I was leaving Sunday school,
43:22
he gave me a piece of paper
43:23
with a few words of a hymn on it.
43:26
And he promised that he would pray.
43:29
And the words of the hymn that he gave me
43:31
were this.
43:32
It was very much setting out on life.
43:34
And that's the theme of the hymn.
43:36
You're starting my boy on life's journey
43:38
along the grand highway of life.
43:40
You'll meet with a thousand temptations.
43:44
Each city with evil is rife.
43:46
This world is a stage of excitement.
43:49
There's danger wherever you go.
43:51
But if you are tempted to weakness,
43:54
have courage, my boy, to say no.
43:57
And those words remained with me.
44:01
And his prayers remained with me.
44:03
And they still do to this day.
44:05
I still know that he prays for me
44:07
because he often reminds me.
44:08
And what a wonderful blessing that was.
44:11
And having gone through life away from home
44:15
in so many different places
44:16
to know that he was praying.
44:19
And the power that there was in that.
44:21
And if I was to say today,
44:23
is there anyone here who does not need prayer?
44:26
Put your hand up.
44:28
No hand should go up.
44:30
Because we all need prayer.
44:33
And is there anyone here
44:34
who has asked someone to pray for them?
44:37
Hands up?
44:38
Well, probably not many hands will go up
44:41
because it's not something we do naturally.
44:44
Are we afraid sometimes to ask for prayer?
44:50
Yes.
44:51
Because we almost feel that maybe it's just
44:53
a sense of weakness or shame
44:55
to ask someone to pray.
44:57
And yet it's the greatest gift that we have
44:59
to pray for one another.
45:02
Brothers, pray for us.
45:05
And so you see that leads then
45:07
into the second gift.
45:09
That gift of fellowship.
45:11
Because this is what encourages prayer.
45:13
Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
45:18
This is something we're going to introduce.
45:21
Don't panic.
45:22
We might not go right down the path
45:23
of greeting each other with a holy kiss.
45:26
We're not going to ask the people on the door
45:27
to greet you in that way.
45:28
But what's behind it?
45:31
We have to ask, what's behind it?
45:32
Well, it was the custom of the time.
45:35
It was the way many people,
45:37
even in different cultures today,
45:39
this is the way they greet one another,
45:41
with a kiss.
45:43
Sometimes on the forehead.
45:44
Sometimes on the cheek.
45:46
It's what different cultures do.
45:48
It may not be in our culture,
45:50
but what's behind it should be.
45:54
It is this greeting,
45:55
this welcoming,
45:57
this fellowship,
45:58
this warmth,
45:59
this sense of belonging.
46:02
We don't have a kiss,
46:04
although with some we may well do
46:05
in different circumstances.
46:07
But at other times,
46:08
it's a warm handshake.
46:10
You're welcoming people in.
46:13
Other times,
46:14
it's with words.
46:16
That's so powerful.
46:17
powerful words that we have
46:19
to say welcome.
46:21
You're here among friends.
46:23
You're here around God's word.
46:25
That you feel a part of this place
46:27
and this people.
46:29
Because there are times
46:30
when you hear of people
46:32
coming and going from church
46:33
and they'll say,
46:34
nobody even spoke to me.
46:37
Nobody said a word to me.
46:39
And what impression does that leave with them?
46:41
It's a sense of nobody was interested.
46:44
Nobody cared to say anything to me.
46:47
And so we have this powerful gift as well
46:51
of being warm greeters to each other.
46:55
To be concerned,
46:56
to be caring towards one another.
47:01
So we have that gift.
47:03
We also have this gift
47:04
of the word of God
47:07
that we should never take for granted.
47:11
Look at what he says in verse 27.
47:13
I put you under oath
47:15
before the Lord
47:17
to have this letter read
47:19
to all the brothers.
47:23
It's powerful.
47:25
He's not just saying,
47:26
well, read this letter
47:27
in your own time.
47:29
He's saying,
47:30
I put you under oath.
47:32
I want you to take this vow
47:33
before God
47:35
that you will read this letter.
47:38
And not just to one or two,
47:40
but to all the brothers.
47:44
Because what binds us together
47:45
in prayer,
47:46
what binds us together
47:48
in fellowship
47:48
is the word of God.
47:51
The word of God
47:52
that instructs us,
47:53
that guides us.
47:55
And you notice here,
47:56
he's saying,
47:57
make this promise.
