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Why Are We Sitting Here Until We Die? · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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Well, good evening. It's lovely to be with you again this evening as we gather together in worship.
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I just want to say thank you for having me. It's been great to see you all again, to see many of you I haven't seen in a while.
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But remember, I live on the West Side, and you're welcome to come anytime to Bonnie Barvis.
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So please do come. Our communion season is in a few weeks' time. You're welcome to come.
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Fill the church. It's great to be together, and it's good to worship together.
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So let us worship God this evening. We're going to sing to God's praise in Psalm 95.
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Psalm 95, it's in the Scottish Psalter, page 357.
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Psalm 95, we're singing from the beginning down to the verse 6.
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And this psalm is a psalm that reminds us that we are all invited this evening.
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We are all invited to come and worship the Lord.
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No one is told to go away. Everyone is told to come.
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That's what the psalmist says.
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O come, let us sing to the Lord.
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Come, let us everyone.
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A joyful noise make to the rock of our salvation.
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Let us before his presence come.
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With praise and thankful voice,
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let us sing psalms to him with grace.
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And make a joyful noise.
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So we'll sing Psalm 95 from the beginning down to the verse marked 6.
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And we'll stand to sing, if you're able, to God's praise.
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O come, let us sing to the Lord.
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Come, let us sing to the Lord.
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A joyful noise make to the Lord.
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Let us before his presence come.
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Let us before his presence come.
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Let us before his presence come.
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With praise and thankful voice,
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Let us before his presence come.
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Let us before his presence come.
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Let us before his presence come.
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Let us sing songs to him with praise.
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Let us before his presence come.
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Let us before his presence come.
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Let us before his presence come.
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Let us before his presence come.
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Let us before him with grace,
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Over round him the 2nd through 22nd,
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For God for redemption take him
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For God for childcare,
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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Our Maker, let us walk.
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Well, let us come before the Lord in prayer.
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Let's pray together.
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Gracious God and loving Heavenly Father,
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we give thanks this evening that this is where we are found,
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that we are found not only on mercy's ground,
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but that we are found in the Lord's house,
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and to know that we are people who have been invited to come,
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that the Lord himself has invited us,
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that he has brought us here this evening,
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and we give thanks for even those words we have been singing,
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that how the psalmist reminded us that we have all been invited
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to come and sing to the Lord,
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to make that joyful noise to our God,
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because he is a great God and a great King,
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that above all gods he is,
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the depths of the earth are in his hand,
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the strength of hills are his.
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And enable us then, we pray,
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to come like the psalmist came,
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to come on bended knee,
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in surrender and submission to our great God,
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acknowledging that he is the King of kings,
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he remains the Lord of lords,
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he is the one who is high and lifted up,
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whose name is holy,
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and that we, as we meet with thee this evening,
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and as we meet in thy presence,
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Lord, our prayer is that we would know thy presence,
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that we would experience thy blessing,
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that we would all be able to say that it is good for us to be here,
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because it is here we have met with the Lord,
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and that the Lord has spoken to us,
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and reminded us about our need for salvation,
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to remind us that there is a heaven to be gained,
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and a hell to be shunned.
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We bless thee, O Lord, for the gospel,
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that it is the good news of Jesus Christ,
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it is the power of God unto salvation to those who believe,
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and we are reminded this morning of those who do believe in this congregation,
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as we gathered around the Lord's table,
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and as we gathered to remember the Lord's death until he comes,
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and to be assured that even tonight,
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Jesus is one who is praying for his people,
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that he is praying for our salvation,
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he is praying for our safety,
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he is praying for our sanctification,
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to be made more and more like him,
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and even our eternal security.
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But Lord, our prayer tonight,
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is that more and more in this congregation,
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would know it for themselves,
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that they would know this Jesus who loved them,
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and gave himself for them,
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that they would know the wonder and beauty of the gospel,
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that God so loved this world,
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that he gave his only begotten son,
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that whosoever believes in him,
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would not perish, but have eternal life.
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And so Lord, our prayer is this evening,
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that we would have ears to hear,
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that we would have eyes to see more and more of Jesus,
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that we would have hearts to receive thy truth,
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minds to engage with it,
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and a will that is willing and ready to respond in faith and obedience.
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And so Lord, we pray for those who are out of Christ,
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for those Lord, even in our own homes,
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and our own family.
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We pray for husbands that are strangers to grace and to God.
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We pray for wives that are still uncommitted.
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We pray for our children that are on the broad road,
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that leads alone to destruction.
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But Lord, our prayer is tonight,
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that thou wouldest speak to them,
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that thou wouldest remind them and reassure them,
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that thou art the God who has provided a new and living way,
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in and through his Son, the Lord Jesus,
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and that we are to come to him.
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We're to come to him just as we are,
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saying like the hymn writer of old,
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that nothing in my hands I bring,
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but simply to thy cross I cling.
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And Lord, our prayer is that more and more would cling to the old rugged cross,
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realizing that this Jesus,
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he became sin for us.
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Even though he knew no sin,
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he had done nothing amiss,
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and yet he became sin for us,
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all so that we might be made
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the righteousness of God in him,
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all so that we might be presented faultless
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before his glory with exceeding joy.
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The wonder and glory tonight
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is that sinners are able to be saved,
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that we are able to be brought from darkness to light,
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from death to life,
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from the dungeon of sin,
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to liberty and freedom in Christ.
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And Lord, our longing is then that thy spirit
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would truly take the things of thy word,
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and apply them to our hearts and lives this evening,
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that there would be rejoicing in the presence of the angels,
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over sinners repenting,
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over people turning from sin unto the Saviour,
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turning from the way they are going,
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to following in the footsteps of Jesus,
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hearing the voice of this good shepherd,
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who laid down his life for the sheep.
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Lord, remember this congregation, we pray.
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We give thanks for them,
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for every memory we have of growing up in this congregation,
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and even the people here.
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We pray, Lord, for thy servant over them.
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We pray for Calamurdo.
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We thank thee, Lord, for him,
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and we ask that thou wouldest uphold him and support him,
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and grant him to know thy grace and thy strength,
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even during this time of vacancy.
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We pray, O Lord, that thou wouldest provide
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one who will work alongside with him,
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that in many ways, like Paul had Silas,
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or others had Elijah had Elisha.
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Lord, we pray that thou wouldest provide for this congregation
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a man who will work and who will sow,
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and who will sow in tears,
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that he might reap in joy.
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Bless him, Lord, we pray,
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even in endeavours to mix with one another
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at barbecues or at beaches, Lord,
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but we also remember the Back to Church Sunday too.
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And we pray, Lord, even as Christians,
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that we would be bold in inviting people,
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that we would compel them to come in,
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that the Master's house may be filled,
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that more and more would hear
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of this glorious gospel message,
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that they would hear that their soul might live.
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For how shall they hear without a preacher,
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and how shall they preach except to be sent,
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knowing that faith comes by hearing,
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and hearing by the word of God.
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So, Lord, bless them, we pray, as a congregation.
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Remember them, we ask.
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We also remember the other vacancies
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in our own presbytery.
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We remember tonight's Shabbos,
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and we continue to remember them.
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And we think also of Grava too,
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and South Uist.
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But, Lord, we rejoice knowing that
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North Uist has called a minister,
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and the minister has answered that call.
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And we pray for our brother David,
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as he prepares to take on that charge.
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And we ask, Lord, that thou wouldst bless him
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and his family, Lord, be gracious to them.
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And, Lord, what we pray for ourselves
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as a presbytery.
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We pray for our denomination
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and even the kingdom of God,
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knowing, Lord, that the harvest is plenteous,
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and the laborers remain few.
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But, Lord, we look not to ourselves,
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but to the Lord of the harvest,
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that he would thrust out laborers
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into this great harvest field,
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men who will plough the fields.
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Thou, O Lord, that thou wouldst break up
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even the fallow ground.
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And as they sow in tears,
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that, O Lord, the seed that is sown,
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that it would not fall by the wayside
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or among the thorns
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or onto the rocky ground,
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but it might fall into the good soil
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that thou hast prepared.
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Bless, Lord, then thy truth to us.
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Bless the cause of Christ
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to the ends of the earth,
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those who have gone to the far corners
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of our world.
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Even as we think of those
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from this congregation,
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we remember tonight, Muriel,
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and we pray for her.
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We ask that thou wouldst bless her.
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And many others, Lord, who have left here
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and those who are witnesses
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in different places.
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But we give thanks that thou art the God
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who is sovereign,
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who is working all things together for good
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to those who are the called
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according to thine own purpose.
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So, Lord, remember us then, we pray.
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Remember places where there is wars
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and rumors of war tonight.
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We pray for peace.
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Peace, Lord, in Israel
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and even peace in Ukraine.
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Lord, we ask that thou wouldst
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bring an end to these wars.
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And also, Lord, as we see even
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the difficulties in people's lives,
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where we see not even a day that goes by
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and there are different things
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that are going on
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and heartache and sorrow.
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But, Lord, we pray that thou wouldst
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speak to us
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and remind us, Lord,
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that there is this wonderful Saviour
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who came into this world
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to bear our griefs
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and to carry our sorrows,
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that he came to be wounded
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for our transgressions
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and bruised for our iniquities.
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And so, Lord, help us then, we pray,
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to be people of prayer,
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but also people who are willing
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to tell it to the generation following
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that this God is our God
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and that he will be our guide
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even unto death.
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Lord, speak to us then, we pray this evening.
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Open up thy truth.
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Sanctify us through it.
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And, Lord, that we would see none other
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save Jesus only.
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Go before us, then, we ask.
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Take away our iniquities.
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Receive us graciously.
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For Jesus' sake.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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We're going to sing again,
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this time in Psalm 90.
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Psalm 90, it's in the Scottish Psalter,
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page 349.
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Psalm 90 in the Scottish Psalter.
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We're singing from verse 10
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down to the verse mark 12.
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Psalm 90 is the oldest psalm
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in the Psalter.
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It's 3,500 years old.
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It's a psalm that reminds us
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that the God we are worshipping this evening,
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he has no beginning
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and he has no end.
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He is from everlasting to everlasting.
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That's what Moses prays in Psalm 90.
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But Moses was one who was so conscious
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that the God,
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although he worshipped a God
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who is eternal,
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when he looked around him,
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he knew that everyone around him wasn't.
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They were finite.
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Because he says there in verse 10,
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three score and ten years do sum up,
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our days and years we see,
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or if by reason of more strength
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than some four score they be,
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yet doth the strength of such old men
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but grief and labour prove,
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for it is soon cut off
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and we fly hence
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and soon remove.
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Who knows the power of thy wrath
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according to thy fear?
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So as thy wrath, Lord, teach thou us
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our end in mind to bear
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and so to count our days
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that we,
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our hearts may still apply
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to learn thy wisdom
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and thy truth
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that we may live thereby.
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Moses looked at the world around him
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and he said,
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Lord, teach us to number our days
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that we may apply our heart
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unto wisdom.
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Psalm 90,
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we're singing from verse 10
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down to the verse Mark 12
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and we'll stand to sing
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if you're able
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to God's praise.
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Amen.
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�
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the stress of such old men
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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CHOIR SINGS
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To learn thy wisdom, and thy truth, that we be made in their mind.
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Amen.
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I'm not going to read the Word of God as we find it in the second book of Kings, and chapter 6.
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Second Kings, chapter 6.
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So what in the Old Testament?
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Second Kings, chapter 6.
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And we're picking up a reading at verse 26.
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And we're reading on into chapter 7.
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Second Kings, chapter 6, reading at verse 26.
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Let us hear the Word of God.
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Now as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying,
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Help my lord, O king.
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And he said, If the lord will not help you, how shall I help you?
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From the threshing floor or from the winepress?
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And the king asked her, What is your trouble?
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She answered, This woman said to me, Give your son, that we may eat him today,
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and we will eat my son tomorrow.
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So we boiled my son and ate him.
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And on the next day I said to her, Give your son, that we may eat him.
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But she has hidden her son.
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When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes.
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Now he was passing by on the wall, and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth beneath his body.
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And he said, May God do to me, and more also,
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if the head of Elisha, the son of Shaphat, remains on his shoulders today.
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Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him.
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Now the king had dispatched a man from his presence.
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But before the messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders,
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Do you see how this murderer has sent to take off my head?
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Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door fast against him.
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Is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?
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And while he was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him and said,
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This trouble is from the Lord.
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Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?
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But Elisha said, Hear the word of the Lord.
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Thus says the Lord,
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Tomorrow about this time,
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A say of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel,
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and two sayers of barley for a shekel,
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at the gate of Samaria.
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Then the captain, on whose hand the king leaned, said to the man of God,
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that's Elisha,
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If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven,
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could this thing be?
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But he said,
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You shall see it with your own eyes,
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but you shall not see it,
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you shall not eat of it.
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Now there were four men who were lepers at the entrance to the gate,
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and they said to one another,
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Why are we sitting here until we die?
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If we say,
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Let us enter the city,
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The famine is in the city,
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and if we shall die there,
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and if we sit here,
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we die also.
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So now let us go over to the camp of the Syrians.
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If they spare our lives,
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we shall live,
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and if they kill us,
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we shall but die.
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So they arose at twilight
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to go to the camp of the Syrians.
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But when they came to the edge of the camp of the Syrians,
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behold,
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there was no one there.
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For the Lord had made the army of the Syrians
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hear the sound of chariots
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and of horses,
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the sound of a great army.
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So that they said to one another,
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Behold,
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the king of Israel has hired against us,
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the king of the Hittites
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and the kings of Egypt
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to come against us.
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So they fled away in the twilight
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and abandoned their tents,
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their horses,
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and their donkeys,
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leaving the camp as it was,
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and fled for their lives.
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And when these lepers came to the edge of the camp,
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they went into a tent,
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and ate,
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and drank,
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and they carried off silver and gold and clothing,
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and went and hid them.