47:59
Take this vow,
48:00
this oath
48:00
before the Lord
48:02
that this is your duty.
48:05
This is your calling.
48:06
This is what you are to do
48:07
as a people together.
48:09
Not just with some,
48:10
but with all.
48:12
Read it to all the brothers.
48:14
Why does he make this point?
48:18
Well, it's because
48:18
as you read through the letter,
48:20
you see there are different points
48:21
that are hints
48:22
that there were some divisions.
48:25
That there were some disagreements
48:27
along the way.
48:29
But he's saying,
48:30
don't let these divide you.
48:33
Let the word of God
48:34
bring you together.
48:36
Make this vow
48:37
before God
48:39
to have this letter read
48:40
among all the brothers.
48:43
And so for us,
48:44
it's that responsibility
48:45
in all of these things,
48:47
these gifts,
48:48
to pray for one another,
48:51
to greet and welcome
48:52
one another,
48:54
and to share the word of God
48:56
with one another.
48:57
This should be our oath
48:58
before the Lord,
49:00
that we will honor him
49:01
who has honored us
49:03
by being faithful to him
49:05
in all of these things
49:07
and to all
49:08
of our brothers and sisters
49:10
and all who we come
49:12
into contact with.
49:13
Pray,
49:14
greet,
49:15
and the word of God
49:16
is at the heart
49:17
of the gifts
49:18
that the church has today.
49:21
The final thing
49:22
I want us to see here
49:24
is the grace
49:25
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
49:28
The last verse there,
49:30
verse 28,
49:31
the grace
49:31
of our Lord Jesus Christ
49:34
be with you.
49:36
In many ways,
49:37
Paul is concluding
49:39
and saying,
49:40
as I started,
49:42
so I'll finish.
49:44
You see,
49:44
when you go back
49:45
to the opening verses
49:46
in chapter one,
49:48
what does it say?
49:50
To the church
49:51
of the Thessalonians
49:52
in God the Father
49:53
and the Lord Jesus Christ,
49:55
grace to you
49:57
and peace.
49:58
Grace to you
50:00
and peace.
50:01
Now he has said
50:02
in verse 23,
50:03
may the God
50:03
of peace himself,
50:05
and then in verse 28,
50:07
the grace
50:08
of our Lord Jesus Christ
50:10
be with you.
50:13
The close
50:14
is the same
50:15
as the opening.
50:17
He begins
50:18
and ends
50:19
with grace.
50:19
Why?
50:21
Because grace
50:22
underguards it all.
50:24
grace is what is needed
50:26
in everything
50:27
that we do.
50:28
The grace
50:29
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
50:32
You see,
50:33
it's not just
50:33
I'm remembering you
50:35
warmly,
50:36
faithfully,
50:37
sincerely.
50:39
I'm remembering you
50:40
in the Lord.
50:42
The grace
50:43
of our Lord Jesus Christ
50:45
be with you.
50:47
Because grace
50:48
is powerful.
50:51
Grace is not just
50:52
something that we need
50:53
at the beginning.
50:53
of our Christian life.
50:55
To see
50:56
our sins
50:57
are forgiven
50:57
by grace.
50:58
It's something we need
50:59
all through
51:00
the Christian life.
51:03
And so are there
51:03
any better words
51:05
that he could
51:06
leave them with
51:06
than this?
51:07
The grace
51:08
of our Lord Jesus Christ
51:09
be with you.
51:11
The generosity,
51:13
the favor
51:14
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
51:16
All of these things
51:18
that they would be
51:19
with you
51:19
through our Lord
51:21
Jesus Christ.
51:23
This is
51:24
the benediction
51:26
at the end.
51:29
And it's no less
51:30
important
51:31
than anything else
51:33
that you read
51:34
through the word
51:35
of this letter.
51:37
Someone put it,
51:38
it's not just
51:38
hollow words
51:39
to conclude
51:40
a letter.
51:41
It's not like
51:42
a story book
51:43
that says
51:43
the end.
51:45
It is not
51:47
a standard
51:48
yours faithfully
51:49
or yours sincerely.
51:51
This is the heart
51:52
of the gospel.
51:54
Grace
51:54
be with you.
51:57
And what is
51:57
grace?
51:59
Grace
52:00
is the gift
52:01
that we have
52:01
through faith
52:03
in Jesus Christ.
52:05
The one
52:06
who lived
52:06
a life
52:08
that we couldn't.