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Then they came back and entered another tent,
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and carried off things from it,
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and went and hid them.
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Then they said to one another,
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We are not doing right.
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This day is a day of good news.
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If we are silent,
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and wait until the morning light,
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punishment will overtake us.
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Now therefore come,
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let us go and tell the king's household.
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And so on.
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May the Lord bless that reading
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of his own holy word.
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Well, before we consider that passage this evening,
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we're going to sing again,
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this time in Psalm 49.
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Psalm 49,
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it's in the Sing Psalms version.
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on page 64.
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Psalm 49,
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page 64 in the blue psalm book.
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We're singing from the beginning down to the verse 9.
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And if Psalm 90 was the oldest psalm in the Psalter,
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Psalm 49,
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it's not the youngest,
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but I would say it's the most solemn.
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It is the most solemn psalm in our Psalter.
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It has a message for all of us
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to remind us
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that our days
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are all numbered.
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And it doesn't matter how much we have in life,
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how much money we possess,
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or even how much we know,
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nothing can keep us
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from meeting God
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when we close our eyes
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and take our last breath.
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It's a very solemn psalm.
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And that's why the psalmist begins with the word,
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listen.
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Listen.
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Listen.
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Listen to me,
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all you peoples,
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all who in the world dwell,
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in the whole world dwell,
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low and high,
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both rich and needy,
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hear the message I will tell.
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I will speak with understanding,
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wisdom from the heart I'll preach.
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I will listen to a proverb,
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secrets with the heart I'll teach.
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Why should I fear days of evil
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when the wicked hem me in,
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those who boast of their possessions,
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by their trust in wealth they sin.
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There is no one able,
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there is no,
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there is no one who is able
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to redeem a soul from death.
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None can pay to God the ransom
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to prolong another's breath.
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And we'll sing down to verse 9
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of Psalm 49
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and we'll stand to sing,
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if you're able,
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to God's praise.
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Amen.
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For your deep love,
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time,
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If you're able,
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are they a person,
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if you're able,
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the blessing I will tell.
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I will speak with understanding,
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wisdom from the heart,
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I will listen to the caller, seamless with the harmony.
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Why should I fear days of evil, when the break yet can be in?
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Those who boast of their possessions, find their trust in wealth they sin.
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There is no one who is able to redeem our soul from death,
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none can pay to all the ransom, to prolong another's death.
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To lead him a life is costly, none sufficient might's campaign,
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so that one should end immortal, free forever from the aid.
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Well, if we could, this evening with the Lord's help and the Lord's enabling,
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if we could turn back to that portion of scripture that we read, 2 Kings chapter 7.
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2 Kings chapter 7.
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And I want us to focus upon the words of verse 3.
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2 Kings chapter 7 and verse 3.
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Now there were four men who were lepers at the entrance to the gate,
27:24
and they said to one another,
27:27
Why are we sitting here until we die?
27:34
Why are we sitting here until we die?
27:39
My unconverted friend,
27:49
I want to speak to you this evening,
27:53
and I want to speak to you about your soul,
27:57
and I want to speak to you about where you stand in relation to Jesus Christ.
28:03
I've spoken to my Christian friend over this communion season,
28:07
and it has been good to spend time with Christian friends,
28:12
to gather together in worship,
28:15
to spend time around God's word,
28:17
and also to enjoy the sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
28:21
But my unconverted friend sitting here this evening,
28:25
I want to speak to you,
28:28
and I want to ask you the same questions that these lepers were asking themselves.
28:33
Why are we sitting here until we die?
28:37
Why are we sitting here until we die?
28:42
Now, I don't speak to you this evening just as a visiting preacher.
28:48
I don't speak to you as someone who doesn't understand where you're at.
28:53
I don't speak to you as someone who doesn't know what it's like to sit where you are.
28:58
Lord, I speak to you as someone who used to sit where you are sitting.
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Because I was once an unconverted friend sitting in this church.
29:10
I was once an unconverted friend sitting where you are tonight.
29:15
In fact, I used to sit upstairs, second from the back.
29:19
I used to sit upstairs, second from the back,
29:22
and I used to think that the minister, Kenny I,
29:25
that he couldn't see me sleeping in my pew.
29:27
I was wrong.
29:30
Because standing here tonight, you can see everything.
29:35
You can see everything.
29:37
And yet back then, when I was an unconverted friend,
29:39
I didn't listen to what was being said.
29:41
Nothing about Kenny I's preaching.
29:43
But I didn't listen to what was being said.
29:45
Instead, I spent my time sleeping
29:47
or counting the different colored squares on the window behind me.
29:52
I don't want you to do that tonight.
29:55
I want you to do as Psalm 49 was telling us.
29:58
Listen.
30:00
Give attention to what the Bible is saying.
30:04
Because the Lord is able to speak to you.
30:06
And the Lord is able to save you.
30:09
That's why I want us to think about this question together this evening.
30:13
Why are we sitting here until we die?
30:17
Why are we sitting here until we die?
30:19
Because, you know, as we read, it's a question that was asked
30:22
during a discussion between these four lepers
30:25
sitting at the gate to the city of Samaria.
30:28
And so this evening, I just want us to listen in to their discussion.
30:32
And I want us to hear their concern and their conversation
30:36
and the conclusion that they came to.
30:39
And there are three simple headings this evening.
30:41
Their concern, their conversation, and their conclusion.
30:45
So first of all, their concern.
30:47
The concern that was going on at the time.
30:49
Look at verse 1 of chapter 7.
30:51
Elisha said,
30:52
Hear the word of the Lord.
30:54
Thus says the Lord,
30:55
Tomorrow about this time,
30:56
A seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel,
30:59
And two seahs of barley for a shekel,
31:01
At the gate of Samaria.
31:03
And the captain on whose hand the king leaned,
31:06
Said to the man of God,
31:07
If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven,
31:10
Could this thing be?
31:12
But he said,
31:13
You shall see it with your own eyes,
31:15
But you shall not eat of it.
31:17
You know,
31:19
When we come to 2 Kings chapter 7,
31:21
We see that Elisha,
31:22
Elisha was the Lord's prophet.
31:25
Elisha had been called, commissioned,
31:27
And commanded to proclaim God's word,
31:30
And plead with sinners to repent.
31:32
Elisha was what you could call a foreteller.
31:35
He was someone who preached and proclaimed
31:37
The good news of salvation.
31:40
But Elisha was also someone who was a foreteller.
31:42
He prophesied and predicted future events.
31:48
And that's what we see in these opening verses.
31:49
Elisha says there in verse 1,
31:51
He says,
31:51
Hear the word of the Lord.
31:53
Thus says the Lord.
31:56
Tomorrow about this time,
31:57
A seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel,
32:00
And two seahs of barley for a shekel,
32:02
At the gate of Samaria.
32:05
But the thing is,
32:06
What Elisha foretold there,
32:08
What Elisha prophesied and predicted,
32:11
It seemed unbelievable.
32:15
In fact, it seemed too good to be true.
32:18
It seemed too good to be true.
32:21
Which is why the king's right-hand man
32:23
Said to Elisha there in verse 2,
32:26
If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven,
32:29
Could this thing be?
32:31
Now the reason the king's right-hand man
32:33
Doubted and even disregarded
32:35
What Elisha had to say
32:37
Was because Israel was at war.
32:39
Israel was at war.
32:41
They were fighting with their northern neighbours,
32:43
Syria.
32:45
Which, going by our news at the moment,
32:47
Sadly shows us that
32:48
There's nothing new under the sun.
32:51
But in Elisha's day,
32:53
Israel was at war with Syria.
32:55
Because they were fighting over this city here,
32:58
The city of Samaria.
33:00
And in the previous chapter,
33:01
Which we read some of it,
33:02
The Syrians, they captured,
33:04
They took control of the city of Samaria.
33:06
And as you'd expect,
33:08
King Jehoram,
33:09
Who was the king of Israel at the time,
33:11
He wasn't happy.
33:12
He wasn't happy that they had taken control
33:14
Of his city,
33:16
The city of Samaria.
33:17
But the thing is,
33:18
What annoyed and even angered the king most,
33:21
Wasn't his fight with the Syrians.
33:25
What angered him most,
33:26
Was the famine in the land.
33:28
Because like it was,
33:31
During the first world war,
33:32
And the second world war,
33:33
Food was rationed.
33:36
But as time went on,
33:37
The rationed food,
33:38
It ran out.
33:40
And there was a severe famine,
33:42
In the land of Israel.
33:43
But like it was then,
33:45
As it is now,
33:45
War brings out,
33:47
The worst in people.
33:48
We hear all the stories on the news,
33:50
About the wars that are going on in Israel,
33:52
And also in Ukraine.
33:53
Wars bring out the worst in people.
33:55
And we see that even in the previous chapter,
33:57
Because in the previous chapter,
33:58
We read that the lack of food,
34:00
And the famine in the land,
34:01
It led to cannibalism.
34:05
And we read it,
34:06
I'm sure you read it with me.
34:07
And you think,
34:08
Is this really true?
34:09
Did this really happen?
34:10
That they were so hungry,
34:11
They were eating children.
34:14
And this angered the king,
34:15
But he didn't direct his fury,
34:17
And frustration towards the Syrians,
34:19
Who were fighting with him.
34:20
No, he directs his fury,
34:22
And all his frustration towards God.
34:25
Because well,
34:26
Who do you blame,
34:28
When something goes wrong in your life?
34:31
Who do you blame for wars,
34:32
And famines,
34:33
And abuse of children?
34:35
You blame God.
34:36
When everything is going fine,
34:38
God doesn't exist.
34:41
But when things go wrong,
34:43
God is to blame,
34:44
For all the bad things,
34:45
That happen in life.
34:47
The question I'm often asked is,
34:49
Why do bad things happen to good people?
34:51
And people,
34:52
They often direct their fury,
34:53
And their frustration towards God,
34:55
And towards God's servants.
34:58
And that's what the king does here,
34:59
Because the king wants to kill Elijah,
35:01
He wants to take his head off.
35:03
He's had enough of the king,
35:05
Of the Lord's prophet,
35:06
He's had enough of Elisha.
35:08
In fact,
35:09
At the end of the previous chapter,
35:10
The king sent his right hand man,
35:12
To tell Elisha,
35:14
The king wants you dead.
35:17
But Elisha responds to the king's death,
35:20
By declaring in verse 1,
35:24
He says,
35:24
Tomorrow about this time,
35:25
A sale of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel,
35:28
Two saires of barley for a shekel,
35:30
At the gate of Samaria.
35:31
Elisha tells him,
35:32
He foretells,
35:34
About this time tomorrow.
35:37
In 24 hours time,
35:39
There will be flour for sale,
35:42
There will be food in the land,
35:44
And the famine will be over.
35:47
In 24 hours time,
35:48
Says Elisha,
35:50
There will be flour for sale,
35:51
Food in the land,
35:52
And the famine will be over.
35:53
But as,
35:54
As we read,
35:56
Or as we said,
35:56
What Elisha had prophesied,
35:58
And predicted,
35:59
It seemed unbelievable.
36:01
It seemed too good to be through.
36:03
This good news,
36:04
Seemed too good to be through.
36:06
Especially with Israel,
36:07
Still at war,
36:08
Fighting with Syria,
36:09
This shortage of food,
36:11
And this severe famine,
36:12
In the land.
36:13
And Elisha's good news,
36:14
It seemed too good to be through.
36:17
Which is why,
36:18
The king's right hand man,
36:19
He responds,
36:20
To what the prophet has to say.
36:22
And he says,
36:23
Well,
36:23
If the Lord himself,
36:24
Would open windows of heaven,
36:26
Could this thing,
36:27
Actually happen?
36:29
In other words,
36:30
He was saying,
36:30
To the Lord's prophet,
36:31
To the Lord's preacher,
36:33
What planet are you on?
36:36
Get real,
36:37
Elisha.
36:39
You're talking,
36:40
Absolute rubbish.
36:41
I don't believe a word,
36:42
Of what you're saying.
36:43
We're not going to have food tomorrow.
36:46
There's not going to be flour for sale.
36:49
And this famine is not going to be over.
36:52
But the thing is,
36:53
Because the king's right hand man,
36:54
Because he doubts,
36:55
And even disregards,
36:56
What Elisha had to say.
36:58
Elisha gives another prophecy.
37:01
He mentions another prophecy.
37:02
He makes another prediction.
37:04
He says there,
37:05
At the end of verse 2,
37:06
You shall see it with your own eyes,
37:09
But you shall not eat of it.
37:11
You shall see it with your own eyes,
37:14
But you shall not eat of it.
37:16
And with that,
37:17
Elisha,
37:18
The prophet,
37:19
He foretold,
37:20
That about this time tomorrow,
37:21
In 24 hours time,
37:23
He was saying to the king's right hand man,
37:26
There will be flour for sale.
37:28
There will be food to eat.
37:30
There will be no more famine.
37:33
And the king's right hand man,
37:35
You will see it.
37:36
But you will not eat of it.
37:39
Because your life,
37:41
Will be over.
37:43
And you know,
37:43
If you carry on reading through 2 Kings chapter 7,
37:47
That's what you'll find.
37:48
By the end of the chapter,
37:50
The king's right hand man,
37:52
Is dead.
37:54
And you know,
37:54
Elisha's message,
37:55
It was clear.
37:56
In 24 hours,
37:57
The promise of good news,
37:59
Is going to be there.
38:00
There's going to be flour,
38:00
There's going to be food,
38:01
There's going to be no more famine.
38:03
The promise of good news,
38:04
Is going to be to all who believe.
38:07
But for those who don't believe,
38:09
Those who disregard God's word,
38:11
Those who doubt God's servants,
38:13
There's bad news.
38:14
And he tells the servant here,
38:16
The promise there,
38:17
Is a promise of death.
38:20
And you know,
38:20
That was the thing about the king's right hand man.
38:22
He disregarded God's word.