52:09
The one
52:10
who died
52:11
a death
52:11
that we couldn't.
52:13
the one
52:14
who died
52:14
a death
52:15
he never
52:15
deserved
52:16
that we might
52:17
receive forgiveness
52:18
of sin.
52:20
The one
52:21
who rose
52:22
from the grave
52:23
that we might
52:24
know him
52:25
as the resurrection
52:26
and the life.
52:28
All at his
52:29
expense
52:30
freely
52:31
given.
52:32
It is the
52:33
gift
52:33
of God
52:35
in which
52:36
there is
52:36
forgiveness
52:37
and which
52:38
there is
52:39
power.
52:40
Grace
52:41
empowers
52:42
and makes
52:42
us willing
52:43
and without
52:44
grace
52:45
we are
52:45
lost.
52:47
And so
52:48
Paul is
52:49
leaving us
52:49
with these
52:50
words.
52:51
The grace
52:52
of our
52:52
Lord Jesus
52:53
Christ
52:54
be with
52:55
you.
52:56
I read
52:57
in one
52:57
commentary
52:58
and I
52:59
want to
52:59
quote it
52:59
in full
53:00
because it's
53:00
so powerful
53:01
what was
53:01
being said.
53:03
One
53:03
commentator
53:03
puts it
53:04
like this.
53:05
Paul does
53:06
not simply
53:06
wish
53:07
strength
53:08
or prosperity
53:09
on them
53:10
but rather
53:11
invokes
53:12
a blessing
53:12
on them
53:13
for what
53:14
they needed
53:14
most.
53:15
The grace
53:16
that comes
53:17
from the
53:17
Lord Jesus
53:18
Christ.
53:19
This letter
53:20
began with
53:21
this desire
53:22
for grace
53:22
and peace
53:23
and here
53:24
as there
53:25
it summarizes
53:27
the essence
53:27
of the faith
53:28
they have
53:28
received.
53:30
The person
53:30
of Jesus
53:32
the Lord
53:33
and Christ
53:34
is the
53:35
fountain
53:35
from which
53:36
the grace
53:37
of God
53:37
flows out
53:38
to them.
53:40
This
53:40
benediction
53:41
is far
53:41
from being
53:42
a formality
53:43
tacked at
53:44
the end
53:44
of the letter.
53:46
The blessing
53:46
of grace
53:47
from the
53:47
Lord Jesus
53:48
Christ
53:49
embraces
53:50
the fullness
53:50
of salvation
53:51
that comes
53:53
from one
53:53
who is
53:54
the soul
53:55
and sovereign
53:56
saviour.
53:59
The grace
54:01
of our
54:02
Lord Jesus
54:02
Christ
54:03
who is
54:05
our soul
54:06
and sovereign
54:07
saviour.
54:08
it is
54:09
not just
54:10
a few
54:11
words
54:11
tacked
54:12
to the
54:12
end.
54:14
It is
54:14
the power
54:15
of God
54:15
to salvation
54:17
to know
54:18
the grace
54:19
of our
54:20
Lord Jesus
54:20
Christ
54:21
with us.
54:23
Why do I
54:24
say a
54:24
benediction?
54:25
Why does
54:25
every minister
54:26
say a
54:26
benediction
54:27
at the
54:27
end of
54:28
a service?
54:29
It's not
54:30
just something
54:30
tacked on.
54:32
It's not
54:33
just something
54:33
just before
54:34
we go out
54:34
the door.
54:35
It is
54:36
pronouncing
54:36
a blessing
54:37
and a
54:38
longing
54:39
that the
54:40
grace of
54:41
our Lord
54:41
Jesus
54:41
Christ
54:42
be with
54:42
you
54:43
until we
54:44
meet
54:44
again.
54:46
So Paul's
54:47
last words
54:48
are grace
54:49
to you
54:50
until we
54:51
meet again.
54:53
He doesn't
54:54
know when
54:54
that will
54:54
be.
54:56
He has a
54:56
longing to
54:57
meet them
54:57
face to
54:58
face.
54:59
But he
54:59
knows one
55:00
day that
55:01
through grace
55:02
he will be
55:04
with them
55:05
again and
55:06
forever and
55:08
eternally.
55:09
And that's
55:10
the power of
55:11
the gospel in
55:11
the midst of
55:12
all that we
55:13
experience in
55:14
this life.