38:25
He disregarded God's servant,
38:27
And within 24 hours,
38:29
He was dead.
38:30
However old this man was,
38:33
Probably quite a young man,
38:35
If he's the king's right hand man.
38:37
And it's safe to say,
38:39
He wasn't prepared.
38:43
He wasn't ready.
38:45
He hadn't thought about his soul,
38:48
Or where he stood in relation,
38:50
To the saviour.
38:53
And you know,
38:53
My unconverted friend,
38:55
How often I would remind it,
38:58
That we're not promised tomorrow.
39:00
How often do we say,
39:02
That we don't know,
39:02
What's around the corner.
39:05
How often do we acknowledge,
39:06
That we don't know,
39:07
What a day nor an hour,
39:08
Will bring in our lives.
39:10
We saw that this week,
39:11
Even in the news.
39:13
We saw the sad,
39:15
And yet the solemn sinking,
39:16
Of that super yacht.
39:18
Where not even all the money in the world,
39:21
Could prevent what happened there.
39:23
Do you know my unconverted friend,
39:24
How often we are confronted,
39:26
With the reality,
39:28
And the finality of death.
39:32
And that's why it's good to talk about it.
39:36
That's why it's good to speak,
39:37
And share about what's going on in our heart,
39:39
And in our soul.
39:41
And that's what these four lepers did.
39:43
Because their concern,
39:45
Led to their conversation.
39:47
That's what we see secondly.
39:48
So the concern led to their conversation.
39:51
Look at verse 3.
39:53
We read there,
39:53
That now there were four men,
39:54
Who were lepers,
39:55
At the entrance to the gate.
39:58
And they said to one another,
39:59
Why are we sitting here,
40:01
Until we die?
40:03
Why are we sitting here,
40:06
Until we die?
40:07
You know,
40:07
Unlike the king's right hand man,
40:09
Who doubted and disregarded what he heard,
40:12
These four lepers,
40:13
Entered into a discussion.
40:16
And they started talking about it.
40:19
And you know,
40:19
Some might think,
40:20
That their conversation,
40:21
Was pretty morbid.
40:23
To be talking about death.
40:25
Especially their own death.
40:28
But the reality is,
40:30
They were realistic.
40:32
Because the famine in the land,
40:33
And the lack of food,
40:34
That wasn't their only problem.
40:36
Because as lepers,
40:37
And as we read there in verse 3,
40:39
They all knew that there was something wrong with them.
40:41
They all knew that they were living,
40:43
With this deadly disease.
40:45
They all knew that time was passing.
40:47
That life is short.
40:48
That their days were numbered.
40:51
They all knew that,
40:52
They were unclean lepers.
40:54
That everywhere they went,
40:55
They always had to shout,
40:56
Unclean!
40:57
Unclean!
40:58
Unclean!
40:59
They lived in isolation.
41:00
That's why they're sitting at the,
41:01
At the gate of the city.
41:04
My friend,
41:04
They all knew,
41:05
These four lepers,
41:06
All knew,
41:07
That they were dying.
41:11
They all knew that they were dying.
41:14
Because as lepers,
41:15
They were living with a deadly disease,
41:16
That they knew,
41:17
Wasn't going to get any better.
41:20
It was only going to get worse.
41:23
Because their illness,
41:24
Was slowly taking over their body.
41:26
And it was bringing with it,
41:27
As it does,
41:28
More pain,
41:29
More problems,
41:30
More fragility,
41:31
More frailty.
41:31
And they all knew,
41:33
That this disease,
41:33
Was causing decay,
41:35
And would eventually bring,
41:37
Death.
41:39
And it was for this reason,
41:40
That they all knew,
41:42
That every day for them,
41:43
Was a gift.
41:44
Because it was one day,
41:46
Less of life.
41:47
And one day closer,
41:49
To death.
41:51
And as these four lepers,
41:52
As they're sitting,
41:53
And dying,
41:54
Outside the entrance gate,
41:56
Entrance to the city,
41:57
Of Samaria,
41:58
They begin this conversation,
41:59
About their future.
42:02
They stop thinking,
42:03
About the here and now.
42:05
And they start thinking,
42:06
About what's ahead of them.
42:07
And they ask themselves,
42:08
The question that we all need,
42:09
To ask ourselves this evening,
42:11
Why are we sitting here,
42:13
Until we die?
42:14
Why are we sitting here,
42:15
Until we die?
42:17
And you know,
42:17
You might think,
42:18
That their conversation,
42:19
Was a bit fatalistic.
42:21
But you know,
42:21
My unconverted friend,
42:22
Their conversation,
42:23
Was realistic.
42:25
Because the reality is,
42:26
As our bible,
42:27
Often reminds us,
42:30
We all possess,
42:31
This deadly disease of sin.
42:34
Whether we want to,
42:35
Admit to it or not.
42:37
In fact,
42:38
Our bible,
42:38
Likens leprosy,
42:40
To the deadly disease,
42:42
Of sin.
42:44
And whether we're aware,
42:45
Of it or not,
42:45
Sin has a deadly grip,
42:47
On all of us.
42:48
Because sin has,
42:49
Impacted and infected,
42:51
Every area of our lives.
42:53
And the sad reality,
42:54
About sin,
42:55
Is that it's hereditary.
42:57
We pass it on,
42:58
To our children,
42:59
Whether we want to or not.
43:00
And it's been passed down,
43:02
To us,
43:02
From generation,
43:03
To generation,
43:04
Because we were all,
43:05
Conceived,
43:06
In guiltiness,
43:07
And sin.
43:07
We were born in sin.
43:08
We live in sin.
43:11
And of course,
43:12
In our youth,
43:13
We don't really feel,
43:14
The physical effects,
43:15
Of sin.
43:17
Young people,
43:17
Don't think about,
43:18
These things.
43:20
I'm sure,
43:21
The young people tonight,
43:21
Don't think about,
43:23
These things very often.
43:24
Because they think,
43:25
They've got their whole lives,
43:26
Ahead of them.
43:28
I thought that once,
43:29
As an unconverted friend.
43:31
But as time passes,
43:33
And as the years roll on,
43:35
The physical effects,
43:36
Of sin become more,
43:37
And more apparent.
43:39
So that when we look,
43:40
At ourselves,
43:41
And even when we look,
43:42
At others too,
43:44
Those grey hairs,
43:46
They're all increasing,
43:47
In number.
43:47
For some,
43:49
Their hair has already died,
43:50
And fallen out.
43:52
Those wrinkles,
43:53
They're spreading further.
43:56
The eyesight,
43:56
Isn't what it used to be.
43:59
The hearing,
43:59
Isn't what it once was.
44:01
The body,
44:02
Isn't as fit.
44:02
It's not as fast,
44:03
As it used to be,
44:04
In our youth.
44:06
And with every passing year,
44:07
Just like the lepers,
44:08
There's more pain,
44:10
And there's more problems.
44:11
There's more frailty.
44:13
There's more fragility.
44:14
And every one of them,
44:15
They are all evidences,
44:17
Of this disease of sin,
44:18
That is slowly taking over.
44:23
My friend,
44:26
You're dying.
44:30
You're dying.
44:32
That's what the Bible tells you.
44:35
We don't like to hear it.
44:38
But you're dying.
44:39
And there's no way,
44:40
Of getting away from it.
44:42
We can put it out of our minds,
44:43
As much as we like.
44:44
We can fill our lives,
44:45
With as many distractions,
44:47
As we want to.
44:49
But that doesn't change the fact.
44:52
The disease of sin,
44:53
Is slowly taking over our life,
44:55
And we are all moving closer,
44:56
And closer,
44:58
To the grave.
44:59
My friend,
45:00
We're all in the waiting room.
45:03
And we're all waiting,
45:05
To see who's going to be called next.
45:09
Now maybe you're thinking,
45:10
Oh Murdo,
45:11
Murdo,
45:13
Take it easy.
45:15
Where's the joy?
45:17
Where's the jokes?
45:19
Where's the fun?
45:21
You've been very fatalistic, Murdo.
45:24
Know my unconverted friend,
45:27
I want to be realistic with you.
45:30
And sometimes we have to be realistic.
45:33
Sometimes we need to stop skirting about this topic,
45:36
And really speak about it.
45:38
Because you know,
45:41
Ten years as a minister,
45:43
Something I thought I'd never do.
45:46
But when you have to stand over an open grave,
45:49
And speak to a grieving family,
45:51
You are repeatedly reminded,
45:53
Of the timeless truth of scripture.
45:55
That the wages of sin,
45:58
That the wages of sin,
45:58
Is death.
46:01
The wages of sin is death.
46:04
So why are we sitting here,
46:05
Until we die?
46:08
Why are we sitting in church,
46:10
Until we die?
46:11
Why are we sitting here,
46:12
Week by week,
46:13
Month by month,
46:14
Year by year?
46:15
Some of you have been sitting here,
46:17
Since I was sitting here with you.
46:20
Why are we sitting here,
46:22
Letting our life waste away,
46:23
To a lost eternity?
46:25
Why are we sitting here,
46:26
Doing nothing,
46:27
It seems,
46:28
About our eternal well-being?
46:30
Why are we sitting here,
46:31
When we have the opportunity,
46:33
Right before us,
46:34
To seek the Lord,
46:35
And to receive the promise,
46:37
Of eternal life?
46:39
My unconverted friend,
46:40
Why are we sitting here,
46:42
Until we die?
46:45
Because the wages of sin,
46:46
Is death.
46:48
Thankfully Paul,
46:49
Didn't stop there.
46:51
He said,
46:52
The wages of sin,
46:52
Is death,
46:53
But,
46:54
But the free gift of God,
46:56
Is eternal life,
46:58
Through Jesus Christ,
46:59
Our Lord.
47:01
And you know,
47:02
For these lepers,
47:02
Their concern about death,
47:04
It led to their,
47:05
Conversation about,
47:07
Wanting to find life,
47:09
And it ended with,
47:09
Their conclusion,
47:11
Their conclusion,
47:12
Which I want us to consider,
47:13
Lastly and briefly,
47:15
Their conclusion,
47:16
Their conclusion,
47:17
Look at verse 4,
47:18
Concern about death,
47:19
I hope you think about it,
47:23
And I hope it will lead,
47:25
To a conversation,
47:27
About wanting to find,
47:28
Eternal life,
47:29
And that you'll come,
47:30
To the same conclusion,
47:32
That these lepers,
47:33
Came to,
47:34
So we see their concern,
47:36
Their conversation,
47:38
And then lastly,
47:39
And briefly,
47:40
Their conclusion,
47:42
Their conclusion,
47:43
Look at verse 4,
47:44
Or we'll read again,
47:45
In verse 3,
47:45
Now there were four men,
47:47
Who were lepers,
47:48
At the entrance to the gate,
47:50
And they said to one another,
47:51
Why are we sitting here,
47:52
Until we die?
47:54
If we say,
47:54
Let us enter the city,
47:56
The famine is in the city,
47:57
And we shall die there,
47:58
And if we sit here,
48:01
We die also,
48:02
So now come,
48:04
Let us go over,
48:05
To the camp,
48:06
Of the Syrians,
48:07
If they spare our lives,
48:08
We shall live,
48:09
And if they kill us,
48:11
We shall,
48:11
But die,
48:13
As the conversation,
48:15
Between these four lepers,
48:16
Continued,
48:17
They all came,
48:18
To the same conclusion,
48:19
And their conclusion,
48:20
Was that,
48:21
If they stayed,
48:22
And sat,
48:23
Where they were,
48:25
It would mean,
48:25
Certain death,
48:27
If you just stay,
48:29
And sit,
48:29
It means certain death,
48:30
But if they got up,
48:31
And if they went,
48:31
Into the city,
48:32
There was the possibility,
48:34
Of life,
48:35
So for these lepers,
48:37
To stay and sit,
48:38
Was certain death,
48:39
But to stand,
48:40
And seek,
48:41
Was the possibility,
48:42
Of life,
48:43
To stay,
48:44
And sit,
48:45
Was certain death,
48:47
But to stand,
48:48
And seek,
48:50
Was the possibility,
48:52
Of life,
48:54
You know,
48:57
It reminds me,
48:57
Of a conversation,
48:58
I once had,
48:59
With someone,
49:00
That I worked with,
49:01
When I was an electrician,
49:03
He used to attend,
49:05
Your church,
49:06
I hope he'll come back,
49:08
We were sitting,
49:09
In the van one day,
49:10
And we had been talking,
49:11
About what happens,
49:12
After death,
49:13
A very random conversation,
49:16
At lunchtime,
49:18
But he put off the radio,
49:21
And I remember,
49:21
I'm turning to him,
49:22
And he said,
49:22
Murdo,
49:23
What if you're wrong,
49:25
What if you're wrong,
49:28
About all this,
49:29
Christianity,
49:30
And God,
49:31
What if there's nothing,
49:32
After death,
49:33
What then,
49:34
Murdo?
49:36
And I said,
49:36
Well,
49:37
If I'm wrong,
49:38
About being a Christian,
49:39
It's done me no harm,
49:42
And I'm happy in life,
49:44
I enjoy life,
49:45
Yes,
49:47
Yes,
49:47
There are hard things in it,
49:48
But I believe,
49:48
That the Lord is good,
49:49
But then I turned,
49:51
The question round,
49:52
To him,
49:53
And I asked,
49:54
Well,
49:54
What if you're wrong,
49:56
What if there is something,
49:59
After death,
50:00
What if God does exist,
50:03
And you have to stand,
50:04
Before him,
50:05
Then what,
50:06
And all he could say to me was,
50:10
Well,
50:10
Murdo,
50:11
I will be in a lot of trouble,
50:13
Won't I?