55:15
That we
55:15
would know
55:16
the grace of
55:17
our Lord
55:17
Jesus Christ
55:18
with us.
55:21
With us
55:22
every day
55:23
but with that
55:24
powerful reminder
55:26
that it is
55:27
this grace
55:28
that will bring
55:29
us together
55:30
at the
55:31
coming of
55:32
the Lord.
55:33
The coming
55:34
of the Lord
55:34
runs throughout
55:36
this letter.
55:38
And it is
55:38
this grace
55:39
the gift of
55:40
God in
55:40
Christ that
55:42
will help us
55:43
in that day
55:44
and for all
55:45
eternity to
55:46
be safe
55:47
with him
55:48
and with
55:49
all his
55:50
people.
55:51
The grace
55:52
of our
55:53
Lord Jesus
55:54
Christ be
55:55
with you.
55:56
Let us
55:57
pray.
56:00
Our
56:01
Father in
56:01
heaven we
56:02
do rejoice
56:02
in the
56:03
godliness of
56:04
your word.
56:06
How it
56:06
encourages us
56:07
that we
56:07
who are
56:08
imperfect are
56:09
sanctified through
56:10
your working
56:11
in us.
56:13
We thank you
56:13
how it reminds
56:14
us of the
56:15
gifts that we
56:16
have as a
56:16
church and
56:17
as a people.
56:18
The gifts of
56:19
prayer and
56:20
fellowship and
56:21
your word.
56:22
And we thank
56:23
you above all
56:23
Lord for the
56:24
gift of grace.
56:26
The grace of
56:26
our Lord Jesus
56:27
Christ poured
56:28
out upon us
56:29
freely.
56:30
By our
56:31
sovereign and
56:32
soul saviour.
56:33
And so we
56:34
thank you for
56:34
all of these
56:35
things and
56:36
pray that they
56:37
would become
56:37
more and more
56:38
precious to us
56:39
as we ask all
56:40
with the
56:40
forgiveness of
56:41
our sin.
56:42
In Jesus
56:42
name.
56:43
Amen.
56:49
We'll
56:50
conclude by
56:50
singing to
56:51
God's praise
56:52
in Psalm
56:53
28 in the
56:55
Scottish
56:55
Psalter.
56:56
page 238 of
57:00
the Psalm
57:00
books.
57:01
Psalm 28
57:02
sing from
57:03
verse 7
57:04
to verse 9.
57:04
The Lord's
57:11
my strength and
57:11
shield.
57:12
My heart
57:12
upon him
57:13
did rely
57:14
and I am
57:15
helped.
57:16
Hence my
57:17
heart doth
57:18
joy exceedingly.
57:20
We thank God
57:20
for the strength
57:21
and help that
57:22
he does give
57:23
us and the
57:24
joy that is
57:25
found in
57:26
him.
57:26
We're going to
57:27
sing verse
57:27
7 to 9.
57:28
The tune is
57:29
Arlington
57:29
and we
57:30
stand to
57:31
sing to
57:31
God's
57:32
praise.
57:34
The Lord
57:37
I
57:37
strength
57:39
and shield
57:41
my heart
57:43
upon
57:44
him
57:46
did
57:47
rely
57:49
and
57:51
I
57:52
am
57:53
there
57:54
against
57:56
my
57:57
heart
57:58
and
58:00
I
58:01
am
58:02
helped
58:03
with
58:04
hence
58:05
my
58:06
heart
58:07
of
58:08
joy
58:09
exceedingly.
58:14
And
58:15
with
58:16
my
58:17
song
58:19
I
58:19
will
58:21
embrace
58:23
and
58:24
send
58:25
this
58:26
thought
58:27
voy
58:48
voy
58:50
!
58:48
voy
58:50
!
58:48
voy
58:50
!
58:48
voy
58:50
!
58:57
For people do our share,
59:04
Bless time and evidence,
59:11
And also do our kingdom,
59:20
And also do our kingdom,
59:28
Forevermore and grand.
59:36
After the benediction, I'll go to the main door.
59:40
We'll close with the benediction.
59:41
Now may grace, mercy and peace from God,
59:45
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
59:47
Rest upon and abide with you all now and forevermore.
59:50
Amen.
1:00:17
Please pray,
1:00:20
Please pray,
1:00:22
Please pray,
1:00:25
Please pray,
1:00:27
Please pray,
1:00:29
Please pray,
1:00:31
Please pray,
1:00:32
Please pray,