50:15
And that's what these lepers were like,
50:18
They had come to the conclusion,
50:19
That to stay and sit,
50:21
Was certain death,
50:23
But to stand up,
50:25
And to seek,
50:26
Was the possibility of life,
50:28
To stay and sit,
50:29
Was certain death,
50:30
But to stand up,
50:32
And to seek,
50:33
Was the possibility of life,
50:34
And they acknowledge here,
50:36
That they weren't 100% sure,
50:38
They had doubts,
50:40
They weren't 100% sure,
50:42
They thought,
50:43
Well,
50:43
Maybe I could be wrong,
50:45
We don't know what it's going to be like,
50:47
We could die in the city,
50:49
But they'd come to the conclusion,
50:50
That it's better to make this commitment,
50:53
Rather than stay and sit,
50:55
And suffer where they are,
50:58
Do you see what's being said there?
51:00
They were saying,
51:01
It's better to make this commitment,
51:04
Rather than stay and suffer,
51:06
And sit where they are,
51:08
Because that will be fatal,
51:10
And you know,
51:11
If you think I'm fatalistic,
51:13
You know,
51:13
There are so many people,
51:14
Who have a fatalistic view of salvation,
51:17
I remember another time,
51:18
When I was an apprentice electrician,
51:20
I was 18,
51:21
I was newly converted,
51:23
And I wanted everybody to save,
51:24
Be saved,
51:25
And I still want everybody,
51:27
To be saved,
51:28
But this day,
51:29
I asked my tradesman,
51:31
I asked him the question,
51:32
Well,
51:32
Why aren't you a Christian?
51:33
And I never expected,
51:36
The answer I got,
51:37
He said to me,
51:39
If I'm going to be saved,
51:40
I'll be saved,
51:41
And there's nothing I can do about it,
51:44
If I'm going to be saved,
51:46
I'll be saved,
51:47
And there's nothing,
51:48
I can do about it,
51:49
And you know,
51:50
My unconverted friends,
51:51
So many people,
51:52
And you might even be one of them,
51:54
So many people,
51:55
They accept themselves,
51:56
They excuse themselves,
51:57
From coming to Christ,
51:58
And committing their life to Christ,
52:00
And becoming a Christian,
52:02
Because they're hiding behind,
52:03
The doctrine of God's election,
52:05
And they say,
52:06
If I'm going to be saved,
52:07
I'll be saved,
52:08
And there's absolutely nothing,
52:09
I can do about it,
52:11
But you know now,
52:14
I'd love to relive that conversation,
52:17
Because you know,
52:19
My unconverted friend,
52:20
The sad and solemn reality,
52:23
Is that those who,
52:25
Live like that,
52:27
And those who think like that,
52:28
Those who sit in church,
52:30
And stay where they are,
52:32
Until they die,
52:34
When they die,
52:37
They go to hell,
52:39
And they go to hell,
52:40
Not because they didn't hear the gospel,
52:43
They go to hell,
52:44
Not because they were never told the truth,
52:46
About salvation,
52:48
They go to hell,
52:49
Not because they weren't prayed,
52:52
Or pleaded with,
52:53
To come to Christ,
52:54
No,
52:54
They go to hell,
52:56
Because they stayed where they are,
52:58
And they sat where they are,
53:02
And now they're suffering in hell,
53:05
My unconverted friend,
53:07
Why are we sitting here,
53:08
Until we die,
53:11
Why are we sitting here,
53:12
Until we die,
53:12
Because you know,
53:13
Our bible,
53:14
Never ever tells us,
53:16
To stay,
53:16
And to sit,
53:17
Do you know that,
53:18
Your bible will never ever tell you,
53:21
To stay and sit,
53:22
Where you are,
53:23
No,
53:23
The bible,
53:24
The whole book,
53:25
Is a divine invitation,
53:26
And it's full of divine imperatives,
53:29
The whole bible,
53:30
From Genesis,
53:31
To revelation,
53:32
Is a divine invitation,
53:34
Full of divine imperatives,
53:36
And you read them all,
53:37
They're all there for us,
53:38
And they're all saying to us,
53:39
Come,
53:41
Call,
53:42
Upon the lord,
53:43
Cry to the lord,
53:45
Commit your life to the lord,
53:47
Look to the lord,
53:48
Listen,
53:49
To the lord,
53:50
Love the lord,
53:51
Learn from the lord,
53:52
Live for the lord,
53:53
Ask,
53:54
Seek,
53:54
Knock,
53:55
All these imperatives,
53:57
My friend,
53:57
Our bible is a divine invitation,
53:59
Full of divine imperatives,
54:01
And it never says to us,
54:03
Ever,
54:03
On any point in scripture,
54:05
To stay,
54:07
And to sit,
54:09
Where you are,
54:11
No,
54:11
My friend,
54:12
It says,
54:12
Come,
54:14
Come,
54:14
Jesus,
54:15
The free offer of the gospel,
54:17
Says Jesus,
54:18
Is come unto me,
54:20
All you that labor,
54:22
And are heavy laden,
54:23
And I will give you rest,
54:25
And you know,
54:26
Like these lepers,
54:27
You might be afraid,
54:28
You might be apprehensive,
54:30
About committing your life,
54:31
To Jesus Christ,
54:32
You might be unsure,
54:34
You might be uncertain,
54:35
What to do,
54:38
That you know what to do,
54:40
Speak to your minister about it,
54:42
He would love to talk to you,
54:45
About your soul,
54:47
He would love it,
54:50
Speak to your elders,
54:52
If you know who your elder is,
54:53
Or any elder,
54:55
They would love to talk to you,
54:57
Speak to another Christian,
55:00
It's the conversation,
55:01
A Christian longs for,
55:03
Every day,
55:04
To speak to someone,
55:05
About their soul,
55:08
And you know,
55:08
Maybe like these lepers,
55:10
You're afraid,
55:10
You're apprehensive,
55:11
You're unsure,
55:12
You're uncertain,
55:13
But you know,
55:14
Like these lepers,
55:15
You have come to this conclusion,
55:16
I can't stay where I am,
55:20
Any longer,
55:22
I can't sit here anymore,
55:25
I can't sit in my sin,
55:27
I need to do something about it,
55:29
I can't die and suffer in hell,
55:32
Because I know that I need to come to this Christ,
55:34
And commit my life to this Christ,
55:36
Because like these lepers,
55:38
When they started seeking,
55:39
You know my friend,
55:40
They made a commitment,
55:42
And they came into the city,
55:44
And as we read in the passage,
55:45
When they came into the city,
55:46
The Lord had prepared the way for them,
55:49
The Syrians were gone,
55:50
The Syrians had fled,
55:52
The Lord had prepared the way,
55:54
And they came into the city,
55:55
And what did they find?
55:58
They found life,
56:00
They found life,
56:02
They found good news,
56:04
They found food,
56:06
They found drink,
56:07
They found gold,
56:08
They found silver,
56:08
They found it all,
56:09
They found everything,
56:10
They ever needed,
56:12
And this news to them was so good,
56:17
That they wanted to speak about it,
56:20
And share it with others,
56:22
And that's why you have a back to church Sunday,
56:26
You want to speak about this good news,
56:30
You want to share it with others,
56:33
You found life,
56:34
So my Christian friend,
56:35
If you found life,
56:36
Share it,
56:37
Speak about it,
56:38
Tell others about it,
56:40
My unconverted friend,
56:42
You need to come,
56:44
And find life,
56:46
Life everlasting,
56:47
And you know,
56:50
These lepers,
56:51
They found good news,
56:52
That they wanted to share it with others,
56:55
And that's what we're doing here this evening,
56:58
Because the good news of the gospel,
57:00
Is that,
57:02
Even though the wages of sin is death,
57:05
The gift of God,
57:06
This free gift,
57:07
The free offer of the gospel,
57:09
Is eternal life,
57:12
And I'm not the first person,
57:14
To present it to you,
57:15
And I know I won't be the last,
57:19
And I'm so thankful for those,
57:20
Who presented it to me,
57:22
But it's a free offer,
57:25
Of eternal life,
57:27
Through Jesus Christ,
57:28
Our Lord,
57:29
So why are you going to stay where you are,
57:33
Why are you going to stay there,
57:34
And just sit there,
57:35
Dying in your sin,
57:39
You know,
57:39
As I said to you,
57:40
I speak to you as someone,
57:43
Who used to sit where you were sitting,
57:44
Because I was once the unconverted friend,
57:49
Sitting up at the back,
57:52
Sitting and dying,
57:53
In my sin,
57:54
But you know my friend,
57:58
You need to get up,
58:01
You need to wake up,
58:05
You need to come,
58:07
To this Christ,
58:08
And you need to come to him,
58:11
With all your sin,
58:13
And you need to seek forgiveness,
58:15
From him,
58:16
Because he's the only saviour of sinners,
58:18
Do you know,
58:22
I was thinking,
58:23
Coming here this evening,
58:25
My unconverted friend,
58:29
If these pews could speak,
58:32
If these pews could speak,
58:37
They would tell how often we sat on them,
58:40
If these pews could speak,
58:43
They'd tell us,
58:45
How many sermons we heard,
58:48
If these pews in Kenneth Street,
58:51
Could speak,
58:53
They'd tell you how many preachers,
58:55
Have pleaded with your soul,
58:57
To be saved,
58:58
If these pews could speak,
59:02
They'd tell you how long,
59:05
You've been sitting here,
59:07
And you know,
59:10
If these pews could speak,
59:12
They would ask you this question,
59:16
Why are you sitting here,
59:20
Until we die,
59:23
Why are we sitting here,
59:27
Until we die,
59:29
My friend,
59:30
Get up,
59:32
And go to Christ,
59:34
Because there you will find life,
59:37
Life eternal,
59:40
May the Lord bless these thoughts to us,
59:42
Let us pray,
59:44
O Lord our gracious God,
59:49
May give thanks for,
59:51
The beauty of the gospel,
59:54
That Jesus is there on every page,
59:57
Reminding us that he has come,
59:59
That we might have life,
1:00:00
And have it more abundantly,
1:00:03
And Lord our prayer is,
1:00:04
That for all our unconverted friends,
1:00:06
That they would come,
1:00:08
And see this Jesus,
1:00:09
That they would no longer sit,
1:00:11
And stay where they are,
1:00:13
But that they would come to him,
1:00:15
Because he says that,
1:00:16
Whosoever comes to me,
1:00:18
I will in no wise cast out,
1:00:21
Lord speak to us we pray,
1:00:23
May thy word find lodgment,
1:00:25
In our heart,
1:00:26
And bear fruit to thy glory,
1:00:28
Go before us and we ask,
1:00:30
For we ask it in Jesus name,
1:00:31
And for his sake,
1:00:33
Amen,
1:00:34
Amen,
1:00:34
We're going to bring our service,
1:00:42
To a conclusion this evening,
1:00:43
And we're going to sing the words,
1:00:44
Of Psalm 62,
1:00:46
Psalm 62,
1:00:48
In the Scottish Psalter,
1:00:49
Psalm 62,
1:01:01
It's on page 294,
1:01:02
We're singing from verse 5,
1:01:04
Down to the verse marked 8,
1:01:07
Psalm 62 is,
1:01:14
A psalm in which David,
1:01:15
The psalmist,
1:01:16
He tells his testimony,
1:01:17
He tells us how much the Lord,
1:01:20
Means to him,
1:01:21
In his life,
1:01:22
And I suppose that's what me,
1:01:23
And Callum will be doing,
1:01:25
In a few moments,
1:01:26
So,
1:01:27
Come along and,
1:01:29
Callum will tell you,
1:01:30
How he came to know the Lord,
1:01:32
But what David does here,
1:01:34
In Psalm 62,
1:01:34
Is he tells his testimony,
1:01:37
But he doesn't leave it there,
1:01:39
He calls people,
1:01:41
To place their confidence,
1:01:43
And their hope,
1:01:44
In the same saviour,
1:01:45
That he loves,
1:01:46
He says there in verse 6,
1:01:48
He only my salvation is,
1:01:50
And my strong rock is he,
1:01:52
He only is my sure defence,
1:01:54
I shall not moved be,
1:01:55
That's David's testimony,
1:01:57
The Lord is his salvation,
1:01:59
Then he says there in verse 8 though,
1:02:01
This is the application,
1:02:04
You people,
1:02:05
Place your confidence,
1:02:07
In him continually,
1:02:09
Before him pour ye out your heart,
1:02:12
God is,
1:02:13
A refuge high,
1:02:14
So we're going to sing,
1:02:15
Psalm 62,
1:02:16
Verses 5,
1:02:17
Down to the verse marked 8,
1:02:19
And we'll stand to sing,
1:02:19
If you're able,
1:02:20
To God's praise,
1:02:21
Can I possum to sing?
1:02:26
Another prayer,
1:02:27
May I stop you,
1:02:29
Without,
1:02:31
Slut $1% With and $art!
1:02:34
upon my Lord alone.
1:02:42
O will be render for my hope
1:02:50
and expectation.
1:02:55
The only my salvation is
1:03:06
and my strong prophecy.
1:03:14
The only is my sure defense.
1:03:21
I shall not burden thee.
1:03:30
In God my glory places
1:03:37
and my salvation sure.
1:03:45
In God the rock is of my strength.
1:03:55
My refuge was secure.
1:04:01
Give me the best of confidence
1:04:12
in him continually.
1:04:17
Be for him holy and pure heart.
1:04:28
Lord is a refuge and
1:04:33
we're going to give thanks for the food
1:04:38
that's served next door.
1:04:40
So please do stay behind if you can.
1:04:42
It would be lovely to spend time with you
1:04:44
fellowship. Lord, we give thanks for every good and every perfect gift that is truly from above,
1:04:52
to know that thy son is the greatest gift. But we thank thee, Lord, for every reminder that thou
1:04:58
are a God who gives, even in the food prepared for us, bless it to our body's use. And Lord,
1:05:05
bless thy word to our souls. Because Lord, we ask that grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father,
1:05:13
Son, and Holy Spirit may rest and remain with us all, both now and forevermore. Amen.